Wednesday September 13 2023

City of Montreal survey on implementing organic material collection in buildings with 20 or more units

In 2021, the City of Montreal announced that residential buildings in Montreal with nine or more units, whether condominiums or rentals, will be able to compost their table waste by 2025.

The city is deploying a number of initiatives to establish itself as a leader in the ecological transition. At a time when major collective efforts are still needed to reach municipal and provincial targets for reducing residual materials, Montreal, with its urban density, is pursuing the implementation of organic materials collection in buildings with 9 or more units, which began in 2021.

At this rate, all buildings with 9 or more units, which make up 39% of its urban fabric, will be served by the end of 2025. By becoming the first major Canadian city to make compost collection available to its entire population, Montreal expects to see greater participation in the collection of organic materials.

The waste issue affects everyone in their daily lives and is a major challenge, particularly for co-ownerships. The various initiatives are certainly encouraging, but not all residents welcome them.

They also add to the workload of syndicates and managers, and while the objective is a worthy one, it brings a new set of challenges in terms of compliance.

These new collections offer several advantages, both environmental and economic, but these changes come inevitably with their share of challenges and nuisances, in buildings with more than 9 units: setting up new facilities or dedicated spaces, air-conditioned waste rooms, water intake to ensure regular and rigorous cleaning, volume of waste, odors, vermin, involvement of residents, costs, etc… 

Taking action to encourage changes in behavior 

To encourage participation in organic sorting, the City of Montreal has revamped its range of communication tools for owners of buildings with 9 or more units (notices, flyers, leaflets, posters and stickers for countertop bins), with reminders of the regulations and tips (ex: how to avoid odors).

The City of Montreal mandates organizations in most boroughs to carry out information, awareness and education activities, which are available to the public and building managers. You can contact your district to find out about all the resources available to help you set up composting in your building. Visit this section on montreal.ca.

In addition, Recyc-Québec has published an analysis of the factors influencing participation in organic material collection in multi-unit buildings, (French only) containing a wide range of information for building owners and managers to help them integrate this service into their buildings. They have also published various fact sheets documenting municipal cases (French only) that have set up this service on their territories.

Make your voice heard! A city of Montreal survey is underway

Recognizing that behavior change requires a collective commitment, the City of Montreal is currently surveying residential building managers to find out about waste management practices in multi-unit buildings, as well as perceptions, attitudes, and obstacles to participating in the various collections, particularly for recyclables and organic materials.

> Now is the time to make your voice heard and fill out the survey before September 30, 2023, by clicking here!

Read more

1. If you want to find out more about the subject, resources to learn more about the City of Montreal’s objectives and those of the Government of Quebec regarding the collection of organic materials are available in the Plan directeur de gestion des matières résiduelles 2020-2025 and in the Stratégie de valorisation de la matière organique. (French only)
2. Our previous article on composting in large buildings and the experience of the Syndicat de copropriété de Quartier 54, which has successfully set up a food waste collection system. (French only)