The congestion caused by the partial closure of the Louis-Hippolyte-Lafontaine tunnel will probably even be felt in your garbage cans. Stakeholders in the waste management industry are asking local authorities for leniency as waste collection delays are mounting.
Posted at 12:00 p.m
Henri Ouellette-Vézina La Presse
“We have major slowdowns across the region. Collection is much slower. The delays are, on average, of the order of 25%,” says the director general of the Council of Environmental Technologies Companies of Quebec (CETEQ), Kevin Morin, in an interview with La Presse.
According to him, two projects are exacerbating the situation: the closures in the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine tunnel – where three lanes out of six will be closed from October 31st – but also the ban on truck traffic on the Papineau-Leblanc bridge , on which Highway 19 announced “indefinitely” by the government. Thousands of garbage trucks normally use these two control centers on their daily journey.
“A company that has a contract in a district or a city cannot complete its day tour with a 25% delay,” stresses Mr. Morin.
Tuesday morning, [l’entreprise] must therefore complete his journey the day before. And the second city she was supposed to start with in the morning doesn’t start until Tuesday afternoon. And the delay adds up too.
Kevin Morin, Executive Director of the Council of Environmental Technology Companies of Quebec
According to the general manager, the delays extend beyond the borders of Montreal and its crowns. “If a truck was supposed to be in the Lower Laurentians but it was late in Longueuil, it will even be felt there,” says Mr. Morin.
“A Case of Force Majeure”
At the Matrec Group, a division of GFL Environnemental, the regional director for sustainable development, Richard Mimeau, is categorical. “We are really dealing with a case of force majeure. Delays affect the entire chain. It ranges from an hour’s wait to four or five in the sorting centers. And it snowballs onto everything else,” he exemplifies.
“We do our best to provide services by doing business with companies to recruit workers in French-speaking Africa and Latin America. We even bring people from other regions and stay at the hotel. But it will need some help. Can we extend the opening hours? Let’s say we have two days to pick up instead of one? We will have no choice but to do it,” Mr. Mimeau continues.
The public affairs director of the recycler EBI, Nicolas Perrino, also sees “serious problems”.
All the actors who gather on the island daily will have great trouble arriving. And most importantly, they are subject to regular penalties.
Nicolas Perrino, Director of Public Affairs at EBI Recycler
“We have to change our lines, our routes and our pick-up times. It becomes much more beneficial to do it in the evening. Yes, it will take a lot of gymnastics as it is a big problem, but it has to be done, ”emphasizes Mr. Perrino again, also asking for “more listening” from the communities.
Domino effect
Waste management spokesman Martin Dussault confirmed that his teams were also “strongly affected” by the traffic jam. “Even outside of the greater Montreal area, it’s having a knock-on effect. We have dozens of trucks that have no choice but to go through the tunnel and that are taking about two hours longer than normal. It reduces their productivity by about 33%,” he estimates.
“Punishing companies now is not the right thing to do. On the contrary, it helps to further increase operating costs. What we need now is flexibility, community collaboration,” adds Mr. Dussault.
In addition, CETEQ is also asking cities to listen, including those less affected by congestion in the greater Montreal area. “We often see in cities that are less sensitive to the reality of congestion that they find it easier to fine a company, for example. But it’s not justified. It’s not their fault,” stresses Mr. Morin.
“We urge cities to be lenient and avoid penalties when they are unjustified and when they result from congestion. And we would also like to see more coherent government planning for our members. Eventually having two severely congested freeways impacts our operations. We also have to take that into account,” concludes the DG.
Learn more
More than 200 Approximate number of member associations or companies represented by CETEQ. Collectively, these companies represent 15,000 workers with annual sales of more than $2.1 billion.
Source: CETEQ