A day after moving day, garbage and appliances still line the streets of Montreal and will be part of the landscape for a few more days.
“We need a week because it’s 50,000 pounds of garbage and 50,000 pounds of different kinds of materials. That’s the equivalent of 20,000 STM buses,” said Philippe Sabourin, spokesperson for the city of Montreal.
Sabourin says what’s most challenging is when people don’t sort things they put out on the sidewalk.
It’s not only harder for the city to operate.
It’s also bad for the environment.
Genevieve Dion and Sebastien Hotte brought their old appliances and paint leftovers to an eco-centre in Montreal’s Rosemont borough.
“It’s out of ecological conscience,” Dion said.
It is exactly what the city of Montreal would like those moving out to do, instead of putting stuff that can be recycled out in the curb.
According to GoRecycle Canada, every year, an estimated 300,000 appliances such as refrigerators and air-conditioners are abandoned on the streets, which means they end up in the landfill without proper recycling.
That’s the equivalent of having an extra 100,000 cars on the streets.
“The main challenge is awareness,” said Jules Foisy-Lapointe, GoRecycle Canada’s general manager. The non-profit recycles household appliances.
Foisy-Lapointe says the units will likely be picked up for scrap metal and brought to locations that are not authorized to recycle appliances.
“Basically those units will be crushed and the gas that they contain which are green house gases and substances that are bad for the ozone as well will be released in the environment, it won’t be controlled,” Foisy-Lapointe added.
GoRecycle advises people that before tossing, they should first try to repair their appliances.
If they can’t be repaired, then bringing them to an eco-centre is the best choice.
Go Recycle has 300 centres across Quebec.
The city of Montreal has 7 eco-centres.
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