One Year to Prepare for the Introduction of Modernized Curbside Recycling

Logo Éco Entreprises Québec (CNW Group/Éco Entreprises Quebec)

Éco Entreprises Québec Publishes its 2024 Annual Report

MONTREAL, April 30, 2025 /CNW/ - To fully engage in its new role, Éco Entreprises Québec made every effort in 2024 to rigorously plan the first year of extended producer responsibility (EPR) starting on January 1, 2025. The producer responsibility organization (PRO) inherited a system needing improvement, which, for the first time in its history, is now under the responsibility of a single manager for Quebec as a whole.

At the Annual General and Special Meeting held on April 30, 2025, outgoing Board Chair Denis Brisebois and CEO Maryse Vermette presented the highlights of the past fiscal year, recalling the scope of the challenge of transitioning to modernized curbside recycling, and outlining the new financial framework. Daniel Denis, Independent Director and Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee, presented the financial results.

Highlights

Funding for the transition to EPR was secured in 2024 through special financial participation from members, covering key elements such as implementation planning, support to municipalities and awareness-raising activities.

As at December 31, 2024, Éco Entreprises Québec's total revenues amounted to $324.77 million, while expenses amounted to slightly under $335.1 million. The fiscal year ended with a negative balance of $10.3 million, mainly due to the net system costs under the 2024 Schedule, which were higher than what had been anticipated by municipal organizations, and the establishment of the Reserve Fund required by the Regulation.

The PRO has 2,631 members. During the year, 120 new producers became members, filed reports and paid Éco Entreprises Québec. They generated an additional contribution of $3 million and thus confirmed their commitment to the curbside recycling system.

2024 was a pivotal year to prepare for the entry into force of the modernized curbside recycling system. Éco Entreprises Québec's actions and initiatives aimed to:

• Plan the collection and transportation of materials through partnership agreements with municipal organizations while managing the impact of the Order in Council;¹
• Prepare and coordinate all sorting facility operations and implement a marketing strategy for recyclable materials;
• Inform and raise the awareness of Quebecers on the right way to sort by means of the public service campaign of Bin Impact, the new reference in curbside recycling;
• Meet legal and regulatory obligations;
• Manage the consequences of the postponement of the expanded deposit system to include glass and multilayer beverage containers;
• Share and explain to producers their responsibilities and financial obligations.

During the year, Éco Entreprises Québec developed a financial framework to provide predictability of system costs and ensure effective financial management. Incidentally, the measures adopted in 2024 to control system costs are intended to:

• Bundle the purchase of recycling bins to obtain better purchase and distribution prices;
• Spread the upgrading of sorting facilities over the duration of sorting contracts;
• Reduce the frequency of the collection service so that it is adapted to the density of the built area and the type and volume of containers used;
• Optimize the marketing of recycled materials by grouping sorted volumes;
• Consolidate contracts with municipalities to generate economies of scale.

At the Annual General and Special Meeting, the members elected four new directors by acclamation to represent them:

• Daniel Chevalier, St-Hubert Group Ltd.
• Marleen Lavoie, Metro Inc.
• Mireille Thibodeau, Sobeys Inc.
• Milena Tolasi, Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd.

Five directors were re-elected to the Board of Directors, three of whom represent the members of Éco Entreprises Québec, and two of whom are independent:

• Stéphane Forget, Sollio Cooperative Group
• Patrick Lalumière, Société des alcools du Québec
• Isabelle Rayle-Doiron, Danone Inc.
• Sylvain Allard, Independent Director
• Magali Depras, Independent Director

Quote

"In 2024, we focused our efforts on modernizing the curbside recycling system in line with our obligations as a designated management organization so that, collectively, we can recover more and better. We had to have a vision for Quebec as a whole, which is certainly more efficient in addition to being harmonized. We had to approach things differently while operational functions were implemented to deliver the modernization with all the requirements that this entails. With constant attention to rigorously managing the funds entrusted to us by producers, we ended 2024 by maintaining our administrative fees at 4.6% whereas the industry standard is 5%."   

— Maryse Vermette, President and CEO.

"Extended producer responsibility is a business model that gives companies full responsibility over the life cycle of the materials they market. Over the past year, and again for 2025, these companies need to manage a great deal of change. We therefore intend to maintain our dialogue with producers so we can clearly communicate their responsibilities and financial obligations to them, as well as manage effectively the system costs. The Board of Directors will closely monitor the latter."

— Stéphane Forget, new Chair of the Board of Directors.

About Éco Entreprises Québec

Éco Entreprises Québec, a private non-profit organization, is the new manager of the entire curbside recycling system and represents companies that market containers, packaging, and printed paper in Quebec. Our mission is to enable Quebecers to recover more and better, ensure a second life for recyclable materials and contribute to the circular economy throughout the province. Bin Impact, the new reference in curbside recycling in Quebec, aims to educate on the right way to sort materials and to raise awareness of the impact of what we put in the bin.

For more information 

Browse the annual report.
If you have any questions about the right way to sort, consult Bin Impact.

^1 Order in Council 1875-2023, which was published on January 10, 2024, extended the final date for the end of contracts entered into by municipalities for the collection and transportation of containers, packaging, and printed paper to December 31, 2025.

SOURCE Éco Entreprises Quebec

For further information: Marie-Claude Rivet, Head, Communications and Public Affairs, Éco Entreprises Québec, 514-987-1491, ext. 237, [email protected]