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- Notes
From The Depot
- Triple "R" Ideas
Opened in 1978, The Hornby Island Recycling Depot has been recycling
for over 40 years. We recycle and
reuse more than 70% of our waste stream.
Free Store Hours
10 am - 12 pm
Drywall Regulations
All builders, contractors and home-owners should be aware that there are new regulations regarding waste drywall. Specifically, the Comox Valley Regional District now requires a "Waste Disposal Application" for any drywall brought to the Recycling Depot. This short application form is necessary to ensure that the drywall does not contain any carcinogenic asbestos. Some older drywall may contain asbestos, which needs to be disposed of in a safe manner.
Please call ahead when planning deposit drywall and ensure that our drywall bin is on the island. As well please ensure that you have your waste disposal application filled out “before” you arrive at the recycling depot.Please download and fill in the form for ANY drywall brought to the Depot for disposal.
The collective agreement between HIRRA and the Recycling Depot Staff can be viewed here.
http://hirra.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Collective-agreement-Signed-LOCAL_556_JAN-2020-DEC-2022.pdf
On September 8th 2018 we held a little party to celebrate 40 years of recyling on Hornby Island. Many joined us while doin thier recycling. .....There art, fasion, music and cake.
Now Recycling Flexible Plastic Packaging
Click here for more information
The Free Store/Recycling Depot Solar Project
HIRRA was pleased to collaborate with the Hornby Island Community Economic Enhancement Corporation (HICEEC) in 2016 to apply for and receive a grant from the Comox Valley Regional District’s Community Works Funding (Gas Tax) for a demonstration grid-tied solar panel project.
A total of 35 solar panels were installed on the Free Store’s south-facing roof by GabEnergy a non-profit group based on Gabriola Island. The Recycling Committee also organized some educational presentations on solar installation. An educational sign, painted by an island artist, was installed at the Free Store so visitors can learn more about the project and see how the panels are performing on a weekly basis.
Track our Solar Panels
To check how the solar panels installed at the Depot are performing in real-time, visit the Enphase Energy tracking website.
Latest Recycling Info
The Hornby Island Depot Brochure contains up-to-date info to help you with all your recycling needs.
Hornby Island's New Free Store Opens Its Doors
Hornby Islanders celebrated a resurrection they can call their own, and fittingly, it happened on Easter Sunday, 2015.
Half a year after the original structure’s demolition, The Hornby Island Free Store re-opened.
In 2001 the Hornby Island Recycling program was presented with a merit award from the Recycling
Council of B.C. "for outstanding commitment to
waste reduction in B.C.". The award, a plaque
made of recycled glass, is on display at the depot.
The recycling program is directed by the Hornby Island Recycling Committee, under the umbrella of the Hornby Island Residents' & Ratepayers' Association, HIRRA. Comox Valley Regional District allocates funds raised through local property taxation, and, through management contracts with HIRRA, supports the Hornby community in its recycling and reuse initiatives.

Depot Hours |
9am - 1pm |
Friday - Sunday |
July & August: |

Hornby Island Recycling Program Vison and Mission Statement
Vision Statement - why are we here?, what is our future?
Recycling is an excellent way of saving energy and conserving the environment.
The Hornby Island Recycling Program exists to responsibly collect and divert waste while promoting the concept of zero waste.
The Mission of the Hornby Island Recycling Program is:
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To transfer "absolute" garbage and recyclables to the appropriate off-island facilities until our goal of zero waste is achieved.
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To maintain and operate a waste diversion and recycling facility, including a "Free Store", for the benefit of island residents, visitors, local businesses and the environment.
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To manage the diversion, recycling and reuse of the island's waste in a way that is consistent with, or superior to, applicable government regulations, including environmental, health and safety.
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To operate the Hornby Island Recycling Depot in a fiscally responsible manner where cost effectiveness is based on a full accounting of costs and benefits, both monetary and non-monetary.
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To encourage and support a positive, respectful and safe environment at the Recycling Depot for all users, employees, and volunteers.
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To ensure ongoing public consultation and communication among all residents and business operators, members of Hornby Island Residents' and Ratepayers' Association and the Comox Valley Regional District.
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To promote community education and support for continued waste reduction, reuse and recycling toward the goal of zero waste.
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To measure progress toward the goal of zero waste, and revise practices accordingly.
Revised - Nov.2015
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RECYCLING COMMITTEE 2022 Jan Kennedy (Chair) Ilze Raudzins Alsoon Brine Kathi Sauve |
HIRRA EXECUTIVE 2022 President: Daniel Siegel First Vice President:Kent LukinukSecond Vice President : Patrick Lui Treasurer: Lynn Nunley Secretary: Allie Quelch |
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HISTORY
2021 Recycling versus Waste Graphs

2010 - 2021 Waste and Diversion Graphs







Ancient Hornby Island Recycling History
In the late seventies as our population began to expand, the limits of a small island forced us to realize that there was no such place as 'away' when it came to garbage. This realization was a major impetus to the community to become one of the earliest pioneers in today's recycling movement.
One of those pioneers was Kathi Linnman. She explains that in 1978 she was hired by the Hornby Island Ratepayers Association to set up and run a Recycling Depot.
" The motivation for the island to try recycling was economic and I applied for the job for economical reasons too. I didn't want to see all that useful 'stuff' shipped off the island and become inaccessible. Where would we go to find a tail light for our vehicle or a damper for the stove, or a curtain rod , or ? There was little space at the Co-op for hardware, trips to town were infrequent and if your neighbour didn't have what you needed, there was always 'the dump', a great resource for all kinds of things. Here was a chance to organize other people's garbage into something useful to someone else and to keep our stuff out of someone else's landfill..."
Within a few weeks the old landfill site boasted glass and metal collection areas plus a shed for the ever-popular Free Store. A burner was added which has since been retired in favor of cleaner air, and paper recycling. We have grown into a thriving enterprise, gone through many adjustments and changes, including the addition of a composter to handle the large volume of organics we receive in the summer from our campgrounds and restaurants which cater to a thriving tourist industry.
Hornby Islanders should be proud of their achievements. Since opening the Recycling Depot in 1978, Hornby Island has played a leadership role in implementing reduction, reuse, and recycling services and community education programs in its community. Hornby Island residents now generate less than half a kilogram of garbage per person per day, much lower than the provincial average.
The Hornby Island Recycling Centre has generously shared its experience with communities and non-profits throughout BC and as far away as Ireland and Australia. The Centre's success points to the strength of volunteerism and community spirit that define not-for-profit organizations.
Today at least, the rest of the Province seems to be catching up with us, in declaring that it is no longer acceptable for Canada to produce more garbage per capita than any other country except the USA Communities that today are trying to set up systems such as ours have an uphill battle to wean people away from the ease of curbside pick-ups and throw away mentality. We can be grateful to those Islanders twenty-five years ago, who decided to do it the ' Hornby Way'. Thanks to all of them, and to all the people in the community who have been part of the struggle. Mother Earth is watching us, and we hope she approves.
Recycling
History 1977-78
From the minutes of HIRRA meetings:
May 11, 1977
“A letter from lands branch
disallowing the area in Sec. 2
for a garbage dump was received. They stated an alternative in Sec 11
was under
consideration and would advise at later date.
A discussion as to remove the garbage
or start a new site
was voiced. A report that the work party made an excellent improvement
at the
old site and if it could be maintained properly was still the best
area.”
May 10, 1978
21 members present
“Dave Gerow reported on the garbage dump. It has been decided to ask Ray Ecstrom to push it in more often this year. Gabriel said the fire Dept would see that it got burned over each time. Steve Lones offered to go on the dump Committee with Dave Gerow. Discussion on an area near the dump for dead cars.”
18 members present
“Dave Gerow reported on the work done
by the Garbage
Recycling Committee. He gave a resume of plan set up by a former
Committee and
carried on by present Committee of Dave Gerow, Jim Thornsbury, John
Chitty and
Steve Lones. He outlined the 2 phases of the plan—
Short term: Beginning with a work
party on July 30.
Volunteers to construct sorting area, bins, and a temporary shelter,
install a
furnace type incinerator that is being donated.
They have plans for an education
program, to get the
cooperation of all the users of the dump in sorting their garbage and
thus
allow an orderly and successful recycling program. A recycling
Coordinator is
to be hired.
The longer term phase included
capital investments, more
permanent buildings and larger incinerator, shredders, etc.
Moved by Doris that we accept in
principle the work done by
Garbage Recycling Committee and proceed as outlined. Also that the
executive
approach the Pollution Control Board and Regional Board for funding.
Seconded
by Carol Martin. Carried unanimously.”
(Same year
Big Tribune
Park established!)
August 9, 1978
18 members present
“Kathi Linman has been hired as
garbage dump custodian.
Directions for use of the dump in future were passed out. Dick Martin
reported
that the pollution Control branch would match money raised locally
through
taxation, after the operation has been put into practice and running
successfully.”
September 13, 1978
5 members present (plus 5 non-members)
John Chitty reported on the Dump
Committee. Kathi asked for
a meeting with the committee on Friday at noon. At this time another
work party
will be set up to complete the work needed for the sorted garbage.
Kathi reported that people are sorting their garbage quite well. The committee reported that they have spent $1,300on the enterprise plus Kathi’s salary.”
“Kathi Linman, Recycling Coordinator,
gave a report on the
project. They have sent out one truck load to the recycling depot in
Vancouver,
from which they received enough money to pay expenses of hauling.
Another load
will soon be ready.
There [are] enough funds to carry on
the project until May
only.
Mr. Mac Salterman of Regional Board
was present at the
meeting and spoke on the projected budget for the Hornby Island
Recycling
project. He asked if we were willing to have an increase of 2 Mills on
our
taxes, as indicated to be necessary for the projected budget. John
Chitty,
Chairman of the Recycling Committee, explained how the funds are being
used and
how they plan to make it work, with no increase in the mill rate.”
April 11, 1979
“Recycling committee report presented
by John Chitty
described funding and assessment of operations. 1979 operating budget
is
$6,870. 1978 expenses totaled $5,416. Income from 1979 taxes $6,522 and
Pollution Control Grant ($3,100) leaves a net present deficit of
$2,664. Part 2
of grant is applying for additional $4,200. In addition Hornby can be
relieved
of $3,872 Pidgeon Lake assessment if Recycling succeeds.
Assessment shows main problem to be
lack of public
information and cooperation. Various possible solutions to specific
problems
were described.”
(Kathi Linman retired as coordinator.)
The Executives described a proposal made to them by the Regional District administrator that the Ratepayers enter into a contract for the delivery of Recycling and Fire protection services. Recommended by Bob Phillips that this be postponed for further study. Tabling motion carried.”
Thanks to Bob Cain for
letting us use some pictures from his archive.Bob Cain has been
documenting thet Hornby Island Recycling Depot
since its incarnation. Here are many more pictures of our little
recycling depot..
You make choices when you shop.
Consider the environmental effects of a product BEFORE you purchase it.
Here are some precycling suggestions:
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Buy items that can be reused rather than thrown away.
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Avoid disposals such as diapers. razors, lighters and pens, plastic foodware, paper plates, throwaway batteries. Each of these has a reusable alternative.
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Choose the least packaged item or buy in bulk.
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Buy milk, juice and beer in bottles.
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Tell your store manager when you see excessive packaging. Encourage local businesses to use and sell recycled content products.
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Bring your own grocery bag or box.
Buying recycled is the third step in the recycling loop -- without it, you're not really recycling.
Please do your part to increase market demand for recycled products by purchasing items which have recycled packaging or contents. This way companies will be encouraged to expand their usage of recycled components in manufactured goods.
If you're not buying recycled, you're not really recycling!
A thriving and very active component of the Hornby Island RecycleDepot is our FREE STORE.
books and magazines furniture kitchen equipment toys gardening tools sewing patterns the list is endless!
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HORNBY ISLAND SOLAR DEMONSTRATION PROJECT ~ 2016
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In June (2016), a 28 panel solar array was installed on the south-facing (back) roof of our Free Store. Another 7 panels will be installed in February (2017), bringing the array up to 35 panels.
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To date, the solar panel array of 28 panels has produced almost 4 mega watt hours of electricity since the June installation. The solar installation in fact, supplies all the electricity needed for the Depot from June through November.
HOW and WHY:
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Under their Transportation and Energy initiative, mandated by the Hornby Vision Process, HICEEC is working to move Hornby to a post-carbon economy. The steering group wanted to implement a concrete project in year 1 that set a new tone for how we think about a post-carbon infrastructure, while building local knowledge, resilience, and economic benefits.
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As an example: According to MIT Technology Review, Germany, the 4th largest economy in the world, is now the world’s largest solar market. The latitude of Germany is between 48 degrees and 54 degrees. The latitude of Vancouver Island is between 48 degrees and 51 degrees. In 2015, renewables accounted for 1/3 of the electricity consumed in Germany. Germany’s carbon emissions in 2014 were 27% lower than 1990 levels.
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HICEEC / HIRRA applied to the Comox Valley Regional District for Community Works / Gas Tax funding for the project. A feasibility study and system design was completed by Ian Emberton, a local electrician. The project was then approved by the CVRD board in November 2015.
