As of February 1, you can have a little more change in your pocket after visiting the bottle depot on Duncan Street. Milk and milk alternatives are being added to the deposit system, so vegan or not, your recycling habits might change.
The good news is that you don’t need to change a thing. That is, if you are already rinsing your containers, replacing the caps and pushing straws in. If not, consider taking the extra moment to save depot staff from mouldy milk and the vermin it could attract.
Milk containers and their plant-based alternatives can continue to go in curbside bins as well as to Recycle BC depots sprinkled throughout the region. If you’re interested in getting your 10 cent deposit back, however, you will need to take them to the Sunset Coast Bottle Depot (7127 Duncan Street) with all of your deposit beverage containers.
Before you get too ambitious and attempt to bring everything in the milk category to the bottle depot, know that not all dairy and non-dairy alternatives are part of this new deposit program.
Exceptions include buttermilk, whipping cream, meal replacement drinks, drinkable yogurt, infant formula, kefir, coffee creamers and other coffee additives. An easier way to remember the limited list of what is accepted is to think of it as simply ready-to-drink milk (of all fat percentages) and ready-to-drink almond, coconut, oat, soy and cashew milk. Other dairy and dairy alternative containers, such as those in the list above, should continue to go in curbside bins or to Recycle BC depots.
Deposits will be charged as of the beginning of this month, and can be redeemed immediately after, as long as the best before date is February 1 or later. As always, donating your deposit beverage containers to depot staff, kids doing a bottle drive, or anyone interested in making the trip to the bottle depot may still be a possibility. This newly expanded program means those collecting can walk away with a bigger smile when doing their returns.
Return-It, the non-profit responsible for beverages with deposits, has also started a new form of collection that may catch the interest of those crunched for time but still wishing to receive their refund. The new Return-It Express program at the Duncan Street location allows customers to drop off their deposit beverage containers without having to sort them first. Depot staff then sort beverage containers and their deposit is returned via e-transfer or mailed cheque. Sounds almost too good to be true.
Customers are asked to use clear bags for their collection and can set up an account online by visiting Return-It.ca/express. Once signed up, users can opt for stickers with their Return-It account number to be mailed to them for an incredibly easy drop off.
Did you know that the local Return-It bottle depot also hosts a recycling program for electronics? This is the go-to place for broken DVD players, outdated printers, cracked monitors and even old CDs in their cases.
To find out the full list of what is accepted, visit RecycleMyElectronics.ca/bc. Before discarding these items that were once treasures, consider fixing, donating or repurposing.
Winter might be the best time to clean out your garage or basement, which is more than likely where you’re storing your recycling, deposit containers and seemingly dead electronics. Starting off the year by clearing out your space is a great way to warm up to an even deeper spring clean.
Let’s Talk Trash is qathet Regional District’s waste reduction education program. For more information, email [email protected].
