Auto body shop owner questioned Ontario's producer responsibility system amid mounting stockpiles.

Hundreds of used tyres had accumulated on the small lot of Mike's Autobody & Tyre in Brechin, Ontario, after more than two months without collection, raising concerns about delays in the province's tyre recycling system. This was reported by Danielle Pitman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter at Orillia Matters, on January 4, 2026.

Michael O'Donnell, owner of the Ramara Township auto body and tyre shop and a registered eTracks Tire Management Systems collection site, said customers continued to drop off end-of-life tyres while scheduled collections failed to occur.

“They were collecting them. The Ontario government's getting the money. Where's all the money going?” O'Donnell asked, referring to the environmental handling fee charged on new tyre purchases.

Producers charged the shop slightly more than $4 per standard-sized tyre, a cost passed on to customers. Those customers then left their used tyres at the shop for recycling. Oversight of the system fell under Ontario's Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA).

Tyres were the first material transitioned into Ontario's individual producer responsibility (IPR) framework in 2019, shifting management away from the former Ontario Tire Stewardship (OTS) programme. Under IPR regulations, producers were made responsible for collecting and managing products at end of life.

O'Donnell said he had been told that collection quotas had already been met for the year. “They said they'd gotten their quota, and now nobody's collecting them in Ontario until after Christmas,” he said.

In August, eTracks issued a newsletter warning clients across Ontario that many collection sites could experience pickup delays due to “unexpected processing plant disruptions during this busy season.” Requests for comment from eTracks were not answered before publication.

The situation raised fears that mounting backlogs could lead to illegal dumping, a problem that had previously been reduced through municipal collection programmes. Under the former OTS system, Simcoe County and the cities of Barrie and Orillia operated registered collection sites, which significantly reduced roadside and ditch dumping.

While the RPRA aimed to achieve similar environmental outcomes, questions persisted about enforcement and effectiveness. In 2025, Environmental 360 Solutions, Ontario's largest tyre and battery recycler, took legal action against the province, alleging inadequate enforcement of recycling regulations. The company cited declining recycling volumes as a factor behind reduced shifts and layoffs at its Barrie facility.

For local business owners like O'Donnell, the evolving recycling framework appeared to have created uncertainty. The balance between environmental goals, accountability and operational responsibility remained unclear as tyre stockpiles continued to grow.

To learn more, please read the full article by Orillia Matters.