Québec Residual Materials Management Policy

The Québec Residual Materials Management Policy is part of the government’s plan to build a green economy. The millions of tons of residual materials produced in Québec annually hold undeniable potential to be used both in manufacturing goods and energy production.

The Policy aims to create a no-waste society through the intelligent management of its residual materials, and has the fundamental objective of ensuring that the only residual material disposed of in Québec is ultimate waste.

Ultimate waste is the result of sorting, packaging and reclaiming residual materials and cannot be further processed as it contains no more reclaimable materials nor has its pollution and hazardous nature been reduced.

• Presentation of the Policy (PDF, 65 KB)
• Summary of the Policy (French, PDF, 117 KB)

How do we reach that goal?

The Policy lays out measures to be implemented that respond to three major residual materials management issues:

• Stop wasting resources
• Help reach the goals set forth in the 2013–2020 Climate Change Action Plan
• Empower and hold all actors involved in residual materials management accountable

Action Plans

The Policy includes five-year action plans that aim at achieving medium-term goals.

The 2019–2024 Action Plan

Proposes 23 actions coordinated by RECYC-QUÉBEC and has an investment budget of more than $100 M.

• 2019–2024 Action Plan (French, PDF, 3.6 MB)

The 2011–2015 Action Plan

The 2011–2015 Action Plan (French, PDF, 86 KB) proposed 47 actions and 5 quantitative goals for the medium term.

The Mid-point Report (French, PDF, 1.7 MB) issued a progress report as of December 31, 2013.

The report (French, PDF, 601 KB) identifies the achievements as of December 31, 2019.

Useful links

• Press release:
  • February 11, 2020: Reform of the selective collection system (French)
• Regulatory impact of the Québec Residual Materials Management Policy 2019–2024 Action Plan (French, PDF, 457 KB)
• Programs administered par RECYC-QUÉBEC (French)
• RECYC-QUÉBEC (French)