By Jenn Watt

Published Nov. 26 2019

Residents with old tires to dispose of will no longer be able to bring them to the landfills in Dysart et al after June 1 2020 if council passes a resolution recommended by the environment and climate change committee.
On Nov. 12 the committee heard from environmental co-ordinator Mallory Bishop about the new producer responsibility rules that specify that used tires be accepted free of charge at registered collection sites.
In Dysart et al those sites include Shamrock Servic e Centre Haliburton Auto County Automotive West Guilford Towing and Recovery West Guilford Auto Centre and Curry Chevrolet.
“As the dust has settled and as I’ve been talking to other waste management staff from across Ontario no one’s getting payment from taking in and storing tires” Bishop told committee members.

Although Dysart et al is receiving no payment for the tires it collects there are still costs and logistical burdens to the municipality in storing them which means that taxpayers are in effect subsidizing tire disposal which is supposed to now be the producer’s responsibility.
“For us to continue to subsidize that process to me doesn’t make any sense” said Councillor John Smith who is chair of the committee.
Bishop said that in her conversations with other municipalities around Ontario she encountered some that continue to offer tire collection service.
“They want to provide the service to the residents which is absolutely fair but they also have to consider that the taxpayer is still paying for the service that’s supposed to be entirely producer responsibility” she said.

Through the Used Tire Program between 2009 and 2018 22002 tires were diverted by the Municipality of Dysart et al. In 2019 Bishop’s report states 1413 tires were collected last year at the Harcourt and Haliburton landfills. Most were passenger and light truck tires.
“My advice under this [discussion item] would be to stop collecting tires but to give a grace period where we inform residents that in the future we’re going to stop collecting tires” Bishop said.

Councillor Larry Clarke was hesitant to support the resolution saying that rejecting tires would likely lead people to dump them in ditches around the countryside. He wanted to wait for a consultant’s report on waste management to see what was recommended before moving forward.
However the rest of the committee was in favour and voted to support the motion which will be presented to Dysart et al council for a final vote before being put in place.