February 16, 2017 | Environmental Columns

Household Waste Characterization

The City has mandated a firm to carry out a characterization of household waste from the residential sector in 2017. This characterization will make it possible to analyze the seasonal variations in the household waste gathered in order to assess the effectiveness of the three-stream collection currently in effect throughout Pointe-Claire. The three-stream collection helps increase the recovery of value-added materials, i.e. organic and recyclable materials, in keeping with Pointe-Claire residents’ commitment to sustainable development.

The characterization will occur four times in 2017, i.e. once per season. It involves analyzing the content of the household waste by sorting the materials and calculating their weight based on the following categories:

• Recyclable materials
• Organic materials
• Textiles
• Dangerous goods (electronic and computer devices)
• Bulky items and construction, renovation and demolition materials
• Waste to be sent to a landfill

The waste will be recovered randomly, at curbside, before the collection. No address will be associated with the sampling.

For each characterization, a minimum sample of 1,200 kg will be analyzed. The samples will be taken over a two-week period in order to cover the household waste collection schedules of the City’s two sectors. About 24 streets will be selected at random, i.e. three per district. In total, 4,800 kg of materials will be sorted and analyzed.

The characterization will provide information about the source of the materials disposed of, with the aim of making our awareness and communication tools more effective. We will be able to adjust our processes in order to achieve the government’s recovery and re-use targets set out in the 2015-2020 Québec Residual Materials Management Policy.

In 2015, Pointe-Claire ranked second among all cities in the agglomeration of Montréal in terms of waste management, with an overall recovery rate of 64% versus 43% for all cities in the agglomeration.

2015-2020 Québec Residual Materials Management Policy