Collectors accumulate used tires from Ontario residents. They play a key role in the operation of the program as the entry-point for used tires into the management system.
Crumb rubber is used in playgrounds as a substitute for sand or mulch in landscaping, or even mixed in a liquid epoxy as a pour-in-place product for playgrounds, creating a solid but bouncy surface.
It’s also used as a raw material to make molded products such as engine components, subflooring and mouse pads. It can also be added to asphalt road mix to make roads quieter, shed water quicker, and generally last longer.
During the recycling process steel and fluff is removed, leaving the tire rubber with a granular consistency similar to coarse sand or small gravel.
Continued processing and grinding reduces the size of the particles further.
Diversion refers to the management of used tires through the 3 Rs – reuse, retreading or recycling, instead of disposal into landfills, incinerators, or tire derived fuel applications.
Fabricated Products are often referred to as “cut” products. These products are made from cutting parts of the tire for other uses. For example, using the sidewalls of the tire to create the base for traffic cones, or using the tread area to build blasting mats.
Haulers pick up used tires from collectors and transport them to tire recyclers. Haulers are key players in the responsible management of scrap tires as they ensure these tires are directed to the highest available recycling purpose.
Processors take scrap tires and process them into a variety of Tire-Derived Products (TDPs) such as crumb rubber and Tire-derived Aggregate (TDA) that can be used in roads, sports fields and playground surfaces across the country.
Recycled Product Manufacturers use TDPs as raw material, manufacturing them into rubber products we use in our everyday lives such as: mats in skating arenas, mouse pads, car engine components, and subflooring.
Recycling refers to the processing of scrap tires to create materials needed for Tire Derived Products.
Reduction means reducing the number of tires that enter the waste stream and promoting or extending the life of a tire (for example, by retreading).
Retreading refers to refitting a used tire with a new tread by buffing off the old tread and applying a new tread to the tire casing
Retreader is a company that refits a used tire with a new tread.
Reuse means using a tire again for its original purpose without processing.
Shred refers to tire pieces made from processing. Shred is typically used as a Tire Derived Aggregate.
Stewards are Ontario tire importers and manufacturers. They provide the “fuel” that powers the Used Tires Program engine, funding the program by remitting Tire Stewardship Fees (TSFs) on all new tires supplied into Ontario.
Tires - please click here for a list of tires accepted under the Used Tires Program.
Tire Derived Aggregate, or (TDA) is used in civil engineering applications such as: sub grade fill and embankments, backfill for walls and bridge abutments, sub grade insulation for roads, landfill projects, and septic system drain fields.
TDA is an engineered product made by cutting scrap tires into pieces nominally 25 mm to 300 mm, or as small as the bowl on a soup spoon, and as large as a dinner plate.
Tire Derived Products (TDPs) are made when Recycled Product Manufacturers turn scrap tires into raw materials to create rubber products we use in our everyday lives.
Different types of TDPs include: crumb rubber, Tire Derived Aggregate (TDA), and fabricated products.
Tires accepted under the Used Tire Program include:
- Agricultural drive and logger skidder tires
- Medium truck tires
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Off the road tires
- Small
- Medium
- Large
- Giant
- Passenger and light truck tires
- Small and large industrial tires
Tires NOT accepted under the Used Tires Program include:
Tires made from material other than rubber
- Bicycle tires
- Wheelchair tires
- Commercial aircraft tires
