Montreal’s new recycling program and partnership
Earlier this year, the City of Montreal, in partnership with Eco Entreprises Quebec, announced a new plan to modernize the city’s curbside recycling system. The city and Eco Enterprises Quebec will be working with citizens to inform them about what can actually go into the bin and what cannot.
Montreal’s new partnership
In 2020, the City of Montreal announced its commitment to divert 70% of residual materials from landfills by 2025 and 85% by 2030. To achieve this goal, the city has partnered with Eco Entreprises Quebec, a private, non-profit organization that represents producers who market packaging, containers and printed matter in their responsibility to finance curbside recycling.
Within this partnership Eco Entreprises Quebec will oversee the implementation of the curbside recycling service and determine a list of materials accepted in recycling bins. Currently, the participation rate for curbside recycling in Montreal is about 60 percent, but the goal with this new partnership is to raise that to 70 percent or more in the short to medium term.
Within the new curbside recycling service, Eco Entreprises Quebec is planning to phase out clear recycling bags and provide all households with 67 litre grey recycling bins. Polystyrene, which currently isn’t accepted, will soon be accepted in recycling bins across the city.
Eco Enterprises Quebec has a catchy phrase to remind citizens of what can go in their bins: “containers, packaging, printed paper. That’s it”. They have a reference guide on their website that shows exactly what goes into the recycling bin.
In 2022, Recyc-Québec, the reference for everything relating to the responsible management of residual materials in Quebec, started working with Eco Entreprises Quebec to modernize selective collection. They plan to standardize the materials accepted in recycling bins across the province.
The collection reform is gradually coming into force and should be fully operational by 2025. Recyc- Quebec even launched an application to help citizens understand and learn about what goes into their recycling bins.
Why is this new program important?
Montreal has always encouraged recycling. I remember a time when households had to sort all of their items before putting their bins out for collection. In 2010, Montreal provided households with large recycling bins with closed tops in an effort to encourage people to recycle even more. One of the benefits of these new bins was that all materials could be thrown into the same bin and would eventually be sorted at the recycling facilities.
While, in theory, this system could’ve worked, there are so many issues regarding how Montreal manages its waste. Not only do mixed materials (especially the wrong materials entering the bin) become contaminated and unreusable, but Montreal doesn’t have the proper facilities to deal with recyclable waste. Montreal was originally shipping all of its waste to China. However, China recently placed a ban on the materials they accept. Because of this ban, facilities in Montreal are just piling up with recyclable waste with no place to go.
The new partnership with Eco Enterprises Quebec will help with making sure our recyclable products end up in the right place, and end up actually being recycled and reused. As of January 1, 2025, ÉEQ will assume full responsibility for the curbside recycling system in Quebec, from collection to the second life of recyclable materials.
This new program will take a lot of learning and relearning from citizens and businesses, and it will take time. Moreover, as we work towards moving away from plastic packaging and also as Montreal continues with its deposit system, which was relaunched in 2023, how we recycle will progressively change.
However, the City of Montreal has recognized that there is a problem, and they cannot continue to have their recycling programs function in the current state they are in. Especially as the city moves towards its goal of zero waste and a circular economy. 2025 is not that far away, and we are looking forward to seeing how recycling will change for the better in Montreal.
