There are so many bales of paper accumulating at the Lachine sorting center that Montreal feared this summer that a fire could break out there, according to municipal documents.
Posted at 3:51 p.m.
Updated at 4:29 p.m.
These documents confirm that a change of custody should take place at the sorting center by mid-November, once the city council gives the green light to terminate the contract of the current operator, Ricova.
The company is unable to dispose of the recycling bales – mainly paper and cardboard – that it has been producing for several months, because they are of poor quality. Bales are therefore accumulating inside and outside the sorting center, in such a quantity that Ricova has raised the possibility of completely stopping sorting in Lachine.
Last July, “materials were accumulating inside the building sometimes beyond the sprinkler system”, note the municipal officials in the documents given to the elected members of the municipal council. They sent a formal notice to Ricova to correct the situation.
“It was therefore urgent to act, especially since in 2021, two fires had occurred”, continues the document. Recycling centers are very vulnerable to fires caused by lithium batteries. Such an object can explode while passing through the sorting line machinery and ignite the recycled materials.
Ricova did not comment on this information on Friday.
Changing of the guard by mid-November
These documents were given to the elected members of the Montreal city council because the administration wants to convince them to vote in favor of the termination of Ricova’s contract. Valérie Plante and her team propose to give the director of the city’s environment department – a civil servant – the right to make this decision at the time he deems appropriate, by November 14, 2022.
“Ricova could cease operations at any time and catch the City off guard with regard to the management of recyclable materials in Lachine,” warns the City.
Montreal elected officials will vote on this matter on Monday or Tuesday, but since the administration has a majority on the city council, Ricova’s fate is sealed.
“Faced with the serious and imminent risk of a shutdown of the sorting center’s activities, the City acted quickly to resolve the situation,” said Valérie Plante’s environment manager. “Discussions are currently underway with Ricova on the terms of the transition of operations and the company is offering its collaboration in the process. Recycling collection is an essential service and everything is done to ensure the continuity of operations in Lachine. »
About 60% of Montrealers’ green bins end up at the Lachine sorting centre.
It is the company Via, a non-profit organization for the employment of people with disabilities, which should take over at the Lachine sorting center. Via already operates four similar facilities, although much smaller (Québec, Lévis, Saguenay and Rivière-du-Loup).
“It’s a great feeling of pride that lives in us today,” said the big boss of Via, Jean-Sébastien Daigle. “In addition to ensuring the continuity of operations at the Lachine sorting center, Société VIA will participate in the creation of new adapted jobs in the Montreal region. »