Scrap Tire Diversion Program for Ontario Obtains Approval

The Ontario Tire Stewardship Board of Directors announced that Waste Diversion Ontario has approved the proposed Scrap Tire Diversion Program for Ontario. As required under the Waste Diversion Act, WDO will forward the Scrap Tire Diversion Program to the Minister of the Environment for approval in response to a request from the Minister to develop a diversion program plan for Used Tires.

"The negative impacts associated with scrap tire disposal are well known," said Glenn Maidment, Chair of the Ontario Tire Stewardship Board of Directors. "After extensive consultation with industry, government and non- government stakeholders this program was carefully developed to benefit Ontario both environmentally and economically."

The Scrap Tire Diversion Program is designed to benefit the environment by promoting the diversion of scrap tires from the waste stream, eliminating illegal dumping of scrap tires, eliminating tire stockpiles across Ontario and creating new product opportunities from a substance previously viewed primarily as waste. The plan is harmonized with other provincial scrap tire plans and builds on best practices.

The OTS program meets the requirements set out in the Ontario Waste Diversion Act and focuses on the three R's - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. The Ontario Ministry of Environment raised the scrap tire issue as a high priority with the WDO in March 2003 and the Scrap Tire Diversion Program for Ontario is the end result of many months of public consultation and program development among government, industry and community stakeholders.

The Program is seamless and designed to collect all scrap tires, clean-up tire stockpiles in the province, promote rubber recycling and encourage development of the rubber recycling industry. It will initially cover on-highway vehicle tires, with other tires such as farm and off-highway tires, phased in over time. Tire retailers will remit a Tire Stewardship Fee to OTS based on the retail sales of new tires. The fee is dedicated to managing scrap tires in Ontario with no funds going to government or any unrelated projects.

In Ontario, the current annual scrap tire volume of 10.8 million used highway tires equates to approximately 13.6 million Passenger Tire Equivalents. An estimated 12 percent, or 1.2 million PTEs, are presently diverted for reuse in the export or local used tire market. The goal of this plan is to responsibly manage and divert the remaining 12.4 million PTEs, plus the estimated 5-6 million stockpiled tires. By implementing the plan, OTS is targeting the diversion of over 90 per cent of all tires in Ontario by the fifth year of program operation.

"OTS will work closely with municipalities across Ontario and the Province to identify scrap tire stockpiles and prioritize the abatement process," says Maidment. "Funding the elimination of stockpiles, which should be accomplished in the first five years of the OTS mandate, will be achieved by channelling funds generated from the TSF to pay haulers to remove tires from stockpiles and deliver them to registered processors."

OTS has adopted a multifaceted approach to promoting reduction, reuse and recycling of scrap tires. By involving all components of the supply chain, new applications for scrap tires will be identified and innovative approaches introduced that encourage the development of markets for post-recycled rubber materials.

Ontario Tire Stewardship is the Industry Funding Organization that was established under the Waste Diversion Act to develop and administer the Scrap Tire Diversion Program.