Greening Our Living Space: Ontario Tire Stewardship

Disclaimer – This is a sponsored post. Though this post was written in affiliation with Ontario Tire Stewardship, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I often think about the best ways for greening our living space.  We live on a farm, and whenever I see tractor tires or tires from equipment or our truck that are no longer usable, I get this nagging feeling in my stomach. My husband always says that as a farming family, we are stewards of the land.

Sure, I’ve tried to re-purpose old tires by using them as planters.  I’ve been meaning to make Little One a tire swing too.  Even with all the ways we can re-purpose old tires, I still for some reason, feel like we can be doing more.

Ontario Tire Stewardship

You can imagine how excited I was to find out about Ontario Tire Stewardship.  Ontario Tire Stewardship is an organization championing waste diversion that works with a network of Stewards, Collectors, Haulers, Processors and Recycled Product Manufacturers to collect and recycle used tires. OTS’s Used Tires program has successfully diverted more than 100 million tires from landfills since 2009! Isn’t that incredible? Instead, Ontario tires get efficiently and responsibly recycled into new products, leading to hundreds of new jobs in Ontario, more livable communities and a growing green economy in this province.

After checking out Ontario Tire Stewardship, I was pleasantly surprised to learn about how many products on the market are made with recycled rubber tires!  There are products for the home that I wouldn’t have even thought were made from recycled tires!

I wanted to revamp my front entrance and mudroom.  I was just tired of the mud (and now snow) being tracked in whenever people enter the house.  Living on a farm, I find it impossible to keep the front entrance/mudroom clean!  It has become a major source of stress for me.  I really cannot stand the muddy, dirty, dusty floors and having to sweep and mop them every single day.

Because treading lightly on the earth has always been important to me, I chose to use eco-friendly products to spruce up my front entrance.

Before

This part of the house has always been one of the parts that annoyed me the most.  It’s usually much muddier than this, and when there’s snow outside, you can bet it will be dragged inside.  This area gets super wet with all the melted snow that has been dragged in by everyone’s boots!  The above photo was even after I mopped everything up!  I’m telling you, it is ALWAYS dirty!  Barn boots/muck boots, odds and ends, feed bags, and basically whatever my family decides to drop off in that area always make it look messy and cluttered. Ah! Such is farm life, I guess.

After

It may not look like a huge change, but I can tell you that I can FEEL the difference.

Mats: Catch snow before it enters your house with a durable mat backed with recycled rubber
for slip resistance. You can visit RethinkTires.ca to find a variety of recycled rubber mats to keep your
hallway clean and slip-free.  This has been a BIG help!  No more melted snow.  No more puddles.  No more slipping or getting socks wet!

Boot Trays: One of my biggest pet peeves are the mucky boots that leave behind dirt or puddles. We live on a farm, so the boots are always in and out of the entrance and mud room. Now we can thaw winter boots and trap dirt and wetness using a boot tray with a raised design to keep your floors clear of winter grime. Eco-friendly recycled rubber boot trays offer all weather durability, both indoors and outdoors. This is great because there’s no more dirt and wetness on my floor, and the boot trays are very easy to clean.  With the boot trays there, everyone puts their boots where they belong, and no one leaves their footwear wherever they please (like in front of the door, blocking people from going in and out without tripping).

I am convinced that every household in Canada needs to have a few of these rubber boot trays!  The 19×39.5 TM Scalloped Boot Tray has saved my sanity. (retails: Home Depot)

Planters – We got a rubber planter for a decorative and practical piece.  I was going to place some birch branches, cedar limbs, and a splash of red ribbon to make things look a little festive outside on our front deck.  First, I put a spider plant in the planter because it needed a new home.  I really wanted to go for a festive look though, so I changed my plan.

The planter I got was the CANVAS Lineata Planter, Black, 12-in (retails: Canadian Tire). I’m going to be getting only these planters from now on.

One of the issues I always have in the winter is moving planters indoors because every single planter I’ve ever had has cracked in the winter when left outdoors. When water freezes, it expands and will break other pots – even clay and concrete ones.  That’s been my dilemma for years!  I always buy beautiful pots and planters for my deck, but then each year, they crack.

Crack resistant, recycled rubber planters made from old tires are a great way to add a festive touch to your walkway or condo terrace, welcoming guests and getting everyone in the holiday spirit.

Little One gathered up some fallen cedar and white spruce, and added a few decorative candy canes.  It looks pretty festive!  She did a great job for a nine year old!

I also love that the rubber planters are Ontario-made!

I saw this blog post and this video with Frankie Flowers for tips on how to create an ever-green planter.

I like the coverage the 4 x 6 Platinum Charcoal mat provides.  I cannot begin to tell you how incredibly happy I am to not have puddles by the door where everyone’s boots are!  To me, that is one of the most annoying parts of winter! Wet floors and wet socks!  (Retails: Home Depot)

I really love  this black 3×4 Heavy Duty Contour Door Mat (retails: Home Depot).  For a door mat, it is so pretty!  The design is beautiful, but what I love most is how heavy duty it is.  I repeat, when you live on a farm, you need heavy duty everything!

I am still in awe how old tires can be transformed into so many items we can use in our homes, outdoor living areas, etc. When I flipped over the mat, I was amazed to see the backing.  Definitely slip resistant!

Cupcake approves!  She actually really likes sleeping on the mats!  She has a dog bed, but prefers taking a snooze on the mats.

You may be asking why to choose recycled rubber products? There are many reasons. Besides doing your part to think and buy more sustainably, recycled tire products are:
– Shock-absorbing
– Fire resistant
– Long-lasting
– Noise reducing
– Durable and low maintenance
– Slip resistant
– Excellent in water run-off safety
– Cost effective

Though we didn’t do a major remodel or reno, we did get to revamp our entrance.  I’m thoroughly pleased with everything!  You know the saying, “A happy wife, a happy life”, right?  Well, this is one happy wife and mama.  It really is the little things that make me happy.  I’m happy I was able to spruce things up a bit, make our entrance more functional, and the best part is that I feel good about the products we’ve incorporated into our space.

Sustainable products made from scrap tires are transforming homes across the province. You can do your part by dropping off old tires at a registered Collector. Visit www.RethinkTires.ca to find a registered Collector near you.

Do you have any DIY projects on the go at your house? Kick start your next home DIY project by checking out Rethinktires.ca for info on sustainable recycled tire products.

To learn more about Ontario Tire Stewardship, visit rethinktires.ca or find them on Facebook and Twitter.