COVID-19: Four initiatives from ÉEQ for contributing companies

While Quebec is “put on pause”, ÉEQ is striving to support its stakeholders who continue working to maintain the essential service that is curbside recycling. Here is an overview of the four major projects ÉEQ is working on throughout the COVID-19 crisis.

1- A strategic watch of impacts of the pandemic on deposit and curbside recycling systems in Quebec, elsewhere in Canada, in the US and in Europe.

In the coming weeks, we will share with you the results and conclusions of the strategic watch efforts.

2- Analysis of the effects of the pandemic on consumer patterns: at retailers’ (food, pharmacy, hardware store), home delivery and take-out restaurants, online purchases, including local products, etc. and the impacts on the influx of packaging in recycling bins (types of materials, contaminants and other materials, etc…).

ÉEQ will be taking part in an upcoming study by Léger on consumer behavior, in partnership with creative agency lg2.

We will share the results and analysis of the survey with you.

3- Evaluation of impacts on contributing companies in order to assess the possibility of implementing mitigation measures for the 2020 Schedule of Contributions and future Schedules (measures regarding payment deadlines, etc.).

Companies are broadly impacted by the current pandemic, and several companies will be transformed for ever. Various measures are currently being evaluated so that companies contribute fairly to the financing of curbside recycling in Quebec.

4- Positioning regarding government strategies for economic recovery after COVID-19: Programs for the development of local recyclables markets, municipal, provincial and federal purchasing policies for products with recycled content, investments in recyclables sorting and processing technologies.

Together, let’s work on building a circular economy of recyclable materials for a prosperous and sustainable Quebec!