HICEEC AND HIRRA looked at several different commercial buildings on Hornby for the solar demonstration project and selected the Free Store roof as the best location.
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The purpose of this solar demonstration project is to educate residents about the performance and financial cost/reward of a publicly visible solar project on Hornby. This Project is expected to reduce the Recycling Depot’s energy bill by at least half over the 30 year demonstration timeline.
A further goal of the Solar Project is to educate homeowners about opportunities for local energy production.
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Under the agreement, HIRRA owns, and insures, the solar panels and components, which are installed on the CVRD-owned building. The solar panels cover almost the entire south-facing roof, and will produce about 7200 kwh per year; known as a 7kw system.
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Stan Combs produced a spreadsheet for looking at the financial efficiency of the proposed system. He used conservative production and financial projections. This model is available and can be used for research into other public or private solar projects on the island.
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The cost of the Project was $32,000. This cost included the HICEEC Feasibility Study and an informational sign which will be installed up at the Recycling Depot.
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Tenders were requested for the installation of the solar panels, and of the 4 companies that applied, GabEnergy, a non-profit society located on Gabriola Island was chosen. GabEnergy has done about 100 installations on the Gulf Islands, is a non-profit company, and is passionate about sharing what they have learned as well as involving and training local people. They use very good quality materials and their price was exceedingly competitive.
Our Solar System consisting of 35 solar panels, each with it’s own micro-inverter is “grid-tied”, which means that it feeds directly into the BC Hydro grid and does not require any batteries for storage.
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The Warranty, which is third-party insured, is for 25 years. The Silicon cells used were made in Germany and assembled in Canada.
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As a part of the Project, Dave Neads of GabEnergy, taught a one-day Solar Workshop about how to ascertain if your home would be a good candidate for solar panel installation. The workshop was advertised on Hornby for the reasonable cost of $25, and was attended by 10 Hornby residents.
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Dave Neads put together a great little booklet, “BASIC SOLAR”, which is open-source and can easily be photocopied for anyone that is interested.
He makes the point that the Micro Inverters are “really the heart of the revolution in solar design. They transform the DC power coming from the module into AC power that is needed in the home. ……they do it in such a way that it is fully compatible with the BC Hydro grid. ……..they allow an array that is much more tolerant of shading”, as each module, with it’s own micro inverter, functions independently, in the array.
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Dave also set up a website which you can use to follow the real-time energy production of our system. At enlighten.enphaseenergy.com you will see there the amount of energy being created, and used, as you watch.
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Now, I would like to invite each of you to consider “Conservation of Energy” as this can be seen as our FIRST SOURCE of renewal energy. Reducing your use of electricity can be very helpful before you purchase and set up a solar array for your home.
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In 2014, BC Government and BC Hydro announced a 28 per cent electricity rate hike to take place over five years, beginning with a nine per cent jump in 2014. After this set of increases is completed in 2019, there will be another announcement as to whether more increases will be put in place.
Looking closely at our own use of energy has the immediate benefit of reducing your BC Hydro bill – very lucrative as the Hydro rates are continuing to rise.
I decided last November to do this for our home in Sandpiper. We used a very good book that I found in our local library. “THE HOME ENERGY DIET”, by Paul Scheckel, is available at our Library, and is a very user-friendly guide to how to save money by making your home Energy Smart. It is very comprehensive and easy to use.
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We checked for doors and windows for heat loss and replaced or installed weather stripping.
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We flushed our Hot Water tank and played with the setting till we had the lowest setting that could work for us.
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We replaced all our light bulbs with LED bulbs (soft/warm option) meaning we now use about 1/6th of the energy we were using for light!
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We discussed where we might conveniently locate a clothes drying rack. We found a perfect spot in the landing at the top of the stairs, that we BOTH like to use. A dryer load of laundry takes only about 3 hours to dry, FOR FREE!
It was fun, it feels good, we pay less to BC Hydro, and if we decide to install solar panels, we know we have brought our consumption down and will need fewer panels (less cost!) to meet our electricity needs.
Some other excellent resources are:
“CATCHING THE SUN” is a 2015 documentary, available on Netflix, takes a diverse look at the transition to solar power. It speaks directly to the false idea that clean energy, such as solar or wind, requires sacrificing economic prosperity.
“THE LEAP” by Chris Turner, available at our Library, is well-written, well-researched, interesting and informative about the emerging world of cleantech possibility. Definitely a “Good News” book!
2017 New Horizon’s Literary Lunch Talk about the HI Solar Demonstration Project:
Take-aways:
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“BASIC SOLAR – DESIGN AND INSTALL YOUR OWN SOLAR ARRAY” booklet , by Dave Neads, of GabEnergy, Gabriola, BC. This Booklet is open-source and can be photocopied.
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To follow the real-time energy production of the solar array on the HI Free Store roof, go to enlighten.enphaseenergy.com. You will see there the amount of energy being created, and used, as you watch.
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“CATCHING THE SUN” is a 2015 documentary, available on Netflix, takes a diverse look at the transition to solar power. It speaks directly to the false idea that clean energy, such as solar or wind, requires sacrificing economic prosperity.
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“THE HOME ENERGY DIET”, by Paul Scheckel, is available at our Library, and is a very user-friendly guide to how to save money by making your home Energy Smart. It is very comprehensive and easy to use.
-
“THE LEAP” by Chris Turner, is available at our Library, well-written, well-researched, interesting and informative about the emerging world of cleantech possibility. A “Good News” book!
2017 New Horizon’s Literary Lunch Talk about the HI Solar Demonstration Project:
Take-aways:
-
“BASIC SOLAR – DESIGN AND INSTALL YOUR OWN SOLAR ARRAY” booklet , by Dave Neads, of GabEnergy, Gabriola, BC. This Booklet is open-source and can be photocopied.
-
To follow the real-time energy production of the solar array on the HI Free Store roof, go to enlighten.enphaseenergy.com. You will see there the amount of energy being created, and used, as you watch.
-
“CATCHING THE SUN” is a 2015 documentary, available on Netflix, takes a diverse look at the transition to solar power. It speaks directly to the false idea that clean energy, such as solar or wind, requires sacrificing economic prosperity.
-
“THE HOME ENERGY DIET”, by Paul Scheckel, is available at
our Library, and is a very user-friendly guide to how to save money by making your home Energy Smart. It is very comprehensive and easy to use.
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“THE LEAP” by Chris Turner, is available at our Library, well-written, well-researched, interesting and informative about the emerging world of cleantech possibility. A “Good News” book!
LINKS
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THE COAST WASTE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
The Hornby Island Recycling Depot is a member of The Coast Waste Management Association (CWMA), a nonprofit organization formed to represent the waste management interests of government, non-profits, and businesses on Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast and Central Coast of BC
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HIRRA (Hornby Island Residence ane Ratepayers Association)
HIRRA, along with our local Island Trustees, represents the interests of islanders with respect to local and regional issues. HIRRA is one of the principal service providers on our island, and has contracts with the Regional District of Comox-Strathcona for the provision of regional district services on Hornby Island.
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CVRD Depots (Comox Strathcona Waste Management Recycling Depots)
- Short Film about our Recyling Depoty and Free Store by the CVRD"
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Short Film about our Recyling Depoty and Free Store by "Real Things"
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Bob Cain's Recycling Photos
Bob Cain has been documenting thet Hornby Island Recycling Depot since its incarnation. Here are many more pictures of our little recycling depot.
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More information and pictures of our beautiful island off the coast of British Columbia.
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RECYCLING COUNCIL OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (RCBC) Canada’s oldest recycling council. Founded in 1974 and registered provincially and federally as a non-profit organization. Starting out as an umbrella group for community based non-profit recycling societies, today the RCBC's 300 members include governments, businesses, non-profit societies, and interested individuals from all parts of British Columbia -- and beyond.
Thier mission is to be a non-profit organization that brings everyone together to work for environmental sustainability. They advocate waste avoidance and resource conservation through education and information services, and through participation in policy development.
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An online environmental community with a wealth of contacts and information for the environmentally aware. Connected to this site is ENVIROARTS, a site featuring essays, poetry, interviews, and portfolios gleaned largely from the pages of the award-winning magazines.
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A community based program in Boulder Colorado, Eco-Cycle is one of the oldest and is the largest of nonprofit community recyclers in the US Founded in 1976, Eco-Cycle continues to promote a strong conservation ethic.
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Sponsored by The Environmental Defense Fund , this rebuttal to the New York Times article, "Recycling is Garbage" is an excellent read.
For further information
Contact Recycling Program Manager
Stani Veselinovic
EMAIL: recycling@hirra.ca
Phone: 250 335-0550
Summer notes from
the depot………..
As we have sprung into
summer and the mask mandated being removed, our Free Store has reopened with
new opening hours. You can now visit the Free Store Thursday – Sunday form 10 am-
12 pm. All donations are now collected on the east side of the Free Store at
the large garage doors from 10 am – 12 noon.
Please ensure that all
Free Store donations are clean and in good working order. All clothing needs to
be laundered with no rips or stains. Books need to dry, and no mold should be
present. Please do not leave donations outside the Free Store when the Free
Store is closed.
Be aware that if
masking is reintroduced as a mandate, we may have to close our Free Store.
The recycling Depot
Ours are Thursdays – Sunday from 9am till 1pm until Labour Day. The we will be
switching back to Fridays – Sundays. Please note that we will be closed on all
statutory holidays such as Canada Day on July first and the August Civic
holiday on Monday August first.
Note that we are now collecting
Milk Beverages as “refundables”. This
applies to all "ready-to-drink" milk and plant-based beverage
containers of assorted sizes, purchased on or after February 1, 2022.
Containers that are NOT included in the program are those not meant primarily
as “ready-to-drink”, such as infant formula, meal replacement or dietary
supplements, coffee cream and other coffee additives, whipping cream,
buttermilk, drinkable yogurt, and kefir.
HIRRA’s new insurance
policy requires the recycling depot to accept more responsibility around
liability and you will notice a number of changes in how we now address
scavenging.
Early in May we
re-negotiated our collective agreement with CUPE who has been representing our
staff since 2019. The HIRRA member ship voted on the agreement at the May
meeting in favour, in time for our budgeting in September.
Also please note that glass outside the
provincial recycling program must be deposited as waste and can no longer be
added to the old glass pile. At the moment the pile has reached its maximum and
we can no longer add to it. If you are interested in taking away some of our
glass for one of your own projects, please talk to us.
A reminder when planning to drop of drywall
to call ahead to ensure our drywall bin is on the island and that there is room
for what you want to drop. As well make sure you have filled out the required
paperwork available at http://hirra.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Dry-Wall-Waste-Disposal-Application-March-2017.pdf
Finally we want to take the opportunity to
thank all those volunteers who have working hard in the free store sorting
donations and stocking the shelves, our dedicated staff, our volunteer
recycling committee and the HIRRA executive and staff for all doing their part
to help our recycling depot operate.
…...See you up on depot hill
Notes from the
depot.for December 2021 and January 2022
Greetings from Depot
Hill. As we are writing this month’s missive to our patrons, we would like to
take the opportunity to wish everyone many happy holidays this festive season.
With pandemic
protocols still with us and the current natural disasters in BC forcing us to
suspend the collection of foam and glass we are working hard to continue to
service this small community as best we can. At this time we do not know how
long the glass and foam suspension will continue and are asking our patrons to
stockpile these materials at home until collection can resume. We will
communicate any changes and updates about our service capacity via social
media, our web page, our island’s radio station CHFR at 96.5 and the “Tribune”
our local weekly publications.
We would like to
remind everyone that we will be closed Christmas Day December 25th and Boxing
Day December 26th as well as New Year’s Day January 1st
2022.
Our Free Store’s
opening hours are Friday – Sunday from 9am till 1pm and is also closed on all
statutory holidays. Donations are accepted in the shipping container by the
main entrance. Please only send items that are clean and in good working
condition. Books also should be placed in the container and not in the library.
Vince Van Tongeren the
CVRD’s Environmental Analyst has prepared a staff report around the idea of a
Composting Toilet Residuals Processing facility at the Recycling Depot. He will
share this staff report with our community at the HIRRA meeting in February and
we encourage all interested parties to attend this meeting to find out more
about Composting Toilet Residuals Processing on Hornby Island.
We have been
collecting and stockpiling window glass for many years now in order to find way
to recycle this waste product. We have not been able to find a viable solution
and are finding ourselves in a position to likely having to landfill our large
glass pile. We also are contemplating to restrict the collection of glass as a
recyclable product and start sending this material to landfill. We would
continue to accept intact glass panes from windows for reuse but would have to
landfill all other glass that is not part of the provincial packaging program.
We are looking for other solutions and would welcome any thoughts on how to
make use of the broken glass we receive other than landfilling it.
A reminder that the
tire stewardship will pay for heaving old tires that patrons to the Recycling
Depot dropped off, picked up for free, the tire stewardship does not cover the
cost for de-rimming the tires from the rim. The Recycling Depot is charged $5
per rimmed tire, and we will have to pass this cost onto our patrons.
