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Partnerships with Éco Entreprises Québec: A New Era for Curbside Recycling Soon Underway in the Eastern Townships

Montréal, February 20, 2024 – Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ) is proud to announce its partnerships signed in the Eastern Townships. In accordance with the extended producer responsibility (EPR) principle, ÉEQ is responsible for planning, supervising, and financing the curbside recycling system. Over the past few weeks, Sherbrooke and the Memphrémagog and Coaticook Regional County Municipalities have signed agreements, formalizing the role of ÉEQ in the management of recyclable materials starting in 2025.

The excellent collaboration of the elected officials in the Eastern Townships 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 enable all citizens to recover the same materials in the blue bin, wherever they are 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 some 50 agreements signed with municipal organizations (MOs) in recent weeks, representing more than 60% of the population of 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 region ;
  • The terms of the partnership agreements with the MOs in the Eastern Townships 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.
  • These partnership agreements are in addition to those recently signed with many cities and MOs in compliance with the Regulation respecting a system of selective collection of certain residual materials and other regulatory provisions.
  • The agreements signed in the Eastern Townships announced today cover curbside recycling services for 221,241 people;
  • To date, ÉEQ has reached agreements with MOs representing nearly 460 municipalities and 5.1 million Quebecers.

Quote

“These partnerships mark a turning point in the implementation of the extended producer responsibility principle for curbside recycling in the Eastern Townships. They reflect our willingness to transform our approach to recycling management, make the system more efficient and, ultimately, foster the circular economy.”
– Maryse Vermette, President and CEO of Éco Entreprises Québec.

“The goal of the modernization of curbside recycling is to harmonize practices in Quebec and make companies responsible for the management of materials manufactured and consumed. For Sherbrooke, the agreement signed with ÉEQ to this effect responds to local needs and realities and ensures continuity with the actions put forward to facilitate the adoption of best practices for the management of recyclable materials. It supports the objectives of our Residual Materials Management Plan, which aims to divert 75% of recyclable materials, 70% of organic materials and 85% of construction, renovation, and demolition waste from landfills by 2030.”
– Joanie Bellerose, Chair of the Environment Commission of the Ville de Sherbrooke

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, ext. 237
mcrivet@eeq.ca

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