2015 January Pender Post
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! What an eventful year it has been for PIRS; so much has happened. We have started new programs, we accept new materials, we have moved things around, the Free Store is being remodelled and we have many more ideas and projects in the works. We are trying to think very creatively about how we can evolve and do more than recycling, and receive grants to do it, so you may see some interesting changes at the Depot in the future. The Free Store will re-open in January, incorporating an Upcycle/Re-Store where we hope to offer re-built items, fixed appliances and some re-useable building materials.
As we welcome 2015, we want to also welcome Richard Philpot back to PIRS; he will be serving as our Executive Director as of January 1. He brings with him much knowledge and expertise, especially in regards to Multi Material BC (MMBC) and the changes that are occurring. With the new year we would like to remind everyone that kitchen food scraps will no longer be allowed in the garbage. A Green Cone Food Digester accepts food scraps such as meat, bread and dairy and can be purchased at the Depot, or you can make your own with directions from our website at www.penderislandrecycling.com. Also, the Heartwood Folk School will be hosting a workshop on composting and soil building on January 17; please see: http://heartwoodfolkschool.ca/food/composting-and-soil-building. It is that time again to renew PIRS memberships, which can be done at the Depot or on our website. Thank you for your support!
With the start of the BC Government-mandated program this year making MMBC and their business industry members responsible for residential packaging and printed paper recycling, we have had to come up with some creative solutions, both financial and operational. We are hopeful that by early in the new year we will have interim funding agreements in place for recycling these materials for the next few years. Thank you for all the refundable bottles and containers you bring to us, and thank you to everyone who has signed our petition; it is making a difference. The petition was presented in the BC Legislative Assembly and it has brought public attention to this important issue. Recycling operations in rural areas of BC are being hit hard due to inadequate wording in and enforcement of the MMBC-Government agreement, and this needs to be changed. If you like, you can further support us and the environment by also signing MLA Lana Popham's BC-wide petition online at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1MU5nQz3sL9vK3nR_jOtda88uzqyxXpeRlZuGyvfwNvQ/viewform#start=openform. There is a link to this petition on our website as well.
Happy New Year from all of us at PIRS. May some of your resolutions involve reducing and reusing, which will ensure that they’re all good days on Pender, as Mike would have said!
Anna Herlitz