Zero waste is an approach to minimize waste generation
Birth of the movement
“Zero Waste: The conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of products, packaging, and materials without burning and with no discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health.”
The 5 R strategy
- Refuse: what you don’t need / single-use items / non-reusable items.
- Reduce: do not over-consume / over-pack.
- Reuse: reuse items / lease, borrow, secondhand items, etc…
- Recycle: recycle reusable objects and materials.
- Rot: rot the rest and give it back to the earth.

Zero waste in Quebec
What zero waste solutions for the ICI sector?
While the primary goal of the zero waste strategy is to produce less waste, it also encourages an innovative design of the resource life cycle, so that all products can be reused or recycled and no waste is sent to landfill.
The overall strategy of zero waste can therefore be summarized in three points:
- Support the design and manufacture of fully recyclable, reusable and repairable products.
- Encourage the reuse of recycled materials by industries, the repair of objects by individuals and the promotion of lifestyles that reduce the amount of waste produced.
- Minimize waste incineration and establish a better structure for the waste collection system to increase recoverable material and optimize the quality of the recyclable material.
This last point is the fundament of Ricova’ s operations, as, unlike some sorting centres, Ricova does not have landfills.
From Ricova’s perspective, waste is a resource, and its mission is to always maximize its value.
The zero waste strategy provides an increased opportunity to divert waste to various recycling streams, creating millions of products from collected materials.
For more information about Ricova’s zero waste solutions, contact our teams at 450 466 6688 or