2014 July Pender Post
Last year the Recycling Depot’s Community Bike Shop held its first ever bike sale at the Farmer’s market at the Community Hall. That sale exceeded all expectations. This year, bike mechanic Laurie Brown is looking forward to selling even more reclaimed and reconditioned bikes. If you are looking for a safe, quality bike at a price that Craigslist buyers could only dream of, this is your chance. If you have not already marked the date on your calendar, do it now – Saturday, July 5. Don’t miss the sale and don’t arrive late - the first get the best.
In this month’s OOPS section, we have revised information on the 2014 Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) collection day. The previously confirmed day and date has been changed to accommodate the Hazardous Goods ferry sailing schedule. The HHW collection Day is now scheduled for Saturday, September 27, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the depot. This is an important event because there is no other day, and no other way for Penderites to dispose of poisonous or environmentally dangerous items and liquids. Take the time to look around your property and begin setting aside those nasty or unknown substances that should, for the safety of humans or the environment, be disposed of by professionals. Please note that, in conjunction with CRD, we have made arrangements to allow normal Saturday operations to carry on during that HHW collection period on September 27.
If you have been to the recycling depot in the last month, you have noticed several changes in the way recycling now operates on the island. Did you know that these changes are not specific to Pender? The changes are in fact province wide, and part of an agreement between B.C. and its new stewardship partner, Multi Material BC (MMBC). MMBC’s commitment is to take only materials that are recyclable in BC. That commitment has resulted in some changes in the materials our recycling depot can now accept.
Some of the new changes are welcome to our customers, for example, we now accept Styrofoam packaging, and our customers no longer have to separate recyclable plastics by number. We now take cardboard soup containers and wound cardboard cans (used for frozen juice, chips, cookie dough etc.). In the area of plastic bags and other film packaging there is an array of types of packaging we now take, as well as some film packaging that we no longer take. To list the acceptable or unacceptable plastic packaging and film items would take more space than we are allotted for this column but please refer to our ad on the back pages of this Pender Post, check our website, http://www.penderislandrecycling.com/, or refer to our Facebook page.
The changes are still new to everyone, not only on Pender, but also throughout the province. Even though it is human nature to resist changes, we have had great co-operation both from Penderites, and our hard working and still cheerful staff. Thanks to all for their co-operation as we all adjust to the new system. Systems change, and plastic packaging comes and goes, but the one constant is that they’re all good days on Pender.
Mike Wiley