As recyclables pile up in Lachine, Montreal tries to cut ties with the sorting company

Montreal is trying to terminate its contract with Rykova for a recycling sorting center in the Lachine district because material is piling up outside the facility.

Mayor Valerie Plante told the city's executive committee Wednesday that recyclables have been “stacking up for weeks” at the sorting center because the company has been unable to sell its bales on the export market.

He said city lawyers announced Tuesday they wanted to terminate the contract and install a new operator.

Marikym Gaudreau, the city's press secretary, said in an earlier statement that “everything has been done to ensure the continuity of operations in Lachine.”

“Discussions are currently underway between the two parties and signals indicate that Rikova agrees to cooperate for a successful transition,” Gaudre said.

La Presse and TVA first reported the development on Wednesday morning. According to La Presse, Rikova sent a letter to the city earlier this month warning that the sorting center was running out of space.

In a statement, Rikova said it will cooperate fully to support the collection and sorting of recyclable materials in Montreal.

Legal battles

Brossard, Que. located at Ricova Services Inc. As of 2020, it operates two sorting centers for recycling in Lachine and Saint-Michel, Montreal. It also collects curbside recycling from two areas of the city.

Sorted materials at the facilities were found to have high levels of contamination, making it difficult to sell and ultimately recycle.

In a statement, Ricova president Dominique Colubriale placed some of the blame on Montreal's recycling collection system, saying “the materials collected at the source are highly contaminated.”

But he also said Rikova told the city in the fall of 2020 that the equipment at the sorting plant in Lachine “is not adequate to meet the volume of materials collected in Montreal.”

The story continues

According to Rikova, since Lachin does not own the plant, there is not much that can be done about it.

The city's attempt to end its contract with Lachinde Rikova is part of an ongoing court battle.

Earlier this year, city Inspector General Brigitte Bishop said in a report that Ricova Services Inc. sold recyclables to one of its sister companies, Ricova International Inc., which then sold them to outside buyers at higher prices.

The overall report alleges Rikova withheld more than $1 million owed to the city for recycled materials sold over a 12-month period.

Bishop recommended at the time that the city bar the company from bidding for five years and sever ties with the company “as soon as possible.”