ÉCO ENTREPRISES QUÉBEC SUPPORTS RÉCUPÉRATION LA RÉCOLTE'S RECYCLING INFORMATION, AWARENESS RAISING AND EDUCATION CAMPAIGN
ÉEQ For the third consecutive year, ÉEQ provides support to promote both the quality and quantity of residual materials recovered in the regions

Montréal, June 15, 2010 - Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ), in partnership with participating municipalities from fifteen RMCs in Eastern Quebec, RECYC-QUÉBEC, the Société des alcools du Québec, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, Quebec's Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune as well as other partners, is pleased to announce its support of the 9th edition of the Campagne d’information, de sensibilisation et d’éducation à l’amélioration de la qualité et de la quantité des matières résiduelles récupérées dans l’Est du Québec été 2010, an annual regional campaign to raise awareness about recycling.
 

For the third consecutive year, ÉEQ is contributing $10,000 to help finance Récupération La Récolte Inc., the organization that coordinates this regional effort. The group provides seasonal employment to students who distribute information, raise awareness and educate the public on the importance of improving the quality and quantity of residual materials recovered. During the summer season, leaflets and ad documents are handed out to citizens and tourists in the regions covered by the fifteen RMCs of Bas-Saint-Laurent, Côte-Nord and Gaspésie-îles-de-la-Madeleine.

"The project is still innovative, even after having been in operation for eight years, because it is the only one of its kind in Quebec. Récupération La Récolte as well as participating municipalities and RMCs are examples to follow in regional cooperation," said Maryse Vermette, ÉEQ's President and Managing Director. 

The campaign is in keeping with ÉEQ's mission to promote increased quantities of recyclable materials recovered through curbside recycling. In return for its financial support, ÉEQ receives relevant information to help measure the impact of the campaign on municipal curbside recycling performance. Again this year, ÉEQ has noted that trends in recovered tonnage for 2009 tracked by Récupération La Récolte show progress in program performance. As a follow-up to its contribution to this annual campaign, ÉEQ is now investing close to twenty studies, projects and programs in support of municipal curbside recycling services.

About Éco Entreprises Québec
Éco Entreprises Québec is a non-profit organization certified by RECYC-QUÉBEC. ÉEQ’s mission is to represent companies with regard to their responsibility to finance their share of the net costs of municipal curbside recycling, to establish reasonable fees to ensure program financing and, in partnership with other stakeholders, to promote efforts to increase the quantities of recovered materials through curbside recycling at the lowest possible cost.

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Source:
Maryse Vermette
President and Managing Director
Éco Entreprises Québec

For information:
Élisabeth D’Auteuil
Communications Officer
Éco Entreprises Québec
514-987-1491, ext. 238
edauteuil@ecoentreprises.qc.ca

QUEBEC SORTING CENTRES FINANCIAL AID PROGRAM
Investments totalling more than $1.6 million

Québec, Tuesday, May 4, 2010 – Following the implementation of the Quebec Sorting Centres Financial Aid Program (Programe d'aide financière aux centres de tri québécois - PACT) last year, financial partners today announced investments of over $1.6 million in the province's sorting centres.

Administered by RECYC-QUÉBEC, the PACT has a total budget of $6 million, of which over $1.6 million is being disbursed in response to requests made in 2009 by sorting centres from eight administrative regions in Quebec. The launch of the program was made possible thanks to the financial participation of the Quebec's Ministère du Développement économique, de l’Innovation et de l’Exportation (MDEIE) ($3 million), RECYC-QUÉBEC ($1.4 million), Éco Entreprises Québec (ÉEQ) ($1 million) and the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) ($600,000).

In the fall of 2008, the worldwide economic crisis seriously impacted markets for recycled materials. The following January, Quebec's Minister of Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs, Line Beauchamp, announced the Plan de relance pour soutenir les centres de tri du Québec, which includes short and medium term measures to help support the recycling industry. This government initiative brought together government departments, municipal organizations as well as key players concerned with residual materials management. One of the seven measures of that plan is the PACT, which became effective on May 1, 2009.

"Quebec has made some major gains over the past 20 years with regard to residual materials management. Recycling is an effective, daily activity for each of us and the government is intent on ensuring that these practices continue. Studies conducted by RECYC-QUÉBEC and its partners confirm that all recyclable materials placed in our bins are in effect recycled. It is therefore essential to preserve these infrastructures, maintain the trust of citizens with regard to this essential service and continually improve performance," said Ginette Bureau, President and Managing Director of RECYC-QUÉBEC.

 
2009-2012 Quebec Sorting Centres Financial Aid Program

The 2009-2012 Quebec Sorting Centres Financial Aid Program (PACT) sets down a framework for providing financial assistance to sorting centres to help them improve their productivity, the quality of output materials, quantities of materials accepted, sorted and sold and the rate of capture of recyclable materials.
 

The program is administered in two parts:

• Part A - Analysis: Analysis of sorting centre operations to devise an action plan for implementing necessary improvements. The maximum contribution for this part of the program is $20,000 per sorting centre.
• Part B - Improvement: Implementation of the measures defined in the action plan developed from the analysis. This part of the program supports the implementation of best business practices in the company (for example, measures to improve productivity, personnel training and implementation of a management system) and targeted action to improve the sorting centre's infrastructure and equipment. The maximum contribution for part B of the program is $480,000 per centre.
  

 Consult the information sheet SORTING CENTRES THAT REQUESTED AND RECEIVED A SUBSIDY
FOR PARTS A AND B OF THE PACT.

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Source and information:

Erwanne Plisson
Communications Officer
RECYC-QUÉBEC
418-643-0394, ext. 3238
e.plisson@recyc-quebec.gouv.qc.ca

Information:

Élisabeth D’Auteuil
Communications Officer
Éco Entreprises Québec
514-987-1491, ext. 238
edauteuil@ecoentreprises.qc.ca

Media Relations Coordinator
Ministère du Développement économique, de l'Innovation et de l'Exportation
418-691-5698, ext. 3710
nancy-sonia.trudelle@mdeie.gouv.qc.ca

Isabelle Merizzi
Director, Public Affairs
Société des alcools du Québec
514-987-6000, ext. 6574
i.merizzi@saq.qc.ca