As everywhere in Quebec, the new rules surrounding the modernization of selective collection – which is considerably expanded – came into force on January 1 and will be applied the next time you place your bin at the edge of the street.
Blue bin (green in some municipalities) or black? Almost no more scratching your head in the daily grind over the final destination of an item: sorting recyclable materials will be greatly simplified.
“In everyday life, we will no longer ask citizens to question whether this or that is recyclable? The only question in fact that he will have to ask himself now will be: is it a container, a packaging or a printed matter? If the answer is yes, it goes into the blue bin, explains Marie-Claude Rivet, head of strategy and public affairs at Éco Entreprises Québec. People no longer have to sort of speculate in front of their baccalaureate. This question, from now on, will no longer belong to them.
This standardization of collection criteria throughout the province will break down several barriers and is likely to have the effect of increasing the population’s rate of support for the collection of recyclable materials, she said.
“We will no longer have to check the plastic numbers (codes written under the packaging). From now on, packaging that was not recovered in certain regions because the sorting center did not have enough volume will be recovered everywhere, continues Ms. Rivet. It will be standardized and simplified thanks to a single list of materials across Quebec.”
Rare exceptions
The materials that were accepted previously varied from one municipality to another, including in the same region like Outaouais, but it is now allowed to put metalized packaging such as potato chip bags in a recycling bin – l one of the most striking examples to illustrate the changes according to the spokesperson for Éco Entreprises Québec -, Styrofoam food packaging such as meat trays, individual yogurt pots, plastic films covering certain foods or the bags found in cereal boxes.
In Gatineau, sorting of recyclable materials will continue to be done at the Tricentris plant. (Patrick Duquette/Archives Le Droit)
Only two materials which constitute exceptions cannot be placed in the recycling bin and must be brought to the ecocenter, namely aerosol containers as well as polystyrene protective packaging which breaks into balls and which are used, among other things, to protect electronic products like a new television.
Ms. Rivet explains that the year 2025 will above all be one of transition and that “everything will not change overnight” with this major reform.
“There are materials that may not be recycled right away, but we still have the responsibility, so it is still important to put all packaging and containers in the (recycling) bin. It helps to increase volumes, she describes. It’s not because it’s not recyclable now that it won’t be in a few months.”
No more disparities
No matter where we are, during the week, on weekends or on vacation elsewhere in the province, the rules of the game will be the same, thus simplifying everyone’s life, specifies Ms. Rivet.
“Until last week, there could be a list (of subjects) at your house, another when you went to the chalet and another when you went to the in-laws. Now it’s the same everywhere”
— Marie-Claude Rivet, head of strategy and public relations, Éco Entreprises Québec
Éco Entreprises Québec reminds that companies, which are ultimately responsible for the packaging they choose for their products, will benefit from making efforts to improve recyclability.
“Companies which use recycled or fully recyclable fibers will be entitled to a bonus, while on the contrary, the mirror effect, companies which use products which are not very recyclable or which harm the recycling of other materials, will cost them more expensive. In this way, we work on both sides of the chain to achieve better packaging,” says the spokesperson.
Bins of recyclable materials during a collection day in front of a residence. (Patrick Woodbury/Archives Le Droit)
According to Éco Entreprises Québec, to align with the needs of taxpayers with this major shift, equipment could be provided in the future to municipalities and the bins will be replaced as they reach the end of their useful life. . But we already estimate that the bin with a capacity of 360 liters like the one found in a large city like Gatineau will be sufficient to meet the vast majority of needs despite the expansion of the materials accepted.
“The future effect of the extension of the deposit will also have to be taken into account. There will be (in the longer term) containers that will no longer have to be placed in the bin, this will make room for other materials,” says Marie-Claude Rivet.
In Gatineau, where it is always possible to check with one click if a material goes into the blue bin through the DTRITUS application, citizens with a surplus of recyclable materials can make a request to the 311 non-emergency call center to obtain a second blue bin at their address.
Remember that the fourth largest city in the province signed a partnership agreement last winter with Éco Entreprises Québec to oversee the management of recyclable materials. This came into force on May 30, at the same time as the new residual materials collection contracts and the arrival of robotic collection.
Recycling surplus and Christmas trees by mid-January
Furthermore, the City of Gatineau would like to remind you that special collections of surplus recyclable materials as well as natural Christmas trees will be held over the next two weeks.
In the case of surplus recyclable materials, the collection day will be the same as that scheduled in the regular schedule for the blue bin, while Christmas trees will be collected on the same day as the gray bin collection.
The City specifies that surplus recyclable materials must be placed in transparent plastic bags, round trash cans (with handles) or wheeled bins marked with an “R”. As for additional cardboard boxes, they will be accepted but must have been unfolded and flattened. If necessary, they can be tied using transparent ropes or ribbons to make a single bundle.
Natural fir trees must be visible (cleared of snow) and easy to access, along the street. They should not be placed in a bag.
In all cases, surplus recyclable materials or Christmas trees included, the City reminds that there must be a clearance of 60 cm on each side of the wheeled bins for robotic collection.
