Toronto, ON, Canada – Ontarians took another step towards turning black to green, when more than 48,000 used tires were collected following a recent weekend recycling blitz organized by Ontario Tire Stewardship (OTS) and the Ontario Automotive Recyclers Association (OARA). The tires, which would be taller than 24 CN Towers if stacked one on top of one another, were dropped off at 64 OARA member locations around the province between May 27th and 28th.
The collection not only helped divert tires from landfills and burning, it also helped make dreams come true, by raising $123,725 for the Sunshine Foundation of Canada. The collection allowance that OARA members receive for each tire dropped off was donated to the Sunshine Foundation. OARA matched each member’s donation and this, coupled with an additional contribution from registered tire hauler Liberty Tire Recycling, means even more children with severe physical disabilities or life-threatening illnesses will be helped. The number of tires collected increased by more than 50 per cent over last year, and exceeded the goal to raise $100,000 for the charity.
“This is the second year that OTS and OARA have partnered to offer Ontarians a convenient way to recycle their old tires. The overwhelming response demonstrates that Ontarians are willing to actively contribute to a greener Ontario and at the same time want to be part of a great cause,” said Andrew Horsman, Executive Director, Ontario Tire Stewardship. “These collections events are just one example of the great work being done by Ontario Tire Stewardship. The Used Tires Program is helping our environment, creating green jobs for Ontarians and contributing to the development of new, more sustainable consumer products.”
“The 64 OARA locations across the province that participated in this event have demonstrated a commitment to finding environmentally friendly solutions for disposing of automotive parts and we are proud of their contributions,” saidSteve Fletcher, Executive Director of OARA. “We’d like to congratulate Woodbeck Auto Parts in Stirling for collecting 4,011 tires, the most collected in the province. Woodbeck’s event raised more than $10,000 for the Sunshine Foundation! We are delighted that the contributions of all of our business partners will help make a dream come true for some very deserving children.”
Through the Used Tires Program, OTS tracks and manages how the approximately 12 million tires sold in Ontario every year are handled once they reach the end of their service life, diverting them from burning and landfill. Before the Program came into effect in September 2009, scrap tires were routinely burned for fuel in cement kilns, illegally dumped or added to growing stockpiles around the province. Thanks to the Used Tires Program, Ontarians can now drop off up to four used tires each for free at hundreds of registered collection locations around the province and the tires collected will be reused or recycled into new consumer products like rubber mulch, door and car mats and roof shingles.
Please visit GreenMyTires.ca for details on registered collectors across the province.
Kristelyn
on May 19th, 2012 at 9:15 amTime to re-tireMost staets’s laws say that tires are legally worn out when they have 2/32 or less tread depth remaining. All tires sold in North America have wear bars in the grooves between the tread that are, you guessed it, 2/32 tall. So when the wear bars are even with your tread, it’s definitely time to replace those tires.Realistically speaking, once a tire drops below 4/32 it can no longer effectively displace water on a wet road, and and a resulting loss of control becomes a real danger. If you live somewhere where it snows, consider replacing your tires when they reach approximately 6/32 of remaining tread depth.Figuring it outOK, great. So the tread is taller than the wear bars. How do I figure out just how much tread is actually left? Well, you could go out and buy a . They aren’t that expensive and give a nice accurate reading. However, says you probably have all the tools you need to measure your tires’ tread right in your pocket.Dig in there and pull out a penny and a quarter. Now you’re set.Take a penny and place Abe head down into the grooves of the tire. As long as part of his head is covered by the tread, you’ve got more than 2/32 remaining. Repeat in several areas to be sure.Grab a quarter and put George head down into the grooves. Repeat in several areas. As long as part of his head is always covered by the tread, you’ve got more than 4/32 of tread remaining. And he cannot tell a lie.Now take that penny again, flip it over, and put the Lincoln Memorial upside down into the groove. If the top of the memorial is always covered by the tread after trying several locations across the tire, you have more than 6/32 of tread remaining.And people say the penny is worthless!