Life after recycling!
Every week, Canadians bring home more than 55 million plastic shopping bags. Did you know that these bags—made of oil, a non-renewable resource—can take up to 400 years to decompose? Putting them, along with our milk cartons, juice containers and other recyclables in our recycling bins may ease our eco-conscience, but what really happens to all these so-called recyclable materials once we have disposed of them?
Giving new life to what we put in our recycling bins
“It may surprise us to learn that there is hardly any market for what we put in our bins. What’s more, they are unstable in terms of continued supply and transportation costs are very high. Quebec recyclers have no alternative but to export these products overseas where they are burned to provide energy, releasing significant amounts of gas into the atmosphere,” explained Michel Camirand, General Manager of Groupe RCM.
Giving work to people with physical and cognitive limitations
For more than 25 years, Groupe RCM Inc. has been active in the field of waste recovery and recycling, while fostering the integration of persons with disabilities into the workplace. The group has four main divisions: Récupération Mauricie for selective collection; the plastics division for the sorting and reclamation centre; paper and cardboard collection among institutions; and lastly, office paper sorting by individuals living with a severe handicap.
With a staff of 174 employees, of whom 60% have a physical or intellectual disability, Groupe RCM processes more than 40,000 tonnes of waste material annually.
Innovation to the rescue of the environment
In order to address the problem of recycling post-consumption products, Groupe RCM is launching an innovative project involving construction of a new processing line at its Yamachiche plant in Mauricie. The new line will allow the firm to recycle plastic and paper waste, specifically Tetra Pak aseptic containers (used for juice, wine, bouillon, soup, milk, etc.) and the cartons usually used for dairy products (milk and cream), as well as polyethylene plastic bags and films.
This project represents a total investment of $3.5 million; private-sector partners include Tetra Pak Canada, A. Lassonde Inc. and Agropur (Natrel division). These firms are delighted that this technological breakthrough will enable them to meet consumers’ growing demand for containers whose ecological footprint is small.
For its part, Canada Economic Development has awarded Groupe RCM Inc. a repayable contribution to help the organization increase its capacity for processing post-consumer plastics. This project dovetails perfectly with its sustainable development strategy reflecting its commitment to continuing the efforts invested in this regard over the past decade.
Canada Economic Development’s assistance will allow Groupe RCM to acquire the equipment it needs to convert cartons into pellets, shred plastics, and operate and control the entire production line. Completion of this project will result in the creation of 25 full-time jobs.
With a staff of 174 employees, of whom 60% have a physical or intellectual disability, Groupe RCM processes more than 40,000 tonnes of waste material annually.
“In addition to significantly increasing our sales volumes, this project will have a ripple effect among other firms in the recovery and reclamation sector and have a positive impact on the environment. Our objective is to reach a total yearly processing volume of 12,000 metric tonnes within three years,”
said Michel Camirand, adding that he is “very proud that this project showcases the innovative spirit and entrepreneurial strength found in many social economy enterprises.”
