GoRecycle encourages Quebecers to recycle appliances responsibly through solutions
by CM staff
GoRecycle’s initiative has helped recycle over 200,000 appliances and prevented the emission of over 220,000 tons of GHGs, which is the equivalent of a full A380 Airbus flying around the globe 79 times.
MONTREAL — GoRecycle encourages recycling cooling and air-conditioning appliances properly and responsibly by adopting GoRecycle’s solutions.
GoRecycle is raising awareness among Quebecers, that leaving their refrigerator on the curb should now be considered an outdated practice that belongs in the past. It is indeed one of the most harmful practices for the environment since, when disposed of in this way, the appliance will be recycled without proper treatment, generating an average of one ton of GHG into the atmosphere.
“When you entrust a cooling appliance to GoRecycle, we ensure that its materials are recycled endlessly. We are able to reuse more than 95 per cent of them,” said said Jules Foisy Lapointe, General Manager, GoRecycle. “This cycle is broken when an appliance is abandoned on the street and recycled outside of the GoRecycle system. Doing the right thing allows us to reduce waste by repurposing existing materials rather than producing new ones.”
Since its founding, two years ago, GoRecycle’s initiative has helped recycle over 200,000 appliances and prevented the emission of over 220,000 tons of GHGs, which is the equivalent of a full A380 Airbus flying around the globe 79 times.
These figures prove that awareness and the adoption of practices have a real impact on the climate crisis.
Although the GoRecycle program is the only legal and responsible solution, some citizens continue to abandon their used appliances on the side of the road. These appliances are then, in most cases, processed by unlicensed metal recyclers who do not have the technology to recover the gases and other harmful materials.
“Annually, approximately 300,000 appliances are recycled improperly in Quebec, which is equivalent in emissions to 100,000 more cars on the road. We must overturn this practice and make people conscious of the impact of their actions, as well as the solutions available to them,” added Lapointe.
Collaborating with over 90 banners, GoRecycle offers removal and recycling services with the purchase of a new refrigerator or freezer. These free services make it possible to dispose of bulky appliances with the guarantee of proper recycling. The organization has over 260 official drop-off points throughout Quebec where appliances can be dispose of at no cost.
