Regional ecocentre in Cowansville
The Zone Éco (Régie intermunicipale de gestion des matières résiduelles de Brome-Missisquoi - RIGMRBM) is a hub for all things waste management and processing.
The only site of its kind in the region, it includes the regional ecocentre (with its new reuse space), the compost site, the engineered landfill where biogas is captured and burned, and wastewater treatment ponds for leachate.
Business hours
Monday–Thursday
7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Friday
7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Saturday
8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday
Closed
Important
Closed on public holidays and during the holiday season. Consult the Zone Éco website (French only) for more details.
The closing time of the ecocenter corresponds to the time at which you must have left the site. It is therefore necessary to plan the time of arrival on the site depending on the size of the load.
Accepted materials
Open all accordions
Plain concrete
Not reinforced
Brick
Cement
Stone
Without soil
Grass trimmers
Blowers
Mowers
*Appliances must be emptied of oil and gasoline
Monitors, televisions and tablets
Hard drives and USB sticks
VHS tapes
DVD players and sound systems
Computers, printers, keyboards, mice and wires
Phones and fax machines
*For a complete list, visit: electronicrecycling.ca
Air conditioners
Wine fridges
Dehumidifiers
Refrigerators and freezers
Cooling systems
Heat pumps
Christmas trees
Branches
Logs
Rough wood, lumber, painted, stained or varnished wood
Plywood
Pallets
Cardboard boxes, taken apart and flattened
Baths, showers, toilets, sinks, etc.
Sofas, armchairs, furniture and mattresses
Fibreglass, baby seats and pool liners
Mirrors
Spas, boats, trailers, etc.
That can fit in the containers
Aluminum plates and foil
Bottles
Beverage cans
Juice boxes and milk cartons
Aseptic packaging, like Tetra Pak
Containers
Bottles, detergent bottles, food product containers, cosmetics containers, etc.
Tin cans
Packaging
Plastic bags (put in a transparent bag–bagful of bags), egg packaging, etc.
Window envelope
Newspapers, flyers and magazines
Paper
Bagged shredded paper
Glass containers
Jars of any colour
Toilet paper and paper towel rolls
Styrofoam food packaging
Clotheslines, wires and Christmas lights
Appliances and electrical devices
Toasters
Ferrous metal
Barbecue grills, golf clubs, pots, filing cabinets, etc.
Non-ferrous metals
Sinks, gutters, screens, soffits, etc.
Engines without oil or gasoline
Hair dryers, flat irons and curling irons
Hard plastics
Pails, fences, toys, pipes, siding, etc.
Clean polystyrene
Styrofoam packaging blocks (for non-food use).
Silage bags and tarps
Twine
Plastic silage bale wrap
For cars, trucks, bikes, etc.
Max. 48.5 in. / 1.2 m
Without rims
*Make an appointment for large quantities.
*All garages are required to take back your tires because you pay an eco-fee for them.
Maple tubing
Consult the "Special Collections" page for more information.
Treated wood
Miscellaneous
Fibreboard (tentest), insulation, doors and windows, etc.
Gypsum
MDF
Melamine
Floating floor coverings
Flooring
Linoleum, ceramic tiles, etc.
*Asphalt shingles refused
Leaves, garden waste and peat
Grass
Mulch
*Leaves must be brought in bulk or in paper bags (without tape). If not, you will have to empty the bags there and return home with them.
Aerosols
Adhesives and glues
Light bulbs, fluorescent lights and ballasts
Antifreeze and their containers
Coolants and antifreezes used in vehicles, machinery or motorized equipment, with the exception of coolants and antifreezes of vegetable origin or used for de-icing aircraft.
Smoke alarms and thermometers
Propane tanks
Ink cartridges
Cement, glue and tar
Wax
Cyanide
Fertilizers, pesticides and garden products
Gasoline and fuel
Fire extinguishers
Antibacterial gels (antiseptic)
Motor or vegetable oil
Paint, varnish and solvents
Paint (art supplies)
Antifouling paint
Fast drying paint (dry fall)
Tar-based paints and sealers
Batteries
Cosmetic products
Cleaning products
E.g., patio cleaner
Solvents, thinners and paint strippers
*Maximum amount per person is the equivalent of 8 sq. ft., 0.23 m3 or 8 gallons of paint.*Materials in their original containers.
*For a complete list, click here (French only).
Bikes
You can get compost at any time at the regional ecocentre, for FREE! Don't forget your shovel, boiler or container.
Refused materials
Asbestos and any product containing asbestos
Consult the immediate destruction procedure for the disposal of asbestos on the Eco Zone website.
Industrial primers and paints
Used in factories. You can always dispose of them at the Zone Éco, but you must go through the landfill scale from Monday to Friday and pay a fee.
Firearms, ammunition, explosives, fireworks, distress signals and dynamite
Asphalt shingles
You can always dispose of them at the Zone Éco, but you must go through the landfill scale from Monday to Friday and pay a fee.
Reinforced concrete
You can always dispose of them at the Zone Éco, but you must go through the landfill scale from Monday to Friday and pay a fee.
