Suffolk residents can rid themselves of old tires and other unwanted materials at a Suffolk Clean Community Commission event on Saturday.

A Recycling Drive and Tire Amnesty Day is scheduled for the Lowe’s parking lot at 1216 North Main St., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Residents can drop off tires, steel, aluminum cans, glass bottles and jars, and all plastic bottles.

All types of paper, including magazines, catalogs and newspapers, will also be accepted, as well as electronics of any brand and in any condition.

Residents can also take their old batteries for disposal, including AA, AAA, C, D and 9V.

Electronics items will be refurbished, reused or recycled by Goodwill, and TFC Recycling will recycle steel and aluminum cans, glass containers and plastic bottles.

On-site shredding of sensitive documents will also be offered by Cintas Document Management, with a limit of three copy-paper-size boxes or three brown paper bags per person.

Those bringing documents to be shredded are advised to stay with their materials until handing them to the Cintas driver in the truck.

A sponsor of the event is the Suffolk organizing committee for the National Night Out, a crime-fighting event that is scheduled for Aug. 7.

The next recycling drive is set for Oct. 13 at Bennett’s Creek Park.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, tire fires cause air pollution and an oily runoff that contaminates soil and surface and groundwater.

There are currently about 110 new products containing recycled tire rubber, the EPA says, including playground cover, soil additives, flooring/matting and material for landfill construction.

The largest use of rubber from old tires is in highways, with several states having been successful with rubberized asphalt.

One way of reducing pollution from old tires, the EPA advises, is to buy durable tires to start with, and take proper care of them by driving sensibly and checking inflation and balancing, rotating and aligning them.

Leaving old tires with a tire dealer usually results in a fee, and dumping them on private or public property is illegal and environmentally unsound, so residents are encouraged to take advantage of Suffolk’s recycling events.

Those who turn up with items to Saturday’s event will get a free reusable shopping bag.

For more information, contact Suffolk Litter Control Coordinator Crystal Boyd at 514-7604 or email cboyd@suffolkva.us.