Towards a sustainable and effective eco-centre model in the RCM of Coaticook

The Regional County Municipality (RCM) of Coaticook will perform a feasibility study to determine the best eco-centre model to implement on its territory. Composed of 12 municipalities with a collective population of nearly 19,000 residents, the RCM has a three-pronged collection system (recycling, composting and waste), and it achieved a 60% recovery rate in 2018. However, the service provided at eco-centres is limited. The RCM wants to offer a proximity eco-centre service to improve the recovery rate of various construction, renovation and demolition (CRD) materials, bulky objects (including materials destined for reuse), electronic hardware, as well as hazardous domestic waste. Other materials could also be accepted (e.g., branches) depending on the study’s recommendations. Various scenarios will be proposed to ensure proper service to the population, including a combination of structures of different scales. The potential quantity of materials that an eco-centre network could receive in the RCM of Coaticook is estimated at 1,400 tonnes per year, compared to 615 tonnes of waste recovered in 2018 through the existing eco-centre service. This will increase the RCM’s recovery rate to 70%. The RCM also estimates that the project could reduce the quantity sent to landfill by 785 tonnes per year, which represents a 23% decrease compared to the 3,664 tonnes of domestic waste sent to landfill in 2018. The project is directly related to the RCM of Coaticook’s Plan de gestion des matières résiduelles (waste management plan) for 2015–2019, which identifies a lack of access to eco centres for the population. Innovative aspects: • Since the model of a fixed regional eco-centre with a large infrastructure does not necessarily meet the needs of rural communities, the study will assess more flexible models that require less capital and fewer human resources. • The study will identify operating terms for the eco-centres that will be sustainable, effective and efficient for processing and recovering agricultural plastics and agricultural waste that is often overlooked, like the collection tubes used in maple syrup production. Replicability: The RCM of Coaticook wants to develop a simple and accessible approach that could be useful to other rural communities in Quebec. Once the project is completed, the RCM will propose to make a presentation on its results at the Colloque sur la gestion des matières résiduelles (waste management conference) organized by Recyc Québec and Réseau Environnement. (Project description from original funding application)