Several Ontario municipalities are limiting or stopping the acceptance of used tires at waste depots as tire stockpiles continue to grow and collection services fail to keep pace. The backlog has affected communities including Chatham-Kent, Wellington County, South Huron and the Region of Durham, where used tires are accumulating at municipal depots and creating operational, environmental and fire safety concerns. The situation has renewed scrutiny of Ontario’s tire recycling system, including the role of producer responsibility organizations, provincial recycling targets and proposed regulatory changes intended to improve the collection and management of end-of-life tires.

Municipal depots report growing tire stockpiles

In Chatham-Kent, thousands of tires have accumulated at three municipal depots, according to Huda Oda, the municipality’s manager of waste management. Oda said tire pickup services have not been regular because of ongoing constraints in the tire recycling sector and other factors. The municipality still accepts tires at five other depots but has reduced the number residents can drop off from 10 tires to four.

Oda said the stockpiles are creating fire risks, particularly because tires are stored at depots where brush is also collected. Large volumes of end-of-life tires can present safety hazards when they are not removed and sent to proper recycling or recovery routes in a timely manner.

Wellington County suspends tire acceptance

Wellington County has also stopped accepting used tires as of July 1 after reaching storage capacity at its waste depots. Das Soligo, the county’s manager of solid waste services, said the county had received only one tire removal in recent months and that the pickup occurred after media coverage of the local situation.

Soligo said tires at all six county waste depots have exceeded the enclosures built to hold them. He also raised concerns about tires being stored near brush and about standing water in tires, which can create breeding conditions for mosquitoes.

Producer responsibility system under pressure

Several affected municipalities partner with eTracks, a producer responsibility organization that arranges tire collection and recycling for a large share of tire manufacturers, importers and retailers operating in Ontario. Producer responsibility organizations are responsible for arranging haulers to collect end-of-life tires from collection sites and transport them to tire recycling facilities so producers can meet provincial obligations.

According to eTracks, there is a broader backlog of used tires across Ontario. The company said it continues to collect at least its proportionate share of tires physically available in the market and noted that the volume of used tires available for recycling in 2024 was 19% higher than in 2023.

Industry links backlog to lower recycling target

Industry representatives have linked the tire backlog to changes in Ontario’s recycling rules. The province reduced the tire collection and management target from 85% to 65% as of January 1, 2025. The government also reduced the number of collection sites, including garages and tire dealers, that producer responsibility organizations were required to service.

According to industry sources cited in the report, the change contributed to large volumes of tires being stockpiled at sites in Sudbury and Ottawa in 2025. Tire dealers and garages that could not secure regular pickups have had to store tires on site or bring them to municipal depots, increasing pressure on local waste management infrastructure.

Consumers pay tire recycling fees

The backlog has raised concerns among municipalities and tire dealers because consumers pay fees when purchasing tires to support their proper management at end of life. When collection and recycling systems do not function reliably, used tires can accumulate at garages, retailers and municipal depots instead of moving into regulated tire recycling, rubber recycling or recovery markets.

End-of-life tires can be processed into several products and applications, depending on local capacity and market demand. These may include crumb rubber, rubberized asphalt, molded rubber products, tire-derived fuel, pyrolysis feedstock and other recycled tire materials.

Ontario proposes regulatory changes

Ontario’s environment ministry has proposed regulatory changes intended to address the backlog. One proposal would require producer responsibility organizations to collect from any site with 50 or more tires available and send the tires for recycling within three months of pickup.

The ministry has also proposed removing the $1 million cap on administrative fines that can be imposed by the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority, which oversees recycling in Ontario. The ministry said this would create stronger deterrents against non-compliance.

Concerns ahead of winter tire season

The ministry recently held a 30-day consultation on the proposed changes and said it is reviewing feedback before deciding next steps. However, industry representatives have warned that delays could create additional pressure as the winter tire season approaches.

Adam Moffatt, head of the Ontario Tire Dealers Association, said proposed changes may not arrive until the fall. He warned that entering the winter tire season with hundreds or thousands of tires already stored at sites across the province could worsen the environmental and operational risks.

Backlog highlights need for reliable tire collection

The situation in Ontario highlights the importance of consistent tire collection, clear recycling obligations and adequate enforcement within extended producer responsibility systems. Without regular pickup and sufficient processing capacity, used tires can quickly become a burden for municipalities, retailers and communities.

Improving the flow of end-of-life tires into approved recycling and recovery channels will be central to reducing stockpiles, limiting fire and mosquito risks, and supporting circular economy outcomes for Ontario’s tire recycling sector.

Article source: The Star.