The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet is offering grants to schools and other organizations that want to use rubber mulch from shredded tires as bedding on playgrounds and athletic fields.
The goal is to dispose of Kentucky's ever-growing supply of discarded tires.
Agency spokeswoman Ricki Gardenhire said the Division of Waste Management in Frankfort will be taking applications through January 31. Since 2005, the state has awarded more than
$5.8 million in grants, primarily to schools and local governments. Some 700,000 tires are being ground into crumb rubber and mulch in Kentucky each year.