So I am a self-described Clean Air Activist. For the past 5 years I have battled the city, the scrapyards, and our Air Management Services to hold the scrapyards accountable when they utilize little loopholes allowing them to burn tires.
We bought our house 5 years ago, and it is close to 3 major scrapyards. First off-- we didn't realize what an environmental catastrophe a scrapyard can be when we bought the house. But we soon realized that just because there are laws on the books doesn't mean anyone will enforce those laws, or find loopholes to get around the rules.
Within the first month of moving in, we discovered that about every other day, sometimes many days in row, the sound of a loud saw could be heard, and the air would become thick with an acrid burning smell, and clouds of smoke would waft into our yard and the surrounding yards.
My first action was to call the fire department whenever it happened, because, clearly, something was on fire. Sometimes I would call twice in a day. I began writing emails to my councilman, and discussing with neighbors how long this had been going on. The word on the block is that this had been happening for all the years Philadelphia Scrap Metal has been at the location, at least 10 years.
It soon became apparent that the fire department could not help, because they cannot give out violations. I was sent along to Air Management. I began calling them with complaints in the latter part of 2013.
The Air Management Department in Philadelphia is woefully underfunded. With just two employees for the ENTIRE city, it can take up to a full day for them to get to the site, in which time the offending material could be removed. And what finally became clear, is that the way in which the tires were being ignited is legal under Philadelphia Code.
CUTTING TIRES: The smoke generated by this scrapyard is created from a practice of cutting the tires in half, with a power saw, so that they can be more easily stacked inside a container truck to ship off to wherever they have been sold to. The u shape maximizes the packing space within the container truck, thus making the scrapyard money.
When the tires are cut with the saw, the metal mesh that is embedded within the tire, heats up, and ignites the tire FROM WITHIN. The tire begins to spew large quantities of smoke, that goes into the air of our neighborhood.
The most shocking part of all of this was that when my councilman finally put forth a bill to stop the cutting of tires--the Air Management Services came to testify AGAINST the bill. And please, understand that the AMS is Philadelphia's branch of the EPA.
I am still battling the AMS to uphold this new law--which went through unanimously---they have done everything BUT issue the violations that they are supposed to do. But the spotlight is on them now, and I won't shut up until we have clean clear air in our neighborhood!!