{"id":907463,"date":"2026-09-24T05:18:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T05:18:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/907463\/"},"modified":"2026-09-24T05:18:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T05:18:12","slug":"ontario-government-increasing-tire-recycling-target-after-rollback-led-to-backlog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/907463\/","title":{"rendered":"Ontario government increasing tire recycling target after rollback led to backlog"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Text<\/p>\n

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Estimated 3 minutes<\/p>\n

The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

In a news release Tuesday, the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA) \u2014 the regulator mandated by the provincial government to oversee the sector \u2014 announced tire manufacturers will now be required to recycle 80 per cent of used tires by weight.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

In Tuesday\u2019s news release, the RPRA said the amendments were finalized following a public consultation period earlier this year.<\/p>\n

WATCH | CBC’s Ali Chiasson explains why tires have been piling up in Ontario:\"\"<\/p>\n

Used tires are pilling up around the city, and mechanics are paying the price<\/p>\n

Across Toronto, mechanics and tire depots are sounding the alarm over a growing backlog of used tires piling up in front of their shops. CBC’s Ali Chiasson has more on what they say is to blame, and how they’re paying the price for it.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe [didn\u2019t] know where to put them,\u201d he told CBC Toronto Wednesday. <\/p>\n

Now, things seem to have gone back to normal, Nanda says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re so happy that it’s been picked up regularly now.\u201d<\/p>\n

How did we get here?<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"ManShanu Nanda, who is a manager at Scarborough mechanic shop Flame Auto Repair, said he was previously told there was no room in the recycling centres to pick up his pile of used tires. (Michael Aitkens\/CBC)<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The move to increase the recycling target comes after piles of tires accumulated since last year\u2019s change, leaving auto shops in a difficult position.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs this year progressed, we saw less and less collection and recycling activity,\u201d Ontario Tire Dealers Association chief Executive Director Adam Moffatt told CBC News in an interview.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe backlog has progressed even greater than it was this time last year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Change is positive, but might not be enough: advocate<\/p>\n

The province\u2019s decision to increase the target is a step in the right direction, Moffatt says, but it may not be enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are entering the busiest time of year,\u201d he said. \u201cThe 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?\u201d<\/p>\n

The adjustment certainly won\u2019t be quick, Moffatt added, and it will likely take until March of next year to see any change. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe changes are positive,\u201d he said. \u201cWe’re still concerned.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article Estimated 3 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":907464,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[49,48,295,66],"class_list":["post-907463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-environment","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/907463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=907463"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/907463\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/907464"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=907463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=907463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=907463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}