Remember to call ahead
when planning deposit drywall to ensure that our drywall bin is on the island
and that there is room in the bin for your drywall before you come to the
depot. Ensure that you have your waste disposal application printed and filled
out before you arrive at the recycling depot. The waste disposal application
can be downloaded and printed at
http://hirra.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Dry-Wall-Waste-Disposal-Application-March-2017.pdf
Note again that we no
longer are able to stockpile concrete rubble and need to ship that material as
construction waste of island. Again we will need to pass this cost onto the
customers who need to drop off concrete rubble.
November Notes from the Depot……….
The
October rains helped slow down business at the Hornby Island Recycling
Depot. However our Free Store has been extremely popular and busy. Even
our enforced masking protocol does not seem to keep patrons away. The
Free Store is happening. So much so that we are dire need of volunteers
to sort the donations that keep pouring in.
We would like to take
the opportunity to thank all those patrons who attended HIRRA zoom
meeting this October and supported our 2022 budget.
In the
RecycleBC stream alone, this is most of your packaging made from paper,
cardboard, plastics, tin, and glass, we have hade an increase of 30 %
from the previous year. This impacts our staffing requirements for 2022
and we need to budget more personnel to process all these materials.
Covid-19
directive from WorkSafeBC requires us to enforces mask wearing
protocols in all of our indoor facilities. This includes our beloved
Free Store and puts the Hornby Island Recycling Depot in a very
difficult position. We now require budgeting for staff to monitor and
enforce mask wearing. Without our staff monitoring for compliance, the
Free Store would likely have to close.
This has impacted our 2022
wages and benefits requirements considerably and we are investigating
suggestions made at the last HIRRA meeting, such as an increase in
tipping fees as well as reducing Free Store opening hours to help
reduce the tax burden.
Last month we were working together with
Rob Zielinski and the Walmsley Brothers on a marine debris clean-up
initiative. They delivered 2842kg (one full 40-yard bin) of marine
debris to us, which we were able to send off to land fill free of
charge.
We are also working together with the volunteer fire
department in a branch chipping fuel reduction and compost program.
Over 40 yards of Hornby Island brush chips were integrated into our
compost and will be available when ready for free to our island’s
residents.
Another reminder that the tire stewardship will pay for
heaving old tires that patrons to the Recycling Depot dropped off,
picked up for free, the tire stewardship does not cover the cost for
de-rimming the tires from the rim. The Recycling Depot is charged $5
per rimmed tire, and we will have to pass this cost onto our patrons.
Please
call ahead when planning deposit drywall to ensure that our drywall bin
is on the island and that there is room in the bin for your drywall
before you come to the depot. Ensure that you have your waste disposal
application printed and filled out before you arrive at the recycling
depot. The waste disposal application can be downloaded and printed at
http://hirra.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Dry-Wall-Waste-Disposal-Application-March-2017.pdf
Also
be reminded again that we no longer are able to stockpile concrete
rubble and need to ship that material as construction waste of island.
Again we will need to pass this cost onto the customers who need to
drop off concrete rubble.
Please note that the CVRD’s Weed
Control Regulation Bylaw which includes Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum
Salicaria), Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum), Yellow Flag Iris
(Iris pseudacorus), Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea biersteinii), English
Ivy (Hedera helix), Giant Cow Parsnip (Hogweed) Heracleum
mantegazzianum), Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius), Gorse (Ulex
europaeus), Dalmatian Toadflax (Linaria dalmatica), Himalayan
Blackberry (Rubus discolor), and English Holly (Ilex aquifolium), and
we no longer accept these plants in our compost and they must be
disposed of in our waste stream.
A final note that household
hazardous waste like motor oil, paint, batteries, light bulbs etc. can
be only brought to our Product Care Building on Fridays from 9 am till
1 pm only.
Again we want to thank the Recycling Committee and
HIRRA administration for their ongoing work and support, and a big
thank you to our Free Store volunteer for their hard work and
dedication.
…..….See you up on depot hill.
Notes from the
Depot October 2021……….
Although we are moving
into fall, we are still extremely busy here at the Hornby Island Recycling
Depot. Our shoulder season is keeping us busy and the recycling and waste materials
flowing.
As we are writing this
fall article for the first edition, we are also very busy crafting our 2022
budget for the HIRRA executive and assembly. We are noticing a steady increase in the
materials we process. In the RecycleBC stream alone, this is most of your
packaging made from paper, cardboard, plastics, tin, and glass, we have hade an
increase of %30 from the previous year.
This will impact our wage requirements in 2021 as we need to budget more
personal to process more of these materials.
We reopened our Free
Store in September adhering to the provinces directive to require everyone to
wear masks in the Free Store. This of course requires more labour than
anticipated in form of a “Free Store Greeter” who ensures that the provinces
mask wearing protocol is followed. Unfortunately this as well has a negative
impact on our wages budget as we did not budget for a person to be employed in
this capacity. In order to continue to keep the free store open to the public
in 2022 we have budgeted for additional labour to perform the function as free
store greeter in 2022.
If you want, take the
opportunity to have a look at the Hornby Island Recycling Depots 2022 budget on
the HIRRA website at www.hirra.ca before HIRRA’s budget meeting this month and
take part in HIRRA’s ZOOM meeting when this budget will be voted on.
Please note that as
always, we are in need of Free Store Volunteers. If you have time and want to
be part of an active volunteer body, please consider joining our team of Free
Store Volunteers any Thursday through Sunday to sort and shelve all the
fabulous Free Store donations that are donated.
Another reminder that
the tire stewardship will pay for heaving old tires that patrons to the
Recycling Depot dropped off, picked up for free, the tire stewardship does not
cover the cost for de-rimming the tires from the rim. The Recycling Depot is
charged $5 per rimmed tire, and we will have to pass this cost onto our
patrons.
Also be reminded that
we no longer are able to stockpile concrete rubble and need to ship that
material as construction waste of island. Again we will need to pass this cost
onto the customers who need to drop off concrete rubble.
Please call ahead when
planning deposit drywall to ensure that our drywall bin is on the island and
that there is room in the bin for your drywall before you come to the depot. Ensure
that you have your waste disposal application printed and filled out before you
arrive at the recycling depot. The waste disposal application can be downloaded
and printed at http://hirra.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Dry-Wall-Waste-Disposal-Application-March-2017.pdf
Please note that the
CVRD’s Weed Control Regulation Bylaw which includes Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum
Salicaria), Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum), Yellow Flag Iris (Iris
pseudacorus), Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea biersteinii), English Ivy (Hedera
helix), Giant Cow Parsnip (Hogweed) Heracleum mantegazzianum), Scotch Broom
(Cytisus scoparius), Gorse (Ulex europaeus), Dalmatian Toadflax (Linaria dalmatica),
Himalayan Blackberry (Rubus discolor), and English Holly (Ilex aquifolium), and
we no longer accept these plants in our compost and they must be disposed of in
our waste stream.
A final note that
household hazardous waste like motor oil, paint, batteries, light bulbs etc.
can be only brought to our Product Care Building on Fridays from 9 am till 1 pm
only.
And as always, we want
to thank the Recycling Committee and HIRRA administration for their ongoing
work and support, and a big thank you to our Free Store volunteer for their
hard work and dedication.
…..….See you up on depot hill.
Notes from the Depot September 2021
As you may have heard
from many other sources, the summer of 2021 has been an extremely busy summer
at the recycling depot. We were shipping two 40’ roll-of containers of
recyclables weekly. Along with a cube van full of refundable every week. This of
course over and above the two to four 40’ roll-of waste bins we ship weekly.
Over and all an extremely busy summer. Please note that after Labour Day we will be open
Fridays through Sundays from 9 am
till 1pm and we will be closed Labour Day.
In July we were able
to reduce our covid restrictions and removed our physical distancing protocols
but leaving the mask wearing protocols in place to minimize the spread of covid
-19. This practice enabled patrons to do their recycling and waste disposal
without the lineups that we were experiencing before July.
We also opened our
Free Store to the public for four days a week in July and August much to the
delight of the many tourists who visited our island. Many times when we had
over twenty cars parked at the Free Store, we only had half a dozen visiting
the recycling building. The Free Store is likely the most visited attraction on
this island. Besides the beaches of course.
A reminder that the
tire stewardship will pay for heaving old tires that patrons to the Recycling
Depot dropped off, picked up for free, the tire stewardship does not cover the
cost for de-rimming the tires from the rim. The Recycling Depot is charged $5
per rimmed tire, and we will have to pass this cost onto our patrons.
We are also no longer
able to stockpile concrete rubble and need to ship that material as
construction waste of island. Again we will need to pass this cost onto the
customers who need to drop off concrete rubble.
We would like to
remind everyone again to please call ahead when planning deposit drywall to
ensure that our drywall bin is on the island and that there is room in the bin
for your drywall before you come to the depot. As well please ensure that you
have your waste disposal application out before you arrive at the recycling
depot. The waste disposal application can be downloaded and printed at
http://hirra.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Dry-Wall-Waste-Disposal-Application-March-2017.pdf
The CVRD’s Weed
Control Regulation Bylaw which includes Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum Salicaria),
Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum), Yellow Flag Iris (Iris pseudacorus),
Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea biersteinii), English Ivy (Hedera helix), Giant Cow
Parsnip (Hogweed) Heracleum mantegazzianum), Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius),
Gorse (Ulex europaeus), Dalmatian Toadflax (Linaria dalmatica), Himalayan
Blackberry (Rubus discolor), and English Holly (Ilex aquifolium), and we no
longer accept these plants in our compost and they must be disposed of in our
waste stream.
A note that household
hazardous waste like motor oil, paint, batteries, light bulbs etc. can be
brought to our Product Care Building on Fridays from 9 am till 1 pm only.
And as always, we want
to thank the Recycling Committee and HIRRA administration for their ongoing
work and support, thank you to our Free Store volunteer for their hard work and
dedication, and thank-you to the committed volunteers who keep the gardens
looking so good. …..….See you up on depot hill.
Notes from the depot
for July & August 2021
The good weather is
here and we’re in full waste diversion mode, ready for the Summer of 2021. Here are some notes for our visitors to the
Hornby Island Recycling Depot. We are now open Thursdays through Sundays from 9
am till 1pm through-out the months of July and August. Note that we will be
closed all Statutory Holidays including Canada Day, BC Day, and Labour Day.
The Recycling Depot
continues to operate with Covid-19 protocols in place. We thank-you for your
continued patience and for wearing a mask when you are inside any of our
buildings. If anyone hasn't been to the Depot recently, we will be happy to
clarify the Covid protocols.
We are now collecting
tipping fees at point of entry of the recycling depot. To make payment more
convenient we are selling waste tickets in books of ten that can be purchased
at our cashier kiosk. These tickets cost $2.00 each and can be exchanged for
waste disposal at the depot at the rate one ticket per small garbage bag, two
tickets per medium garbage bag, and three tickets per large garbage bags. You
can also pay for your garbage using your debit or credit card. To date we are
still following the directive to restrict cash transactions.
Please note that
although the tire stewardship will pay for heaving old tires that patrons to
the Recycling Depot dropped off, picked up for free, the tire stewardship does
not cover the cost for de-rimming the tires from the rim. The Recycling Depot
is charged $5 per rimmed tire, and we will have to, from now on, pass this cost
onto our patrons.
We are also no longer
able to stockpile concrete rubble and need to ship that material as
construction waste of island. Again we will need to pass this cost onto the
customers who need to drop off concrete rubble.
We would like to
remind everyone again to please call ahead when planning deposit drywall to
ensure that our drywall bin is on the island and that there is room in the bin
for your drywall before you come to the depot. As well please ensure
that you have your waste disposal application out before you arrive at
the recycling depot. The waste disposal application can be downloaded and
printed at http://hirra.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Dry-Wall-Waste-Disposal-Application-March-2017.pdf
Due to the CVRD’s Weed
Control Regulation Bylaw which includes Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum Salicaria),
Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum), Yellow Flag Iris (Iris pseudacorus), Spotted
Knapweed (Centaurea biersteinii), English Ivy (Hedera helix), Giant Cow Parsnip
(Hogweed) Heracleum mantegazzianum), Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius), Gorse
(Ulex europaeus), Dalmatian Toadflax (Linaria dalmatica), Himalayan Blackberry
(Rubus discolor), and English
Holly (Ilex aquifolium), we no longer accept these plants in our compost and
they must be disposed of in our waste stream.
A note that household
hazardous waste like motor oil, paint, batteries, light bulbs etc. can be
brought to our Product Care Building on Fridays from 9 am till 1 pm only.
We will be making a
decision around the possibility to re-opening our Free Store once the province
has release it’s Covid-19 update in early July. Stay tuned for more information
as it develops.
And as always, we want
to thank the Recycling Committee and HIRRA administration for their ongoing
work and support, thank you to our Free Store volunteer
for their hard work and dedication, and thank-you to the committed volunteers who keep the gardens looking so
good. …..….See you up on depot hill.
Notes from the depot for June 2021
All of us at the Depot were saddened to learn of Ruth Fortune's passing. Ruth was a longtime volunteer and will be greatly missed by all of us. We wish her loved ones all the best, and would like them to know how much her years of service have been appreciated.
The Free-Store is still operating with reduced hours, and is open Thursdays from 9-1. Please ensure that any clothing you bring has been laundered, and that household items are in good condition. Our hardworking volunteers are keeping up with the donations, and doing your part will only make their work easier. Thank-you in advance for your cooperation.
