Trois-Rivières, February 1, 2024 – The project for support towards reduction and valorization, initiated by Earth Day Canada and made possible with a $300,000 contribution over the course of 3 years from the Alcoa Foundation, is entering its second phase.

After a successful launch with businesses covered by the Portneuf Regional Residual Materials Management Board (RRGMRP), the program is now expanding to the city of Trois-Rivières, a community where the Alcoa Foundation is active and aims to support the development of environmental solutions. Earth Day Canada is committed to assisting businesses in managing, sorting, and valorizing organic materials.

Earth Day Canada experts will collaborate with Énercycle, the Residual Materials Management Board of Mauricie, and Environnement Mauricie to successfully carry out this mission. The goal of this stage is to train and raise awareness among 100 local businesses, to reduce waste and divert approximately 400 tons of organic materials from landfill by October 2024.

“Fueled by the success of the first phase, the Alcoa Foundation is proud to support and deploy this environmental initiative, creating sustainable value in the Mauricie and Centre-du-Québec regions once again. Mitigating and adapting to climate change are among our top priorities. Thus, education on best waste practices, focusing on source reduction and valorization, will have a lasting impact within our community,’’ emphasizes Caroline Rossignol, President of the Alcoa Foundation.

1,000 tons diverted by 2025

The initiative, initially launched in the Portneuf MRC in the fall of 2022, is now expanding to businesses in Trois-Rivières and will conclude in those of the Manicouagan MRC by September 2025. The project aims to reduce and valorize organic waste to divert a total of 1,000 tons of organic materials from landfills in Quebec.

“Thanks to our team’s experience in waste management, we can design guidance programs tailored to all types of businesses. Indeed, our experts can develop customized action plans, considering the unique reality of each business. We are delighted to contribute to reducing the environmental impact of cities to valorize 1,000 tons of organic waste,” says Valérie Mallamo, Executive Director of Earth Day Canada.

A real support for businesses in Trois-Rivières

The program will start by targeting businesses in the heart of downtown Trois-Rivières, where a significant concentration and specific needs for guidance towards the valorization of organic materials are observed.

“We are very pleased to have the support of the Earth Day Canada organization to assist downtown businesses in waste management. By adjusting the kitchen work plans, incorporating visual tools, identifying recurring materials to be sorted, or even addressing specific questions, the support received makes a real difference and meets a need,” mentions Eve-Marie Marchand, General Manager of the Downtown Development Corporation of Trois-Rivières (SDC).

First success in Portneuf

As part of this ambitious initiative, Earth Day Canada works closely with local and regional stakeholders to improve their practices. In the first stage, the team supported the existing recognition program at the RRGMRP.

In total, nearly 140 tons of organic materials were diverted, and 55 businesses benefited from our guidance. Among them, 19 will hold the “Certified Board” certification, a program developed in partnership between RRGMRP and Earth Day Canada.

A support service tailored to the needs of businesses

Over the years, Earth Day Canada has developed expertise in waste management. This guidance, named Action/Reduction, adjusts to the specific needs of each business. This strategy will be applied to businesses in Trois-Rivières.

For this project, the guidance for participating businesses includes:
• An initial visit to the business to identify the needs and constraints of the merchant;
• A comprehensive audit of the business’s waste management (brief characterization of collection containers and analysis of operations);
• Development of an action plan to target and prioritize solutions to be implemented;
• Support in the implementation of selected measures and monitoring of progress;
• Employee training on sorting and communication tools available on request.

In addition to the personalized support for businesses, the Earth Day Canada team will provide training sessions in schools in supported regions to educate teaching staff and encourage students to assist in the organic material collection. Schools can contact or register now on the program’s website.

To consult the program’s website :
https://earthday.ca/every-day/programs/waste-management-alcoa-foundation/

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About the Alcoa Foundation
The Alcoa Foundation invests where Alcoa has a presence, partnering with communities to address local needs sustainably. With its nonprofit partners, it contributes to initiatives that protect and preserve the environment and promote equitable access to education and skills development opportunities.

To learn more about the Alcoa Foundation, visit https://www.alcoa.com/foundation/en.

About Earth Day Canada
Earth Day Canada is a nonprofit organization that guides individuals, municipalities, and organizations in reducing their environmental impact. In addition to organizing a large-scale awareness campaign on April 22, Earth Day Canada deploys environmental programs and projects with proven positive impacts in various areas, such as waste management, combating food waste, and sustainable mobility.

To learn more about Earth Day Canada, visit https://earthday.ca/.

 

Information:

Véronique Blais
Communication Officer – Earth Day Canada
vblais@jourdelaterre.org

Irina Gato
Communications Advisor and Local Representative of the Alcoa Foundation
Aluminerie de Bécancour
+1 (819) 383-4316
irina.gatoarano@alcoa.com