CBC Lite Sections News • Canada • Toronto Scarborough business owner says he can't get rid of stockpiles of tires at his auto repair shop Muriel Draaisma, Ali Chiasson | CBC News | Posted: July 24, 2026 12:14 AM | Last Updated: July 24 Owner says he is facing a city fine if over a thousand tires aren't removed from property Image | TIRE DISPOSAL Seid Sayed Caption: Seid Sayed, owner of Flame Auto Repair in Scarborough, poses in front of the tires he is not able to dispose of. July 23, 2026. (Mark Bochsler/CBC) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab 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." * 'It was a huge monster': Minto's tire fire stirs up vivid memories in Ont. community 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. WATCH | CBC's Ali Chiasson explains why tires are piling up in Ontario: Media Video | CBC News Toronto : Caption: Across Toronto, mechanics and tire depots are sounding the alarm over a growing backlog of used tires piling up in front of their shops. CBC's Ali Chiasson has more on what they say is to blame, and how they're paying the price for it. Open full embed in new tab Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages. 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." City will consider efforts made to address bylaws 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. Image | CAS CHIASSON TIRE SHOP SEQ_frame_22009 Caption: A pile of used tires is shown here. 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. (Mark Bochsler/CBC) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab 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. * Ontario wants to stop tires from stockpiling. Critics say it needs to roll back its recycling target changes * Hundreds of thousands of used tires piling up after Ontario cuts recycling targets 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. Stockpiles of tires a growing concern, expert says 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." Image | 1ST SNOW TIRES Caption: A mechanic readies winter tires at a Greater Toronto Area garage on Nov. 11, 2025. (Evan Mitsui/CBC) (BUTTON) Load image Open image in new tab 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?" Producers expected to manage end-of-life tires: ministry 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. More Stories Like This The related links below are generated automatically based on the story you’ve just read. Loading... CBC Lite is a low-bandwidth website. To see what's new, check out our release notes. For high quality images, media, comments, and other additional features visit the full version of this story. We and select advertising partners use trackers to collect some of your data in order to enhance your experience and to deliver personalized content and advertising. If you are not comfortable with the use of this information, please review your device and browser privacy settings before continuing your visit. Learn more about Online Tracking and Privacy Choices. * Corrections and Clarifications * Terms of Use * Reuse & Permission * Privacy Notice * Accessibility * Contact a Newsroom * Submit Feedback * Lite Help Centre * Jobs * RSS CBC Lite version: 1.8.20. © 2026 CBC/Radio-Canada. All rights reserved.