In all regions of Canada where extended producer responsibility (EPR) is being implemented for packaging, printed matter and containers, including cartons, existing material recovery facilities (MRFs) are seeing their role change substantially.
During the visits of MRFs we conducted in recent months, that transformation was, understandably, on everyone’s lips. Although there are many similarities, EPR is being rolled out differently from province to province. For this article, we wanted to learn more about how it is proceeding in Québec.
Québec has 20 or so MRFs for blue box materials that are in the midst of transitioning to a curbside recycling system managed end-to-end by Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ). This new system will officially come into effect in the new year. We sat down recently with Mathieu Guillemette, Vice-President, Curbside Recycling, at ÉEQ to discuss the main changes that existing MRFs are undergoing as well as the approach ÉEQ is adopting to integrate them.
Mathieu Guillemette
of Éco Entreprises QuébecThe first major change is that the existing MRFs are becoming service providers for ÉEQ, whereas they were originally mandated by municipalities. ÉEQ has already reached agreements with several of the facilities in Québec and talks with the remaining ones are going well, Mathieu Guillemette says.
Under the new contracts, these essential partners in the recycling chain will see their role refocused to sorting blue box materials. Until now, MRFs often had a much broader function. Many of them were involved in deciding which materials were accepted in recycling bins in their region, had a role in promotion and education programs, and were themselves responsible for finding buyers for the materials they sorted and organizing transport to end markets. All these tasks are now the responsibility of ÉEQ. Mathieu Guillemette emphasized in particular that from now on, there will no longer be any variation in the materials accepted by MRFs. A single list of materials will now apply throughout the province, making things much simpler for Quebecers.
Despite the changes, all facilities will be able to maintain their existing business models. There are a number of different MRF models, which Mathieu Guillemette feels is one of the strengths of the Québec system. It includes private companies, municipal organizations, a co-op, and several nonprofit organizations (NPOs). Among other things, the ÉEQ Vice-President notes, MRFs that provide employment opportunities to people with functional limitations will continue their missions. Similarly, existing MRFs will remain autonomous entities: ÉEQ does not intend to take an ownership, management or shareholder role with any of them.
That said, the agreements with the facilities do specify a range of performance criteria and operational requirements, which are meant to ensure that ÉEQ in turn meets the regulatory obligations specified by the provincial government. For example, each agreement with a MRF sets capture rate and bale purity targets, bale storage guidelines in order to preserve quality ahead of sale, plus criteria for equipment maintenance along with worker health and safety. The agreements also require that facilities that already positively sort cartons into their own bales, instead of including them with other fiber materials, continue doing so, even if a reduction in their quantity in blue boxes is expected following the expansion of the province’s deposit-return system to include beverage cartons starting March 1, 2025.
To fulfill all of these requirements, investments are still required to upgrade some MRFs, and it will take some time before all of them will be able to meet performance targets. According to Mathieu Guillemette, investments in the tens of millions of dollars are already planned over the short term throughout the network. ÉEQ is currently working with the facilities on the planning of these investments and their timetables.
This collaborative work appears to illustrate the general approach that ÉEQ has taken to incorporate Québec’s existing MRFs into the new system. Even before negotiations of individual contracts began, ÉEQ had set up committees to discuss the best ways of collectively meeting the regulatory requirements. According to Mathieu Guillemette, the negotiations that followed and are still ongoing are undertaken in a spirit of co-operation and with the recognition of the realities of each stakeholder. During the implementation phase that will begin in the new year, ÉEQ will also be offering active support and guidance to the MRFs. Measures will include a field team that will tour the province and work with facilities, not only to verify that they are fulfilling expectations, but also to help them attain their objectives—and meet the primary goal of ensuring that the new blue box system, with its various players, works optimally, in the best interest of all of Québec.
Carton Council of Canada (CCC) is a coalition of carton manufacturers working together to deliver long-term solutions to help increase carton recovery and recycling in Canada.
