Tires

The Tires Regulation under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 designates tires as the first material under Ontario’s extended producer responsibility regulatory framework.

Extended producer responsibility makes producers accountable for their products and packaging once consumers are finished with them; sets mandatory and enforceable requirements for resource recovery; and gives producers choices for resource recovery services in a competitive market.

As of January 1, 2019, tire producers are individually accountable and financially responsible for collecting and reusing, refurbishing or recycling their tires when consumers discard them.

A “tire” is a component designed to surround the rim of a vehicle’s wheel that has an actual weight of one kg or more. Small tires are defined as tires that weigh one kg or more but less than five kg. Small tires supplied into Ontario in 2023 or later are not required to be reported as supplied by producers in their annual supply reports. However, tires with a weight of one kg or more remain eligible for collection and resource recovery.

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

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)

How does the Tires Regulation affect you?

Click the headings below to learn more about your requirements.

A person is considered a tire producer under the Tires Regulation if they supply tires into Ontario and one of the following applies:

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

Learn more about producers

A tire hauler is a person that arranges the transport of tires used in Ontario that are destined for processing, reuse, retreading or disposal.
A tire retreader is a person that replaces the tread on worn tires so they can continue to be used as tires.
A tire processor is a person that receives and processes tires for the purpose of resource recovery or disposal.

Learn more about service providers

If you are a First Nation, municipality, retailer or organization that collects tires whether through a depot, collection events or on-site collection containers, you are not required to register or report under the Tires Regulation as a collector. However, if you are also a tires hauler, retreader or processor, additional responsibilities may apply.

Learn more about collection site operators

A PRO is a business established to contract with producers to provide collection, management and administrative services to help producers meet their regulatory obligations under the Tires Regulation, including:

Arranging the establishment or operation of tire collection and management systems (hauling, retreading, or processor services)
Establishing or operating a collection or management system.
Preparing and submitting reports.

Learn more about PROs

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