Why are there environmental fees on tires?
If you look closely at your receipt when purchasing new tires for sale, you’ll likely see an amount for something known as an eco-fee. Similar to the deposits we pay on certain household goods, environmental fees on tires help with the handling costs of collecting, recycling, and reusing tires through provincial tire programs.
The fees also go towards the shipping and storage of tires as well as recycling depot operations.
What happens to recycled scrap tires?
Across Canada, recycled tire products are often used in community enhancement projects such as the resurfacing of parks and playgrounds.
Commonly recycled rubber products available in Canada include:
- Playground surfaces
- Flooring
- Roofing
- Landscape tiles
- Paving
- Garden mulch
- Kids' play structures
Click here to view a list of recycled rubber vendors and products.
What do provincial tire recycling authorities do with environmental fees on tires?
Environmental fees on tires, as well as scrap tires collected by retailers, go to provincial authorities who handle the recycling. Some of those authorities include:
- Tire Stewardship BC - All fees levied by the TSBC go towards the operation of the scrap tire recycling program, used primarily to pay for transporting and recycling scrap tires.
- Alberta Recycling Management Authority - The ARMA recycles nearly 5 million tires discarded by Albertans every year and turns them into new products.
- Tire Stewardship of Saskatchewan - The TSS works with independent scrap tire processing businesses to repurpose scrap tires into usable, marketable items.
- Tire Stewardship Manitoba - All eco-fees collected by the TSM are used in the operation and enhancement of the tire recycling program for Manitoba.
- Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority, Ontario - The RPRA sees that individual tire producers and service providers meet recycling requirements for used tires.
See how Kal Tire has helped Canadian non-profit and charitable groups attain recycled rubber products for various projects through Kal’s Replay Fund.
