Got End-Of-Life Tires? Keep Them Rolling Towards a Circular Economy

It’s that time of year again when you make the appointment with your local mechanic and lug your tires in and out of your garage. You probably don’t give this semi-annual duty much thought, but if you did, you may find out that Ontarians alone get rid of more than 15 million tires annually! (2018) So what happens to these tires when they’ve reached their end of life? We’re glad you asked.

Have you ever heard of product stewardship? As of January 1, 2019, Ontario specifically transitioned into a new model which extends the responsibility of a product’s life cycle (e.g. a used tire) onto the producer (e.g. manufacturer, brand holder or importer) and away from taxpayers and municipalities – this is individual producer responsibility (IPR).

Proper disposal of your tires means that recycling facilities, like ours at Emterra Tire Recycling (ETR), can transform your used wheels into products such as patio tiles, doormats, and rubberized playground materials. At ETR, we are able to separate tires into three parts: steel can be recycled and turned into new steel products; fibre can be used a clean energy alternative; and rubber can become a high-quality crumb that is transformed into new products like those mentioned above.

Canadian Tire Jumpstart Playground made from crumb rubber

 

Looking to recycle those old tires collecting dust in your garage? Find the nearest drop off site where you can dispose of your old tires at no charge.

We advise on calling your local tire retailer ahead of time to ensure they have the space to accommodate your used tires, especially if they are a smaller shop. These retailers have partnered with businesses such as ours that ensure your used tires don’t end up in landfills.

Not in Ontario? A quick internet search will point you in the right direction to ensure your tires end up where they’re supposed to, in an environmentally friendly way.

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Do you have a business that produces tires, batteries, or electronics? As Ontario continues to transition into this IPR model, you are legally required to comply with this new mandate. There are organizations in Ontario called Producer Responsibility Organizations (PRO) who work on behalf of producers that manufacture these types of products to ensure you are meeting your legal obligations under new regulations.

Need assistance in ensuring you’re meeting the legal requirements? Our PROs are here to help.

 Connect with our PROs today

Ryse Solutions Inc. works with producers and packaging suppliers to provide compliance, advisory and material recovery solutions to meet ever-changing regulatory and sustainability demands. Our team has over 50 years of collective experience in circular economy solutions, including the design, implementation and management of producer responsibility programs, which cover a broad range of materials, such as tires, waste electronics, hard-to-recycle packaging and batteries. Backed by a well-developed network of collection, processing and end-market assets, we also offer solutions to producers, retailers, manufacturers and packaging suppliers, which include understanding the flow of material in recycling facilities; research and development on the recyclability of consumer plastic packaging and paper products; and, the development and optimization of commodity end markets.