Measures could be introduced starting in 2025 to mitigate the impact of the increase in curbside recycling rates on producers
Montréal, March 21, 2025 — Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ) is pleased with the willingness shown by the Minister of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks, Benoit Charette, to implement measures to ease the pressure on producers from the increase in curbside recycling rates.
These measures will reduce the financial pressure on producers in the short term by staggering the 2025 Schedule of Contributions over a longer period than the two years planned in order to stabilize the total amounts of annual contributions from producers. The impact should be significant for ÉEQ members.
In addition, the Minister is open to maintaining the level of service currently offered by Éco Entreprises Québec for at least another five years, thus potentially postponing any new obligations until 2030. This decision will allow ÉEQ to focus on optimizing the system, while stabilizing costs by 2030. Subsequently, the producer responsibility organization (PRO) will be in a better position to gradually expand service to new clients, such as all northern villages, industry, commerce and institutions (ICI), and targeted outdoor public places, as required by the Regulation and always in accordance with the government’s objectives.
Measures adopted by the Minister of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks
To stabilize the total amounts of annual contributions from producers and provide predictability to businesses, the extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulatory obligations incumbent on Éco Entreprises Québec for the years 2026 to 2029 – which will require as much human and financial resources as the operationalization of the system in the residential sector in 2025 – could be postponed to 2030 and subsequent years;
To reduce the financial pressure from the overlapping of two systems (the compensation plan and EPR), the implementation of a specific financial measure allowing the staggering of the payments under the 2025 Schedule of Contributions will be analyzed by the Ministère de l’Économie, de l’innovation et de l’énergie and Investissement Québec.
Two mitigation measures were already put in place by Éco Entreprises Québec in February:
No interest or administrative fees will be charged for late payments until March 31, 2025;
A procedure for staggering payments of the 2025 producer financial participation (PFP), also in the case of lump sums, has been implemented to support producers who are having difficulty paying, particularly those affected by the postponement of the deposit-refund system.
The cost charged to producers for 2025 operations totals $457 million. It represents 80% of the total cost of the system for the current year. The balance will be paid out of the revenues of the private non-profit organization.
Producer financial participation is calculated on the basis of the type and weight of materials marketed by them in Quebec and the expected costs of providing curbside recycling services throughout the province.
Overall, the increase in curbside recycling rates for 2025 is due to five factors, most of which are directly related to the Regulation respecting a system of selective collection of certain residual materials.
As the producer responsibility organization (PRO) for curbside recycling since 2022, Éco Entreprises Québec fulfills – on behalf of producers – the obligations set out in the Regulation according to the extended producer responsibility (EPR) principle. The organization has nearly 2,700 producer members who market containers, packaging and printed paper in Quebec, whether their place of business is here or elsewhere in the world.
“In the current context, the impact on producers and the concern that the increase in their financial contribution may cause them – especially in the large-scale agri-food industry, from land to table – must be taken into account. That is why we put forward our proposals to the minister earlier this year. Minister Charette’s openness allows us to believe that the right actions will be taken to mitigate the impact of this increase on producers and give all ÉEQ member companies both stability and predictability, which are essential for business.”
— Maryse Vermette, President and CEO of Éco Entreprises Québec
Éco Entreprises Québec is a private non-profit organization that is now responsible for managing the entire curbside recycling system and representing companies that sell containers, packaging and printed paper in Quebec. Our mission is to allow Quebecers to recycle more materials more effectively, make sure they can be reprocessed second life for recyclable materials, and help power the province’s circular economy. Bin Impact, the new reference in curbside recycling in Quebec, aims to educate people on the right way to sort waste and raise awareness of the impact of what we put in our bins.
For more information
For more details on the modernization of curbside recycling, please visit our website.
For more information
Marie-Claude Rivet
Manager, Public Affairs and Internal Communications
Éco Entreprises Québec
514-987-1491, ext. 237
medias@eeq.ca