Mayor Louise Lebrun of Sainte-Barbe gathered with the municipal councillors, the director general, the director of public works, and the urban planning department to announce that the Sainte-Barbe sub-regional ecocentre will soon be opening on the grounds of 433 Route 132.
Lebrun says, “It is in response to requests from citizens, and in order to reduce the quantity of materials that we systematically send to landfills, that we are setting up, right here, the Sainte-Barbe sub-regional ecocentre. It is called sub-regional because it is the ideal place to serve all citizens who live within a radius of 15 km.” She goes on to describe it by adding, “Much more than an ecocentre, it will be a real environmental complex where objects will be recycled rather than thrown away, and where people will come to dispose of the items that clutter our homes. It will be a pillar in the organization of a regional circular economy”
In development
A working committee was formed in 2019 composed of citizens, elected officials, and municipal employees to explore the project’s feasibility. To assemble their report, they were joined by the coordinator of residual materials management of the MRC Haut Saint-Laurent, who has fully supported the project and showed that support at a regional council meeting earlier this year.
The Municipality of Sainte-Barbe is also accompanied by an environmental firm with a specialization in waste management to make sure that this new ecocentre follows the best practices for site management, sorting of materials and the modernity of the facilities.
The ecocentre will also have a warehouse for reusable materials and second-hand items. The hope is that in the future this will be a place for community organizations to participate in the cycle of reuse and simultaneously fulfill their own goals in the community.
Based on studies, it appears the ecocentre could process 12 tonnes of hazardous household waste as well as information and communication technology (ICT) products each year, plus 925 tonnes of residual materials.
RECYC-QUÉBEC grant
Sainte-Barbe was the recipient of a large grant of $100,000 from RECYC-QUÉBEC as part of its program to provide financial assistance to optimize the ecocentre network in Quebec. The money will be used to put into practice the best methods to sort at source, reuse materials, and recycle/reuse wood waste. The municipality is still looking for more ways to finance the project, including more grants, in particular from the Ministère des Affaires Municipales et de l’Habitation (MAMH).
Lebrun ended the gathering by saying, “By having a regional vision under the sign of collaboration, we are joining forces with neighbouring municipalities to act as a lever with government authorities in order to offer better services to our residents. By participating collectively in the reduction of landfill, we all win.” She went on to say, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those involved in the project: the citizens, the elected officials of Sainte-Barbe and the MRC, as well as RECYC-QUÉBEC; and I would like to invite all of our neighbours to participate in the project in a perspective of sustainable development for our beautiful region!”