The Recycling Depot continues to operate with Covid-19 protocols in place. We thank-you for your continued patience and for wearing a mask when you are inside any of the buildings. If anyone hasn't been to the Depot recently, we will be happy to clarify the Covid protocols.
If you haven't taken a stroll through the garden this spring, you will be delighted when you do. Besides the beautiful plants, you will also find artworks by Tom Knott and Ted Gooden.
We would like to remind everyone again to please call ahead when planning deposit drywall to ensure that our drywall bin is on the island and that there is room in the bin for your drywall before you come to the depot. As well please ensure that you have your waste disposal application out “before” you arrive at the recycling depot. The waste disposal application can be downloaded and printed at http://hirra.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Dry-Wall-Waste-Disposal-Application-March-2017.pdf.
A reminder that our recycling depot will be closed on statutory holidays.
Thank-you to the committed volunteers who keep the gardens looking so good. Visitors have always commented on how special our Depot is.
And as always, we want to thank the Recycling Committee for their ongoing work and support, especially Jan Kennedy who has really gone the extra mile during this tumultuous past year. It's been a tougher than usual year for everyone.
We thank you
all and see you up on depot hill.
Notes from the Depot
for May 2021
We are experiencing a
remarkably busy spring this year and are noticing many visitors. We are
shipping one 40-foot roll-off bin of recyclables and two 40-foot roll-off waste
weekly off the island. This of course has already led to some wait times for
patrons here at the depot, as we are still required to follow strict physical
distancing protocols. Our apologies for the inconvenience but we have to follow
provincial guidelines.
We very much
appreciate everyone’s participation during these strange times. Thank you to our
patrons for their diligent mask wearing here up at the depot. We especially
appreciate the some more creative mask designs we see, like the “clown” mask
and many others.
The Free Store has
reopened on a weekly basis and will be open on Thursdays from 9am till 1pm with
COVID protocols and restrictions in place. Again please be prepared for the
occasional line up.
We have been receiving
a large amount of waste items in the “Frees Store Drop Off Bin”. Please insure
that only laundered, wearable, and in order items are bought to the Free Sore.
The HIRRA executive
proposed a shared RRSP contribution package to their employees which will be
voted on at HIRRA’s next AGM this month. If accepted by the HIRRA membership
and CUPE depot employees will be able to enter into a shared RRSP contribution
plan in January of 2022.
This Earth Day April 22
2021, we received an enormous amount of man-made ocean debris brought to us by
island volunteers. We are ever so grateful to all the volunteers who spend
their valuable time combing the beaches for the waste that washes up and
returns to our shores, and who then bring it up to our depot.
We would like to remind
everyone again to please call ahead when planning to deposit drywall to ensure
that our drywall bin is on the island and that there is room in the bin for
your drywall before you come to the depot. As well please ensure that you have
your waste disposal application filled out “before” you arrive at the recycling
depot. The waste disposal application can be downloaded and printed at http://hirra.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Dry-Wall-Waste-Disposal-Application-March-2017.pdf.
As the CVRD’s
landfills will be closed on statutory holidays as of January 1st
2021 the HIRRA executive has decided to follow their example on Hornby and our
recycling depot will also be closed on statutory holidays.
A reminder that we
cannot accept any invasive plant species in our compost stream. Any invasive
plant species needs to be deposited as waste and be landfilled. This is to
protect the fragile eco systems here and on the big island. You can check out
this link for more information. https://www.comoxvalleyrd.ca/sites/default/files/docs/Services/2toxic_invasive_plants_in_the_cv.pdf
…. See you up on depot
hill
April notes from the
Depot.
We are now well into
spring here at the Hornby Island Recycling Depot which we can tell by the many
new unfamiliar faces that we greet up on the hill. It is interesting to note
that even though regular annual events that were canceled or have gone digital due
to covid, did not result in lover visitors to the recycling depot. Even though
our main attraction, “the free store” had been shut down for most of the year.
We had a soft opening of our ‘free store” from November till March. We shout
down the ‘free store during the spring break to ensure our staff and
volunteer’s safety and the next day “free store” will be open in Thursday April
8.
Please note that we
have added two new recycling streams to what we can collect and recycle and
divert from the waste stream. We now are collecting candle wax and candles of
any kind such as leftover candle tea lights. Just put your used tea lights or
candles in our special candle bin. You do not need to take it out of the jar or
container either. Just put it all right in the bin. The wax is recovered and
used to make fire starters by OneLight in Powell River. Check them out on their
website onelight.ca
The second new stream we
are excited to ad are the hard plastic, 4 and 6 pack can clip made from high-density
polyethylene, HDPE. The “pack can
clips” are a PCR product, which stands for Post-Consumer Recycled and are made
from #2 recycled milk jugs. In just 1 year over 100-million-gallon size milk
jugs and other similar containers were diverted from landfills and used to make
these carriers. These PAKs are 100% recycled and 100% recyclable. The PCR resin
is used rather than producing new plastic, which means less energy, petroleum
and greenhouse gasses are used. Please put these beer pack can clips into our
special recycling bin so they may be re-used and or re-purposed into new
products.
A reminder that it is
mandatory to wear face coverings in the form of masks or face shields in the
recycling building and free store. Masks must be worn in addition to staying at
least 6 feet apart, especially when indoors around people who don’t live in
your household. You need to wear a
mask, even if you do not feel sick. This is because several studies have found
that people with COVID-19 who never develop symptoms (asymptomatic) and those
who are not yet showing symptoms (pre-symptomatic) can still spread the virus
to other people. Wearing a mask helps protect those around you in case you are
infected but not showing symptoms. If you are exempt from wearing a mask you
need to be wearing a face-shield in its place. Please note that we are
attempting to provide a safe place for everyone and require everyone’s
co-operation to do this and are also required by WorkSafeBC and provincial directive
to adhere to these protocols.
We would like to remind
everyone again to please call ahead when planning deposit drywall to ensure
that our drywall bin is on the island and that there is room in the bin for
your drywall before you come to the depot. As well please ensure that you have
your waste disposal application filled out “before” you arrive at the recycling
depot. The waste disposal application can be downloaded and printed at http://hirra.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Dry-Wall-Waste-Disposal-Application-March-2017.pdf.
As the CVRD’s
landfills will be closed on statutory holidays as of January 1st
2021 the HIRRA executive has discussed similar cost saving practices here on
Hornby and our recycling depot will also be closed on statutory holidays.
A reminder that we
cannot accept any invasive plant species in our compost stream. Any invasive
plant species needs to be deposited as waste and be landfilled. This is to
protect the fragile eco systems here and on the big island. You can check out
this link for more information. https://www.comoxvalleyrd.ca/sites/default/files/docs/Services/2toxic_invasive_plants_in_the_cv.pdf
March 2021
February
came and went
with only one good snow fall that caused the recycling depot and free
store to
close. It seems that every February we are hit with the white stuff at
least
once. We hope everyone has managed well during the white out and we do
apologize for any inconvenience the short depot closure last month may
have caused.
Please
note that we
have added two new recycling streams to what we can collect and recycle
and
divert from the waste stream. We now are collecting candle wax and
candles of
any kind such as leftover candle tea lights. Just put your used tea
lights or
candles in our special candle bin. You do not need to take it out of
the jar or
container either. Just put it all right in the bin. The wax is
recovered and
used to make fire starters by OneLight in Powell River. Check them out
on their
website onelight.ca
The
second new stream we
are excited to ad are the hard plastic, 4 and 6 pack can clip made from
high-density
polyethylene, HDPE. The “pack
can
clips” are a PCR product, which stands for Post-Consumer Recycled and
are made
from #2 recycled milk jugs. In just 1 year over 100-million-gallon size
milk
jugs and other similar containers were diverted from landfills and used
to make
these carriers. These PAKs are 100% recycled and 100% recyclable. The
PCR resin
is used rather than producing new plastic, which means less energy,
petroleum
and greenhouse gasses are used. Please put these beer pack can clips
into our
special recycling bin so they may be re-used and or re-purposed into
new
products.
A
reminder that it is
mandatory to wear face coverings in the form of masks or face shields
in the
recycling building and free store. Masks must be worn in addition to
staying at
least 6 feet apart, especially when indoors around people who don’t
live in
your household. You need to
wear a
mask, even if you do not feel sick. This is because several studies
have found
that people with COVID-19 who never develop symptoms (asymptomatic) and
those
who are not yet showing symptoms (pre-symptomatic) can still spread the
virus
to other people. Wearing a mask helps protect those around you in case
you are
infected but not showing symptoms. If you are exempt from wearing a
mask you
need to be wearing a face-shield in its place. Please note that we are
attempting to provide a safe place for everyone and require everyone’s
co-operation to do this and are also required by WorkSafeBC and
provincial directive
to adhere to these protocols.
We would
like to remind
everyone again to please call ahead when planning deposit drywall to
ensure
that our drywall bin is on the island and that there is room in the bin
for
your drywall before you come to the depot. As well please ensure that
you have
your waste disposal application filled out “before” you arrive at the
recycling
depot. The waste disposal application can be downloaded and printed at http://hirra.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Dry-Wall-Waste-Disposal-Application-March-2017.pdf.
As the
CVRD’s
landfills will be closed on statutory holidays as of January 1st
2021 the HIRRA executive has discussed similar cost saving practices
here on
Hornby and our recycling depot will also be closed on statutory
holidays.
A
reminder that we
cannot accept any invasive plant species in our compost stream. Any
invasive
plant species needs to be deposited as waste and be landfilled. This is
to
protect the fragile eco systems here and on the big island. You can
check out
this link for more
information. https://www.comoxvalleyrd.ca/sites/default/files/docs/Services/2toxic_invasive_plants_in_the_cv.pdf
…. See
you up on depot
hill
February 2021
2021 has
started off
busier than other winters. We are noticing that there are still many
visitors
who enjoying the island. We are noticing many summer residents this
winter and
are pleased to see so many familiar faces.
It has
been several
months now that the Free store, although in a limited fashion, has been
open
again. We are controlling traffic flow and are adhering to our COVID-19
policy
and things are developing favorably. Our enthusiastic team of
volunteers are
sorting through the donations and are noticing that there are a lot of
soiled
items being deposited that at are not able to be put on the rack but
end up in
the waste bins. Please ensure that all donations are clean and not
soiled. Note
that the free store hours are Thursdays from 9am – 1pm.
A big
thank you to all
the free store volunteers for their hard work restocking the free store
every
week. We could not do it without you.
Thank you
to Stevi for
your artistic posters advertising the free store opening.
Thank you
to Jan
Kennedy for all your time and dedication to the free store re-opening
and
putting together our Free Store Covid Policy.
We would
like to thank
the regional district for our new cashier kiosk. It enables to maintain
our
Covid protocol and shelter our staff and equipment from the
environment. We
would also take this opportunity again to thank the regional district
for our
new propane cage. To minimize cost the cage was built on an existing concrete slab build by Michael
Hornsby about 20 years ago that we repurposed.
We would
like to ask
everyone to please call ahead when planning deposit drywall and ensure
that our
drywall bin is on the island. As well please ensure that you have your
waste
disposal application filled out “before” you arrive at the recycling
depot. The
waste disposal application can be downloaded and printed at http://hirra.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Dry-Wall-Waste-Disposal-Application-March-2017.pdf.
Please
note that the
CVRD’s landfills will be closed on statutory holidays as of January 1st
2021. The CVRD has been traditionally open on statutory holidays and in
an
effort to save money they will now be closed on statutory holidays. The
HIRRA
executive is discussing similar cost saving practices here on Hornby.
We will
let you know more once a decision has been reached.
We also
wanted
everyone be informed that we cannot accept any invasive plant species
in our
compost stream. Any invasive plant species needs to be deposited as
waste and
be landfilled. This is to protect the fragile eco systems here and on
the big
island. You can check out this link
for more information.
https://www.comoxvalleyrd.ca/sites/default/files/docs/Services/2toxic_invasive_plants_in_the_cv.pdf
Thank you
to the
recycling committee, the HIRRA executive and staff for their support
and time.
And Thank
You to you,
the recycler, who takes part in the Zero Waste philosophy.
November 2020
As the rains are settling in, we are finally slowing down at the Hornby Island Recycling Depot. Although we are in the midst of a global pandemic things are pretty much as usual when it come to the amount of waste that we have recycling that we have been transferring from our depot. Although we scaled back in the months from May to June, we have been much busier ever since the middle of June. It seems that the pandemic has not slowed down the consumption of consumer goods and we have been shipping one 40-foot roll-off bin of recycling every week ever since June. As well have been shipping one 40–foot roll-off bin of regular household waste of the island.
We
want to take the opportunity to thank
everyone for their recycling efforts during these
times. We are still practicing physical distancing protocols and are
regulating
the traffic flow here at the depot and we very much appreciate
everyone’s
participation.
Our free store volunteers and recycling committee have been working hard to prepare a Free Store Reopening plan. As this article is being this Free Store Reopening plan is being reviewed by our regional district and we hope that we will be able to perform a “Soft Opening” before this year is over. Stay tune for more information as it become available.
