Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter
Citizens in the Jardins-de-Napierville region will soon be able to benefit from the first fully enclosed composting facility to open in the province. The Centre de compostage du Haut-Richelieu was officially inaugurated on October 23 in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.
Compo-Haut-Richelieu launched its innovative regional compost centre in the presence of Benoit Charette, the minister of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks, as well as numerous elected officials, dignitaries, and partners.
The facility has a capacity of 50,000 tonnes, which will allow Compo Haut-Richelieu to receive organic material from the residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial sectors in the MRC du Haut-Richelieu, as well as neighbouring municipalities including those in the MRC des Jardins-de-Napierville. The regional compost centre is expected to produce around 17,000 tonnes of top-quality mature compost every year that will be distributed to citizens.
The centre relies on an active composting process of both food and green residues in bunker-type silos with fully automated and controlled systems, as well as passive maturation, which involves no turning or active aeration, in megadome-type buildings. By the fifth year, the new facility will contribute to a reduction in the region’s greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 4,185 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year.
Compo Haut-Richelieu received a $21.2 million grant from the provincial government to create the regional centre through the Programme de traitement des matières organiques par biométhanisation et compostage (PTMOBC), which aims to reduce the quantity of organic materials being sent to landfills.
According to Charrette, investments in collective infrastructure improve the quality of life of citizens, while helping to increase the volume of organic matter recovered in Quebec and more actively combat climate change. “Cities and municipalities play a key role in achieving this objective. Already, the new residential composting services set up in several local communities in Quebec are well appreciated. For many, they are the fruit of partnerships with innovative local companies, as is the case with the Haut-Richelieu composting centre inaugurated today,” he said.
Compo Haut-Richelieu is a joint venture between the MRC du Haut-Richelieu and its 14 municipalities, and their private partner, GFL/Matrec, a leader in the field of residual materials recovery. Compo-Haut-Richelieu has been planning, coordinating, and managing residual materials in the Haut-Richelieu RCM since 1994, and in the Jardins-de-Napierville RCM since 2023.
For Suzanne Boulais, the president of Compo-Haut-Richelieu and mayor of Mont-Saint-Grégoire, the new centre is a complement to the work the company has been doing for 25 years. “Citizens’ efforts in the various recycling and recovery programs have already led to a significant reduction in landfill waste,” she said, while adding she is convinced the momentum created by this project will produce spectacular results.
Huntingdon MNA Carole Mallette highlighted the positive impact the new facility will have on the environment. “This will be very beneficial for our fellow citizens, our municipalities, and our farmers. It will help put an end to the landfilling of organic materials and increase the reduction of greenhouse gases in Quebec.”