YOUNGSTOWN — Matthew Gregg has been working tirelessly to fix a problem that’s been plaguing his community.
“Tire man,” as some people call him, said he’s the type of guy who won’t just complain when there’s a problem — he’ll work until it’s solved.
Gregg, 60, has pulled nearly 300 tires from the Mahoning River in his spare time.
“It’s amazing how much stuff ends up in a river,” he said. “There’s all kinds of other garbage too.”
What started about a month ago as an effort to clean up discarded tires evolved into a group effort that uncovered other trash, including carpet, a small kiddie pool, stainless steel scrap and construction cones.
“If it’s there and it shouldn’t be, we’ll pull it out,” he said.
Outfitted in waders, Gregg has scoured the river after work and on weekends because he said it’s at a record low. He fashioned himself a tool to pry the tires from the river’s bottom and said some are tougher to retrieve than others because they’re stuck in the mud and are full of sediment and rocks.
Most of the tires were collected in an area near the Norfolk Southern rail yard, between Center Street and Struthers, Gregg said, but he noted he’s also cleaned up tires in parts of the river that extend into Pennsylvania.
Gregg, who works in a grinding shop in Streetsboro, was born in Youngstown but relocated to Michigan when he was 7 and his dad was transferred from his job at Republic Steel.
He moved back to the area about four years ago and said he discovered the mess while canoeing. Gregg said he enjoys spending time near the river and wanted to do something to better the area and environment.
“I’ve always been around that river,” he said. “I can’t go by and not do something about it.”
A few people from the community pitched in to help after Gregg posted in a few forums on social media.
Bob Burke, Youngstown’s litter and recycling coordinator, said he took 287 tires to a tire shop in Campbell, where they’ll be recycled. It cost the city $2.50 per tire, or $717.50, to have them recycled.
Gregg said he thinks the tires were discarded years ago and that some may have been placed on the river bank to help with erosion.
Despite that, Burke said tire dumping is still a thing, calling it “a major problem in the area.”
Green Youngstown will host a tire recycling drive from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 1 at the Covelli Centre. Mahoning County residents can bring nine tires per vehicle and will be charged 50 cents per tire.
Semi truck tires will cost $10 to recycle and agricultural tires are $20 each. Commercial tires, those from a business and those with rims will not be accepted.
For more information, call 330-744-7526 or visit www.YoungstownOhio.gov/green.
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