Old tires pile up in garages, sheds and the corners of carports. They’re heavy, awkward and they never go in a disposal bin. B.C. has a free return program, though, and most people can drop off a set of four without buying anything.
The main options in Metro Vancouver are below, and each has its own rules.
Why tires have their own program
Tires are covered by B.C.’s Recycling Regulation, and Tire Stewardship BC runs the province’s tire program. When you buy new tires, you pay an Advance Disposal Fee, often called the eco fee, that funds collection and recycling. That’s why the drop-offs below are free or low-cost.
Tire Stewardship BC says it collects the equivalent of over 5.5 million car tires a year.
Option 1: Leave them when you buy new tires
The simplest route. Tire Stewardship BC says most drivers return their old tires to the retailer when they buy new ones. Ask the shop to keep the old set when they mount the new one.
Option 2: Return-to-retailer, no purchase needed
Tire Stewardship BC’s Return to Retailer program lets anyone drop off old tires at a registered retailer, even without buying new ones.
- Up to four tires per visit
- Clean and off the rims
- During business hours
- Free
Call ahead to make sure the shop has room. Use the search on Tire Stewardship BC’s Recycle Your Tires page to find a registered retailer by city or postal code.
Which tires are accepted
Tire Stewardship BC lists:
- Passenger tires for cars, SUVs, crossovers and minivans
- Light truck tires for trucks under 10,000 lb
- Small RV tires
- Temporary spare tires marked with a “T” on the sidewall
Other types may be accepted. Contact the retailer first.
Option 3: Tire collection events
Tire Stewardship BC takes part in occasional community collection events. At these events:
- Drop-off is free
- Tires on or off rims are accepted
- Bicycle tires and tubes are accepted too
- Only residential quantities are allowed, not commercial loads
Dates are added through the year on Tire Stewardship BC’s collection events page. Check it for an event near you.
Option 4: A Metro Vancouver recycling and waste centre
Metro Vancouver’s recycling and waste centres, including United Boulevard in Coquitlam, North Shore in North Vancouver, Langley and Maple Ridge, accept passenger and light truck tires with or without rims.
This option isn’t free. When you drive tires to a Metro Vancouver centre yourself, Metro Vancouver says the centre’s garbage fee applies. At the centre’s scale, the tires are weighed together with any garbage you bring in the same vehicle. As of October 2026, Metro Vancouver’s tipping fee page lists a $15 minimum per load outside weekday peak hours and $25 during them, and rates vary by facility. The peak minimum doesn’t apply at the Langley or Maple Ridge centres. This is a self-haul drop-off at the centre. Tires never go in a Trash King bin. Agricultural, off-the-road and industrial tires aren’t accepted.
This route makes sense if you’re already heading to a centre with a load, or your tires are still on their rims.
Tires still on rims
Return-to-retailer needs tires off the rims. Tire Stewardship BC notes that a location that accepts tires on rims will charge a fee, since rims aren’t part of the program. Your options:
- Ask a tire shop to remove the rims, then return the tires.
- Bring them on rims to a collection event.
- Drive them on rims to a Metro Vancouver centre yourself and pay the centre’s garbage fee at the scale.
If you keep the rims, they’re scrap metal. Metro Vancouver lists scrap metal as a free drop-off at the United Boulevard centre.
Bicycle tires and tubes
Bike tires have their own path. Tire Stewardship BC has a bicycle tire recycling page linked from its Recycle Your Tires page, and collection events take bike tires and tubes.
More than four tires?
Return-to-retailer limits each drop-off to four. For a bigger pile:
- Spread the tires across more than one visit or retailer
- Wait for a collection event
- Take the extra tires to a Metro Vancouver centre
Businesses that sell tires work with Tire Stewardship BC directly. If you run a business with scrap tires, check the business options on Tire Stewardship BC’s site.
Where the rubber goes
Tire Stewardship BC says scrap tires from collection sites go to processors in Delta. Most go to Liberty Tire Recycling, where they’re turned into crumb rubber and mulch. That rubber ends up in new products.
Clearing a garage with tires in it?
Pull the tires out first and set them aside with paint, propane and fuel. None of them go in a bin. Then book a bin for the rest of the cleanout. Our disposal bins page explains sizes and booking, and our before-the-bin checklist helps you get the driveway ready. Our list of what not to put in a Metro Vancouver disposal bin covers the other drop-off items. You load, we haul. Call 604-433-5865 or email quotes@trashking.ca.
FAQ
Where can I drop off old tires for free in Metro Vancouver?
At a Tire Stewardship BC return-to-retailer location. You can drop off up to four clean tires off the rims, without buying new ones. Call ahead.
Can I put old tires in a disposal bin?
No. Tires never go in the bin. Take them to a tire retailer, a collection event or a Metro Vancouver centre.
Can I recycle tires that are still on the rims?
Yes, at a collection event or a Metro Vancouver centre. Retailers that accept tires on rims charge a fee for the rims.
How many tires can I return at once?
Up to four per visit under the return-to-retailer program.
What happens to recycled tires in B.C.?
Tire Stewardship BC says most are processed in Delta into crumb rubber and mulch.
Sources
- Metro Vancouver, Tipping Fee page (fees starting July 1, 2026: garbage $182 per tonne under 1 tonne, yard trimmings and clean wood $139 per tonne, $15 minimum per load off-peak and $25 at weekday peak 10 am to 2 pm, peak rule not applied at Central Surrey, Langley and Maple Ridge, as of October 2026): https://metrovancouver.org/services/solid-waste/tipping-fee (checked 2026-10-30)
- Tire Stewardship BC, Recycle Your Tires (Return to Retailer, up to four tires clean and off rims, call ahead, rims fee, accepted tire types, bicycle tire page, retailer search): https://tsbc.ca/recycle-your-tires/ (checked 2026-10-30)
- Tire Stewardship BC, Life cycle of a tire in BC (most drivers return tires when buying new, no purchase needed, Delta processors Liberty Tire Recycling and Heidelberg Materials, crumb rubber and mulch): https://tsbc.ca/life-cycle-of-a-tire-bc/ (checked 2026-10-30)
- Tire Stewardship BC, Retailer hub (eco fee, equivalent of over 5.5 million car tires collected each year, any person can return four tires): https://tsbc.ca/retailer-hub/ (checked 2026-10-30)
- Tire Stewardship BC, Collection events (free, on or off rim, bicycle tires and tubes, residential quantities only): https://tsbc.ca/community-events-programs/collection-events/ (checked 2026-10-30)
- Metro Vancouver, United Boulevard, North Shore, Langley and Maple Ridge Recycling and Waste Centres (tires with or without rims, garbage fee applies, $15 minimum up to 55 kg, agricultural, off-the-road and industrial tires not accepted, scrap metal free): https://metrovancouver.org/services/solid-waste/united-boulevard-recycling-and-waste-centre (checked 2026-10-30)
- Province of B.C., Recycling locations and accepted products (tires as a provincial EPR program): https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/waste-management/recycling/locations-products
- Trash King, Household garbage (scrap tires listed as prohibited): https://trashking.ca/household-garbage/ (checked 2026-10-30)