Millions of used tires are now being removed from state land south of the Valley at a cost to taxpayers of approximately $3 million.
This comes more than a year and a half after the ABC15 Investigators first reported on the potential environmental threat at the site of former tire recycler Envirotech Industries.
The five to seven million tires became state property in October 2008 after Envirotech filed for bankruptcy and was evicted by the state for not making its lease payments.
A small tire fire broke out on the property near Mobile, Arizona, later that month, which investigators determined to be suspicious.
The state tried auctioning off the tires last February, but none of them sold.
Earlier this month, the Arizona Department of Administration contracted with CRM to remove the tires.
The state will pay CRM $59.95 per ton, and there are an estimated 50,000 tons of tires on the site.
This expense will be paid for from the state's risk management fund.
"It's unfortunate we have to spend taxpayer dollars to clean this up, but it has to be done," said Alan Ecker with the Arizona Department of Administration.
Ecker said CRM began moving tires to their East Valley facility on April 7 and that the process will take about 16 months to complete.
According to Ecker, CRM will soon begin shredding tires on site in Mobile rather than hauling them away whole.
"Nobody really knows for sure how many tires are out there," said Donna Carlson, CRM's director of communications.
Carlson said some of the tires may not be recyclable depending on their age and condition.
Tires that cannot be processed and reused will "be property disposed of according to what the state's disposal methods allow," Carlson said, meaning some of the tires may end up in specialized landfills.
Meanwhile, Arizona State Capitol Police continue their criminal investigation into Envirotech Industries President Steve Robinson, Ecker said.
Ecker also said the state is still exploring other legal avenues to recover costs incurred throughout this process.