Creosote-treated wood, contaminated soil, PCBs and any product containing them
Compressed gas cylinders larger than 1 litre
Except propane
Farm animal carcasses
Radioactive or biomedical waste
Railway ties
You can always dispose of them at the Zone Éco, but you must go through the landfill scale from Monday to Friday and pay a fee.
Domestic organic matter
You can always dispose of them at the Zone Éco, but you must go through the landfill scale from Monday to Friday and pay a fee.
Medications
Can be taken to a pharmacy.
Garbage
Household waste. You can always dispose of them at the Zone Éco, but you must go through the landfill scale from Monday to Friday and pay a fee.
Paint containing pesticides
You can always dispose of them at the Zone Éco, but you must go through the landfill scale from Monday to Friday and pay a fee.
Road paint and signs
You can always dispose of them at the Zone Éco, but you must go through the landfill scale from Monday to Friday and pay a fee.
Invasive alien plants
Eurasian watermilfoil, giant hogweed, Japanese knotweed, etc. You can always dispose of them at the Zone Éco, but you must go through the landfill scale from Monday to Friday and pay a fee.
Tires over 48.5 in. (1.2 m)
Heavy-duty or agricultural vehicle tires
Household hazardous waste
In a container that’s not leakproof or that’s larger than 8 gallons (8 sq. ft. or 0.23 m³). You can always dispose of them at the Zone Éco, but you must go through the landfill scale from Monday to Friday and pay a fee.
Manufacturing process waste
Soils
All types (to dispose of your soil, contact Zone Éco 450-263-2351 ext. 223)
Stumps
You can always dispose of them at the Zone Éco, but you must go through the landfill scale from Monday to Friday and pay a fee.
Spas, boats and trailers
That don’t fit in the bins. You can always dispose of them at the Zone Éco, but you must go through the landfill scale from Monday to Friday and pay a fee.
Any material mixed with soil
Vermiculite
You can always dispose of them at the Zone Éco, but you must go through the landfill scale from Monday to Friday and pay a fee.
Your used but functional items deserve a second life! Consider taking them to a donation centre, second-hand store or repurposing shop.
Reuse space
A new reuse space for construction materials (CRD) and bulky items is now available at the regional ecocentre in Cowansville!
Are you in the middle of a construction, renovation or demolition project? Bring materials that are still in good condition and help yourself to any materials you need for FREE!
Reuse space objectives
Only materials in good condition will be accepted. Here is a non-exhaustive list:
- Construction materials: wood, metal, pallets, etc.- Doors and windows
- Indoor furniture
- Outdoor furniture
- Outdoor playground structures
- Sanitary appliances and accessories (toilets, baths, sinks, etc. – very clean or new)
Focusing on these materials specifically will round out the items available for reuse since there are already many thrift shops in the region, which reclaim smaller objects, like dishware, clothing and toys.
- Anything listed above that is in poor condition
- Other smaller materials: dishware, toys, clothing, etc.
- Residents drop off materials in the outlined reception area.
- Ecocentre employees weigh the materials on a scale.
- Ecocentre employees place the weighed materials on the appropriate shelves in the reuse space. (Residents can only access items after they are weighed and shelved.)
- Items left in the reception area are not available.
- The ecocentre does not repair materials.
- There is currently no limit to the amount of materials that residents can leave or take
- No reservations allowed
- As ICIs (industrial, commercial and institutional enterprises) cannot use the regional ecocentre free of charge, they also cannot use this new reuse space.
The reuse space is an important addition to help improve the regional ecocentre, made possible thanks to funding from RECYC-QUÉBEC.
FAQ
The collected materials are transported to the composting platform of the Zone Éco (Régie intermunicipale de gestion des matières résiduelles de Brome-Missisquoi) in Cowansville.
The materials from the brown bin are mixed in with wood and other green waste, then piled outside in windrows (rows of compost).
These windrows are turned regularly to speed up the decomposition process and allow the compost to reach a high enough temperature to destroy weed seeds and pathogens.
Mature compost is then sifted.
Since fall 2019, mature compost is sifted and analyzed to ensure its quality. Compost available to residents can be found at the Zone Éco (Régie intermunicipale de gestion des matières résiduelles de Brome-Missisquoi).
You must bring your own shovel, gloves, buckets or containers and other necessary equipment so that you are able to take however much compost you want.
Rules
- Wear protective clothing and footwear.
- Bring the necessary equipment for unloading your materials (shovels, gloves, etc.).
- Bring someone with you to help unload your materials.
- It’s your responsibility to sort and unload materials from your vehicle. Attendants are not required to assist with unloading (manually or mechanically).
Arrive at least 30 minutes before the ecocentre closes to unload your materials.
Visitors arriving at the last minute may be turned away.
Maximum size for residential trailers: 64 cubic feet, e.g., 4' x 8' x 2 (1.8 m³).
Only vehicles with six wheels or fewer can enter the ecocentre. Dumping by trailers or dump trucks is not permitted.
Quick links
Industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI)
Learn more about services available to the non-residential sector.
Bulky items
To learn more about how and when special collections occur, view your municipality’s schedule.
Ça va où?
Check out the RECYC-QUÉBEC app! In just a few clicks you’ll know exactly what to do with each product, based on where you live.