Where can I recycle my tires?
In Calgary, tires can be disposed of at the
Throw 'n' Go area at the City landfills where they will be recycled free of charge.
All vehicle tires, including tires with rims, are accepted at any City landfill. Loads of more than 12 tires must be taken to Shepard Landfill. Why recycle your tires?
Recycling tires is great for the environment. It frees up large amounts of landfill space, helps reduce the risk of tire fires, and eliminates the potential breeding grounds of mosquitoes that might carry West Nile virus.
Since 1992, about 52 million tires in Alberta have been recycled into useful items, including playground surfaces, roofing tiles and mattresses for livestock. For more information, view our
tire recycling FAQ.
Our tire recycling programs
In 1997, The City of Calgary completed a three-year project that removed more than two million tires from the Shepard landfill for recycling. Today, the Shepard Landfill Marshaling Site takes in 1.6 million tires annually. These tires are trucked in from an area that includes Red Deer, and south to the U.S. border.
These used tires are typically gathered at locations like gas stations, or come from large trucks or agricultural machinery. At the Shepard facility, the tires are sorted and then quickly shipped off to manufacturers to be processed for recycling purposes.
The Shepard site is important because it centralizes tire collection in one five-acre location. Here, strict guidelines ensure tires don't become a concern to public safety.
Fast facts about tire recycling
• Albertans buy and discard about 5 million tires each year
• About 52 million tires have been recycled since 1992
• Albertans have saved more than $230 million by keeping scrap tires out of landfills
For more information, call 1-888-999-8762 toll-free or visit the Alberta Recycling Management Authority.
