A Scarborough auto repair shop owner says he has been told by the city to clear more than a thousand scrap tires or face a fine, but he cannot get anyone to pick them up following changes to provincial tire recycling rules.
Seid Sayed, owner of Flame Auto Repair on Kingston Road, said he received an email from the city’s municipal licensing and standards division that said he had until of Thursday to dispose of the tires, which are piled inside in a storage area and outside his shop.
Sayed was told he could request additional time, but he cannot get a producer responsibility organization, or PRO, to commit to picking the tires up. PROs contract haulers and recyclers to collect and process tires.
“This isn’t a landfill. This is a private small business,” Sayed said as he stood in front a large pile of tires on his property. “It’s not only an eyesore. It’s a safety hazard.”
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Since 2019, tire producers in Ontario have been responsible for recycling individually, but can outsource their responsibility for recycling quotas to PROs.
In January 2025, the Ontario government reduced collection targets for used tires. Tire producers are now required to recycle only 65 per cent of used tires collected by weight, rather than 85 per cent. The government also reduced the required number of collection sites in the province.
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A PRO used to pick up Sayed’s tires twice a month but the last pickup was about seven months ago, he said.
Sayed has called a PRO three times but been told to wait. He also emailed two Ontario MPPs but received no response. And city rules mean he can’t take the tires to a municipal dump, he said.
“I am not happy that I put the tires here but I have no choice.”
Paul Di Salvo, director of regulatory compliance and enforcement for the city, said in a statement Thursday that the city is aware that some businesses are having trouble getting rid of scrap tires.
“While we recognize these difficulties, large tire stockpiles can pose environmental, health and safety risks, including fire hazards and pest breeding.”
Di Salvo said the city will consider efforts made by a property owner to address a bylaw issue when determining the appropriate course of action.
The city said in this case it has issued only a warning and has not issued a fine.
Peter Tabuns, the provincial NDP critic for the Ministry of the Environment, has said the province’s changes have led to surpluses of tires that some PROs say they have no obligation or economic incentive to process.
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The Resource Productivity & Recovery Authority (RPRA), the provincial regulator, has said it requires tire producers to continue recycling tires from their collection sites whether targets are met or not.
Adam Moffatt, executive director of the Ontario Tire Dealers Association, said Thursday the stockpiles of tires are a growing concern.
“We’re probably seeing more tires backlogged right now through the system than we saw at the end of last year, unfortunately,” he said.
“We’re getting calls on a daily basis from dozens of tire dealers and collection sites across the province who are facing environmental concerns,” he said. “These businesses are not being provided with any viable path to remove these tires.”
If the regulations aren’t reformed this year, an even larger glut of tires is expected at the end of 2026.
“I would reasonably say we’ll probably have three to four million excess tires at the end of this year. And where are we putting these tires?”
In a statement this week, Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment said it expects producers and PROs to manage all end-of-life tires as they become available.
Spokesperson Gary Wheeler said the ministry recently held a 30-day consultation on proposed changes to the tires regulation and is considering all feedback to determine next steps.
The RPRA “is monitoring the system to ensure tire producers and PROs are meeting the current regulatory requirements,” Wheeler said.
“Collection sites can contact registered tire PROs, haulers and processors to determine if any of them are able to take any backlog of tires,” he added.
