Companies partner with the government to ensure the development of a green, sustainable and prosperous economy
Montréal, January 29, 2015 – Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ) took part today in public consultations before the parliamentary committee on the review of Quebec’s Sustainable Development Strategy. “As the organization that collects and redistributes companies’ contributions to finance municipal curbside recycling services in Quebec, we believe it is essential to share with parliamentarians the expertise we have acquired over the past ten years. It’s important to point out that, in 2014, our 3,000 companies paid more than $135 million to compensate municipalities for curbside recycling services,” said ÉEQ Chairman Denis Brisebois.
As a key player in the move towards a greener economy in Quebec, ÉEQ wishes to do its part in making that economy prosperous in a durable, sustainable and responsible way. ÉEQ believes that, to meet those objectives, Quebec’s government must adopt ambitious measures to improve residual materials management and reaffirm, as it did in 2008, its confidence in the current curbside recycling system.
For Maryse Vermette, ÉEQ’s President and CEO, the conclusions drawn from the very first Forum on Curbside Recycling Optimization, which was held yesterday in Montréal and brought together almost 200 industry players, provide hope for the future and confirm that all stakeholders are on board to make necessary changes. “As the legislative authority, the government plays a fundamental role in the system by establishing programs and policies, as well as ensuring that appropriate conditions are in place for the emergence of a prosperous and sustainable green industry that supports the supply and demand of quality recycled materials. Government action is part and parcel of a dynamic, circular economy in which curbside recycling, Éco Entreprises Québec and its 3,000 companies fulfill essential roles. The Forum demonstrated that industry has rallied to the cause and is calling on all its private and public partners to do the same,” she said.
ÉEQ suggests that Quebec’s Sustainable Development Strategy be enhanced with the following five courses of action:
- Establish a strategy for modernizing sorting centres.
- Promote the harmonization of collected materials.
- Facilitate access to information on sorting and collection contracts and promote the sharing of best practices.
- Promote the integration of ecodesign in companies’ business practices.
- Send a clear message in support of the only simple and effective system: curbside recycling.
“As Co-Chair of the Comité-conseil sur les matières résiduelles (advisory committee on residual materials), I will present a report on the Forum to the committee, thus providing food for thought as we formulate recommendations to David Heurtel, Minister of Développement durable, de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques,” concluded Ms. Vermette.
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 of best practices in order to optimize the recyclable materials value chain. In that regard, ÉEQ cooperates, on the one hand, with companies to reduce quantities of materials at the source and encourage the use of recyclable materials, as well as 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 under the Environment Quality Act.
Source:
Virginie Bussières
Director, Communications and Public Affairs
Éco Entreprises Québec
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