As the months-long shortfall in scrap tire collection grinds on in Canada’s most populous province, stakeholders are now reviewing changes proposed by the province that would tighten collection and lift the cap on penalities.
Recent rules changes that reduced the obligation of Producer Responsibility Organizations has led to increasing shortfalls in tire collection going back to 2025.
Estimates put the stockpiles spread around the province at more than a million tires; some 400,000 were in one unregistered Sudbury, Ont., collection site alone.
“The proposed changes to Ontario’s Tires Regulation will ensure that tires are collected and processed in a timely manner,” says a communication from the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP).
Other proposed changes, such as removing the cap on administrative penalties, currently $1 million, are expected to strengthen enforcement.
The MECP released the proposed changes April 2, 2026 for 30-day comment period ending May 2, 2026.
The ministry is also seeking feedback on ways to improve Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) collaboration through clearinghouse provisions and how best to support local processing as part of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework.
Proposed changes to the Tires Regulation:
Expand call-in requirements to all sites: Add a provision to require PROs to collect tires from any site that requests pickup and has 50 or more tires, and add a guaranteed response time during peak tire change times.
Add new management requirement: Add a new requirement that collected tires must be managed within 3 months of pick-up from any site.
Proposed changes to the HSP Regulation:
Proposed changes to the HSP Regulation are intended to give parties additional time to determine recycling options for antifreeze and oil containers by delaying recycling efficiency requirements by one year. Administrative fixes are also proposed.
Revise recycling efficiency rate (RER) requirements: Delay the RER requirements for antifreeze and oil containers to 2028 and seek feedback on revising the RER for mercury containing products.
Administrative change to clarify collection site requirements: Revise the regulation to clarify that at least one site is required in the original municipality for upper-tier offsetting, but not for adjacent offsetting. This does not change current requirements but adds clarity in the regulation.
Proposed change to the Administrative Penalties (AP) Regulation:
Remove $1 million cap: Remove the cap on the maximum AP amount that can be issued for continuing and non-continuing contraventions.
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