Tires

Read our Frequently Asked Questions about the Tires Program here.

Ontario generates more than 12 million used tires annually. To keep those tires out of landfills, tire producers are responsible for ensuring used tires are collected and recycled or reused. The Tires Regulation under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 (RRCEA) designates tires as the first material under Ontario’s individual producer responsibility framework (IPR). Learn more about IPR.

Under the regulation, producers are directly responsible and accountable for meeting mandatory collection and recycling targets for used tires. Producers have the choice of contracting with producer responsibility organizations (PROs) to meet those targets or working directly with tire service providers (collectors, haulers, retreaders and processors) to establish collection and management systems for used tires.

Tires

Under the Tires Regulation a “tire” means a component that is designed to surround the rim of a vehicle’s wheel and has an actual weight of one kilogram or more. Reference our What Tires Have to Be Reported compliance bulletin for more information on commonly obligated categories.

  • Automobile tires
  • Motorcycle tires
  • Motor assisted bicycle tires (e.g., mopeds, non-kick scooters)
  • Tractor tires
  • Tires on industrial and agricultural vehicles and equipment
  • Transport truck tires
  • Trailer tires (e.g., boat trailers, RVs)
  • All Terrain Vehicle tires
  • Riding lawn mower tires
  • Aircraft tires if not supplied on aircraft
  • Snow blower tires
  • Wheelbarrow tires
  • Hand truck tires
  • Dolly tires
  • Push lawn mower tires
  • Segway tires
  • Any other tire that weighs 1kg or more
  • Muscle-powered vehicle tires used to transport a person (e.g. bicycles, strollers, kick scooters)
  • Power-assisted bicycle tires, specifically bicycles with an electric motor
  • Personal mobility device tires (e.g., wheelchairs)
  • Any tire weighing less then 1kg

How does the Tires Regulation affect you?

Click the headings below to learn more about your requirements.

A person or business is considered a producer if they:

  • are the brand holder of the tire and have residency in Canada
  • have residency and import tires from outside of Ontario and sell them in Ontario
  • have residency in Ontario and market directly to consumers in Ontario (e.g., online sales)
  • do not have residency in Ontario and market directly to consumers in Ontario (e.g., online sales)
  • are the vehicle manufacturer and have residency in Canada
  • have residency in Ontario and import new vehicles for sale in Ontario

Learn more

A person or business is considered a collector if they operate:

  • a site where used tires are collected and picked up for recycling or disposal
  • an auto salvage or recycling site

A person or business is not a tire collector if they operate a tire collection site and they:

Learn more

  • You are a tire hauler if you transport tires in Ontario to a site for processing, reuse, retreading or disposal.
  • You are a tire retreader if you replace the tread on worn tires so that they can continue to be used as tires.
  • You are a tire processor if you receive and process tires for resource recovery or disposal.

Learn more

Municipalities are not required to register with the Authority. Find answers to your questions about operating a collection site and getting your tires picked up.

Learn more

Wind up of the Used Tires Program

Ontario Tire Stewardship (OTS) operated the Used Tires Program that kept light truck, medium truck, and off-the-road tires out of landfills so that they could be reused and recycled. The program ended on December 31, 2018 and on January 1, 2019, used tires moved to the new individual producer responsibility framework.

Learn more