The 2023-2029 Waste Management Plan detailed to the public

The Maritime Community presented its draft Residual Materials Management Plan to the population during a public consultation on Tuesday.

This is the third version of the document, the first version of which was adopted in 2007.

This time, the PGMR must reconcile the need to renovate and modernize facilities with new government requirements and the upward trend in waste production by Magdalen Islanders.

The plan is based on six objectives: to reduce and maintain the rate of disposal at 375 kilograms per capita per year, to compost 80% of organic materials and to recycle 75% of residual paper, cardboard, glass, plastic and metal.

Investing in infrastructure, increasing the efficiency of services and finalizing the clean-up of the CGMR’s accumulated materials complete the package.

Thirty actions, spread out until 2029, stem from these objectives.

In addition to the traditional awareness campaigns, the Maritime Community wishes to develop a waste management policy for major projects, find a recovery avenue for discarded construction materials and implement telemetry for collection services.

The list also includes the creation of a pilot project for a single drop-off point for cardboard on the central island as well as reducing the use of single-use products in municipal buildings, among other things.

About 15 people attended the meeting and made suggestions to reduce the amount of waste produced on the archipelago, including banning the use of certain packaging on the territory, such as polystyrene food.

Once the report on the public consultation is submitted to the elected officials, they will modify the PGMR if necessary before sending it to the Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs.

After revision and receipt of ministerial comments, the Maritime Community will proceed with the adoption of the plan.

It should be noted that waste management will take up 17% of the 2022 municipal budget, which represents approximately $4.8 million.