You may be taking part in Earth Hour this Saturday, a worldwide campaign to darken lights around the planet from 8pm-9pm. You likely recycle once a week. And maybe you look for environmentally friendly or biodegradable products.

But here's a question you may not able to answer so quickly: what do you do with your used tires?

According to the premier, we're the only province without a tire-recycling program, so you're forgiven if you think the rubber shells belong in a dump. Nearly 12 million tires are thrown out every year in Ontario, and Dalton McGuinty wants to change that.

He proposed a recycling fee for new tires, built into the purchase cost.

Gord Miller, Ontario's Environmental Commissioner,  told us where all those pennies will end up.

"The money that's collected will be absolutely going to the process of collecting, recovering and taking the beneficial tires," he promised.

The plan was immediately criticized by the opposition. Conservative Tim Hudak says any tire fee imposed by the Liberals is just a tax by a different name.

One company that already recycles tires is National Rubber Technologies. However, it's only able to manage a million and a half a year, a small drop in the bucket. A recycling program would allow more stable funding.

"There's a higher cost to doing what we do than there is to burning a tire," explains CEO Greg Bavington.

National Rubber makes nearly 500 products and uses 98% recycled rubber.

Ontario does have a program to take back your old batteries, but it seems few people avail themselves of it. 

Figures from Statistics Canada show a majority of Canadians aren't aware that the cells that power their remotes, radios, flashlights, cell phones and other devices present a danger to the environment and aren't supposed to be disposed of in landfills.

But six in ten took that route in the survey year 2005.

The batteries can leak toxic substances, including mercury, cadmium and lead, and they're supposed to be taken to special drop-off centres. See the locations of the sites here.

In Toronto alone, approximately 36 million batteries made it to landfills.

Many are also unaware of how to get rid of medications they no longer need, choosing to either throw them in the trash or worse, flush them down the drain. But 39 per cent decided to get rid of them that way instead of the taking the right route - returning the unwanted pills to pharmacists and letting them dispose of them for you.

That service is generally free at any drug store.

Nearly four out of ten Canadians flush or bury their expired drugs, and that can have negative consequences. Study author John Marshall said the chemicals are turning up in the water supply.

"Although the concentrations (of pharmaceuticals in the water) are low, adverse effects on humans and animals may be possible," the report states.

It was all too real for 15 Southern Ontario cities that saw trace chemicals in drinking water in March.

And the problem could expand, as the drugs have caused disruptions to the hormones of some water-dwelling species.

The good news? We're not throwing paint in the trash, taking it instead to the proper sites, and most of us donate our used computer equipment.

 Stats Canada study

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