Five and a half years is a short amount of time to make a significant impact on an entire industry, but that’s exactly what we’ve done with tire recycling in Ontario. Working with industry stakeholders and drivers like you, we now ensure that all of Ontario’s scrap tires get recycled here in the province. And most of that recycled rubber is used by Ontario companies to manufacture new rubber products like playground surfacing, patio tiles, garden edging, and athletic flooring.

Tire Stewardship Fees (TSF) are what fund this program and make these achievements possible. Tire Stewards (new tire manufacturers or importers) pay Ontario Tire Stewardship the TSF on each tire they supply into the market and we use these fees to fund the collection, transportation, and recycling of scrap tires.

As the industry grows, finds efficiencies, and builds markets for valuable recycled tire products, we envision less and less reliance on fees and funding. That’s why we were so happy to announce this year that on May 1, 2015, the TSF on passenger tires is being reduced from $5.43 to $4.75. The TSF on medium truck tires is also going down from $14.65 to $12.95.

To see exactly how we use the funds collected from the TSF, check out our chart below. As this industry continues to strengthen, we look forward to future decreases in fees, and a more independent and healthy tire recycling and product manufacturing sector—something that’s good for our environment and our economy!