Materials recovery in public places: Citizens want the opportunity to recycle more
Montréal, February 18, 2016 – Quebecers want to do their part for the environment by recycling more, whether that is at home or elsewhere. Those are the findings of a recent CROP survey conducted on behalf of Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ).
Released just this morning, the numbers produced by the first survey on the subject show that, when materials recovery equipment is available in public places, 83% of Quebecers always use them, while 15% use them only occasionally. They mainly place water bottles (71%), newspapers and other printed matter (62%), milk or juice containers (47%), coffee cups (39%) and other containers and packaging in recycling bins in order to give these materials a second life via the curbside recycling system.
What’s more, almost three-quarters of respondents (74%) would like to have more access to materials recovery equipment in public places, particularly in parks and along commercial streets.
“These data came in at the perfect time, as 2016 marks the last year of the Away-from-Home Recovery Program managed by ÉEQ. The program provides financial assistance for the purchase of recovery equipment to be installed in municipal public places throughout Quebec,” says Maryse Vermette, ÉEQ’s President and CEO. “Municipalities wish to make their contribution to preserving the environment, but since this equipment can be expensive, we understand that a little help is necessary. That is why we got involved in the implementation of this unique program in North America. The objective is to have a recycling bin next to every public place trash can so that recyclable materials may be recovered just like at home. Quebecers are already materials recovery champions and, with the financial contribution of companies who put containers, packaging and printed matter on the market, we wish to cooperate with Quebec municipalities to meet their expectations and help their citizens continue their good recycling habits wherever they are.”
In addition to financially compensating residential curbside recycling, companies who put containers, packaging and printed matter on Quebec’s market also compensate the costs of materials recovery outside the home, specifically collection costs from away-from-home equipment in accordance with the Environment Quality Act.
About the Away-from-Home Recovery Program
The Away-from-Home Recovery Program reimburses 70% of the cost of away-from-home recovery equipment up to a maximum of $840 per unit. To date, over 11,000 bins were installed throughout Quebec, for a total investment of over $5.5 million. Municipal organizations have until December 31, 2016, to submit their request to ÉEQ’s team, even if they’ve benefited from the program in the past.
Details are available at www.programmehorsfoyer.ca (in French only)
ÉEQ’s Away-from-Home Recovery Program has an $8 million budget financed in equal parts by voluntary contributions from ÉEQ and the Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques via the Fonds vert.
About Éco Entreprises Québec
Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ) is the organization that develops the Schedule of Contributions and collects company contributions, which are then redistributed to finance municipal curbside recycling services in Quebec. ÉEQ also encourages innovation and sharing best practices in order to optimize the recyclable materials value chain. To do so, ÉEQ cooperates, on the one hand, with companies to reduce quantities of materials at the source and encourage the use of recyclable materials, and, on the other, with municipalities to increase recycling and the economic value of recovered materials. ÉEQ is a private non-profit organization created by companies that put containers, packaging and printed matter on Quebec’s market. The organization was accredited by RECYC-QUÉBEC in 2005 in accordance with the Environment Quality Act.
A more detailed information sheet on survey results is also available.
Source:
Camille Lemay
Communications Advisor
Éco Entreprises Québec
514 772-6569
clemay@ecoentreprises.qc.ca