Unwanted Tires To Be Shipped To Colorado Recycling Site

A heap of 600,000 tires that was destined for southern New Mexico will instead be going to a recycling site in Colorado, officials said.

Two companies had plans to bring the tires to Columbus, NM, but a district judge issued a temporary restraining order after the New Mexico attorney general's office accused the companies of making false statements to obtain permits to move the tires from Colorado to New Mexico.

A spokeswoman for the Colorado attorney general said the owner of the tires, Ripe Touch Greenhouses, has decided to send the tires to a Colorado recycler.

The New Mexico Environment Department initially said it had no objection to importing the tires for that purpose, but the state decided to investigate after Colorado officials raised questions.

The companies -- Tire Mountain of New Mexico, and parent company International Institute for Health and Wellness of Utah -- planned to research the effectiveness of greenhouses made of baled tires.

Officials were concerned that tires stored on-site before construction would become habitat for rodents, snakes, mosquitoes and other insects. Associated Press