My Alerts Montréal, August 16, 2011 The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) wishes to inform transit users, particularly those riding the métro, that starting August 22, the 1600 wall-mounted trash cans and 245 paper collection bins will be gradually removed from métro platforms and replaced for the most part by « islands » featuring two sections, one for trash and the other for collecting recyclable waste materials, including plastics, glass, metal, newspaper and cardboard.
The new waste management islands will be primarily located in métro entrance buildings and on station mezzanines. In the short term, the objective of this major change is to cut the quantity of trash by two-thirds and triple the quantity of recycled materials. In the long term, the STM would like to ensure that there is as little trash as possible and more recyclable materials. This new approach should also make waste collection operations easier, in addition to easing the workload of janitorial staff who can then focus on improving station cleanliness and customer service.
The new bins will be deployed in several phases and installation. The first phase will see bins installed inside 15 stations, from Frontenac to Atwater on the Green line and, from Champ-de-Mars to Georges-Vanier on the Orange line. A second phase should begin this fall with bins being installed in another ten stations on the Green line, from Préfontaine to Honoré-Beaugrand. Deployment operations should end with the installation of trash and recycling bins in the three stations in Laval and Berri-UQAM, by the beginning of 2012.
The STM understands that the project will have a major impact on the habits of commuters. Messages will be posted inside stations as work progresses, before and during the changes are made, to raise awareness about them. Moreover, information messages and signage are also planned to guide clients throughout the transition period. Directional signage should ease the way for clients enabling them to quickly establish a routine and easily find the proper containers into which to throw their trash and recyclable materials.
Throughout the deployment period, eco-messages will also be posted near the new « green islands » and that other communications media will be used, including Facebook, the 24 H newspaper, websites, to emphasize the STM’s position with respect to sustainable development.
Because every action counts when ensuring the cleanliness and safety of installations, transit user participation is essential to efficiently managing the recyclable materials that end up inside stations. The STM is counting on the cooperation of its customers to use the « green islands » as they are installed inside stations.
Thanks to this new project, the total annual quantity of trash ultimately collected in bins should go from 2000 metric tonnes to 600 metric tonnes, while the quantity of recyclable materials should rise from 800 metric tonnes to 2200 metric tonnes.
An internal review will also be conducted during the first phase of deployment to assess the impact of the PGMR management plan on the cleanliness of stations and trains, as well as a survey among transit users to determine their level of satisfaction.
In closing, it is worth mentioning that, for a second consecutive year, the STM’s environmental efforts have been rewarded by the international public transit community. Indeed, as part of an international MetroRail conference organized by Terrapin last March in London, the STM received the Special Merit Award for Commitment to the Environment. The prestigious award acknowledges the STM’s leadership in terms of sustainable development and the strategy used to position public transit as a smart environmental action in the minds of the general public. Indeed, by using the bus and metro, customers take action for the environment and directly contribute to reducing greenhouse gases.
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