Corbeil : actively committed to recycling appliances

Did you know that one old refrigerator can represent the equivalent of 3.5 tons of GHGs (greenhouse gases) or the equivalent of driving 17,000 km?

It’s hard to imagine that much pollution from just a single fridge. That’s why Corbeil took the lead in recycling household appliances a few years ago. After entering into a partnership with PureSphera, we launched the Corbeil Brigade and became one of the founding members of GoRecycle. All this so that we could do our part in protecting the environment. 

If you can’t wait to welcome the new fridge of your dreams (and say goodbye to your old one), we hear you. To prevent your old refrigerator from ending up in a landfill where it slowly releases its toxic gases into the atmosphere, we’ll come pick it up and make sure it’s recycled safely and properly – whether it’s a fridge or freezer. And ditto for other old appliances such as stoves, dishwashers, washers or dryers! 
 
Our partnership with GoRecycle enables us to fulfil our commitment to recover and recycle household appliances. This includes dismantling appliances and properly disposing of their metals and hazardous substances. We’ve also partnered with PureSphera, a local company specializing in the recovery and recycling of gases found in domestic refrigeration appliances, which are high emitters of GHGs.  

Big gases: 
CO₂ (carbon dioxide) and methane are the gases most often associated with global warming. But the gases in household appliances like refrigerators (including halocarbons) have a global warming potential that’s 1,400 to 10,900 times higher than CO₂! A real concern for our planet. 

We realize it isn’t easy for the average person to properly dispose of their old appliances. So, we set up Operation Recovery to facilitate the collection of old appliances from residents during the moving season – whether they’re Corbeil customers or not.

Our ultimate goal was to give these appliances a second life by recycling their components and thereby preserving the environment. This entirely free service has initiated a meaningful change and is already yielding encouraging results. 

Big numbers: 
In 2021, Operation Recovery collected and recycled 101 household appliances, including 55 refrigerators. For fridges alone, this represents 3,550 kg of metals, 465 kg of plastics and 367 kg of polyurethane foam that were spared from landfills, where they would ultimately continue to pollute. 

Our initiative was so successful that we decided to double our collection capacity with an additional truck for the third edition of Operation Recovery. As you can see, environmental causes for Corbeil reach far beyond our warehouses and stores. We really want to make a difference in the community. 

Recovering and recycling old appliances is certainly the biggest challenge we’ve tackled thus far and represents our societal contribution to protecting the environment. But we’re also making meaningful changes within our company itself. For example, we use innovative technologies that allow us to limit the distances travelled for our deliveries and to make our routes more economical. We’ve also eliminated paper flyers in favour of digital newsletters and are investing in local broadcasters and content creators to convey our messages and promotions. 
 
Corbeil is extending its pro-environment efforts throughout the entire customer journey: from advertising to the in-store experience… from delivery to the end-of-life of household appliances. And as a corporate citizen, we continue our commitment to reduce our footprint to the best of our abilities. 

Big news! 
The Quebec government will invest a total of $90 million until 2031 to support producers in the appliance recovery process without passing any associated fees on to consumers.

Since our founding in 1949, we’ve always been ahead of the trends and needs of our customers. As a leading appliance distributor, we were among the first in the industry to commit to protecting the environment. We are aware that Corbeil has a responsibility in the fight against climate change and are actively undertaking it today – to make tomorrow better.