July 14, 2009
Meagre pickings for volunteers emptying blue bins in parks
Scotty Beaton said since the program began, Scouts Canada has only collected $9 worth of bottles. (CBC)
Bottle pickers might be cleaning out new blue bins in parks meant to help community groups.
Fifty bottle recycling bins have been placed in parks throughout the city. Community groups such as Scouts Canada monitor and regularly clear out 20 containers. In return, they get to keep the bottle deposit proceeds.
"The bottle pickers [are] coming and cleaning them out before we get to them," said Scotty Beaton of Scouts Canada. "I'm not suggesting a homeless person shouldn't be an appropriate use. However, I'm trying to take Scouts overseas and I would really like to be able to have those funds to be able to do that."
Since the program began in June, Scouts Canada has only collected $9 in refunds from bottles it found. The bins are locked, but someone wanting the contents could reach in and grab bottles and cans.
Beaton said the work he does is worth it, even if the monetary reward isn't there quite yet. And as the program expands, Beaton hopes it will draw in more volunteers, more monitoring and eventually more funds for his organization.
"We're winning because we're getting this stuff out of the landfill, that's the biggest thing," Beaton said.
Program to expand
The remaining 30 blue bins are emptied by Calgary parks staff and given to the Vocational Rehabilitation and Research Institute, which has a bottle depot in northwest Calgary. The non-profit group hasn't taken much in from the program, but Ann-Marie Latoski director of business activities, isn't complaining.
"We were really pleased that parks approached us to be part of this program and do the recycling and any donations that come in to us," she said.
As for the bins, city spokeswoman Maggie Thompson said putting them in parks is what Calgarians have asked for and while there may be some kinks to work out, plans are already in the works to add 50 more bins.
Bottle pickers are making more money than ever since the province raised the deposit on bottles and slapped a new deposit on milk containers: 10 cents on anything under one litre, and 25 cents on everything over a litre.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2009/07/14/calgary-recycling-parks-bottle-pickers.html
