Activists call for better recycling of wine and spirit bottles
Protesters in Quebec City left boxes of empty glass bottles in front of SAQ outlet
A citizen's group in Quebec City is asking all Quebecers to leave their empty wine bottles in front of SAQ stores as a way to put pressure on the government to implement a bottle-deposit system.
Organizers of Opération Verre-Vert, or Green-Glass, say that since a glass-recycling facility in Longueuil shut down last year, almost all of the glass that people put in their recycling bins ends up in landfills.
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Colin Jacob, a member of the citizen’s group, says glass that is collected is often broken once it’s dropped in a recycling bin.
"Glass shards will lodge themselves in other materials such as plastic and paper, rendering them useless for recycling or diminishing their value significantly," Jacob said.
The group says it’s time for Quebec to implement a bottle-deposit system for wine and spirit bottles.
Environmental activists say the province’s liquor board should be leading the initiative, since about 80 per cent of all glass placed in recycling bins comes from the SAQ.
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