July 1, 2026 marks 35 years of tire recycling in BC. To mark the milestone, we’ll be sharing stories of how it started, how the system has evolved, how BC continues to lead in the industry, and how innovation–from products made in BC to future solutions–is shaping what comes next.

For more than three decades, BC has been turning used tires into a circular economy success story, building a system that keeps millions of tires out of landfills, instead transforming them into new products, local jobs, and accessible community spaces across the province.

A Canadian first that started in BC

Back in 1991, BC launched Canada’s first scrap tire recycling program. At the time, used tires were a growing environmental problem, bulky, hard to dispose of, and not something you could just “throw away” without consequences.

Instead of treating tires as waste, BC took a different approach, the province built a system to recover and reuse them. That early program laid the groundwork for what would become one of the most established tire recycling systems in North America.

Over time, that approach evolved from a government-led initiative into a more structured, industry-supported system designed for long-term sustainability.

Related: From Old Tires to New Products: Understanding the Full Life Cycle of a Tire in BC

From recycling program to circular economy system

A major shift came in 2007 with the introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). In simple terms, EPR means the responsibility for managing end-of-life products is shared by producers and retailers, not left to municipalities or taxpayers.

That change helped formalize and strengthen BC’s tire recycling system, ensuring it was funded, coordinated, and designed for scale. Today, Tire Stewardship BC (TSBC) operates under this framework, managing a province-wide network that collects, processes, and recycles used tires across BC.

A province-wide system built for scale

Getting rid of old tires in BC isn’t complicated, and that’s by design. Used tires can be returned through thousands of collection points, including retailer locations and dedicated return-to-retailer sites across the province. From there, tires are transported for processing in BC, where they’re broken down into reusable materials like rubber, steel, and fibre.

Instead of being discarded, these materials stay in circulation, supporting a growing circular economy right here at home.

More than recycling: building value from waste

Over the years, this system has quietly become something bigger than waste diversion. Recycled tires are now used in products like playground surfaces, sports flooring, landscaping materials, and livestock mats. Local manufacturers across BC use recovered rubber to create new products, helping to reduce reliance on virgin materials, and eliminate waste.

It also supports local jobs and community investment, showing that environmental systems can also deliver economic and social value.

35 years later: what comes next?

What started as a recycling program in 1991 has grown into a fully functioning circular economy system that continues to evolve.

And now, after 35 years of progress, the story isn’t just about what has been achieved, it’s about where this system can go next, as BC continues to lead in tire recycling, waste diversion, and sustainable materials innovation.

We hope you’ll follow along as we share more stories around tire recycling in BC, in celebration of 35 years (and counting). And if you have some tires to recycle, click on the image below to find a tire recycling location near you!