Tire Recycling in BC

What Happens to Scrap Tires

Over 80% of the scrap tires collected are recycled into products. Most are recycled into crumb rubber, which are granules of rubber with the steel and fibre removed. Crumb is then used to create a variety of products including athletic tracks and synthetic turf fields; non-slip pavers for patios, walkways and playgrounds; colourful, resilient flooring in recreational facilities; flooring and mats for agricultural and industrial use; and asphalt rubber. In addition to crumb based products, many highway truck tires are made into mats used in the construction industry as blast mats or in the oil & gas industry as temporary road mats. The remaining 20% of scrap tires collected are used as a fuel supplement in the cement and pulp and paper industries.

How it is Funded

For every new tire sold, the retailer collects an Advance Disposal Fee (ADF), commonly referred to as an eco fee, from the consumer and remits it to TSBC. The ADFs vary by tire type in order to adequately compensate for the higher cost of collecting and disposing of the varying tire sizes.

The current fee structure is:

Passenger & Light Truck Tire	$5
Medium Truck Tire	$9
Agricultural Drive Tire	$15
Logger/Skidder Tire	$35

For a detailed fee structure please click here.

Off-the-road (OTR) tires are excluded from the Recycling Regulation because there is currently no viable recycling solution for these larger tires.

All fees collected go exclusively towards the operation of the scrap tire recycling program.

Tire Recycling in Canada

CATRA (Canadian Association of Tire Recycling Agencies) is an organization made up of tire recycling agencies in the provinces and territories of Canada. The association's goal is to continually enhance the effectiveness of scrap tire diversion and recycling across Canada. In 2006 CATRA produced a brochure that outlines the scrap tire recycling across Canada.

Be Tire Smart Campaign

Be Tire Smart is an advocacy campaign designed to enable tire retailers to play a leadership role in educating the motoring public about the benefits of proper tire inflation and maintenance. A tire that is substantially under-inflated does not roll as smoothly or as easily as it was intended. This diminishes fuel efficiency because increased rolling resistance causes the vehicle to burn more fuel, which increases both emissions and fuel costs. The campaign is a joint initiative of the Rubber Association of Canada, which represents the tire industry, and Natural Resources Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency. To learn more about this program visit the web site at www.betiresmart.ca

FAQs

What is Tire Stewardship BC (TSBC)?

Tire Stewardship British Columbia Association (TSBC), a Not-for-Profit Society incorporated under the Societies Act of BC, was formed to represent the tire retailers in the province to take on the challenge of industry product stewardship for tires. Originally approved as an Order-in-Council on October 7, 2004, the Recycling Regulation 449/2004 was amended on March 30, 2006 to include tires requiring tire retailers and producers prepare or be part of an approved stewardship plan. On September 19, 2006 the BC Ministry of Environment approved TSBC's stewardship plan that outlined the transfer from a government led tire program to industry leadership. This plan is available on the TSBC web site: www.tsbc.ca/aboutus.php#background. TSBC is the primary contact to industry and the general public for all issues relating to the life cycle of tires in British Columbia. It operates and manages the provincial scrap tire recycling program and the program is funded by directly collecting an Advance Disposal Fee (ADF) on new tire sales from the retailers. All funds remitted are used solely and completely to support tire collection and recycling in the province.

Who are the members of TSBC and who sits on the Board?

TSBC is a Not-for-Profit Society incorporated under the Societies Act of BC led by a seven member Board. TSBC's founding members are the Retail Council of Canada, Western Canada Tire Dealers, and the Rubber Association of Canada with the New Car Dealers Association invited to join in January 2007.

TSBC is now the primary contact to industry and the general public for all issues relating to the life cycle of tires in British Columbia. It operates and manages the provincial scrap tire recycling program and funds the program by directly collecting an Advance Disposal Fee (ADF) on new tire sales from the retailers. All funds remitted are used solely and completely to support tire collection and recycling in the province.

What is the Tire Stewardship BC program all about?

On January 1, 2007 TSBC assumed responsibility for the Ministry of Environment's existing tire recycling program called FIRST, the Financial Incentives to Recycle Scrap Tires program which operated from 1991 to 2006. The TSBC program is funded from the Advance Disposal Fee assessed on the sale of a new tire. These monies are used to primarily to provide financial incentives to tire recyclers registered with the program for scrap tire collection and for the creation of tire-derived products (such as crumbed rubber for running tracks and cut tires assembled as construction blasting mats) and tire-derived fuels (to replace fossil fuel alternatives.

The TSBC program is primarily an extension of the FIRST program with a few key differences:

All retailers and scrap tire generators are required to register with TSBC;
TSBC collects an Advance Disposal Fee (ADF) on new tire sales directly from the retailers;
The ADF's vary by tire type recognizing the higher cost associated with the collection and recycling of the larger tires; and
All of the funds collected are used solely and completely to support tire collection and recycling in the province.

Where do the scrap tires in BC go?

In BC, unlike many of the provinces, not only are all of the tires collected and recycled but all the recycling takes place right here in BC. There are two BC companies both located in Delta that have been program participants since 1991: Western Rubber Products recycles 90% of the tires into crumb rubber; and Lehigh Northwest Cement uses the remaining 10% as a fuel supplement, replacing fossil fuel alternatives.

Crumb rubber is fine granules of rubber that Western produces and then sells to a variety of markets throughout Canada and the US. It is used to make flooring products for: agricultural, recreational and industrial use; as an additive for rubberized asphalt; and for synthetic turf fields.

Scrap tires are commonly used North America as a tire derived fuel. In BC, the use of tires as a fuel supplement continues to be regulated by the Ministry of Environment under an environmental permit.

Who are the program participants?

All tire retailers that sell tires are required to register with TSBC. In addition we require that all locations that do not sell tires but generate scrap tires register so that they are eligible for scrap tire pick up. Examples would be auto wrecking yards and landfills. TSBC has two registered processors that recycle all the scrap tires collected in the province, Western Rubber and Lehigh Cement both located in Delta. A list of registered participants is available on the TSBC web site at www.tirestewardshipbc.ca. In addition to these registered participants are the scrap tire haulers that are either directly employed or under contract to the processor.

What are the Advance Disposal Fee (ADF) rates?

Tire Category	ADF
Passenger & Light Truck / Motor Cycle / ATV / Free Rolling Farm Tire	$5
Medium Truck Tire	$9
Agricultural Drive Tire	$15
Logger/Skidder Tire	$35

What does TSBC do with the money it receives?

All revenue generated from the ADFs is spent on activities directly related to the program. Approximately 90% of the money is paid to the processors and haulers to collect, transport, and recycle the scrap tire. In fact BC enjoys one of the highest diversion rates in the country with virtually no stockpiles. The remainder is committed to program management (less than 6% of revenues) and other stewardship commitments such as consumer education and awareness activities, and research and development.

Is Tire Stewardship BC required to report on its activities?

Yes. The BC Recycling Regulation requires that TSBC provide an annual report to the Ministry of Environment on the effectiveness of the stewardship program, which will include audited financial statements. This report is due on July 1st of every year and TSBC will publish the report on its web site.