Pilot Project for an Organic Waste Collection System with an Incentive-Based Pricing on Weight for Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (ICI) Clients including the Educational Sector at the Arthabaska RCM (Arthabaska RCM)

Arthabaska RCM, located in the Centre-du-Québec region northeast of Drummondville, encompasses 23 municipalities. It holds a 51% stake in Gesterra, which is 49% owned by Gaudreau Environnement. The RCM wants to test a new ICI environmental incentive rate that uses radio-frequency-identification (RFID) tracking technology and weigh scales on collection trucks to improve waste recovery from the industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) sector. The RCM will assess the technical, financial and social feasibility of the incentive rate for all ICI organizations. If the pilot project is conclusive, large-scale implementation will be planned. The project’s environmental, social and economic objectives are: • Exceed a waste recovery rate of 60% for the ICI sector. • Involve all parties in the “quarter of the future”, a neighbourhood of schools, businesses and homes, to promote adoption of the initiatives with information about the project and its success, and develop all residents’ pride in belonging. • Optimize collection costs by automating and optimizing services (such as reduced collection frequency based on rate-schedule options). Reduce processing costs by diverting tonnage from landfill and increasing recycling and composting. The waste recovery rate is currently estimated to be 20% for the ICI sector served by containers. The project aims to exceed a recovery rate of 60% (from 2,572 to 5,300-7,800 tonnes) for all ICI organizations and especially educational institutions. The preferred approach will: • Reduce the average amount of garbage in landfill by 50% • Increase recyclables by 10%, and • Recover 25% of the organic waste contained in garbage. A preliminary consultation was conducted during the “quarter of the future” project launch luncheon attended by the mayor of Victoriaville and the heads of the institutions concerned. For the incentive rate aspect, the businesses participating in the pilot project will be invited to consultation/information meetings before and after the project The verifiable monitoring and evaluation process will consist of individual measurement of the amounts of waste and the services used. In addition to the technical information obtained with measuring instruments, other less tangible but equally important aspects will be assessed, such as: • The processes to involve stakeholders and their various representatives (management, employees, environmental and maintenance personnel) • Customer perceptions and changing behaviour (for example, changes in cafeteria waste) • Influential peers (in schools, which people are the most influential) • Aspects that facilitate sorting for ICI organizations. The project is based on three previous GMF initiatives: GMF 15071 Beaconsfield, GMF 15155 Robert-Cliche and GMF 15209 Drummondville. In the first two projects, smart collection was considered an alternative to organic waste collection; in the third, the objective was to boost organic waste collection performance. For the current initiative, the objective is to boost performance for all ICI sector waste collection. The knowledge value lies in the fact that the ICI sector generates the most waste (41% in 2008) and eliminates the most (45% in 2008). In the past, municipalities did not get involved in managing this waste because it was not their responsibility. However, with the new waste management plan (PGMR) requirements, ICI waste counts toward the municipalities’ performance. For all Quebec municipalities, therefore, this issue is a top priority in their short-term objectives. The weight-based incentive-rate approach for Arthabaska RCM’s ICI organizations will determine whether weight-based rates are an efficient way to achieve environmental and economic objectives. Victoriaville is very representative of Quebec as a whole (not too rural, not too urban). The lessons learned from the project can therefore be useful throughout Quebec and Canada. The project reports will be made public and oral presentations at various conferences and seminars will be planned to share the lessons learned and the processes that will be implemented when rolled out on a larger scale. (Project description from original funding application)