Good Afternoon, this message is to invite you to participate in a Collector Consultation session scheduled for Tuesday, January 22nd starting at 9 am at the OTS offices (located at 300 The East Mall, Suite 100, Toronto, Ontario, at the northwest intersection of Bloor and the East Mall) to discuss the proposed evolution of the Ontario Tire Stewardship (OTS) Collection Allowance (CA) program in 2014.

Since the launch of the program in September 2009 the Ontario market has undergone considerable change and growth. We have moved from a market where consumers and stakeholders had to pay to get rid of used tires; where the economics of scrap tire management drove tires to the lowest possible cost use (often dumping or burning), where scrap tire generation outstripped processing capacity by 2 to 1, and where Recycled Product Manufacturers (RPMs) often purchased crumb rubber from out of province rather than from Ontario Processors due to lack of supply, poor quality or seeking lower prices.

Today we see a totally different market in the Province. 100% of scrap tires are being recycled, none being dumped or burned. The old “disposal fees” charged to the consumer to get rid of their used tires are gone, replaced by a market where scrap tires are beginning to have positive value, where Processing capacity actually outstrips the supply of scrap tires, where RPMs work closely with Ontario Processors to increase supply of crumb rubber to meet their growing demand, where consumer awareness of recycled rubber products is growing and where new companies are getting into the business of using rubber in the manufacture of new, high-performance products.

Against this backdrop of market change and growth OTS is reviewing how it interacts with the market and how the existing incentive programs may need to be updated so as to continue, and even enhance, the market-driving stimulus it provides while avoiding the causation of unintended market actions, all with the goal of delivering a more efficient, and effective, program.

This consultation will address the changes OTS sees in the market, and the changes to the Collection Allowance program OTS is proposing to implement in 2014. As we get closer to Consultation date OTS will send out information on the proposed changes, including the PowerPoint for the session, to all registered participants. As space is limited OTS encourages stakeholders wishing to attend the session in-person to register quickly, as space will be limited to the first 25 registrants. All others wishing to participate will be able to do so through a webinar & conference call option that will be sent following registration. Stakeholders are asked to register by 5pm on January 17th 2013 by replying to Collector@ontariots.ca to confirm their participation in the session.

We look forward to hearing from you and to the discussions on the January 22nd, 2013 .

Regards,

The OTS Team