Proposed Amendments to Tires and Other Producer Responsibility Regulations

Ontario is making changes to help reduce tire backlogs and improve the collection and management of used tires by increasing the tire management target for producers and expanding the number of required collection sites across the province. The changes will set clear, enforceable requirements for producers, and strengthen existing enforcement tools. These changes will help ensure Ontario’s producer responsibility framework achieves its intended outcomes of diverting waste from landfills.

We amended the following regulations under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act (RRCEA):

• Tires Regulation (O. Reg. 225/18)
• Administrative Penalties Regulation (O. Reg. 558/22)
• Batteries Regulation (O. Reg. 30/20)
• Electrical and Electronic Equipment (EEE) Regulation (O. Reg. 522/20)
• Hazardous and Special Products (HSP) Regulation (O. Reg. 449/21)
• Blue Box Regulation (O. Reg. 391/21)

The changes to the Tires Regulation will help ensure that more tires are collected and recycled. The changes increase the management target and the number of collection sites that producers, or producer responsibility organizations (PROs) acting on their behalf, are required to service. The changes address current market issues and provide greater certainty for tire collection sites.

We have amended the Administrative Penalties (AP) Regulation to strengthen enforcement related to contraventions of the Tires, Batteries, EEE, HSP and Blue Box regulations.

We have also introduced financial reporting requirements for PROs, which will apply to all five of the producer responsibility regulations and support the AP Regulation amendments.

Changes to the Tires Regulation

• Increased the management target from 65% to 80%, starting in 2026 and each year thereafter.
  • This will improve tire collection and help reduce collection disruptions by requiring tire producers and PROs to collect more tires
• Increased the required tire collection network from about 4,300 sites to about 6,500 sites, starting in 2027
  • PROs must maintain the existing geographic distribution requirements for the currently required 4,300 sites and establish an additional 2,200 sites across Ontario
  • Ten per cent of these additional 2,200 sites must be located in northern Ontario
  • This change will ensure more sites that generate used tires get collection service from PROs
• Moved the deadline for PROs to report their tire collection networks to the beginning of each year (starting in 2027) and added conditions that limit when tire collection network sites may be changed during the year
  • These changes will provide greater certainty for tire collection sites and support oversight and enforcement by the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA)
• Added rules for PROs that choose to share tire collection sites or trade performance credits to meet their targets
  • This will set clear expectations for PROs and improve market transparency.

Overall, the changes to the Tires Regulation will help prevent tires from accumulating at collection sites, such as automotive centres and municipal sites, or being sent to tire stockpiles. The changes will also help address existing backlogs and improve the reliability of tire collection services for communities and businesses.

Changes to the Administrative Penalties Regulation

• Removed the $1 million cap on administrative penalty orders for contraventions that occur after the amended regulation is filed
  • This will help ensure that regulated parties do not receive a financial benefit from non-compliance

Changes to the Tires, Batteries, EEE, HSP and Blue Box regulations

• Added a requirement for PROs to report financial information each year, such as the cost of collecting and managing materials
  • PROs will have to submit a one-time interim report in 2026 with financial data from 2023-2025 and then provide ongoing financial information as part of annual reports starting in 2027
  • This change will improve RPRA’s efficiency in estimating the economic benefit of avoided costs when determining an administrative penalty

Timing

The final changes will be implemented as follows:

• Increased tire management target – effective for all of 2026 and every year after
• Rules for trading managed tires to meet targets – effective for targets in 2026 and every year after
• Removal of the $1 million administrative penalty cap – effective for contraventions after filing
• Financial reporting requirements for all PROs – first report in December 2026 and included in PRO annual reports starting in 2027
• Increased number of required tire collection sites – effective January 1, 2027
• Revised reporting deadline for tire collection networks – first report by January 1, 2027, and every year after
• Conditions to limit changes to tire collection network sites during the year – implementation in 2027
• Rules for shared tire collection sites – implementation in 2027