News Release

For immediate release
August 14, 2008

NEW PROGRAM IN THE WORKS FOR TIRE RECYCLING

McGuinty Government Says Action Needed On Tire Stockpiles

A new tire recycling program is under development by Waste Diversion Ontario.

The province has directed the group to:

• develop a program that will recycle 90 per cent of Ontario’s used tires by its fifth year
• design a plan to clean-up existing tire stockpiles as quickly as possible
• ensure that the program is self-funding, with an industry organization collecting program fees from tire producers. No fees will go to government.

Over 10 million used tires need to be managed each year in Ontario. Currently, about half are being shipped out of province for use as fuel, or are being stockpiled, many illegally. Stockpiled tires are a serious fire hazard and can be breeding grounds for mosquitoes if not managed properly. The rest are being recycled or shredded for use as landfill cover.

This new program, due to the Minister of the Environment by the end of the year, is to include all truck and car tires, off-road tires, and industry/farm vehicle tires. It must also ensure there are greater incentives for reusing and recycling.

QUOTES

"It’s time Ontario had a used tire diversion program," said Environment Minister John Gerretsen. "We want to ensure used tires are turned into valuable products – not dumped in a farmer’s field where they can become health and safety hazards. I’m also expecting the program to foster Ontario-based technologies for making new products from scrap tires."

"As the country's leading retailer of automotive products and a company that has taken the initiative to recycle tires for many years, we applaud the minister's move to bring a regulated program to Ontario and look forward to rolling it out to our stores across the province," said Mike Arnett, President, Canadian Tire Retail.

"This is exciting news for us," said Greg Bavington, Chief Executive Officer of National Rubber Technologies, a manufacturer of rubber products for the automotive, industrial and manufacturing sectors. "This will enable us to invest in new technologies, which could mean more jobs; the possibilities are tremendous."

QUICK FACTS

• No fees will flow to the government. Vehicle and tire manufacturers, tire importers and retailers with their own brand of tires will pay a fee to an industry group to cover program costs.
• All other provinces have tire programs and are achieving upwards of 90 per cent collection and recycling rates.
• Scrap tires can be turned into rubberized asphalt to pave streets and highways, playground equipment and surfaces, athletic field turf and running tracks, rubber flooring products, surfacing for walking trails, interlocking patio bricks, roofing shingles, parking curbs and speed bumps, livestock feeders and troughs, landscape mulch, belts and guitar straps, and parts for new vehicles.
• Tire retailers currently charge Ontarians $3 or more for the handling/disposal of every old tire, generating about $30 million with no formal program in place to ensure that these used tires are recycled.

LEARN MORE

• See Minister’s direction letter to Waste Diversion Ontario.
• Learn more about tire recycling across Canada and a large tire stockpile in Ontario.
• Find out what one Ontario company is doing with used rubber.

-30-

Contacts:	Contact information for the general public:
John Karapita, Minister’s Office, 416-314-6736 John Steele, Communications Branch, 416-314-6666	416-325-4000 or 1-800-565-4923/ www.ontario.ca/environment

 

Back to News Releases