Empire District Electric : 04-28-17 - Empire Announces Used Tire Collection in Joplin.pdf

JOPLIN, MO - April 28, 2017 - Empire District Electric Company announced today that customers may turn in their used tires on Friday, May 5 and Saturday, May 6, at the Joplin Recycling Center, 1310 West "A" Street from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This free event is being held in partnership with the City of Joplin.

The tires are processed to become tire-derived fuel (TDF) and used to supplement coal fuel at Empire's Asbury Power Plant. Advanced environmental control systems in place at the facility make this possible. Tires from the Joplin collection make up a small percentage of fuel used at the plant and the cost of TDF is comparable to the price of coal fuel.

The use of TDF also reduces the environmental hazards associated with improper disposal of used tires. The benefits of TDF, as described by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, include:

• Saves landfill space.

• Removes tires from the environment and alleviates the need for tire landfills.

• Reduces the amount of illegal tire dumping.

• Reduces mosquito-breeding habitat, the mosquito population and the spread of West Nile Virus.

• Preserves our natural resources by replacing coal, natural gas and other fossil fuels.

• Reduces the amount of coal that must be mined to keep up with electricity demands. (more)

Empire began using TDF in July 2002. Since that time, the Company has used about 98 million pounds of TDF, or approximately 4.9 million tires. The TDF burned at Asbury accounts for approximately one percent of the plant's total fuel mix by weight.

Residential customers of Empire may bring up to ten automotive tires per household to the free collection. Collection officials do ask that the tires be free of excess mud and debris. No commercial tires will be accepted.

This is a special event for residential customers with automotive tires needing disposal. Commercial businesses who need help contracting with a tire disposal company may contact the Joplin Recycling Center at 624-0820, Ext. 501, for assistance in locating a firm.

Based in Joplin, Missouri, The Empire District Electric Company is a subsidiary of Liberty Utilities Co. Empire District is a regulated utility providing electric, natural gas (through its wholly owned subsidiary The Empire District Gas Company), and water service, with approximately 218,000 customers in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. A subsidiary of the company provides fiber optic services. For more information regarding Empire, visitwww.empiredistrict.com. For more information about Liberty Utilities, visit www.libertyutilities.com.

Denise Overstreet Communications Specialist 417-625-5114

doverstreet@empiredistrict.com