As we are now preparing our budget for 2021 for November’s HIRRA membership budget meeting we are realizing how different a year 2021 will be as we have to consider COVID-19 protocols. An increase in wages due to covid protocol seems to be unavoidable next year. Also are we increasing the waste pick up frequency of our beach access point in the shoulder season next year to accommodate the increase of the park's usage. We encourage everyone to participate in the budgeting meeting this November 11, 2020. This will be a ZOOM meeting and if you are interested in attending please make sure to request an invite from the HIRRA administrator at hornbyisresidentsratepayers@gmail.com.
We would like to remind you again that we reintroduced the sale of Waste Tickets at $2 each in a book of 10 for $20.00 exact change or via INTERAC. They can of course be redeemed for depositing your waste at the depot and another reminder for everyone that our prices for waste disposal have increase from $1.75 for a small bag to $2.00 and from $3.75 for a medium bag to $4.00. The price for a large bag remains at $6.00.
Another reminder for everyone that when depositing drywall please ensure that you have your waste disposal application filled out “before” you arrive at the recycling depot. The waste disposal application should be downloaded and printed at http://hirra.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Dry-Wall-Waste-Disposal-Application-March-2017.pdf. Please note that due to the current covid protocol in place we are not handing out these forms.
Finally, we want to thank everyone who has been at the recycling depot these past months and has participated in our physical distancing protocol. Thank you so much. We know that sometimes the wait times prolonged your stay and we very much do appreciate your patience and commitment to the recycling cause.
See
you up on depot hill.
October 2020
Reporting
from a cloud of smog and smoke…. Summer is officially over. However we
are still rather busy here at the recycling depot. Traditionally this
time of the year is when things are slowing down a bit. However not
this year. We are still receiving a large number of patrons daily. And
a lot of new faces.
We thank everyone for their recycling efforts during these times. We are still practicing physical distancing protocols and are regulating the traffic flow here at the depot and we very much appreciate everyone’s participation.
Currently the Free Store is still closed however the Free Store volunteers did meet in September to discuss a “reopening”. They are in the process of creating a reopening plan. We will inform everyone as new news develops .
We are now in the midst of preparing our budget for 2021 for the November HIRRA membership budget meeting. 2021 is going to be a different year to budget for as we have to consider COVID-19 protocols and the the unionization of our work force as well we were asked by the regional district to be looking at all the services we provide and maintain those services at an affordable cost, sustain stable services in support of the local economy, adapt to the changing community priorities, realign resources to support community recovery initiatives, and communicate clearly about our actions.
For your convenience we reintroduced the sale Waste Tickets at $2 each in a book of 10 for $20.00 exact change or via INTERAC. They can be redeemed for depositing your waste at the depot and a reminder to everyone again that our prices for waste disposal have increase from $1.75 for a small bag to $2.00 and from $3.75 for a medium bag to $4.00. The price for a large bag remains at $6.00.
We would also like to remind everyone that when depositing drywall please ensure that you have you waste disposal application filled out “before” you arrive at the recycling depot. The waste disposal application can be downloaded and printed at http://hirra.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Dry-Wall-Waste-Disposal-Application-March-2017.pdf.
We follow the direction of the Ministry of Health and update our COVID protocol accordingly. We have brought the recycling station back into the recycling building this fall. We have installed a Plexiglas separation wall in the building that will protect our staff and enable to let the patrons do their recycling inside the recycling building, protected from the weather. We would like to encourage everyone to wear a mask while in the recycling building to do your recycling.
We
want to thank everyone who has been at the recycling depot these past
months and has participated in our physical distancing protocol. We
know that sometimes the wait times prolonged your stay and we do
appreciate your patience and commitment to the recycling cause.
See you up on depot hill.
September
2020.
Summer
is over and we want to thank all our
patrons who visited the recycling depot this summer and participated in
the
physical distancing recycling protocol that is currently in place. It
was
interesting to note that even though we are in the midst of a pandemic
and our
free store is closed, the summer of 2020 was an extremely busy one for
the
Hornby Island Recycling Depot. We were open Thursdays through Sundays
and had
an average of 100 to 120 patrons daily. Additionally, we serviced all
of our
commercial customers on Mondays. We consistently shipped one roll off
bin of
recycling weekly and often two. As every summer we shipped an average
of 2 to 4
waste bins off the island.
We
will be switching back to regular ours
and will be open Fridays trough Sundays from 9am till 1pm after the
labour day
weekend. Our “commercial and large volume customers with accounts” day
will
return to Thursdays from 9am till 1pm.
We
would like to take the opportunity to
thank Lawrence Maude, also known as Lawrence the painter, for applying
a
protective sealant on the marvellous and fantastic mural tank Tessa
Mythos
painted for us. This protective sealant will extend the life of the
artwork
considerably.
This
month our free store volunteers are
meeting to discuss the reopening of the free store. They will be
working on safety
protocols to ensure their safety and procedures to help stopping the
spread of
the Corona virus. As more information develops, we will inform
everyone.
We
would like to remind everyone again that
our prices for waste disposal have increase from $1.75 for a small bag
to $2.00
and from $3.75 for a medium bag to $4.00. The price for a large bag
remains at
$6.00.
We
would like to remind everyone that when
depositing drywall please ensure that you have you waste disposal
application
filled out before you arrive at the recycling depot. The waste disposal
application can be downloaded and printed at
http://hirra.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Dry-Wall-Waste-Disposal-Application-March-2017.pdf.
For your
convenience, we are now selling Waste Tickets at $2 each in a book of
10 for
$20.00 exact change or via INTERAC. They can be redeemed for depositing
your
waste at the depot.
We
are following the direction of the
Ministry of health and will be updating our COVID protocol accordingly.
We
are working on a way to bring the recycling station back into the
recycling
building this fall. We are busy installing a plexiglas separation wall
in the
building that will protect our staff and enable to let the patrons do
their
recycling inside the recycling building, protected from the weather.
We
would like to thank our summer staffers
Nate Evans and Jason Long for helping us out this summer and also our
full-time
staffers Phil Bailey, Scot Hardy, Scott Sweeney, and Colleen Work for a
tremendous job they all did during this COVID summer.
See
you up on depot hill
Depot
Summer 2020.
We would
like to thank
everybody who has helped us adjust to our new normal here up on Depot
Hill.
Thank you for waiting patiently in line for your turn to do your
recycling and
waste depositing and for having your interact payment ready for our
site
attendant. We also appreciate everybody’s participation in practicing
physical
distancing. Thank you also for pre-sorting all of your recyclables and
depositing them in a timely fashion thus reducing and minimizing your
fellow
islanders wait time who are behind you in the lineup.
As
physical distancing
protocol requirements remain in effect there will be a restricted
number of
patrons allowed at the recycling station and the waste bin at the time.
Please
be advised that there will be wait times.
Note that
we are now
accepting all streams of recycling, refundable’s and household
hazardous waste
items again. The latter only on Fridays.
We are
getting a lot
of questions if the Free Store might be opening this summer and
unfortunately,
we have to inform everybody that the free store will remain closed for
the time
being. This is by no means a permanent state of affairs. There are
discussions
on how reopening could be accomplished, and we will update you as soon
as there
is news on how we are going to move forward.
We have
switched to summer
hours which are from Thursdays ‘til Sundays 9 AM till 1 PM until
September 6,
2020.
Pricing
for waste has
increased slightly as of July 1, 2020 and it will now cost two dollars
for
small kitchen catches style bag, four dollars for medium regular green
garbage
bag and six dollars for an extra-large garbage bag.
Also
available as of
July 1 202 are waste tickets at a value of two dollars each. They can
be
purchased in a book of 10 via interact with your tap card or by
depositing
exact change or cheque in a collection dispenser with the site
attendant and
then used as a payment option at a later date.
When
depositing
drywall please ensure that you have you waste disposal application
filled out before
you arrive at the recycling depot. The waste disposal application can
be
downloaded and printed at http://hirra.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Dry-Wall-Waste-Disposal-Application-March-2017.pdf.
Thank you
again for
helping us moving towards zero waste by diverting waste and recyclables
away
from the land fill. We want to thank our recycling committee and the
HIRRA
staff and executive for their assistance in these trying times. Also a
big
thank you to our free store volunteers who we are missing and hope to
practice
the “reuse” portion of the three R’s with again soon.
See you
all up on
Depot Hill
June
2020
We
are gradually adjusting to the new
physical distancing protocols that have been established at the Hornby
Island
Recycling Depot. We are required to assure physical distancing measures
are
observed and you will find things have changed the way we now have two
operate.
From
the beginning on of this pandemic we
had to close the free store and it seems that this will not change in
the near
future. We understand that the free store is a big part of Hornby
Island and we
are looking forward to a day when we can reopen in some sort of fashion.
Due
to the strict physical distancing
protocol we have two maintain we are experiencing lineups and wait
times
throughout the day. We have started our summer schedule early to
provide more
opening hours of the Recycling Depot.
We
are now accepting most recycle packaging
including refundables, household electric appliances and electronics,
yard
waste, compost and have now opened our Product Care Building again on
Fridays to
accept household hazardous materials.
We
have started accepting payments via “TAP”
interact services. You can pay using your credit or debit card or phone
if it
has a “TAP” function. This is also the chance to pay for the garbage
you
deposited prior to our ability to accept payments. We would like to
thank all
of you who have already done so. It is always nice to see how well the
honor
system works here on Hornby Island.
To
expedite your recycling experience, it
behooves you to do is much pre-sorting of your recyclables as possible
at home.
Not only will it reduce the time of your trip, but it also reduces the
wait
times of others who are waiting their turn behind you. Here’s a little
list of
the streams we collect, and we hope that this list will help you with
your
pre-sorting task.
Printed
Paper; Corrugated Cardboard; Mixed
Paper and Cardboard(Paperboard); Paper Cups Milk Gable Top Containers
and Metal(Tin)
Containers together; Plastic Bags and Overwrap; White Foam Packaging;
Coloured
Foam Packaging; Plastic Containers; Glass Bottles and Jars; Other
Flexible
Plastic Packaging; refundable alcoholic beverage glass container;
refundable
pop cans; refundable beer cans; refundable domestic beer; refundable
plastic
containers 1 L and under; refundable plastic beverage containers over 1
L;
refundable plastic alcoholic beverage containers and coconut water.
We
want to thank everyone for supporting
the recycling cause and we really appreciate the care you take in your
recycling and at practising physical distancing. Thank you from all of
us up on
the hill.
To
conclude we would like to announce that
after 29 dedicated years to the Hornby Island Recycling Depot Annie
Nagle has
retired in May. We wish her all the best in her retirement. Thank you
for your
dedication to the recycling cause.
May 2020.
Here is
your corona
crisis update from the Depot. We are working hard to keep our Recycling
Depot
running while implementing new health and safety standards to protect
our
employees and the public during this public health crisis thus we are
only able
to offer limited services and do apologize for this inconvenience.
If you or
a member of
your household has symptoms of COVID-19, do not visit the recycling
depot until
after your quarantine period has ended.
We are
currently
accepting household waste, compost, scrap metal, wood waste, branches
and yard
waste and recycling of packaging materials. At the moment we cannot
accept any
beverage containers that a refund has been paid on. That means
unfortunately we
cannot accept any containers that hold beer or wine or juice or pop or
water
etc. We are working on a solution and ask that you hold on to your
refundable’s
for the next little while. Your help in this is very much appreciated.
We
request that you
also hold on to your paints, batteries, oil and gas, pesticides, light
bulbs
and other household hazardous waste for the moment.
To assure
social
distancing can be practiced we are now regulating the traffic flow. So
don’t be
surprised that when you come up to the Depot that you may find yourself
in a
line up. Please come prepared and make sure all your recycling is
presorted
into glass, paper and cardboard, hard plastics, soft plastics, crinkly
plastics, milk containers, soup containers and cans. This helps to
speed up the
process of recycling and reduces the time people are spend in the
lineup.
We are
working on a
way to accept credit and debit payment via wireless keypad and you may
soon be
able to pay our attendant using tap. Those of you who have charge
accounts can
communicate with the attendant on how much you waste depositing. At the
moment
we are not accepting cash payments.
We will
see how the
social distancing requirements have adjusted by the time you read these
notes.
We
usually update you
about this time of year on the Hornby Island Residents and Ratepayers
Association’s Annual Generated Meeting and the elections of the
recycling
committee members. But due to the Covid 19 crises we have no details
for you.
A
reminder that the
CVRD will be raising their tipping fees this summer and the Hornby
Island
Recycling Depot is planning to adjust our current price schedule as
well. We
will be increasing the price for a small bag from $1.75 to $2, for a
medium bag
from $3.50 to $4, and a large bag would stay at $6. All other pricing
will
remain the same.
Stay
home, stay safe
April 2020
As this article is
being written we are in full coronavirus protection mode. The well
being of our
staff, volunteers and patrons is of our utmost priority. We are working
together with the CVRD and are following recommended safety protocol.
Accordingly,
until the current situation improves sufficiently, we have decided to
temporarily close our Free Store. We are working on strategies on how
to continue
servicing the public with the new isolation guidelines in mind.
Who knows if the
measures we are taking now are sufficient to keep everyone safe? When
this goes
to print things will be different from what they are today.
We want to thank all
our patrons who have been staying away from the depot. We really
appreciate
you.
