MIDWAY, COLO. -- A plan to recycle millions of tires from El Paso County's Midway Tire Dump is about a month away from being put into action.

Colorado Energy Recyclers (CER) took over the Midway Tire Dump more than a year ago. They have since made improvements to the site and are working on a plan to turn the tires into fuel.

Wednesday they offered a tour of the dump to the El Paso County Commissioners along with other state representatives to show the progress that has been made at the site.

Officials said the Midway Tire Dump is home to more than 30 million tires, and more are showing up all the time.

"Most of the tires come from companies that make a business out of picking up tires at tire shops," Trent Peterson, Vice President of GCC Energy and head of CER said.

CER is hoping to start recycling the tires, but first they have to get a permit.

"We're right on the cusp of being able to get a permit from the state to grind up all of these tires and use them as tire derived fuel," Jim Bensberg, El Paso County Commissioner, said.

Once the permit is approved, the tires will be ground up and mixed with coal at a cement plant in Pueblo, Colo.

"The Pueblo Cement Plant consumes about 90 tons of coal per year typically," Peterson said. "It turns out tires actually contain a slighter higher heating value than coal, so replacing coal directly with tires will not just reduce the coal but also the tires are a very viable fuel."

Since taking over the plant, CER has reorganized the tires, splitting them into neat piles with dirt roads in between, making the site much safer. Before the improvements were made, the El Paso County Fire Marshal said if a fire were to start at the dump it would likely shut down I-25 and burn for several years.

Peterson said CER's plan would not only reduce the current pile of tires but also create a safe way to dispose tires for years to come.

"Certainly the goal is to clean up this tire monofill, to make a home for tires so there aren't illegal tire dumps that show up all over the place but also to turn it into a viable business," Peterson said.

Bensberg said the permit is expected to come before the Board of County Commissioners next month, and he expects it to be approved unanimously.