Quebec, April 30, 2024 – The Société de gestion des huiles usagées (SOGHU) is proud to highlight 20 years of activity. For 20 years now, SOGHU has been the non-profit organization recognized by RECYC-QUÉBEC to manage, on behalf of its members, a collection, processing and awareness program for buyers and users of targeted products in an efficient and responsible manner from an economic, environmental and social perspective, all in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The objective of the program is to give a second life to used mechanical maintenance products and to participate in the effort to protect the environment.

SOGHU 20 Years

The actions put forward by SOGHU continually aim to maintain excellent product collection rates, year after year. To achieve this, SOGHU relies on its core values: partnership, efficiency, innovation, responsibility and integrity.

Numbers That Speak

Upon initial launch in 2004, the program targeted 3 products: motor oil, filters and oil containers including aerosol lubricants. In 2012, 3 products were added to the regulation: antifreeze (glycol), antifreeze containers and aerosol brake cleaners. In 20 years, in total, SOGHU has given a second life to:

  • More than a billion litres of oil
  • Close to 22 million litres of antifreeze
  • 58,813 tons of filters
  • 38,423 tons of plastic and aerosol containers

Before 2004, Quebec regulations did not clearly govern the disposal of oil products. Although the release of oil and related products into the environment was not allowed, well-intended establishments were left to their own devices to find means of disposal, and had to assume the related costs. As a result, certain products were ultimately sent to landfill in the absence of a simple solution. “When we know that a single litre of oil can contaminate up to a million litres of water, we can only imagine the harmful impact on our environment when such high volumes of contaminated products are buried,” noted Jean Duchesneau, SOGHU’s General Manager.

How Does SOGHU work?

SOGHU collects eco-fees from its members, the companies that manufactures or sell products targeted by the regulation, and uses these sums to hire companies that specialize in the collection of these products.

By collecting eco-fees, SOGHU takes responsibility for collecting and recycling products sold by its members. Every year, under the supervision of Recyc-Québec, SOGHU must submit a rigorous report on the performance of its recycling program to the Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs.

The collection facilities are also a key element of the program, as they offer citizens drop-off points to return their used products, free of charge. SOGHU has more than 1,100 collection facilities available to the Quebec population.

The Future

The current environmental context suggests that SOGHU’s activities will not be stopping any time soon. SOGHU wants to be recognized by its members, the appropriate authorities and its employees, both in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada, as a leader in the management of a collection, processing and awareness program aimed at the end-of-life products it manages with efficiency and continuous innovation, in order to ensure government, social and environmental objectives are met.

For more information:

Mathieu Carrier
Communications Coordinator, SOGHU
Phone: 1 877 987-6448, ext. 224
mathieu.carrier@soghu.com