Currently you will
remain to deposit of your household garbage only in the open bins. No
construction waste will be accepted. Please hold on to your recycling
for the
time being. We currently will not accept any money transaction and will
be able
to drop your waste during this time and pay us later.
We apologize to anyone
who may be inconvenienced. We hope, obviously, that this is a
short-term
situation. However, for the well-being of all, we feel it is the most
prudent
course of action. Our thoughts remain with each of you experiencing
difficulty
at this time.
We hope that we will have
developed a way to accept your recycling by the time you are reading
these notes,
but much depends on the directive we receive from health officials.
This forced slow down
hopefully will allow us to play catch up on a number of projects at the
depot.
We have demolished the
old backhoe shed and we are hoping to work together with the trails
committee
and have a trail connection exit in its place.
The CVRD will be
raising their tipping fees this summer and the Hornby Island Recycling
Depot is
planning to adjust our current price schedule as well. We will be
increasing
the price for a small bag from $1.75 to $2, for a medium bag from $3.50
to $4,
and a large bag would stay at $6.
Stay home, stay safe.
March
2020
To squish or not to
squish……That is the
question that we’ve been hearing from some of our friendly recyclers
who want
to help us out and here is an answer. If you want to take the time to
help in our
recycling efforts, you can squish the milk and soup cartons. No
squishing of
“refundables” or glass of course. We thank you for your participation.
The negotiations with CUPE 556
and HIRRA have
been completed and an agreement has been ratified. We would like to
thank
everyone at the negotiating table, who spend many hours hammering out
this
first “collective agreement” between HIRRA and the depot staff. Thank
you to
the HIRRA admin and bookkeeping staff for all the extra hours that were
required to bring the agreement to a close. And thank you to the HIRRA
executive,
the recycling committee, and the membership who voted at the last HIRRA
meeting.
We are spending more time
these days
removing air (baling) from the materials we ship off island. With our
newly adopted
compaction procedure we “save” approximately one shipping containers
every
fourth shipment. That is 15 less trips annually. Approximately. Reducing our carbon
footprint considerably. As
we are baling all these extra containers it is essential that they are
clean
and empty when you bring them to us to be recycled.
We would like to remind
everyone to make
sure that all your recycling is free from any contaminants. Last month
we
received a load of recycling that contained rat faeces. A very
unpleasant
surprize for our staff first thing in the morning.
We can still use more “free
store”
volunteers during these slow season months. If you have any time to
spare and
would like to give some your time to the “free store” the volunteers
would love
to see you. Even a couple of hours a week can be of great assistance.
Thank you to all those who
took part in our
facebook poll and/or survey monkey survey.
As you might be guessing we are researching the Bin Guide
position and
your input was very helpful. We need to maximise the recycling at the
depot and
assure that no “recyclables” are land filled. Often, we find these
“recyclables” in the waste bins that are headed to the landfill. A Bin
Guide
could assist patrons and advise on what should not be send to landfill.
A bin
guide could also assure that there is a proof of payment as we have
been
noticing customers forget to stop at the office to pay for their waste.
Perhaps
they do not even know that there is a charge and a Bin Guide could
inform those
users. Taking payments would make time available for the manager to
manage. So’
we are discussing the idea of implementing such a Bin Guide in 2021 and
would
be welcoming any thoughts and comments.
We thank you all again for
helping us to
forge the way to Zero Waste.
…. See you up on depot hill
February 2020
We hope everybody had a good
holiday season
and that everyone stayed warm.
As this article is being
written we are
just digging our selves out of a record snowfall. A huge shout out to
Scott Hardy
who did an amazing job clearing the depot road and parking lot this
January
enabling our staff to get to work and service our customers.
We want to thank all of our
staff for the
work they do at the recycling depot and all the “Free Store “volunteers
who put
in such a tremendous amount effort and who dedicate so much of their
time.
More “Free Store” volunteers
are needed.
Especially during this time of the year. If you have a few hours to
spare? Come
and join our volunteers. This can be any time from Thursday to Sunday
during
Depot open hours 9 AM to 1 PM.
Thank you also to Don Nixon of
“Graydawn
Printing” for our new sign about the recycling depot’s dumping policy.
Check it
out the next time you are at the depot.
We thank Jesse Lee and
Stephanie Valdal, of
the CVRD for their signage and all their support.
Thank you to the recycling
committee, the
HIRRA executive and staff for their support and time.
And Thank You
to you, the recycler,
who takes part in the Zero Waste philosophy.
…. See you up on depot hill
December 2019 and January 2020
Winter is here and things are
still very
busy up on Depot Hill. This is supposed to be this slow season. Since
we recently
started to compact and bale hard plastics in addition to the soft
plastics
which we already bale our workload has changed; and wow… there is a lot
of hard
plastics that needs baling. A big thank you to staff who have been
instrumental
realizing RecycleBC’s request and baling even more materials and thus
reducing
the carbon footprint of our little organization.
We will look into the
possibilities of
perhaps baling even more materials as we are moving forward.
Judith Walmsley has resigned
from the
recycling committee and the committee is looking for a new member. If
you are
interested or know of someone who might be interested in joining the
recycling
committee, please contact Jan Kennedy.
A special thank you to
Margaret Gardner who
has taken care of our books for many many years and now has moved to
Vancouver
Island. Margaret’s hard work and dedication will be missed and we hope
that she
will visit us often.
Thank you to all the
volunteers who come to
the free store and donate so much of their time sorting and stocking
free store
items. Without their dedication the free store would not be what it is
today.
Thank you also to the Depot
staff, our
contractors, the recycling committee and everyone at HIRRA for all you
do to
help our little depot along.
The holiday season is upon us
and for your
gift giving ideas do not forget that our Free Store has a vast
selection at unbeatable
prices and the best return policy on the island. Enjoy the season.
Happy holidays from everyone
up on Depot
Hill
October 2019
With the cooler weather
business at the
Hornby Island recycling Depot is slowing down. An excellent time to
play
catch-up from all the summer influx. We are currently working on
finding ways
to bale more recyclables in the hope that we can reduce the frequency
of
recycling pickups. Most likely this will increase our labour
requirements, but
we think would be a good trade-off to reduce the recycling depots
carbon
footprint. As well less recycling trucks on our little ferry will leave
more
room for travellers to and from Hornby Island. We are also working to
ship
close to 20 3’ x 3’ x 3’ “mega bags “of electronics and electric
appliances
that we have collected in the last couple of months off the island.
We would like to take this
opportunity to
thank CVRD for our new backhoe shed. This new shed will provide a safe
lock up
for our backhoe for many years to come. The next step in this project
will be
the teardown of the old backhoe shed.
With the help of Reina LeBaron
our HIRRA
administrator we are working on a guide for dissolving estates in an
environmentally conscientious fashion. We are often inundated with huge
amounts
of free store items that we cannot accept due to their condition. Many
of these
items will end up in the waste stream. We hope this guide will provide
some
useful information that will make the process of dissolving estates
less
painful.
We have been recently informed
by the
diabetes foundation that they can no longer accept our books. This
leaves us in
a predicament as we have no longer have a recycling stream for old
books. So,
you will find that our library may be a little more crowded these days
We are
researching ways to recycle the books that arrive here at the Depot.
Until then
if you have any books that you can deposit at the Salvation Army,
goodwill,
value Village or any other thrift store on the big Island it would help
the
recycling depot.
A shout out to all those who
helped
bringing waste and debris from the ocean’s shorelines to the recycling
depot.
We really appreciate your volunteerism and environmental consciousness
and are
happy never to charge for any beach waste that is brought up to the
recycling
depot.
As always, we would like to
thank all those
faithful volunteers who come and spend their weekends up on Depot Hill
sorting
donations for the free store. Thank you to all those amazing summer
volunteers
who spend their summer up on depot rather than the beach or their
gardens.
Thank you to our amazing staff, the recycling committee volunteers and
the
HIRRA executive.
This summer
has been a busy one for the Hornby Island Recycling Depot. We were
shipping two
forty-foot bins of recycling weekly. The ever-expanding scope of
recyclables we
collect enables us to collect over 50 separate streams. Way more than
your
average Blue Bin Program in the rest of this beautiful province. Did
you know
that the Blue Box program does not collect glass, Styro Foam and
“crinkly” plastics?
It is interesting to hear from patrons that live in other urban centres
how
much more can be disposed of in an environmentally consciences fashion
here at
the Hornby Island Recycling Depot. And how convenient our one stop
centre is. Visitors
are impressed how well we divert electronics, electric appliances,
tires, oil,
paint, batteries, scrap metal, compostable and many other household
hazardous
wastes in one single location. In urban and other rural areas, one has
to
travel all over town to dispose these items at several different
participating collection
sites. We are told by our visitors how great it is to have the option
to deal
with their waste Thursdays trough Sundays every week. Most of them have
only
one weekly pick-up and if something is forgotten that should have been
tossed, they
have to hold on to that trash for another week. We should all be proud
for
leading the way in recycling and the collecting of end-of-life products
and
diverting these streams in an environmentally sound fashion. By the way
the
shelves of the Free Store are bare as many visitors to the island are
enjoying
the goods up for offer at the Free Store. As well we were shipping two
to four
bins of waste weekly of the island. There seems to a be fair amount of
construction going on as about 50% of the waste we ship of island is
generated
by the construction and demolition that is going on the island. All in
all, a
busy summer.
A great
shout out to Alsoon Brine and Barbara Baird of the recycling committee
for designing
and co-ordinating the logistics of bringing you the “Pocket Ashtrays”.
Discarded
butts leach toxins into the environment and cause countless wildfires.
These
pocket ashtrays help prevent wildfires and prevent the leaching of
toxins into
the environment. They are being distributed for free (a $2.00 donation
is suggested
but not required) at several locations on the island and as well as at
the
recycling depot. We would like to also thank Gina-Rae Horvath for the
amazing
photograph of Tessa Mythos’s artwork and the recycling building that we
used
for the pocket ashtrays.
Thanks’ to
the CVRD for building a new backhoe shed and adding additional
ventilation to
the Recycling Building this summer. As the old shed isn’t structurally
sound
anymore it will need to be demolished. We had planned a little ribbon
cutting
ceremony for the new shed, but it seems that summer was just too busy.
We want to
thank Pat Hargrave for hosting our annual Volunteer and Staff Summer
Party
again. Thank you to Bill and Sheryl Fletcher for organizing the
details. Fun
was had by everyone.
And a
tremendous thank you to all the volunteers who spent numerous summer
hours
sorting at the free store, for no pay whatsoever, making the Free Store
possible for all the residents and visitors of Hornby Island. A thank
you to
the “Recycling Committee” and the “HIRRA” executive for dedicating many
volunteer hours to help run our little depot. And a big Thank you to
the staff
for your commitment.
July and August 2019
Summer is here and the
we hope everyone will be able to keep cool as the temperature is going
up up up. And so is our recycling stream. Did you know that we ship two
40-foot bins of recycling of this little island every week during July
and August? Of course, that does not include the amount of good
clothing and good stuff that thanks to our Free Store volunteers, who
stock and sort all the donations, gets diverted out of the
landfill.
For those who are wondering we are now open Thursdays – Sundays 9 am till 1 pm.
We wanted to make everyone aware of an incident that happened at a metal recycling yard somewhere not so far from Hornby Island. A heavy machine operator was seriously injured when he accidently punctured a full propane tank that was under the scrap metal he was picking up with his machine. The tank exploded causing life-threatening injuries. We share this information with you in the hope that you will take every precaution and make sure that propanone tanks are deposited correctly when you drop them of at the depot. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. The staff will be happy to assist you.
Remember that Fridays is the days for all household hazardous materials. That includes propane tanks. Please note that we can not accept 100lb propane bottles. We accept light bubs, household paints, household pesticides, gasoline, solvents, batteries, antifreeze and oils. Please note that we can not accept commercial products or unidentifiable products (stuff without labels).
We will be selling T-Shirts again this year with the ever so popular slogan “Recycling makes me Hornby” in four fantastic colours. We had so many requests for that one we just had to rerun it. So, get yours while they are still some left. Last year we sold out in the most popular sizes rather quickly. Still only $20.00 each.
The recycling committee has been working hard in bringing you the Portable Pocket Ash Tray this year. Available almost everywhere on Hornby Island the little pocket ashtrays can help prevent forest fires, and we encourage every smoker to get one and use it while being out and about. These little Portable Pocket Ash Trays will be free, but we will gladly accept a donation to help pay for them. They will have the fabulous artwork of Tessa Mythos from our firefighting tank and some information printed on them. Thanks to Alsoon Brine and Barbara Bair for all the work that went into this one.
We are now selling heavy duty waste bags for drywall that can not be deposited at our site but can be brought to the Campbell River site. These bags are $2.50 each and come with instructions on how to dispose this material at the Campbell River site. If you have questions just ask us. We’re her to help.
June 2019
Greetings from depot hill.
Summer is almost
here and we are still looking for some extra hands to help us deal with
the
additional recycling the nicer weather brings. The Beach Access Waste
Management contract is up renewal and we will be tendering it very soon
so be
on the lookout it. Let us know if you want to join our team of
recyclers. You
can contact us via email hiwmc@yahoo.com,
phone 250 335 0550, the free post, or talk to us the depot.
