The Ontario government is backtracking on a tire recycling target in the hopes of addressing a pile-up of used tires that has developed across the province over the past year.
In a news release Tuesday, the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA) — the regulator mandated by the provincial government to oversee the sector — announced tire manufacturers will now be required to recycle 80 per cent of used tires by weight.
The RPRA also said the number of required tire collection sites in Ontario would go up from approximately 4,300 to around 6,500 in 2027.
In a statement sent to CBC Toronto, Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks spokesperson Gary Wheeler said all end-of-life tires should be collected and managed as they become available, regardless of targets.
The ministry determined increasing the target and site requirements would be the best way to address the backlog and improve the reliability of tire collection in the province, he added.
In Tuesday’s news release, the RPRA said the amendments were finalized following a public consultation period earlier this year.
Shanu Nanda, who is a manager at Scarborough mechanic shop Flame Auto Repair, said he was previously told there was no room in recycling centres to pick up the pile of used tires at his shop.
“We [didn’t] know where to put them,” he told CBC Toronto Wednesday.
Now, things seem to have gone back to normal, Nanda says.
“We're so happy that it's been picked up regularly now.”
How did we get here?
Since 2019, tire producers have been responsible for the collection and end-of-life management of tires they supply into the Ontario market under provincial rules.
But tire manufacturers can outsource their responsibility for recycling quotas to producer responsibility organizations (PROs), which are in charge of contracting tire haulers, collectors and recyclers.
In January 2025, the Ontario government reduced collection targets for used tires. Tire producers were required to recycle only 65 per cent of used tires collected by weight, rather than the previous 85 per cent. The government also reduced the required number of collection sites in the province.
The move to increase the recycling target comes after piles of tires accumulated since last year’s change, leaving auto shops in a difficult position.
“As this year progressed, we saw less and less collection and recycling activity,” Ontario Tire Dealers Association chief Executive Director Adam Moffatt told CBC News in an interview.
“The backlog has progressed even greater than it was this time last year.”
Change is positive, but might not be enough: advocate
The province’s decision to increase the target is a step in the right direction, Moffatt says, but it may not be enough.
“We are entering the busiest time of year,” he said. “The question is: is that enough to get the large backlog of tires that's present in Ontario cleaned up on top of maintaining the current generation of tires that we see on a normal daily basis?”
The adjustment certainly won’t be quick, Moffatt added, and it will likely take until March of next year to see any change.
“The changes are positive,” he said. “We're still concerned.”
