In order to promote the reduction of waste at the source, Montreal will only allow the distribution of Publisacs to people who request it, starting in May 2023.
Mayor Valérie Plante made the announcement on Monday morning. Currently, citizens who do not wish to receive advertising items at their door must affix a sticker to the door or mailbox of their residence. The voluntary membership option that the City intends to implement starting in the spring of 2023 will ensure that only those who request it will receive the Publisac.
With this decision, the Plante administration is implementing the main recommendation made by the City’s Water and Environment Commission in December 2019 following consultations.
The City estimates that every week, 800,000 flyers and other unsolicited advertisements are distributed on its territory, which represents 40 million flyers each year “that fill the sorting centers and the landfills”.
The City promises to set up a financial assistance program to support local newspapers that could be affected by the new Publisac distribution rules.
Further details will follow.
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