City considers recycling business

The city of Tucumcari wants to explore the tire-recycling business.

The Tucumcari City Commission Thursday unanimously authorized a task force of business people to study the feasibility of a city-owned tire recycling plant.

Task force members include Jim Hudson, owner of Hudson’s Auto Supply; Nittin Bhakta, who operates several motels in the city; and Leif Gray, owner of Quality Lube and Tire.

Fifth District Commissioner Todd Duplantis, who proposed the idea to the commission, is also on the task force.

Duplantis proposed the idea during a work session that preceded Thursday’s regular commission meeting and later in the regular session.

Recycled tires can be shredded and processed for use in road construction materials, highway markers, as an ingredient in polystyrene plastics and even fuel, he said.

Duplantis said an investment of about $800,000 in plant equipment and property could bring in revenues of about $2 million a year for the city.

With the nearest tire recycling operation located in Houston, Duplantis said, there should be plenty of markets in Colorado, Texas, and Arizona a tire recycling plant in Tucumcari could serve.

Duplantis said the city’s processing operation could supply other businesses that would make products from shredded and granulated tire pieces.

“I’d like to see the city start earning money on its own,” Duplantis said. “We could do much more to clean up properties and fix our streets.”