Recycling program hits target
By Contributor
With recent celebrations during Canadian Environmental week, Tire Stewardship B.C. (TSBC) is proud to announce that it has reached a milestone of 60 million tires recycled in British Columbia as part of the province’s progressive environmental platform.
TSBC is the not-for-profit society that in 2007 took responsibility for B.C.’s scrap tire recycling program, first introduced by the province in 1991. The organization has steered the program through many milestones, and this latest accomplishment is proof positive of the ongoing and necessary commitment of British Columbians to the environment.
“This milestone illustrates that the people of this province are committed to finding solutions for a more sustainable future,” says Mike Hennessy, Executive Director of Tire Stewardship B.C. “We are proud that this program has been such a success, and that we are able to help facilitate and encourage the everyday decisions that are necessary to preserve a healthy environment for future generations.”
The benefits of the TSBC program are far-reaching, as they address the bigger economic and environmental picture – two areas that have become inextricably linked. The majority of tires recycled under TSBC’s initiative are turned into consumer and industrial products, providing numerous economic, employment and environmental benefits right here in British Columbia. Products include: athletic tracks and synthetic turf fields, garden pavers, walkways and playgrounds; colourful, resilient flooring in recreational facilities; flooring and mats for agricultural and industrial use.
Approximately 40,000 tonnes of scrap tires are recycled annually in B.C. through TSBC and its various outreach campaigns. These include the Return to Retailer program, which allows the public to return scrap tires to participating retailer sites instead of taking them to landfills; Tire Round Ups, which occur annually throughout the province; and the Community Grant Program that provides financial support to communities using B.C. recycled rubber in their projects.
For more information visit www.tirestewardshipbc.ca.
Tire Stewardship BC (TSBC) is a not-for-profit society formed to accept responsibility for the provincial scrap-tire recycling program. TSBC submitted its Stewardship Plan to the Ministry on August 17, 2006. Ministry approval was received on September 19, 2006. On January 1, 2007 TSBC launched the new scrap-tire recycling program replacing the government-run program that had been in place since 1991.
