| Environmental Columns

2015 Waste Report

Pointe-Claire in second place among the top-performing Island of Montreal cities

Thanks to the City’s proactive policies and residents’ actions to promote sustainable development, Pointe-Claire ranks in second place amongst the top-performing cities in the Greater Montreal Area when it comes to waste management.

That is what the recent results on waste management for all of the Island’s cities revealed, which were collected as part of the objectives set by the government in the Plan métropolitain de gestion des matières résiduelles (PMGMR, or Metropolitan Waste Management Plan) 2015-2020.

In 2015, Pointe-Claire generated 17,180 tonnes of waste, most of which (64%) was reclaimed, recycled or reused.

Waste management is divided into five categories: household waste, recyclable materials, compostable materials, dry and bulky items, and hazardous household waste.

The biggest changes can be seen in the household waste category, where the volume dropped from 54% to 36% of the total waste collected. More specifically, and thanks to the City’s efforts related to sustainable development and the participation of everyone, this rate has fallen year after year for two years: by 13.5% compared to 2014 and by 18% compared to 2013.

These encouraging results should inspire us to continue our positive actions in order to further reduce the volume of materials with no added value by paying particular attention to recyclable materials, which are sometimes put in household waste. To view the full list of recyclable materials accepted, click here.

The target for recyclable materials reclamation in the PMGMR 2015-2020 is 70%, a rate that was surpassed in 2015 with a result of 74%, putting Pointe-Claire in second place among all of the cities in the Greater Montreal Area.

The following table shows the trend in the percentage of recyclable materials reclaimed from 2011 to 2015.

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The collection of compostable materials made it possible to divert more than 4,691 tonnes of waste from landfills in 2015.

Pointe-Claire has stood out again, ranking third among the area’s cities, with a recycling rate of 55%, just below the government target of 60%.

The following table presents the trend in the past five years in the percentage of compostable materials reclaimed. The various initiatives implemented in recent years—weekly collection, reducing waste collection to every other week, the mass distribution of composting bins, information meetings, and the distribution of kitchen cones—helped residents achieve results that are more respectful of our environment.

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With regard to dry and bulky items, an increase of 5% in the reclamation rate from 2014 to 2015 helped us get closer to the target of 70%.

A total of 1,594 tonnes was reclaimed in 2015 for all bulky waste, such as ovens, washing machines, hot water heaters, barbecues, bathtubs, showers, mattresses, etc.; construction debris; demolition waste; granular materials (concrete, brick, stone, asphalt); excavation material (earth, sod, sand and gravel); wood, etc.

These statistics include all materials that are reclaimed at the Ecocentre, from Public Works containers and during bulky item collections.

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Still in 2015, 62 tonnes of hazardous household waste (HHW) was diverted from the landfill, representing a reclamation rate of 69%. HHW is collected twice a year, in the spring and fall, behind City Hall for materials such as paint, engine oil, swimming pool chemicals, aerosols, etc.

The following table demonstrates the trend in HHW reclamation in recent years.

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To facilitate the participation of residents in sustainable waste management, various initiatives have been implemented in recent years, such as:

  • Free distribution of kitchen cones for compostable materials.
  • Home composters offered at a low cost.
  • Opening of a permanent collection point for polystyrene and number 6 plastic (parking lot of Public Works on Terra-Cotta Avenue).
  • Reorganization of the Public Works yard and development of a traffic plan to facilitate travel to the Ecocentre.
  • Collection of appliances containing halocarbons (refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, water coolers, etc.), upholstered items (sofas and mattresses) and electronic appliances and computer equipment during Ecocentre days.
  • Used battery collection bin in municipal buildings, including City Hall, the Aquatic Centre, the Central Library, the Valois Branch of the library, the Municipal Inspection–Public Security Department, Stewart Hall Cultural Centre, the Canoe Club, and around 10 local schools.

To facilitate the participation of residents in the various collections and to promote the achievement of government targets, these initiatives will be continued and others will be added in the coming months, such as:

  • Addition of containers at the Aquatic Centre to collect small electronic devices, such as chargers, cables and small electronics (cell phones, cameras, music players, ink cartridges).
  • Addition of stations for collecting compostable materials, household waste and recyclable materials in municipal buildings.
  • Addition of stations for collecting household waste and recyclable materials near municipal buildings and in public areas.
  • Implementation of a compostable materials collection for multi-unit housing.
  • Development of a construction debris management policy.

Remember that proper sorting at the source remains a winning strategy for improving these results.

Thanks again to everyone for your exemplary participation in maintaining a clean and healthy environment for current and future generations.