Ontario tire recycling rules tighten as stockpiles swell to 500,000

Ontario is tightening tire recycling rules after relaxed regulations in January 2025 created two massive stockpiles — one in Stitsville and another just outside Sudbury, combined holding 300,000 to 500,000 tires. Hundreds of thousands more piled up at collection sites across the province.

The Recycled Products Resource Authority (RPRA) announced plans to increase recycling targets from 65 per cent to 80 per cent by weight, effective this year. By 2027, the number of required tire collection sites will increase from approximately 4,300 to around 6,500. Penalties for companies tasked with picking up tires will increase if they fail to meet the new targets.

Tire dealers cautiously welcomed the shift. "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," Adam Moffatt, Ontario Tire Dealers Association, said to CityNews. "And then we also had hundreds of thousands of tires backlogged at collection sites."

Moffatt said the rules are a step in the right direction "but its too early to say if they'll be enough." Success hinges on Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) — for-profit companies tasked with picking up tires — and how quickly they implement the changes. "We're waiting to hear back from them to see how they plan to implement the regulatory amendments and how quickly," Moffatt said.

John Rouvas, owner of Optimum Auto Inc., a vehicle repair shop on Kingston Road, is watching closely. Fall is when tires pile up most — the crunch time Rouvas dreads. "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. Last year we had nowhere to put them all, the pile was just too large," Rouvas said. He'll know by year's end whether the new rules actually work.