Recyclable materials | Éco Entreprises Québec will lead the curbside recycling reform

(Montreal) The reform of the Quebec system for collecting recyclable materials will be led by Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ), the organization announced on Tuesday.

Jean-Thomas Léveillé
The Press

ÉEQ, which brings together companies marketing containers, packaging and printed matter, was until now solely responsible for financing curbside recycling.

Under the reform announced in 2020 by the Legault government, the organization will now also assume the management of the system, according to the principle of “extended producer responsibility”, which means that a company marketing a product is responsible for the its entire life cycle.

Éco Entreprises Québec is therefore entrusted with the role of “designated management organization” by the Société québécoise de libération et decyclement (Recyc-Québec).

“We are in favor of that, it is in the logic of things,” reacted Karel Ménard, director general of the Quebec Common Front for ecological waste management.

“Giving that to another organization would have created a clone of Éco Entreprises Québec,” he added, specifying that the transparency of the system and the traceability of materials will be essential.

“It’s not a blank check,” said Mr. Ménard.

The reform of selective collection will gradually come into force by December 31, 2024.

Recyc-Québec had not called back The Press at the time of this writing.