Faced with the environmental emergency and the growing daily waste production, organic waste collection has become a priority in urban and peri-urban centers.

With landfills nearing their maximum capacity and pressing government targets for waste reduction, intensifying efforts has become imperative. However, implementing organic waste collection relies on strong cooperation between various stakeholders and presents numerous challenges.

How is this essential transition organized in practice, and what are the obstacles and opportunities to ensure its success? A closer look at the experience on Queen Mary Avenue in the Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough.

Government Goals and General Context

Québec’s waste management policy aims to build a zero-waste society by promoting sorting, processing, and recovery of waste. The primary goal is to ensure that only ultimate residues—the fraction of waste that is truly unavoidable (pet waste, dust, diapers, etc.)—are sent to landfills in Québec.

Since 2021, municipalities have been required to implement organic waste collection for residents of buildings with eight or fewer units. This obligation is gradually expanding to buildings with more than eight units (multi-unit dwellings). Full deployment is expected by 2026, but challenges remain, which could lead to adjustments in the initial timeline.

To achieve this, the policy relies on the commitment and accountability of all stakeholders involved in waste management. Who are these stakeholders, and what role do they play in this transformation? The following section provides an overview.

The Stakeholders Involved

The implementation of organic waste collection involves multiple levels of intervention:

THE GOVERNMENT OF QUEBEC: Through environmental policies and subsidies, it encourages waste reduction and the development of organic waste recovery.

MUNICIPAL MANAGEMENT: Responsible for designing and deploying collection programs, determining schedules, and selecting waste treatment infrastructures.

COMMUNITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ORGINIZATIONS: They play a key role in raising awareness, educating, and supporting citizens and business owners. Their fieldwork facilitates the adoption of best practices and enhances the social acceptance of various implementation programs.

CITIZENS AND BUSINESS OWNERS: Their commitment and active participation in the collection program are essential to its success. Proper sorting and a good understanding of local guidelines ensure efficient waste management and maximize recovery. To check the current guidelines in your area, contact your municipal organization, visit its website, or use the Ça va où? mobile app.

ORGANIC WASTE COLLECTION AND PROCESSING COMPANIES: These companies handle the majority of brown bin collection and transport to composting or biomethanization facilities. In some areas, such as Montréal and Laval, municipalities also operate their own fleet of trucks to supplement this service.

Challenges and Barriers

Despite the involvement of multiple stakeholders, several obstacles hinder the organic waste collection process, making sorting difficult to establish as a routine habit.

– Awareness and Participation.
Organic waste collection faces a dual challenge: a lack of knowledge and a lack of interest among some citizens and business owners. Many are unaware of the environmental benefits of organic waste recovery, while others fear potential nuisances such as odors or bin management.

– Uneven Engagement Across Different Areas.
Participation varies by neighborhood and housing type. In multi-unit buildings, the lack of adequate space for storing bins and the complexity of community mobilization limit participation.

– Coexistence Issues.
On a busy street like Queen Mary Avenue, the coexistence of residents, business owners, and other users complicates organic waste management. This is particularly due to the contamination of brown bins with non-compliant waste, which reduces sorting and processing efficiency.

Possible Solutions

Identifying the barriers to collection makes it possible to develop solutions tailored to local realities. Deploying various strategies is necessary to encourage participation, including:

– Awareness campaigns through educational workshops, such as Earth Day’s conference, I Love My Trash Can, But I’m Leaving It!

– Roundtable discussions bringing together local stakeholders.

– Practical guides and community initiatives to facilitate sorting adoption.

– Increased presence of mobilization agents to raise awareness among users.

– Personalized support for business owners to provide concrete solutions AS Action Reduction program

To address the challenges of buildings combining residential and commercial spaces, several solutions are being tested:

– Shared bins.

– Community composting sites. Learn more: Community Composting Site.

– Involvement of property owners and building managers.

Additionally, adjusting the frequency of waste collection—reducing residual waste collection while maintaining regular organic waste collection—could encourage better sorting.

Finally, financial incentives, such as pricing based on the amount of waste produced, could be a powerful tool to boost participation. In addition to generating municipal savings, these measures would support a sustainable transition toward a greener city. Learn more about incentive-based waste pricing through this study: Incentive-Based Pricing.

Focus on Queen Mary Avenue

Bringing together businesses, residences, and institutions, Queen Mary Avenue perfectly illustrates the diversity and dynamism of Montréal’s urban landscape. In this multicultural context, implementing organic waste collection requires effective coordination among all stakeholders.

To support this transition, A collaboration between the Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough and Earth Day Canada has helped inform, support, and mobilize business owners by offering assistance tailored to their specific challenges. This has facilitated a smooth adoption of the service.

Building on the success of the first phase, project stakeholders are now launching Phase 2, expanding the initiative to new partners, including the local eco-district, the Côte-des-Neiges Business Development Corporation (SDC), and other users of the avenue. This expansion aims to ensure the program’s long-term adoption.

Thanks to this collective effort, Queen Mary Avenue stands out as an inspiring model for integrating organic waste collection in urban settings, demonstrating that local engagement is a powerful driver for a successful transition.

Conclusion

The success of organic waste collection depends on synergy between public authorities, private stakeholders, and the population. By adapting awareness strategies and improving infrastructure, it is possible to overcome existing barriers and encourage greater participation. The example of Queen Mary Avenue highlights the importance of a coordinated approach, where each stakeholder plays a key role. Through such initiatives, Montréal continues to move toward more sustainable and responsible waste management.

Waste Management, Advisor

Roxane Baron

Intrigued by contemporary challenges, Roxane seeks to understand the various forms of interaction between social and environmental spheres. At the center of her reflections, she focuses on gender relations and power dynamics. Beyond her desire to take action in the climate struggle, she is passionate about cultural arts, urban gardening, cooking, and herbalism. Her guilty pleasures include coffee and wine. She loves strolling through the city accompanied by her great companion, her sausage dog.

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