The state of Illinois is taking action against a Petersburg tire recycler for allegedly storing thousands of scrap tires on his property without a permit or proper safety procedures.
Lonnie W. Sinclair, owner of Lon's Tire Recyclers, faces sanctions from the Illinois Attorney General's Office after the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency turned his case over for legal action Aug. 13. The IEPA has asked the attorney general to stop Sinclair from accumulating or storing tires at his business site and begin removing all tires that are there.
The IEPA inspected Lon's Tire Recyclers earlier this year and found thousands of tires outdoors containing standing water and mosquito larvae, according to an agency press release. The larvae were identified as being those of the mosquitoes that are primary carriers of West Nile Virus, dengue fever and other mosquito-borne diseases, the agency said. The agency has since treated the tires with larvicide specifically designed for use in tires.
Lon's Tire Recyclers is not registered with the IEPA to store scrap tires, although it is registered with the state as a commercial scrap tire transporter, the agency said.
The Attorney General's Office will determine the proper legal sanctions against Sinclair, according to an IEPA spokeswoman. Under Illinois law, all scrap tire stockpilers who ignore state orders to remove their tires are liable for up to triple the cost of a state-funded cleanup, the IEPA said.
This is not the first time Sinclair has run afoul of the IEPA. In 2005, the agency referred him to the Attorney General's Office for an unregistered scrap tire stockpile at another site near Petersburg. That case is still pending, according to the IEPA.
Sinclair couldn't be reached for comment.