Ford Government Cut the Tire Recycling Target, Tires Piled Up, Then It Reversed Course

At the beginning of 2025, the Ford government lowered Ontario's recycling target for used tires. As the Toronto Star reported, that meant "hundreds of garages and tire dealers couldn't get their used tires picked up," because the producer responsibility organizations (PROs) that run collection "didn't need them to meet the lowered target."

The costs landed on the people who do the work. According to the Star, "Tire haulers were put out of work, or had to lay off staff," and processing facilities ran at reduced capacity "despite the fact that consumers bankroll the industry through the eco-fees they pay on new tires."

The tires did not go away. The Star reports that "hundreds of thousands of tires were stockpiled at sites in Sudbury and Ottawa," which critics warned was a potential environmental catastrophe, "but no PRO or hauler was ever publicly blamed."

On Monday, Sept 21, 2026, the province reversed course. It raised the target from 65% to 80% by weight, as "one of a series of amendments to the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act of 2016." The province's own decision notice, ERO 026-0218, confirms the higher target and an increase in collection sites from about 4,300 to about 6,500 starting in 2027. The ministry now says a higher target and more sites "would be the most direct way to address backlogs."

The final changes went beyond what was put out for comment. The ERO notice for the tire amendments was open for comment from April 2 to May 2, 2026. According to the Toronto Star, neither the target increase nor the added collection sites was in the original amendments put out for consultation earlier this year.

The final decision goes further than the target. According to ERO 026-0218, the target rises from 65% to 80% starting in 2026. Collection sites grow from about 4,300 to about 6,500 from 2027, and 10% of the 2,200 new sites will be in northern Ontario. The decision also strengthens the Administrative Penalties regulation and adds financial reporting requirements for PROs.

The ministry told the Star: "Our expectation remains that producers and producer responsibility organizations collect and manage all end-of-life tires as they become available, regardless of targets." Yet by the Star's account, it was the lowered target that left used tires uncollected for more than a year.

Adam Moffatt, CEO of the Ontario Tire Dealers Association, which pushed for the higher target, warned that the province's recycling capacity cannot be restored overnight, the Star reported. eTracks, the largest PRO, said it was too early to comment.