Almost all tires used on a motor vehicle, farm tractor, trailer, or other equipment and machinery including car tires, truck tires and some agricultural and logger/skidder tires.
Some exceptions do apply – check Tire Stewardship BC for details.
Not only do scrap tires waste limited landfill space (there are estimated 275 million scrap tires in landfills across the US), but they can also contaminate groundwater, and provide breeding grounds for mosquito-borne diseases like the West Nile Virus.
Tire Stewarship BC (TSBC) is the not-for-profit society responsible for the collection, processing and environmentally sound management of all scrap tires designated under the B.C. Recycling Regulation.
Most motorists exchange their old tires for new ones at the time of purchase.
TSBC’s Return to Retailer program provides consumers a free option to return tires to participating retailers. This is a year round program for consumers who can drop off up to four passenger/light truck tires, clean and off rim during the retailer’s business hours. In addition, TSBC holds tire roundups around the province as another disposal option for consumers.
Visit TSBC to find a Pick Up/Drop Off location.
Almost 100% of the scrap tires generated are collected and recycled in Delta, B.C. The majority are processed into crumb rubber, granules of rubber with the steel and fibre removed, and also into coloured mulch.
Crumb is used to create a variety of products including playground safety surfacing; athletic tracks; synthetic turf fields; and mats for agricultural and industrial use. The coloured mulch is a popular alternative to bark mulch in landscaping projects.
The remaining tires are used as a fuel supplement in the cement and pulp and paper industries.
Visit the Recycling Council of British Columbia (RCBC) for stewardship programs and updates.
Check the BC Recycling Handbook for a guide on what can be recycled under B.C.'s Product Stewardship Programs.
Visit Recycling Council of B.C. or call:
BC Toll-Free: 1-800-667-4321
Lower Mainland: 604-RECYCLE (604-732-9253)
Program website
Annual reports and stewardship plans as provided to the Province are posted for convenience.
Recycling Council of BC
BC Toll Free: 1-800-667-4321
Lower Mainland: 1-604-732-9253
Visit RCBC.ca