When Noah and I hopped into our branded Ontario Tire Stewardship (OTS) truck early Thursday morning, we knew we had a long drive ahead of us before we would reach Wawa, Ontario. However, we also knew it would be one of the most beautiful and scenic drives we will have all summer on the Tire Life Check Tour.

We’re currently on an Ontario-wide campaign to educate drivers on the importance of proper tire maintenance as well as introduce people to products made from recycled tires.

I’ve certainly never been further north than Sudbury. But, if you travel just a little further north, you enter a region teeming with beautiful stretches of tall trees, wildlife and surreal lakeside views. The scenic route we were able to take made the 12-hour commute feel like it was nothing at all as we marveled at the seemingly endless forestry and hilltops.

As we traveled along Highway 17 towards Wawa, we noticed a growing presence of First Nations culture along the sides of the road which included trading posts and Inukshuks (miniature stone landmarks to represent friendship).

This weekend marked the 1st Annual Wawapalooza Folk Music Festival, which attracted people from all over the Algoma Region – an opportune chance to reach out to Ontario drivers up north. With a population of just 3,000 in Wawa, we were able to have some in-depth conversations with many of the town’s residents, store owners and even the township’s mayor, Linda Nowicki.

Speaking with Mayor Nowicki, we learned that approximately 30% of the population in Wawa are French and that many people in the Algoma Region are aware of the importance of maintaining proper air pressure and tread depth on their tires but had never been educated on how to check them. Naturally, we were more than happy to show everyone how to stay safer on the road!

One of the most memorable discussions I had this weekend came when I visited the Home Hardware to ask whether they had any recycled rubber products available in their stores. This is where I met Kent, the manager of Wawa’s home improvement store. He told me the only locations that collected used tires in Wawa were either at the landfill, scrap yard or at Canadian Tire.

Kent said it is very difficult for small communities like Wawa to recycle due to the high cost required to transport their recyclables to bigger cities like Sault Ste. Marie. There are five neighbouring communities within an hour of Wawa who all have recyclables stockpiled but unfortunately do not have a cost-effective way to get the recyclables there – which is why they have thousands of tires piling up at their local landfills and scrap yards.

The good news is that OTS’ Used Tires Program can help change this. Consumers can drop-off up to four used tires free of charge at registered collection sites.

There are over 6500 registered collectors across Ontario, ranging from merchants to local scrapyards and garages. And it’s easy for businesses to sign-up.

For smaller communities, this could be the solution to jumpstarting their recycling programs. Instead of transporting their recyclables out of their community, they can actually create a collection site within their community.

This weekend in Northern Ontario has really been an eye-opening experience for me – I learned so much about the way these small communities try to do their part to recycle even though their channels and opportunities can be limited.
I wish I could make the beautiful drive up north all the time but alas, the 12-hour commute definitely did a number on my tires – I better get them checked and rotated. Until next time.

Caspar Yue
2011 Tire Life Check Representative