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Partnerships with Éco Entreprises Québec: A New Era for Curbside Recycling Soon Underway in Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Nord-du-Québec

Montréal, March 20, 2024 – Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ) is proud to announce its partnerships signed in Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Nord-du-Québec. In accordance with the extended producer responsibility (EPR) principle, ÉEQ is responsible for planning, supervising and financing the curbside recycling system. As a result, Rouyn-Noranda, Chibougamau, Matagami and the Témiscamingue Regional County Municipality have signed agreements that formalize ÉEQ’s role in recyclable materials management.

The excellent collaboration of the elected officials in Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Nord-du-Québec will ensure the optimization of the curbside recycling ecosystem by introducing streamlined operations and improving logistical efficiency, while maintaining a citizen-centered approach. In addition, the implementation of EPR by ÉEQ will allow all Quebecers to recycle the same materials by using the blue bins, regardless of where they are in the province. As the producer responsibility organization (PRO) for curbside recycling, ÉEQ will now be accountable for the system’s performance in Quebec.

For ÉEQ, these new partnership agreements are the latest in a series of more than 70 agreements signed with municipal organizations (MOs) in recent weeks, representing over 70% of the population in Quebec.

Highlights

  • Effective January 1, 2025, ÉEQ will assume all the costs of collecting and transporting containers, packaging and printed matter collected by means of curbside recycling throughout Quebec;

  • As a result, there will be only one list of recyclable materials in Quebec, regardless of the region or municipality;

  • ÉEQ will compensate the signatory MOs for the associated management fees and the costs of public information services;

  • The partnership agreements have been customized to take into account the particularities of curbside recycling services in the targeted MOs in the region concerned;

  • The terms of the partnership agreement with the MOs in Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Nord-du-Québec are mainly intended to:

    -State the respective responsibilities of each party;

    -Oversee the implementation of curbside recycling services;

    -Establish a list of materials accepted in recycling bins;

    -Set the parameters for reimbursement and compensation by ÉEQ.

  • This agreement is in addition to those recently signed with many cities and municipal organizations in compliance with the Regulation respecting a system of selective collection of certain residual materials and other regulatory provisions;

  • The agreements signed in Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Nord-du-Québec announced today cover curbside recycling services for 66,893 people;

  • To date, ÉEQ has reached agreements with municipal organizations representing nearly 700 municipalities and 6 million Quebecers.

Quotes

“We are very proud of working closely with municipal organizations across this vast region to implement a more effective curbside recycling system based on the EPR principle. These agreements take into account the unique particularities of a region and reflect our shared desire to transform our approach to the management of recyclable materials to promote the circular economy.”

Maryse Vermette, President and CEO of Éco Entreprises Québec.

“We are pleased with this collaboration with Éco Entreprises Québec, which will allow us to optimize our recycling system while reducing the municipal burden. Our residents will be able to benefit from improved curbside recycling services, thus reinforcing their commitment to the environment. With this new system, everyone wins. ”

-Diane Dallaire, Mayor of Rouyn-Noranda

About Éco Entreprises Québec

Since 2005, Éco Entreprises Québec, a private, non-profit organization, has been representing producers who market packaging, containers and printed matter in their responsibility to finance curbside recycling. Appointed as a producer responsibility organization (PRO) in 2022, ÉEQ is in charge of managing curbside recycling in Québec from a sustainable development perspective.

As the leader in extended producer responsibility (EPR), ÉEQ develops, manages and advises its producer members on circular economy solutions to reduce their environmental footprint. To achieve this, ÉEQ places ecodesign, recyclability and traceability at the heart of its actions with its partners. ÉEQ will continue to fulfill its role as a PRO during the transition from the compensation plan to EPR curbside recycling.

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Source

Philippe Cantin
Vice-President, Public Affairs and Government Relations

For more informations 
Maximilian Fiorante
Advisor, Public Affairs 
514 375-0174
maximilian.fiorante@hillandknowlton.com