2015 December Pender Post
The winter holidays are getting near, and we at the Recycling Depot are starting to think about ways to reduce the waste sometimes associated with gift-giving. We are hoping that you will make full use of your creative talents and give something you have created or perhaps repurposed. Donating your time and efforts can also be a great gift. We would like to encourage everyone to make use of local holiday craft fairs for gift-buying, and consider buying from local artists, craftspeople, bakers and other makers.
To get inspiration for some fun and creative holiday gift ideas please check out our website at penderislandrecycling.com, especially the Inspiration & Links/ Repurposing & Upcycling tabs. It can also be quite inspiring to do a search on sites such as Pinterest or an internet image search for “repurposed Christmas gifts”. Wow, the things people come up with! Seeing these ideas, I would have to agree with Aaron Kramer that “Trash is the failure of imagination”.
Homemade items tend to come with less packaging, which is an added bonus of course. Holiday gift packaging could also be made reusable, such as creating a reusable cloth bag out of holiday fabric from the NuToYu, with a pretty ribbon to tie it off.
Another great option for gift-giving can be to donate to your friend or family members’ favourite charity on their behalf, to benefit wildlife, the environment or those in greater need than ourselves. Or perhaps the gift of a 2016 membership to PIRS to benefit our local environment!?
We have decided that we can no longer accept any broken crockery or ceramic items. We already have more than we can keep up with as we hand-crush it to use for drainage, and it is not recyclable. If it is colourful or has a pretty pattern it may be suitable to repurpose for mosaic art. Please check with staff and we may be able to accept it and place it in the FreeStore.
For your holiday parties, please consider making use of our Dish Shed Loan Program; we have lots of ceramic plates, cups, real glasses, cutlery and napkins that can be borrowed for any event for a small donation. Please contact the Depot at 629-6962 to make a reservation, or ask a staff member when you are doing your recycling at the Depot. The Recycling Depot will be closed on Boxing Day, Sat Dec 26.
The Pender Islands Recycling Society Board and Staff would like to wish everyone a very Happy Winter Holiday Season! I think there may be as many ways to celebrate the winter holidays as there are people on Pender, which is one of the reasons I still believe they’re all great days on Pender.
Anna Herlitz