This spring the Free Store was
inundated by
a large amount of stock from estates that have been left by people’s
passing,
unfortunately much was deposited in the waste bins. This got us
thinking and we
are brainstorming ideas to conceive some sort of “guide” on how to
dissolve estates
in an environmentally consciences fashion on Hornby Island. If you have thoughts or
ideas please contact
us.
The CVRD is building a new
backhoe shed and
hope to have it ready by summer. We are thinking a ribbon cutting
ceremony is in
order. We will display some recycled art in the new building, have some
refreshments and perhaps some music. Let us know if you want to take
part.
The diabetes foundation can no
longer
accept our “RAGS” and only will accept clothing that can be
resold/reused. Not
repurposed. This means that only clean, not torn or soiled clothing
should be
dropped off at the Free Store. Torn and soiled clothing is garbage.
You will be noticing some
changes in how we
collect dead electronics and busted electronic appliances. If you know
that the
electronic gizmo you are offloading is dead; please don’t drop it of in
the
Free Store. Please
use the large
“Mega-Bags” on the side of the recycling building. If you are unsure
ask a
staff member to assist you.
We have received a concrete
pad adjacent to
the recycling building. This will enable us to place a recycling bin on
the
same level as the recycling building and load the bin without the use
of the
back hoe. We are
looking forward to from
freeing up space in the recycling building and loading the recycling as
it
accumulates will allow us to do so.
Did
you know we ship one of these 40-foot bins of recycling every week? And
in the
nice weather twice as much.
Thank you again to all the
volunteers who
show up on their week end to keep the Free Store running, and thank you
to the
Recycling Committee and the HIRRA Executive for all their volunteer
hours. Thank you to
the staff and for their
dedication to the recycling cause.
May 2019
HIRRA’s AGM was held in April. For the first time in many
years we had more members of the public interested to sit on the
recycling
committee than we have currently have seats for and there was an
election.
Kathy Sauve received the least numbers of votes and thus Judith
Walmsley was
voted in. We would like to thank Kathy Sauve for the many years of
service she contributed
to the recycling committee and are happy that, although not as a
committee
member” but at as an emeritus committee member, will still attend our
meetings.
We would like to welcome Judith Walmsley as our new committee member
and are
looking forward to working with her in 2019 and onward. Judith Walmsley
is one
of our Free Store volunteers and we value her experience and
contributions.
Spring has sprung here at the Hornby Island Recycling Depot
and Free Store. The daffodils and the spring blossoms of our fruit
trees are
blooming. And spring cleaning is bringing patrons with loads of
materials to
the recycling depot. As it is usual for this time of year we are
inundated with
stuff. Much of it is Free Store bound. Unfortunately, there is a lot
that is
not Free Store stock but garbage. The volunteers are asking for your
participation in sorting unusable items from Free Store items and
deposit them
in the garbage.
We have had news that the Diabetes Foundation can no longer
accept our “Rags”. That means the Free Store can no longer accept
soiled, cut
and dirty clothing. Please make sure that only items in good order are
deposited into the Free Store. The volunteers thank you. Also make sure
only
working electronics are deposited in the Free Store. All non
functioning
electronics should be placed in the mega bags that are placed outside
of the
recycling building. If
unsure ask one of
our staff and they will gladly guide you.
A reminder that the area behind the donations receiving
table is for the Free Store volunteers. They need that space to sort
and hang
the donations that come in. Please respect their space during the
opening
hours.
If you are interested in joining our team at the recycling
depot this summer, let us know. We are looking for help again this year
during
the months of July and August. We are offering four five-hour shifts.
Thursdays
through Sunday 8:30 am – 1:30 pm. Current pay rate is $16.39per hour.
Leave us
a resume in the Free Post, send it to hiwmc@yahoo.com
or talk to us in the office if you are interested.
To finish things of here is a fun thing to with leaky tea
pots. Did you know that when the pot is buried in the ground so that
the spout
is sticking out, bumble bees will move in.
Now isn’t that a fun thing to try in the garden. Let us know if it works.
April 2019
As this month’s article is being written the electric heater in the office is still working hard. Hopefully by the time this month’s article goes to print we can all welcome spring. The depot gardeners have been hard at work doing their wonderful gardening thing regardless of the temperatures. You should check out the new garden gate John and Phillis have created. Thank you to Ceridwen Joy for wanting to take on our overgrown willow fence. We know you will make it something beautiful. Thank you also to Una and Deborah doing that wonderful gardening thing all around the Recycling Centre. All your hard work is very much appreciated.
A Free Store volunteer asked that remind all parents when they are in the Free Store with their children to make sure their children are supervised. Please watch over your children carefully as they are many things that are in the reach. Old dirty shoes, smelly socks, toothpaste and many, many more things.
We have observed that several patrons of the recycling depot regularly refrain from remitting the deposit fee. We just wanted to spread the word that there actually is a fee to deposit garbage at the recycling depot. So tell all your friends :)
Please remember that there is a call out for more volunteer hands. More volunteers are needed in the Free Store. If you are interested in this fun volunteer opportunity, or know someone who might be interested, our volunteers are looking for up to ten more people per week for one to four-hour shifts. For more information you can contact the recycling depot or just show up at the Free Store during open hours and start sorting.
And a reminder that pre-sorting your Free Store items helps the volunteers. It takes so much time sorting thought broken hardware and broken toys, ripped and soiled clothing, molding books and clothing to find things that can be put out into the free store. So if all these items are kept out of the free store the workload of the volunteers would be well reduced.
Finally one last note. The HIRRA AGM will be taking place on April 10, 2019 at the Hornby Island community hall. Committee members are elected and if you are interested in joining the recycling committee this your chance for 2019. You can contact Jan Kennedy our committee chair, Reina LeBaron our HIRRA administrator or talk to us at the office.
March 2019
These
past
weeks we have been working hard to clear snow from the depot road and
parking
lot and I especially would like to thank Scott Hardy for going over and
beyond
of what is expected to make sure that our users have access to the
recycling
depot. I would like to thank Phil Bailey for shoveling snow and salting
the
pedestrian accesses areas continually throughout the past two weekends. Thank you as well to Shawn
Jamieson who at a
moment’s notice has continuously made himself available for work when
staff had
called in sick.
Last
year
we shipped 34 forty
yards bins of household
garbage,
32 forty yards bins of recycling, 20 forty yards bins of carboard from
commercial
users, 14 forty yards bins of construction and demolition waste, 12
forty yards
bins of scrap metal, seven forty yards bins of wood waste, three forty
yards
bins of branches and two twenty yards bins of drywall off island.
To date our solar panel array has
produced 22.1 Mega watts
total of clean energy, and 8.8 Mega watts was produced since last
February’s
reading.
We
have
started 2019 with a renewed focus on safety. Last month five staff
members
completed an Occupational 1st Aid level 1
training course. This
course was taught by John Heinnig at the fire hall.
We would like to thank John for teaching us
the course and also thank Doug Chinnery for letting us use the fire
hall for
the training. We
have installed flags on
our parking bollards to help drivers see the bollards as they are
backing up
towards them. We have installed an Eyewash Station that provides 15
minutes of
clean tempered water and thus meets the new ANSI standards. Moving
forward, our
staff will be re-trained in WHMIS, WVH and other required training.
We
would
like everyone to know that there is a call out for more volunteer
hands. More
volunteers are needed in the Free Store. If you are interested in this
fun
volunteer opportunity, or know someone who might be interested, our
volunteers are
looking for up to ten more people per week for one to four-hour shifts.
For
more information you can contact the recycling depot or just show up at
the Free
Store during open hours and start sorting.
We
also
want to spread the word that pre-sorting your Free Store items helps
the
volunteers. It takes time sorting thought broken hardware and broken
toys,
ripped and soiled clothing, molding books and clothing to find things
that can
be put out into the free store. So if all these items are kept out of
the free
store the workload of the volunteers would be well reduced. And I think
they
deserve that respect. Don’t you?
Did you know that our most viewed
Facebook post in 2018 was
the little 40th celebration video we did with
3259 people being
reached and was followed by a picture of the new art work Tessa Mythos
painted
on our firefighting tank with 2670 views.
The new
year has arrived, and we hope everyone had a good holiday season. With
new
challenges and new energy and we will be working hard again this year
to
provide the best recycling and waste services to this little island.
I spend a little time in
Hamburg, Germany this
past month to celebrate my mother’s 80th
Birthday. While I was there
It was interesting to observe how recycling and waste is handled in
this large European
city. In the small apartment my mother lives she separates her
plastics, paper,
cardboard, glass and tin packaging and deposits some these materials in
the
appropriate waste containers in her apartment complex, others she
deposits at
collection sites close by. Her apartment building’s garbage and
recycling waste
containers are accessible 24/7 but she has to return batteries and
other
nasties during regular business hours of the participating collectors.
There
are recycling collections bins placed at intervals throughout the city
for
glass and paper/carboard or plastics that she uses.
There is a
minimum 10 cent charge per shopping bag so many people in Hamburg carry
a reusable
bag with them. Germany is big on the Refundables idea. The average
deposit paid
on any drinking bottle including milk products is 20 cents and most
everyone
participates in getting their money back. My mother sure does. Batteries have
to be brought to
participating collections centres to be deposited. Often a batterie
retailer
will also be a collection centre for batteries. The same goes for
paint,
pesticides and other nasties.
It
was
interesting to see how the concept of recycling has developed in this
part of
this earth.
I
want to
that Annie Nagle for holding fort in my absence.
As well I would like to thank Scott Hardy for
creating a protective garden around our newly painted firefighting
water tank.
Our volunteer gardeners are exited can’t wait for spring to do their
thing.
Check it out the next time you are up at the depot.
A
reminder
that more volunteer hands are still needed in the Free Store and if you
are
interested in this fun volunteer job, our volunteers will be offering
an
orientation session early in the new year. They would like five to ten
more
people per week for on to four-hour shifts. For more info call 250 335
3229 or
email nsnanua@yahoo.ca
We would like to thank all the
volunteers who spent
countless hours sorting at the free store, for no pay whatsoever,
making the
Free Store possible for the residents and visitors of Hornby Island;
and a
thank you to the “Recycling Committee” and the “HIRRA” executive for
dedicating
many volunteer hours to help run our little depot. And a big Thank you
to all
our staff for their commitment and hard work.
Thank You.
November 2018
We
would like to take this opportunity to thank Tessa Mythos whole
heartedly for artistically painting our fire fighting water tank. You
may have seen her progress this past month as she was working hard on
transforming our firefighting tank. We are exceedingly happy with the
amazing art work she produced for the Hornby Island Recycling
Program. Next time you are at the depot take a look at her
work
and be amazed. We would also like to thank HIAC for making this art
happen at our little recycling depot. Thanks go out to the CVRD as well
as they funded all the prep work and will fund sealing the art work as
well. We also thank Lawrence Maude for taking on the job of prepping
and priming the old rusted firefighting tank. Thanks to the Hornby
Island Volunteers Fire Department for providing the primer for the tank
and for updating the tanks valves. What a great outcome form a project
that was instigated by Lynn Carmichael, former chair of the of HIAC,
over five years ago. Thanks to her as well.
The pilot program Recycle BC started on June 1st, adding an additional stream of plastics to our collection process is working well. Recycle BC diverts this stream of plastic to a Waste to Energy facility on the main land. We appreciate everyone cooperation and participation. If you want to find out more about this new program you can check out their website at https://recyclebc.ca/flexiblepackaging/
Currently we are busy preparing the 2019 operating budget and are looking forward to presenting it to the membership at the next HIRRA meeting on Wednesday, November 14, 2018 at 7:30pm at NEW HORIZONS CENTER.
Thanks everyone for their co-operation in refraining from depositing drywall in the wrong places and partaking in the slightly laborious procedure we have been saddled with. This new system is working well and we have been able to divert over twenty yard from the land fill and have this martials shipped to a recycler. This material will be recycled into new drywall here in British Columbia.
We also would like to thank all the volunteers who spent countless hours sorting at the free store, for no pay whatsoever, making the Free Store possible for the residents and visitors of Hornby Island; and a thank you to the “Recycling Committee” and the “HIRRA” executive for dedicating many volunteer hours to help run our little depot. And a big Thank you to all our staff for their commitment and hard work.
Thank You.
October 2018
Fall has
arrived and things are slowing down once again at the recycling depot.
We had a wonderful 40th anniversary celebration on September 8 2018 and
want to thank all those who participated and
celebrated.
Thank you to Reina LeBaron and her models who organized a fantastic
free store fashion show. Thank you to Eleanora Laffin and Morgot
Bushnell for displaying your fabulous quilts made from free store
materials. Thank you to Don Innes and Catherine Cross for the recycling
craft display. Thank you Dave Mills for sharing your recycled art with
us. Thank you to Peter Huron, Tony Wilson, and Bill Smith for making
some eclectic music for us that afternoon. And thanks to the Kritters
for rocking the depot till closing. A special thank you to Jon Laskin
for making us a special 40th anniversary cake. Fun was had by all.
Thank you to the recycling committee , the free store volunteers and
the staff for making this event such a memorable experience.
