Edwardsville man charged for dumping thousands of tires in East St. Louis vacant lot
An Edwardsville man was charged with two felonies and two misdemeanors for dumping 18,000 to 20,000 tires in a vacant lot in East St. Louis.
George L. Fifer, 41, of 311 Pine St., Edwardsville, was charged with two counts of criminal disposal of waste without a permit, a class 4 felony, and two counts of violation of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Act, a class A misdemeanor.
The charges stated that Fifer “caused or allowed the operation of a tire storage site” located at 147 S. 15th St. in East St. Louis without being in compliance of the Illinois Pollution Control Board, and that he knowingly conducted a waste-storage, waster-treatment or waste-disposal operation exceeding 250 cubic feet of waste.
The property was purchased in 2012 by Morris Carreway, of East St. Louis, according to county property records.
Discarded tires are responsible for the proliferation of a harmful species of mosquito, the Asian Tiger Mosquito, according to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s website. This type of mosquito carries several diseases, including encephalitis. Tire fires can contaminate the air, land and water. These fires burn very hot and are difficult to extinguish.
“It’s important that the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency continue to work these cases because it’s not just a threat to public health,” St. Clair County State’s Attorney Brendan Kelly said. “A kid growing up in East St. Louis who sees his community being used as a dumping ground can lose hope in others and themselves, and that’s the real danger we should all be worried about.”
The Illinois EPA also conducts waste tire removal for local governments on public grounds or at abandoned properties, according to the agency’s website. The agency provides all the funding for collection and transportation of waste tires to a commercial processing facility.
Fifer is currently facing possession of a stolen vehicle charges in Madison County. Neither he nor his attorney in that case could be reached for comment.
Fifer is free on $15,000 bail.
Contact reporter Beth Hundsdorfer at bhundsdorfer@bnd.com or 618-239-2570. Follow her on Twitter: @bhundsdorfer.
This story was originally published July 10, 2015 at 11:05 AM with the headline "Edwardsville man charged for dumping thousands of tires in East St. Louis vacant lot."