REGINA – Some Saskatchewan tire dealers are charging customers to recycle used tires, but are illegally dumping them and keeping the money, Saskatchewan Scrap Tire Corporation board members said last week.
Two of the non-profit corporation officials alleged tires are being dumped in a gravel pit near Regina and that some retailers in the province are charging a $3.50 recycling fee, but are not registered members of the corporation.
“They say it’s a recycling fee but the money is not being turned over to our non-profit corporation,” said SSTC board member Don Schlosser.
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“Some of the money is being channeled into the dealers’ pockets and the balance of it is going to someone who is picking up the tires and they are being disposed of, as far as I’m concerned, in an illegal way.”
Provincial regulations prohibit stockpiling tires in fields.
Investigation under way
Corporation chair Mel Hennig said environment officials and police are investigating the allegations.
He said consumers should look for a poster and logo displayed at registered tire shops which indicate the business can collect the fee.
Schlosser added not all unregistered retailers are involved in a “scam,” because they may charge a fee and then pay someone else to collect and dispose of the tires.
The scrap tire corporation was launched in May to encourage recycling of the approximately one million used tires generated each year. Participation is voluntary, but 340 retailers have already joined, representing about a quarter of the province’s dealers.
Recycling fee
Each dealer collects $3.50 for every new tire sold and submits it to the corporation to pay for future recycling of that tire. About 43,000 tires have been collected this year. They are recycled into truck box liners, playground equipment, flooring and other products.
If not recycled, most tires are buried in landfills, where they biodegrade very slowly and take up space. If burned, they release toxic chemicals. If piled, they are prime breeding grounds for mosquitoes, rats and mice.
Hennig announced 20 information meetings for retailers and consumers will begin Oct. 28 in an effort to sign up more retailers and educate the public.
Environment minister Lorne Scott said the government is not considering a mandatory program, because industry-led programs work better.
