Did You Know?
- Approximately 12 million used tires are produced every year in Ontario.
- Over 90 percent of all tires contain non-biodegradable materials such as synthetic rubber, oil, polyester and steel, which could be a burden on our environment if improperly managed.
- Improperly stored scrap tires can pose fire hazards, potentially leading to the release toxic smoke into the air or groundwater contamination if managed improperly.
- Proper management of scrap tires prevents rainwater collection and can mean fewer breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
- There are nearly 2 million tires lying in stockpiles across the province.
- In the past, approximately 50 per cent of used tires in Ontario were trucked to the United States and Quebec, where they become Tire Derived Fuel and were usually burned alongside other fuels. While some of the remaining tires were recycled, others ended up in landfills.
- The first year of the Used Tires Program will represent a $23 million investment in the Ontario tire recycling industry.
- In 2009, OTS diverted more than 125,000 tonnes of tires towards recycling.
- An Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) report in the U.S. suggests recycling four tires can save the energy equivalent of 18 gallons of gasoline and reduces greenhouse emissions by 323 lbs. of CO2 equivalent.
- This means that, in Ontario, recycling the 12 million waste tires would reduce emissions by over 439,500 tonnes or the equivalent of taking 108,000 cars off the road!
- Ontarians scrap approximately 12 million tires every year: one for every man, woman and child in the province!
- Speed is bad for tires: if two comparable vehicles with similar sets of tires traveled down the highway, at 80 km/h and 110 km/h, the faster driver will wear out their tires 35 percent faster.
- Rubber mulch costs 65 percent less than wood mulch over a five-year performance period
- To-date, we’ve talked with more than 50,000 Ontario drivers at GTA GO stations, ribfests, car shows, county fairs, music festivals, farmer’s markets, community “green days” and a host of other events across the province.
OTS works with thousands of Collectors, over 145 Haulers, 29 Processors both in and out of province, and 7 Recycled Product Manufacturers to ensure the growth of an economically and environmentally sustainable green industry in Ontario around recycling scrap tires.
Resources
