Waste in Quebec
Image source: Government of Canada, 2017
Overview of waste in Quebec
Residential vs. Non-Residential waste in Quebec, 2020
In 2020, 3,417,649 tonnes of waste (59.4%) was generated by residential sources in Quebec, while 2,338,499 tonnes of waste (40.6%) was generated by non-residential sources. In total, 5,756,149 tonnes of municipal solid waste was generated in Quebec in 2020 (Statistics Canada, 2024).
Waste production in Quebec, 2012-2022
In Quebec, there has been a general decrease of 16.2 % of non-residential waste from 2,781,286 in 2012 to 2,331,557 in 2018. There was however an increase in this waste by 11.2 % to 2,593,763 tonnes in 2022.
For residential waste in Quebec however, there has been a clear trend of increase as the waste has steadily increased by 21.9 % from 2,803,335 tonnes in 2012 to 3,417,649 tonnes in 2020 (Statistics Canada, 2024). Then, it decreased by 4.0 % to 3,281,863 tonnes in 2022.
Waste per capita in Quebec, 2012-2022
With a population of 8,551,865 the waste per capita of residential waste in Quebec was 0.38 tonnes in 2022. It increased by 21.2 % from 0.33 in 2012 to 0.40 in 2020, before it decreased by 5.0 % to 0.38 tonnes in 2022.
For non-residential waste, the waste per capita in Quebec was 0.30 tonnes. It had generally decreased by 18.2 % from 0.33 in 2012 to 0.27 in 2016. Then, it remained relatively stable until it increased by 11.1 % from 0.27 in 2020 to 0.30 tonnes in 2022 (Statistics Canada, 2024).
Composition of residential waste in Quebec, 2022
For residential waste in Quebec, 529,984 tonnes were paper fibers (31.3%), 432,640 tonnes were organic waste (25.5%), 237,218 tonnes were food waste (14.0%), 188,518 tonnes were yard waste (11.1%), 114,204 tonnes were glass waste (6.7%), 76,784 tonnes were plastic waste (4.5%), 60,818 tonnes were textiles (3.6%), and 54,881 tonnes were other forms of waste (3.2%) (Statistics Canada, 2024).
Composition of non-residential waste in Quebec, 2022
For non-residential waste in Quebec, 559,940 tonnes were paper fibers (38.6%), 345,771 tonnes were ferrous metals (23.8%), 244,685 tonnes were construction waste (16.9%), 127,663 tonnes were organic waste (8.8%), 55,262 tonnes were other organic waste (3.8%), and 117,166 tonnes were other forms of waste (8.1%) (Statistics Canada, 2024).
Solid waste assets in Quebec, 2022
In Quebec, there are in total 312 solid waste assets. Specifically, there are 108 materials recovery facilities (34.6%), 66 transfer station assets (21.2%), 60 closed sites (inactive engineered landfills and dumps) (19.2%), 28 composting facilities (9.0%), 26 active engineered landfills (8.3%), 13 active dump sites (4.2%), and 11 other solid waste assets (3.5%) (Statistics Canada, 2022).
References
Government of Canada. (2024). Solid waste diversion and disposal. Retrieved June 16, 2024, from https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/environmental-indicators/solid-waste-diversion-disposal.html
Statistics Canada. (2024). Table 38-10-0138-01 Waste materials diverted, by type and by source DOI: https://doi.org/10.25318/3810013801-eng
Statistics Canada. (2024). Table 17-10-0009-01 Population estimates, quarterly. DOI:https://doi.org/10.25318/1710000901-eng
Statistics Canada. (2024). Table 38-10-0032-01 Disposal of waste, by source DOI: https://doi.org/10.25318/3810003201-eng
Statistics Canada. (2022). Table 34-10-0236-01 Inventory of publicly owned solid waste assets, Infrastructure Canada DOI: https://doi.org/10.25318/3410023601-eng
Government of Canada. (2017). Provincial and territorial symbols. Retrieved August 15, 2024, from https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/provincial-territorial-symbols-canada.html
Notes
”Misc.” data refers to miscellaneous data, and indicates any form of waste adding up to less than 3.0% individually, added together in one category for better overview.