The 82 municipalities of Greater Montreal are giving themselves until the end of 2024 to adopt a system of voluntary membership in printed advertising like the Publisac, following the example of the metropolis. So far, nearly a quarter of them, including Mirabel, which was among the first, already have regulations in place.
This is what emerges from the third version of the Metropolitan Residual Materials Management Plan (PMGMR) adopted Thursday by the Montreal Metropolitan Community (CMM).
A sounding carried out last May with the member municipalities of the CMM made it possible to determine “that it is indeed realistic to get there”, explains the CMM’s environment team leader, Émilie Charbonneau. . The majority of the cities concerned (98%) were in fact in favor of the idea. In Montreal, the distribution of advertising items from door to door to people who have not requested it has been prohibited since May 17. Mirabel had done it the previous year.
“About 150 of the 200 citizens told us during the consultation: they want things to change. And the more it goes, the more we have sources of inspiration to copy also in the municipal world”, persists Mme Charbonneau.
Still, the challenge is complete. To date, nearly a quarter of municipalities have adopted a by-law to provide voluntary print membership, namely 17 of them. Some 19 others also have “regulations in writing” and 40 others have “begun a reflection” or are in the process of organizing a public consultation.
Less single use
Other measures, such as the ban on several single-use items, must also be adopted across the region by December 31, 2024.
“These are, for example, straws, sticks, styrofoam cups or trays of food containers. We are going to produce a standard by-law, but each municipality will be able to adapt according to the impact it has on their merchants in particular, ”specifies Émilie Charbonneau.
“We will give the communities time to adapt,” she nevertheless assures. “For us, this is the kind of regulation that, once adopted, does not come into force on the same day either. If at least the regulations are all adopted at the end of 2024, it will gradually be put in place and we will achieve our objectives of reduction at the source by the end of our plan, in 2030, ”she persists.
So far, “a little less than a dozen” municipalities in the CMM have a by-law on the distribution of single-use items. “In several cases, however, the reflection is initiated because of federal regulations. And once again, it will be up to each city to personalize the regulations”, pleads the head of the environment.
The phased ban on the import, manufacture and sale of plastic items, such as bags, straws and cutlery, was introduced last year as part of Ottawa’s commitment to achieve zero plastic waste by 2030.
Bags and collection
By December 31, 2024, all cities in Greater Montreal must also have adopted a bylaw prohibiting the distribution of shopping bags “of any thickness”. However, more than fifty of the municipalities concerned have already followed suit on this measure.
The same will apply to the collection of organic materials in homes with more than eight dwellings, institutions and businesses, which nearly 60 cities have also already adopted by imposing the obligation to provide the dedicated spaces necessary to allow these collections. .
“The quantities of waste and recyclable materials generated in Quebec continue to increase catastrophically. However, landfill sites are overflowing and we can no longer rely solely on recycling and recovery. We must act quickly by putting an end to waste and by focusing on the accountability of all the players concerned, ”argued Thursday the mayoress of Montreal, Valérie Plante, who is also president of the CMM.
By 2035, Greater Montreal aims to process “100% of the ultimate waste generated on its own territory”. A project office will be set up “to carry out studies on disposal technologies, ensure the implementation of one or more treatment facilities for these residues in Greater Montreal and coordinate their management”.