Figures for 2022 put the city on track to meet its waste-reduction goals, but not enough Montrealers are using compost collection.
Montreal is on track to meet its waste-reduction targets, according to the annual report on residual waste management made public Wednesday.
In 2022, Montrealers on average produced 441 kilograms of waste, down from 463 kg the previous year — a reduction of 4.8 per cent. That includes the garbage sent to landfills, as well as organic waste and curbside recycling collection. Of that amount, 228 kg went to landfills, down from 241 kg in 2021. A total of 79 kg per person was picked up for curbside recycling, down from 84 kg, while 51 kg of organic waste was picked up, down from 53 kg.
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That puts the city on track to attain its goal of reducing the waste per person to 399 kg, said Marie-Andrée Mauger, the city’s executive committee member in charge of ecological transition. She said she was pleased with the results, but a bit disappointed at the low participation rate for compost collection.
“The biggest challenge is really to increase the participation in compost collection,” she said. “We had a participation rate of 35 per cent, but by the end of 2025 we want that to get to 60 per cent.”
By that time, all households in the city will have compost waste collection, Mauger said. And the city plans to build two facilities to treat organic materials by then.
Mauger said the city has high hopes that two new municipal regulations put in place this year to reduce waste at its source will have a big impact for 2023. One is the restriction on Publisac distribution, which started in May. And in March, the city banned certain single-use plastics.
Restaurants must now offer reusable or non-plastic utensils to their customers dining in. Those taking food out or ordering delivery can only be given utensils upon request, and if they are made of plastic, it can’t be polystyrene, which is not easily recyclable. Delivery containers also must be made of non-polystyrene plastic. Any cup, straw or stir stick made of any type of plastic is banned under this bylaw.
Already, 13 boroughs have reached the goal of producing 399 kg or less of waste per person. They are: Verdun, Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, St-Laurent, Ville-Marie, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Outremont, Sud-Ouest, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, LaSalle, Anjou, Plateau-Mont-Royal, Mercier—Hochelaga-Maisonneuve and Villeray—St-Michel—Parc-Extension.
Among demerged municipalities, Côte-St-Luc produces the least waste per person, according to the report.