With proper maintenance, our tires can last us a long time, but they won’t last forever. In Ontario, more than 12 million new tires are sold every year–kind of makes you wonder: Where did all those old tires go?

“Only six years ago, those old tires would have found their way to hazardous tire piles or landfills,” said Andrew Horsman, executive director of Ontario Tire Stewardship. “Those days are long gone. Old tires are now responsibly recycled and transformed into unique and sustainable products for the home, garden and community spaces.”

More than 90 per cent of all tires contain non-biodegradable materials such as synthetic rubber, oil, polyester and steel, which if improperly managed, could be harmful for our environment. To put that in perspective, simply recycling four tires can save the energy equivalent of 18 gallons of gasoline and reduces greenhouse emissions by a whopping 146 kg of CO2 equivalent. Started in 2009, the Used Tires Program ensures that 100 per cent of Ontario’s old, decommissioned tires are recycled and put to good use.

Ontarians can take up to four tires at any time during regular business hours to almost 6,800 registered tire collectors across the province for absolutely no charge.

Once dropped off at collector locations, haulers take the donated tires to processing centres where they’re ground up into pieces–separating off the fibre and metal. The rubber is further processed into crumb rubber which is then used by companies to create a bevy of sustainable products like patio tiles, rubber mulch, gym flooring and floor underlay.

With Ontario’s help, Ontario Tire Stewardship (OTS) celebrated an incredible milestone this year—hitting the 80 million tires recycled mark.

Ontarians can find a tire local collector here and learn more about the Used Tires Program here.