2016 December Pender Post
Welcome December! Here on Pender the big craft sales have passed us by in November but that doesn’t mean all opportunities to buy local are gone. Don’t forget about the weekly indoor market at the Community Hall every Saturday, it is full of great gift ideas locally made on Pender. Take the time too pop into the local shops, where cards, art, jewellery and more can be found easily. Buying and giving local is such an easy way to minimize packaging, and the overall footprint of your gifts.
When it comes to wrapping those gifts thinking of an alternative to consumer one use wrapping paper is worth the effort. Get some holiday fabric or tea towels use some twine and create a unique gift. Maps, calendars and paper bags are all easily found alternatives. As usual, plan ahead, start collecting your materials now so at the last minute you don’t get stuck grabbing those rolls of commercial paper!
When focusing on reducing waste over the holiday season please remember the Dish Loan Program at the Recycling Depot, its easy and convenient to grab a tub of plates or mugs for your holiday parties. So much nicer than paper! Just call the depot during operating hours or talk to one of us when you are next in and we will be happy to help.
Logistically over the holidays we can get quite busy at the Recycling Centre, keep in mind that the first and last hours of our days tend to be the busiest, come mid shift if you can to hopefully avoid a crowd. Even better if at all possible hold onto that holiday recycling for a few weeks for a less frantic experience! When bringing up your holiday paper please remember to remove bows and ribbons as they are not recyclable, don’t forget photographs are also not recyclable.
Over the holiday season please note that we are closed on Sunday December 25th and Sunday January 1st.
A small policy highlight, that may be new to some of you, is our new focus on keeping the area behind our main recycling barn and the scrap metal area STAFF ONLY zones; for your safety. These zones are only accessible when you are accompanied by a depot staff member. We apologize in advance if we are unable to accommodate you due to busyness.
This time of year can be so overwhelming, the focus on the perfect gifts, parties, decorations, food, everything. Taking a moment to breathe and reflect before we dive in, to decide on our priorities for the season is a great gift to our peace of mind. Its not the stuff but the people and experiences we are about to be blessed with. But there will be stuff, it comes with the season so let’s do our best to lessen the impact our presence on this planet has in whatever way we can. We will be happy to see you up at the depot and thank you so much for your patronage in 2016. Happy holidays and all the best in 2017.