– Ontarians urged to keep on dropping off used tires at collector sites –

April 22, 2014, Toronto, ON – Sixty Million Tires! That’s how many tires have been successfully recycled since the launch of the Ontario Used Tires Program, implemented by the Ontario Government and operated by Ontario Tire Stewardship (‘OTS’), in September 2009. Laid side by side, that’s enough tires to cross Canada over seven times!

Part of the recycled amount includes over 350,000 tires identified in unsafe and potentially environmentally hazardous scrap tire piles. Not only has OTS now successfully cleared these tires, but as awareness of the program has grown among the public, a further 1.2 million have been cleared from farms, auto recycling yards and from piles on other lands as Ontarians report them to OTS. Through the actions of OTS and the active participation of the public, the risk presented by these scrap tire piles in Ontario is now greatly reduced.

“Hand-in-hand with Ontarians, we have successfully diverted over 60 million tires which may have otherwise ended up in landfills or unsightly and potentially hazardous tire piles and we wholeheartedly thank the public for its participation,” said Andrew Horsman, Executive Director of OTS. “Used tires in Ontario are no longer burned or end-up in landfills but are recycled into high-quality products such as rubber mulch, playground surfaces and roofing tiles, helping to make the province a safer and healthier place.”

While OTS and the Used Tires Program in Ontario have come a long way since 2009, there still remains much work to do and the public’s help is still needed.

What you can do to help:

If you have a few old tires to be recycled, please visit www.rethinktires.ca to find out where you can drop off up to four tires at a time free of charge

If you have large tires or a pile of scrap tires, please call 1-888-687-2202 to discuss how OTS may be able to help you getting them removed and responsibly recycled

Andrew added, “OTS is highly focused on running an efficient Used Tire Program by reducing both program costs and the Tire Stewardship Fee. We have continued to deliver on this promise and have once again reduced the fee for standard vehicle tires this year while maintaining fees on all other tire types. Our goal is to ensure that we continue to deliver a world-class, long-term and sustainable used tire diversion program that benefits our province for generations to come.”

About Ontario Tire Stewardship

Established in 2009, Ontario Tire Stewardship (OTS) is an Industry Funding Organization (IFO) incorporated under Ontario’s Waste Diversion Act, to implement and operate the Used Tires Program.

At OTS, we are transforming the relationship Ontarians have with the lifecycle of their tires, through a comprehensive approach that takes into account our environment, our economy and our quality of life. Through the Used Tires program, 100 per cent of Ontario tires get efficiently and responsibly recycled into new products, leading to more livable communities and a growing green economy in this province.

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To arrange an interview with an Ontario Tire Stewardship representative please contact:

Daniel O’Donnell
Environics Communications
416-969-3311
dodonnell@environicspr.com