QBCRA/Consignaction and Valoristes Québec announce a collaboration agreement for more a socially engaged deposit-refund system
Quebec City, February 19, 2025 - The Quebec Beverage Container Recycling Association (QBCRA/Consignaction) and Valoristes Québec today announced that they have established a collaboration agreement for the recovery of redeemable beverage containers. This partnership with the non-profit organization further underscores the significant role played by valoristes in the socio-economic life of Quebec City. This association reflects a shared willingness to contribute to the environment and within the community.
“The QBCRA/Consignaction is pleased and proud to be partnering with Valoristes Québec, who are an invaluable ally in the rollout of deposit-refund modernization,” said Jean-François Lefort, Vice-President, Corporate Affairs, QBCRA/Consignaction. “Their contributions in terms of social, community and environmental engagement are remarkable.”
The agreement is an especially timely one for Valoristes Québec, as 2025 has also seen the opening of a new indoor depot at 315 Rue Saint-Dominique in Quebec City’s Saint-Roch neighbourhood. “This announcement is a new step forward for our organization,” notes Etienne Ferron-Forget, Chair of the Board of Directors of Valoristes Québec. “The agreement includes the long-awaited acknowledgement of a solidarity allocation per container recovered, which will help ensure Valoristes Québec’s ongoing operations and an improved logistical support. This collaboration with the QBCRA is a good illustration of the role that organizations like ours can play on the economic, environmental and social levels.”
In 2024, more than a million redeemable beverage containers were recovered by Valoristes Québec, with more than $100,000 going to valoristes in the Quebec City region. Their recovery rates have improved continually since the organization was founded. By combining their resources and their determination, QBCRA/Consignaction and Valoristes Québec are fostering sustainable development and social inclusion.
This initiative is part of QBCRA/Consignaction’s broader plan to promote social integration and job security for people with disabilities, active participation of social economy enterprises in the collection and processing of redeemable containers, and mitigation of the effects of social precarity and exclusion.
Reminder with regard to Phase 2 of deposit-refund modernization
One of the goals of the modernization of Quebec’s deposit-refund system is to expand it to all types of beverage containers and encourage members of the public to recycle more of them so as to achieve the target recovery rate of 90% by 2032. Beginning March 1, 2025, deposit-refund will be expanded to all plastic beverage containers of between 100 mL and 2 L. The amount of the deposit on beverage containers is 10 cents, except for certain already redeemable glass bottles of 500 mL or more, for which the amount is 25 cents. As of Phase 2, more than four billion containers will be redeemable.
Consignaction and the Quebec Beverage Container Recycling Association (QBCRA)
Since 2001, programs branded with the Consignaction name have promoted beverage-container recovery to citizens and companies. Consignaction is the official emblem for promoting the activities of the QBCRA to the public and stakeholders. The QBCRA is the designated management body (DMB) for the development, implementation, financing and management of the modernized deposit-refund system, in line with the principle of extended producer responsibility (EPR). Its members are the various beverage producers involved in the recovery, reuse, recycling and reclamation of beverage containers in Quebec. For more information, visit www.consignaction.ca
About Valoristes Québec
Valoristes Québec is a non-profit organization whose mission is to facilitate and highlight the work and contributions of valoristes, people who recover, on a regular basis and mainly in public spaces, redeemable, recyclable and reusable materials for economic, social or environmental reasons. Valoristes Québec works to enhance the quality of life and the dignity of valoristes (also known as binners” and “wastepickers”), from a sustainable development and social inclusion perspective. It also aspires to further strengthen the social fabric by educating the community and raising their awareness of the role of valoristes. https://www.facebook.com/valoristesqc
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For more information :
QBCRA, Annie Jolicoeur, [email protected]
Valoristes Québec, Simon La Terreur, 819 923-2749, [email protected]