Thanks to everyone who bought a 40th anniversary celebration T-Shirt. We are almost sold out but have a few left for sale at the depot.
Tessa Mythos has started to artistically paint our firefighting tank. Come and check out her progress next time you are at the recycling depot. We are looking forward to see the finished product.
We have switched back to regular pricing and a regular bag of garbage is $3.50 a small bag is $1.75 and a large bag is $6.00. We are also now closed on Thursdays to the public.
Currently we are working on the 2019 operating budget for the recycling program witch will be presented to the HIRRA membership this fall.
A big thank you to all the volunteers who spent hours sorting at the free store, making the Free Store possible for the residents and visitors of Hornby Island.
See you all on depot hill.
September 2018
This
summer has been a busy one for the Hornby Island Recycling Depot. We
have shipped more recyclable and Refundables than in previous years.
This is due to an increase in usership during the summer months and a
broadening scope of the materials we can ship of the island to be
recycled.
We want to thank Pat Hargrave for hosting our annual Volunteer and Staff Summer Party. Fun was had by everyone. The food was provided by Hornby Island Bakery and Pizzeria and was delicious. Thank you, Jon and Jane.
Our 40th anniversary celebration is on September the 8th at the recycling depot during the regular depot hours. The Fall Fair will also be celebrating "Recycling" on September 9. It will be a full weekend of “Recycling Celebrations”.
Thanks to everyone who bought one of our 40th anniversary celebration T-shirts. We’re almost sold out of and have a few left for sale at the depot.
We would like to announce that the recycling committee selected Tessa Mythos to artistically paint our fire fighting water tank. We want to thank everyone again who submitted ideas to this great little project. We would also like to thank Lawrence Maude for taking on the job of prepping and priming our old rusted firefighting tank.
A big shout out to Peter Huron for lending his voice to our little recycling celebration video. Thanks go to Bob Cain for letting us use his archival photos and thank you Jake Berman for the drone footage he shot for us. Check out our facebook page to see the video if you have not yet done so. There is also a YouTube link on our website if you don’t facebook.
We would like to thank all the commercial customers who adapted to the new “Commercial Cardboard” routine and helped to make this transition as smooth as possible. We understand that it is not always easy to deal with the large amount of recycling that is created during the summer months by a commercial enterprise and appreciate you cooperation very much.
And a tremendous thank you to all the volunteers who spent summer hours sorting at the free store, for no pay whatsoever, making the Free Store possible for the residents and visitors of Hornby Island. A thank you to the “Recycling Committee” and the “HIRRA” executive for dedicating many volunteer hours to help run our little depot. And a big Thank you to the staff for your commitment.
See you all up on depot hill.
July - August 2018
So it's been one month since we added
an additional stream
of plastics to our collection process. We now are collecting Stand-Up
and
Zipper Lock Pouches, Crinkle Wrappers and Bags, Flexible Packaging with
Plastic
Seals, Non-Food Protective Plastic Packaging (Bubble Wrap) and Woven
and Net
Plastic Bags. These are all part of the new stream of plastics
collected by
Recycle BC. Our staff will be available to assist you with any
questions
regarding this new plastics stream. This is a pilot project run by
Recycle BC
and we will see if this stream will be permanently added by the end of
2018.
We are now in full swing preparing
for the 40th
anniversary this September. Our celebration at the depot will be on
September 8th
during
the regular depot day and
the Fall Fair will be celebrating "Recycling" on September 9. It will
be a full weekend of Recycling Celebrations. If you are interested in
being
part of the celebration team let us know. We have a sign-up sheet in
the office
for all those interested. We will be having a band, an art show in the
depot
garden, some treats, and more. And for those who are wondering…………..
There will
be cake.
We also wanted everyone to know about
our new 40th
Celebration T-Shirts that are now on sale at the recycling depot. We
wanted to
thank everyone who submitted ideas. We are very happy with the design
that was
created by the super talented Tyler Mason from a design idea submitted
to us by
Reina LeBaron. THANK YOU!
Our website has received an update
and you can check it out
at hirre.ca/recycle/. There you find important information about the
new
drywall processing requirements and links to pertinent forms.
We also wanted to apologize to all
the artist who have
submitted a design for the Get Tanked project. We have made some
mistakes in
the original call for proposals and now, to satisfy all of HIACS
requirement,
we will be issuing another call for submissions soon. We are working
hard to
have the next call for submissions contain all the requirements HIAC
requires.
Again, our apologies and look out for the new call for the Get Tanked
project
at the recycling depot.
Thanks to Doug Chinnery and the
Hornby Island Volunteer Fire
Department for helping us out with upgrading our Fire Fighting Tank and
donating all the paint to have it primed for our little art project.
We would like to remind everyone
again that we are now
accept interact and credit card payments. We hope that this service
will serve
everyone well making it more convenient to pay for your garbage.
Thank you to all the volunteers who
spent countless hours
sorting at the free store, for no pay whatsoever, making the Free Store
possible for the residents and visitors of Hornby Island. And thank you
to the
“Recycling Committee” and the “HIRRA” executive for dedicating many
volunteer
hours to help run our little depot. And a big Thank you to the staff
for your
commitment.
See you all up on depot hill.
Get
ready to recycle even more. As of June 1, 2018 we will be adding an
additional stream of plastics to our collection process. We will be
collecting Stand-up and Zipper Lock Pouches, Crinkle Wrappers and Bags,
Flexible Packaging with Plastic Seals, Non-Food Protective Plastic
Packaging (Bubble Wrap) and Woven and Net Plastic Bags. These are all
part of the new stream of plastics collected by Recycle BC. Our staff
will be available to assist you with any questions regarding this new
plastics stream.
You may know already that the recycling depot and free store will be having its 40th anniversary this September. We will be having a celebration at the depot on September 8th. If you are interested in being part of the celebration team let us know. We have a sign-up sheet in the office for all those interested.
And for those who are wondering………….. There will be cake.
As we are writing this article we are still looking for some summer staff. We are looking for material handlers and are offering part time positions at 20 hours per week. The current rate of pay is $17.22/hour and we are looking for people to work Thursday through Fridays. If you are interested in joining our team of recyclers stop by at the office, call us at 250-335-0550, email us at hiwmc@yahoo.com or drop us a line in the Free Post.
Currently our regional district is researching “Waste to Energy” solutions for our region. Your recycling committee is requesting the HIRRA membership to write a letter in opposition to WTE solutions to the CVRD board. If you feel strongly about this topic, please get in touch with our committee members and let them know your views. They are Jan Kennedy, Kathi Sauve, Barbara Baird, Ilze Raudzins and Alsoon Brine. You can also talk to our HIRRA executive members President Rob McCreary, Vice President Linda Manzer, Treasurer Lynn Nunley or Secretary Anita Lewis.
Our website has received an update and you can check it out at hirre.ca/recycle/. There you find important information about the new drywall processing requirements and links to pertinent forms.
We would like to remind everyone again that we are now accept interact and credit card payments. We hope that this service will serve everyone well making it more convenient to pay for your garbage.
Thank you to all the volunteers who spent countless hours sorting at the free store, for no pay whatsoever, making the Free Store possible for the residents and visitors of Hornby Island. And thank you to the “Recycling Committee” and the “HIRRA” executive for dedicating many volunteer hours to help run our little depot. And a big Thank you to the staff for your commitment.
See you all up on depot hill.
May 2018
The
first quarter of 2018 has been business as usual at the Hornby
Island Recycling Depot.
We collected and shipped five 40-yard bins of household garbage, two bins of construction waste, two wood waste bins, three scrap metal bins and eight bins of recycling of the island. We shipped twelve skids of “Product Care” materials so far. Our drywall diversion program collected one 20-yard waste bin full of dry wall scraps and old drywall
We are collaborating with HIAC on having our firefighting tank painted artistically this year and we are looking for ideas and artist to help us to complete this project. We hope to convert the tank, so our volunteer firefighters can easily connect their equipment at the same time. The cost for prepping the tank would be covered by the CVRD and HIAC has some monies available for the artistic component. If you or you know someone that wants to get involved in this project? Contact us. Submission deadline has been extended to May 15th, 2018.
Recently we updated our website
and it is now easily accessible through the HIRRA website or by going
directly
to www.hirra.ca/recycle/.
We want to take this opportunity to thank Bob Cain for letting
us use his pictures on our history page. As
many
of you know September 2018
will be an important date for the Hornby Island Recycling Depot for it
marks
the 40th anniversary of Reducing Reusing and
Recycling up on the
hill. We are planning a celebration for this important event. We are
currently
talking to musicians, artists and volunteers to participate. We hope to
have a
T-Shirt available for sale as a fund raiser to help cover celebration
cost and
the recycling committee is researching other funding
avenues. We would like to thank all the
volunteers who spent countless hours sorting at the free store, making
the Free
Store possible for the residents and visitors of Hornby Island.A
big thank you to the “Recycling
Committee” and the “HIRRA” executive for dedicating many volunteer
hours to the
Recycling Depot., also we would like to acknowledge Scott Hardy, Scott
Sweeney
Annie Nagle, Phi Bailey and Shawn Jamison for their hard work and
dedication.
See
you all up on depot hill.
April 2018
Notes from the Depot………………………….
The Hornby Island Recycling Depot wants to get tanked. More precisely we want to artistically have our water tank painted. We are working together with the Hornby Islands Arts Council and their tank painting project “Get Tanked” that has so magnificently beautified the island fire fighting tanks. We are currently looking for an artist and idea for the tanks artwork. There is some money available form the Hornby Islands Arts Council for this project’s artist and the dead line for submissions is April 30, 2018. If you are interested and need some more information please contact us via the Free Post, email at hiwmc@yahoo.com, phone 250 335 0550 or at the depot office.
We wanted to thank everyone for all the wonderful design submissions for our 40th anniversary T-Shirts and we will unveil the winning design shortly. Many of you have seen the contenders on the recycling depots FaceBook page. We hope you enjoyed the pre-view. Will your favorite be chosen?
The 40th anniversary of the Recycling Depot and Free Store is coming and closer. We may bee looking into hiring a “Co-ordinator” to make sure everyone’s great ideas come to fruition, and if you think that you have the stuff to “Co-ordinate” this fabulous event talk to the Recycling Committee or the manager at let us know that you are interested. We have laid some ground work already. We hope that there will be band of musicians making some noise with instruments made from recycled materials. Now wouldn’t that be fun.
A reminder that the elections for “Committee Members of Hornby Island Committees” is approaching fast and if you are interested in being part of our great little recycling committee let HIRRA, our committee members or the management know that you would like to be part of a great thing.
Our website has received an update and you can check it out at hirre.ca/recycle/. There you find important information about the new drywall processing requirements and links to pertinent forms.
We would like to remind everyone again that we are now accept interact and credit card payments. We hope that this service will serve everyone well making it more convenient to pay for your garbage.
Thank you to all the volunteers who spent countless hours sorting at the free store, for no pay whatsoever, making the Free Store possible for the residents and visitors of Hornby Island. And thank you to the “Recycling Committee” and the “HIRRA” executive for dedicating many volunteer hours to help run our little depot. And a big Thank you to the staff for your commitment.
See you all up on depot hill.
March 2018
Notes from the Depot………………………….
Winter seemed to be on the way out as last months article was being written. In February however we were stuck in the snow for good. We had to close one Sunday as we received so much snow that the roads where not cleared in time for us to make it to the depot. Only Scott Hardy, hardcore as he is, walked all the way to the depot so he could clear it of the white stuff in time for us to open the following week. So, a BIG hearty “Thank You” Scott Hardy for going the extra mile.
As we have been mentioning before, the 40th anniversary of the Recycling Depot and Free Store is this upcoming September. We are planning a celebration and are looking for your input, ideas and help. We may bee looking into hiring a “Co-ordinator” to make sure everyone’s great ideas come to fruition, and if you think that you have the stuff to “Co-ordinate” this fabulous event talk to the Recycling Committee or the manager at let us know that you are interested. We have laid some ground work already. We hope that there will be band of musicians making some noise with instruments made from recycled materials. We have spread the word that we are looking for a T-Shirt design and are happy to say that they are coming in. The deadline for the T-Shirt design submissions is the 31st of March 2018. So, if you have an idea share it with us. Who knows it might be used and someone in Hawaii may be walking around with a T-Shirt that you designed. (We know many Hornby visitors and residents hang out in Hawaii at times.)
The annual elections for “Committee Members of Hornby Island Committees” is approaching fast and if you are interested in being part of our great little recycling committee let HIRRA, our committee members or the management know that you would like to be part of a great thing.
We would like to remind everyone again that we are now accept interact and credit card payments. We hope that this service will serve everyone well making it more convenient to pay for your garbage.
Thanks again to all the volunteers who arrive every weekend and do their thing to make our “Free Store” unique and a wonderful thing. Countless hours are spent by these volunteers, for no pay whatsoever, making the Free Store available to the residents and visitors of Hornby Island. And thank you to the “Recycling Committee” and the “HIRRA” executive for dedicating many volunteer hours to help run our little depot. Thanks to you all. See you all up on depot hill.
This page is dedicated to feature some creative ideas that practice the tripple "R" movement
Advocato shells serving as starting pot
Toy truck made from "Junk"