The rollout of Quebec’s expanded bottle storage system has been delayed for years, and Montreal finally has its long-awaited consignment centre.
The center, located in the Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie borough, opened on Friday and is the second center in Quebec, following the opening of a second center in Granby, Quebec, earlier this month.
Consignaction, which manages the new deposit system, plans to open 200 locations by next spring.
Consignaction senior operations director Maryse Taupier said about 250 people come to the Granby center every day to recycle containers.
“Importantly, on March 1, 2025, Consignaction returns locations will be in place in key Quebec regions to absorb shipments received at that time,” she said.
The new system was originally planned to be launched in the fall of 2022 and will not be put into use until later Delay By spring 2023.
Quebec Environment Minister Benoit Charette blamed the delays on infrastructure such as sorting equipment not being ready.
Get the hang of it, one container at a time
Xavier Prince works at the Granby Center. His job was to explain to visitors how the new system worked.
They press the green button, pour cans and bottles into the machine, and then press the red button.
Machines automatically sort containers and issue refund receipts at self-checkout kiosks.
He said it may seem complicated to new users at first, but they quickly get the hang of it.
“We guide them step by step to achieve this goal,” Prince said.
David Chaput, who came to unload some recyclable containers, said he prefers the new system to waiting in line at the grocery store with bags full of cans and bottles.
“It’s faster, easier, cleaner. I don’t have to manage anything. It’s a perfect system,” he said.
‘Better late than never’
Karel Mnard, executive director of the Quebec Ecological Waste Management Alliance, is pleased to see the opening of the new center, although it is behind schedule.
“Better late than never,” he said, adding that Quebec’s exit system is outdated and needs to be modernized.
“The deposit system is one of the most efficient systems in the world because you collect cans or bottles without the contamination of other materials like kerbside collection,” he said.
In the new system, glass, metal and plastic will be collected separately.
Mnard believes Quebec is now on track to achieve its goal of establishing 200 collection centres.
The office of Quebec’s environment minister told CBC News they are working with partners to ensure the expansion project is completed on time and operational by March next year.
“Modernizing the deposit system is a major undertaking that will ultimately see more than 5 billion containers recycled,” it said in a statement.
Good question, Montreal18:19Is Montreal’s recycling system effective?
In Montreal, we throw all our recycling into curbside bins and sort it later. But in recent years, we’ve seen headlines about recycling piling up and the difficulty finding markets for some materials, such as paper and glass. So is our recycling system effective? We take you on a tour of the sorting center and learn about some of the big changes coming.
Last November, Quebec Increased depositSuitable for many types of containers.
The deposit for 355 mlcan increased from 5 cents to 10 cents. This change also means that 100 mlcan can be refunded in the same amount.
But even for large cans 473 ml or larger (often called tall or jumbo cans), the 10-cent amount has been standardized, up from the previous price of 20 cents.
By March 2025, glass bottles 500 ml and larger will be subject to a refundable 25-cent deposit.
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