TSBC and OK Tire Host First-Ever Tire Round-Ups

in Burnaby, New Westminster, Vancouver

3 Round-Ups. 1 Day. Saturday, May 11th.

For Immediate Release

Victoria, BC: Making that big ‘spring clean’ all the more convenient, Tire Stewardship BC (TSBC) and OK Tire are partnering up for three Tire Round-Ups to be held in Burnaby, Vancouver and New Westminster on Saturday, May 11th. Residents are encouraged to scour their basements and storage spaces, and bring all the old tires they can find, on or off rim, to one of the Round-Up locations listed below.

“This is the first time we’ve ever hosted Tire Round-Ups in Vancouver, Burnaby and New West. The demand for environmentally friendly disposal options is increasing in cities, and the response to these events has been incredible,” says Mike Hennessy, TSBC Executive Director. “At each location on May 11^th, visitors can drop off their old car tires so they don’t end up in landfills. It’s an easy way to get that spring cleaning done, while helping the environment and giving back to your community.”

Visitors to each location on May 11^th can also make a donation to the Salvation Army. TSBC Student Ambassadors will be on site at the Vancouver location to hand out tire gauges and information, and to answer any questions people might have about tire recycling. From all of these Round-Ups, scrap rubber will begin its journey to a new life, being recycled into products such as playground surfacing, coloured landscaping mulch, athletic tracks, garden stones, flooring, and more.

WHAT: TSBC Tire Round-Up

WHEN: May 11^th, 2013, 10am-3pm

WHERE: OK Tire, 6092 Kingsway, Burnaby

                  OK Tire, 1843 Kingsway, Vancouver

                  OK Tire, 325A 12^th Street, New Westminster

Since the program started in 1991, TSBC has recycled more than 60 million tires. The majority of the 37,000 tonnes of scrap tires collected each year are recycled into products, and the remainder is used as a fuel supplement.

TSBC actively encourages schools and municipalities to consider the use of BC rubber in their projects. In addition, TSBC provides funding in the form of grants to not-for-profit organizations that use BC recycled rubber in their projects. The 2012 Community Grant Program kept close to 1.5 million pounds of rubber out of BC landfills by contributing almost $710,000.00 towards the use of crumb rubber in community projects throughout the province.

Knowing where to drop off your tires and other products for recycling is even easier now with BC Recyclepedia. This tool is available on the Recycling Council of BC web site at www.rcbc.bc.ca or as a smart phone App. Available on the App Store, the free app is a quick and simple tool that helps users find over 1,000 drop-off locations and recycling options for over 70 materials and products across BC. Download the latest version of the App, which now includes 37 new materials such as furniture, organic materials, textiles and new products covered under stewardship program expansions for electronics, small appliances, electrical equipment and lighting products.

About TSBC

Tire Stewardship BC (TSBC) is the not-for-profit society formed to accept responsibility for the provincial scrap-tire recycling program. On January 1, 2007 TSBC launched the new scrap-tire recycling program replacing the government-run program that had been in place since 1991.

Visit www.tirestewardshipbc.ca for more information.