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Partnerships with Éco Entreprises Québec: A New Era for Curbside Recycling Soon Underway in Chaudière-Appalaches

Montreal, March 7, 2024 – Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ) is proud to announce its partnerships signed in Chaudière-Appalaches, making ÉEQ responsible for planning, supervising and financing the curbside recycling system under the extended producer responsibility (EPR) principle. Over the last few weeks, Thetford Mines and the Beauce-Centre Regional County Municipality (RCM) have signed agreements, formalizing the role of ÉEQ in the management of recyclable materials.

This collaborative endeavour with elected officials from Chaudière-Appalaches is intended to optimize the curbside recycling ecosystem by introducing streamlined operations and improving logistical efficiency, while maintaining a citizen-focused approach. The implementation of EPR by ÉEQ will enable all residents to recycle the same materials in the blue bin, anywhere in Quebec. As the producer responsibility organization (PRO) for curbside recycling, ÉEQ will now be accountable for the system’s performance across Quebec.

For ÉEQ, these new partnership agreements are the latest in a series of over fifty agreements signed with municipal organizations (MOs) in recent weeks, representing over 60% of the population in Quebec.

Highlights

  • Effective January 1, 2025, ÉEQ will assume all costs related to recycling and transporting containers, packaging and printed matter collected by means of curbside recycling throughout Quebec;
  • As a result, there will only be one list of recyclable materials accepted in Quebec, regardless of the region or municipality;
  • ÉEQ will compensate signatory MOs for associated fees and costs related to public information services;
  • Partnership agreements have been customized to account for the particularities of curbside recycling services offered in the targeted MOs of Chaudière-Appalaches;
  • Partnership agreements have been customized to account for the particularities of curbside recycling services offered in the Thetford Mines and the Beauce-Centre RCM areas;
  • The terms of the partnership agreements 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 the recycling bin;
    – Set the parameters for reimbursement and compensation by ÉEQ.
  • This agreement is in addition to those recently signed with various 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 with Chaudière-Appalaches announced today cover curbside recycling services for 45,294 people;
  • To date, ÉEQ has reached agreements with MOs representing nearly 550 municipalities and 5.5 million residents in Quebec.

Quotes

“Our mission at ÉEQ is to encourage a sustainable circular economy. These new partnerships with Chaudière-Appalaches allow us to work towards this goal by implementing the EPR principle. An efficient and optimized curbside recycling system are the keys to this success.”
– Maryse Vermette, President and CEO of Éco Entreprises Québec.

“Our collaboration with ÉEQ is based on respecting our needs and our reality. An agreement such as this one is beneficial for our city’s curbside recycling system and cements our existing services! We’ll be able to count on an efficient and responsible management of recyclable materials.”
– Marc-Alexandre Brousseau, Mayor of Thetford Mines

“As taxpayers, we expect the government to take action in a more efficient and consistent manner. When it came to recycling, what was true for one area couldn’t be applied elsewhere; now, this new approach will be more consistent across Quebec. I am confident that by using simplified measures, the public will more easily participate in reducing what goes into our landfills – it’ll be better for the planet and for all of our wallets!”
– Jonathan V. Bolduc, Warden of the Beauce-Centre RCM and Mayor of Saint-Victor

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 
Marie-Claude Rivet
Manager, Strategy and Public Affairs
514 987-1491, 237
mcrivet@eeq.ca

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