Adedokun Waliyu 
Tire dealers and vehicle repair shop owners are cautiously optimistic that sweeping changes announced by the government of Ontario will be enough to tackle the “huge” problem of old discarded tires that have been piling up at vehicle repair shops and collection sites across the province.
As it was reported last spring, repair shops had been complaining throughout the last year that tires, which consumers pay a fee to get recycled, were not being picked up.
The problem was blamed on relaxed rules put in place in January, 2025. That’s when the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA) — which is tasked by the government to oversee the recycling program – reduced collection targets and collection sites where the tires were sent.
“Due to this, by the end of last year we had two large stockpiles that formed in Ontario, one in Stitsville and one just outside of Sudbury, with about 300,000 to 500,000 tires,” said Adam Moffatt with the Ontario Tire Dealers Association. “And then we also had hundreds of thousands of tires backlogged at collection sites.”
In response to the problem, the RPRA announced a plan to increase recycling targets from 65 per cent to 80 per cent by weight effective this year. By 2027, they plan to increase the number of required collection sites and penalties for companies tasked with picking up the tires will also be increased if they fail to meet their targets.
Moffatt says the rules are a step in the right direction.
“But its too early to say if they’ll be enough,” he said.
He adds that its success depends on the Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) which are for-profit companies tasked with picking up the tires.
“We’re waiting to hear back from them to see how they plan to implement the regulatory amendments and how quickly,” he said.
John Rouvas, who owns Optimum Auto Inc., a vehicle repair shop on Kingston Road, says we’ll know by the end of the year how effective these new rules are. Fall is when tires tend to pile up the most.
“Crunch time is coming in the next month or so, we’re going to be really busy selling tires and I want to make sure my lot is empty,” he said. “Last year we had nowhere to put them all, the pile was just too large.”
Which is more reason why Moffatt says they are eagerly awaiting to hear from the PROs.
“As soon as they announce their strategy, we’ll have a better idea of what that relief will look like and whether or not it’s going to be enough,” he said.
