Recyc-Québec report: waste disposal up 8%
According to the latest report published Thursday by Recyc-Québec, Quebecers have buried or incinerated 5 766,000 tonnes of waste (excluding sludge) in 2021, a statistic up 8% compared to 2018, the year the previous report was published.
Quebec sent 716 kg of waste per capita to landfill or incinerator in 2021, a figure also on the rise (+3%). Remember that the objective set by the province in its 2019-2024 Action Plan is to achieve a ratio of 525 kg per inhabitant.
The 161% increase in waste from recycling centers sorting CRD (construction, renovation, demolition) between 2018 and 2021 largely explains the increase in buried waste recorded between 2018 and 2021. Of the approximately 312,000 additional tonnes eliminated in 2021 compared to 2018, 209,000 tonnes, or %, were residues from CRD sorting centers.
As for waste of municipal origin, there was a decrease of 99,000 tonnes eliminated for the same period, a decrease of 5%. Remember that this type of waste represents nearly a third (31.4%) of the materials eliminated per capita in Quebec.
The quantity of recycled materials increased by 7% between 2018 and 2021, from from 996,000 to 1,058,000 tons. In this regard, industries, businesses and institutions (ICI) sent 20% more materials for recycling in 2021 than in 2018.
Organic materials
Recyc-Québec’s report shows progress in recycling organic materials in the province.
< p>“The last few years have been marked by the commissioning of several composting and biomethanization facilities as well as the progress in the implementation of organic matter (OM) collection in Quebec, thus contributing to the diversion of these materials from the disposal for the benefit of their recycling,” explains the Recyc-Québec website.
There has been a 16% increase in the recycling of putrescible organic materials. In terms of organic matter from the municipal sector, which includes the collection of green waste, brown bins and municipal sludge (biosolids from wastewater treatment plants and sludge from septic tanks), an increase of 48% was observed with regard to the quantities recycled for the same period.
BAPE
Let us recall that in view of the observation that the accumulation of waste did not reduce but rather increased compared to the objectives set in Quebec, the Bureau d’public hearings on the environment (BAPE) recommended in January 2022 to reverse the trend with the application of legal and fiscal coercive measures, as well as by promoting the circular economy.
>
The BAPE had notably indicated in its report that the government should broaden the powers of Recyc-Québec.
