It’s been a recurring story over the last few years how our urban indigent populations have taken to mining precious metals (copper wire, manholes, car stereos, you name it) in order to subsist/feed their habits/keep themselves in fresh socks. But over the last week or so, what with the NY Times blowing up the spot on the whole manhole racket, we’ve been a little worried that the manhole-gold-rush may over-exploit the base. Worry no more: Say hello to the Streets Dept.’s Tire Round Up Program! There’s gold in them thar hills:

Registered participants are offered a “tire bounty” of $.50 for each illegally discarded tire they collect and drop off at one of the designated sites around the city. The tire drop-off limit is 1,000 tires per group. Reimbursement is limited to up to $500 per registered participant.

Not bad, and while the Streets Dept. suggests that this program is geared at community groups, but there’s no language to suggest that a lone junkie or skex — our new favorite word, taken from this This American Life episode — couldn’t up and do for self with the myriad discarded tires that line this great city. Hey, it beats beer cans.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 5th, 2008 at 11:23 am.