Sort, sort, sort. This is the appeal launched by the City of Montreal to people who will be moving over the next few weeks in order to avoid the traditional surge of waste on the sidewalk.
around 1er July, 50,000 tons of materials are abandoned at the curb each year, the equivalent of 2,500 buses, approximately 295 blue whales or three Pont-Jacques-Cartier bridges.
“What we want to avoid, with the cooperation of citizens, is finding ourselves in a situation where, jumbled up, we have all sorts of objects, these objects that cannot be valued and that will be diverted to a disposal site,” said Philippe Sabourin, the administrative spokesperson for the City of Montreal at a press conference.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Philippe Sabourin, the administrative spokesperson for the City of Montreal, recalls good waste management practices at a press conference. At his side, Garance François, project manager of RebutRécup, and Jean-Sébastien Matte, general manager of SAESEM.
Upgrading furniture
Montrealers are also encouraged to give “a second life” to objects whenever possible. The RebutRécup program recycles the furniture of Plateau-Mont-Royal residents by picking them up at home. Garance François, project manager, explained that many volunteers are also busy in the streets looking for objects left behind on the sidewalk.
It is difficult to assess whether the amount of waste related to removals is stable, said Philippe Sabourin. As for the Society for Action, Education and Environmental Awareness of Montreal (SAESEM), there is growing enthusiasm for their RebutRécup program, according to Jean-Sébastien Matte, general manager.
Last year, RebutRécup collected around 2.5 tonnes of material which was then redistributed to families in the borough who needed it. According to Jean-Sébastien Matte, the quantity of objects recycled by the organization will be higher this year: “In just two days, we have already recovered almost a ton. We think we will recover five to ten tons during the next three weeks. »
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
RebutRécup has a container for storing furniture that will remain on rue Marie-Anne until July 14.
The director general hopes that others will take inspiration from the upgrading program which is currently limited to the Plateau-Mont-Royal, for lack of means. “We are ready to share our knowledge”, supports the general manager of SAESEM, calling on the municipalities interested in embarking on the project.
“Participating in a collective effort”
Sorting also means taking “waste” that can be dangerous, such as refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners, to the ecocentre. Once the waste is put on the sidewalk, it is necessary to separate the disposable materials from those that can be recycled since the City of Montreal does not have the equipment to do so downstream, informed Philippe Sabourin.
He therefore called on citizens to “participate in a collective effort” to prevent a large quantity of objects from ending up in the landfill.
The work of picking up blue collar workers should be spread over a week before Montrealers find uncluttered sidewalks.
The Ville de Montréal also encourages citizens to take advantage of the next collections before the 1er July to get rid of their belongings. Fines of up to $100 will be distributed for “wild dumping” if collection schedules are not respected and if hazardous materials are found on the sidewalks.
The real penalty for Philippe Sabourin is “above all collective”, since “it is done to the detriment of the environment”.