Eco Entreprises Quebec invests in new glass processing equipment

Quebec’s curbside recycling management organization Eco Entreprises Quebec (EEQ) of Montreal has announced its first investments in its Innovative Glass Works plan, which the company says opens the way for the launch of demonstration projects to equip several sorting centers with new glass processing and cleaning machinery, in collaboration with partners in Quebec and from abroad.

The private, nonprofit organization develops the schedule of contributions and collects company contributions, which are then redistributed to finance municipal curbside recycling services in Quebec. The organization also encourages innovation and sharing of best practices in order to optimize the recyclable materials value chain.

The selected technology has been used abroad in mixed recyclable materials sorting and will be tested in Quebec sorting centers over the next few months, the company says.

The first segment of the five-year plan announced in June 2015 focuses on the modernization of glass sorting equipment in sorting centers: an initiative intended to contribute to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A request for proposals from Quebec’s 24 sorting centers will be issued in January 2016 with the objective of implementing a new solution for recycling 100 percent of the glass collected in Quebec.

EEQ says it plans to deploy other measures over the next few months, including support for market outlets that use glass collected via curbside recycling. According to Maryse Vermette, EEQ’s president and CEO, “this announcement reflects EEQ’s vision of being a curbside recycling optimizer and contributing companies' solid commitment to the cause. This measure signals the end of the climate of uncertainty that has been preventing glass recycling from moving forward in recent years. Tangible and realistic solutions for processing all types of glass in Quebec are at hand, and we are convinced that our step-by-step approach will ensure they are implemented,” she adds.

EEQ says its Innovative Glass Works plan aligns with the government’s sustainable development strategy and will contribute to the development of a green economy thanks to the economic and environmental benefits generated by curbside recycling across Quebec.

“The modernization of sorting centres will confirm Quebec’s leadership in the area of glass recycling collected via curbside recycling and will generate significant positive impacts in North America thanks to a major international partnership, the terms of which will be announced next January. The expertise Quebec develops could be exported all over the continent,” says Denis Brisebois, chairman of ÉEQ’s Board of Directors.