More organic matter could be processed on Montreal’s south coast by expanding a major bioconversion plant located in Varennes. Work that will also reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 13,000 tons per year, the equivalent of just over 3,800 cars.
Posted at 12:05 PM.
The federal and provincial governments on Monday announced an investment of just over $65 million to expand the Société d’économie mixte de l’est de la Couronne Sud (SEMECS) facilities. This $100 million project will be funded with a maximum of $25.2 million by the federal government and $40 million by Quebec.
The expansion project, in particular, will allow the processing of organic matter from the Longueuil conglomerate and its 455,000 inhabitants. Within five years, SEMECS will be able to process 120,000 tons of organic matter annually.
At full capacity, the plant will also be able to supply Inger with 4 million cubic meters of biogas from the bioconversion of organic matter.
This project is the result of an agreement between SEMECS and the cities of the Longueuil conglomerate to process the organic matter recovered on their territory. Longueuil’s mayor, Catherine Fournier, admitted at a press conference that there was still “a lot of awareness and education to do with citizens” about it. She noted that the city, in particular, collects trash every two weeks in order to encourage families to use trash cans on a regular basis. Organics are collected weekly.
The Minister for the Environment and Climate Action, Benoit Charette, has also indicated that Quebec wants to recycle at least 70% of its organic matter by 2030.
The stakes are high, especially since Quebec has trouble burying its waste, particularly in Greater Montreal. Better performance in organic recovery and processing will help the county improve its balance sheet.