The STM rigorously manages the products it uses, while ensuring that they are recycled at the end of their service life.

THE MÉTRO'S RUBBER TIRES

Over 110 tonnes of métro tires are recycled each year. Tires with nylon casings are first rid of their nylon fibres, the rubber is shredded and then used to manufacture various types of carpets.

For tires with steel casings, the steel is recycled in a smelter and the rubber is returned to a processing facility.

FLUORESCENT LIGHTS

At the STM, no less than 23.65 tonnes or 96 linear kilometres of fluorescent tubes are recycled each year. The glass is cleaned and shipped to non-food processing industries, while the brass and aluminium used to seal the tubes is also sent to a smelter to be recycled.

The powdered phosphorus is processed to remove all traces of mercury. The treated phosphorus is then used as a paint pigment, and the mercury is returned to appropriate industrial facilities for re-use.

OILS AND SOLVENTS

Prized as alternate fuels for greenhouses and cement factories, the STM’s 323 500 litres of used oils and solvents are recycled each year.

OIL FILTERS

Some 22.8 tonnes of filtering material are recovered each year and used as fuel in a lead plant. The metal itself is recycled in a lead smelter.

LEAD-ACID ACCUMULATORS

Recycled at a rate of 94%, nearly 54 tonnes are sent out to lead plants each year. The acid acts as a reactive agent in the smelting process.

PAPER AND CARDBOARD

More than 30 tonnes of paper and 29 tonnes of cardboard were returned to industry for processing in 2006. Diverting 59 tonnes of paper and cardboard from sanitary landfill sites saves 950 mature trees each year.

MÉTRO NEWSPAPER

Some 150 000 copies of the Métro newspaper are distributed each day throughout the métro network. With more than 214 recycling bins at the disposal of transit users, no less than 10 tonnes of newspaper are recovered each week. On an annual basis, recycling newspaper is equivalent to saving 7000 mature trees.

PBC TRANSFORMERS USED BY THE MÉTRO

Nearly 300 tonnes of metal carcasses and 170 tonnes of liquid PBCs have been recycled by the STM. The carcasses were first decontaminated and recycled at a metal smelter, while the PCBs were incinerated at the only authorized facility in Canada.

TIRE RE-TREADING

The STM has been re-treading its tires for the past 40 years. On average, some 2800 tires are re-treaded each year, as each tire can potentially be retread once, twice, even up to three times during its service life. Today, the front tire of a bus can run up to 120 000 km compared to about 50 000 km in the 1980s.

Return