New plan for used tires rolls into Ontario

Now more than ever before, Canadians are becoming conscious of the waste they create, and where it is going. Tires are no exception, and about 12 million of them are discarded every year in Ontario alone.

The good news is that the province’s recently launched Used Tires Program will ensure these millions of scrap tires are diverted from burning and landfilling to other uses, such as rubber mats, playground products, hockey rinks and automotive parts. The program, launched by the Ontario Tire Stewardship (OTS), is an initiative to responsibly recycle scrap tires into useful products, creating investment and new green jobs, and driving innovation in Ontario.

“Ontario’s Used Tires Program will bring new life to the millions of used tires coming off vehicles every year,” Andrew Horsman, executive director of Ontario Tire Stewardship, said. “Funding for research and development to create new processes and markets for recycled rubber products within the province will create green jobs and economic benefits for Ontarians.”

Until now, roughly 50 per cent of Ontario’s used tires were landfilled in Ontario or trucked into the U.S. to be burned.

Now, through a network of registered collectors, including retailers, municipalities and other collection locations across the province, the program will allow Ontarians to drop off up to four used tires per person, at no charge, to be recycled.

Tracking systems will help eliminate the illegal dumping of scrap tires and ensure that used tires are managed responsibly.

“Scrap tires will now make a contribution to the economy of many Ontario communities,” said Greg Bavington, president and CEO of National Rubber Technologies, a company that converts used tires to crumb rubber, which is then used to make new products. “The Used Tires Program offers Ontario the opportunity to look at safer and more economical uses for scrap tires that can be accomplished in the province.”

The Used Tires Program will inject more than $23 million in the first year alone to create new processes and markets for recycled rubber products within the province. The program also includes a three-year plan to eliminate the approximately 2.8 million stockpiled tires across Ontario.

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