qathet Regional District (qRD) board will consider engaging with Diabetes Canada to host textile donations bins at the Black Point, Town Centre, Tla’amin and Lund recycling depots.
At the March 1 committee of the whole meeting, city director Cindy Elliott said it’s “super important” that a way is found to recycle textiles.
“It’s problematic in landfills,” added Elliott.
She said it appears that Diabetes Canada will be using bins that are safe, because there had been problems with people getting into the old bins. According to a staff report, when a death took place in 2018 in West Vancouver after an individual tried to get into a donation bin, donation bins in qRD locations that weren’t monitored were removed. The report stated that Diabetes Canada contacted qRD in January 2023 to assess the regional district’s interest in hosting new Diabetes Canada clothing donations at the four mainland recycling depots.
Electoral Area E director Andrew Fall said being able to recycle textiles, putting them back into some kind of use, and keeping textiles out of the waste stream, being shipped hundreds of kilometres to be landfilled, is a big, important piece for qRD’s aim in heading toward zero waste.
Electoral Area B director Mark Gisborne asked if the liability and risk would be held by Diabetes Canada, or does the regional district have liability for this program.
Manager of operational services Patrick Devereaux said the new bins look like big mailboxes, with two drums moving together. He said people could climb into the old-style bins, but that is not a possibility with the new bins. He also said the regional district is covered by the Municipal Insurance Association of British Columbia.
Electoral Area C director and board chair Clay Brander said staff took notice of legitimate public concern about what happens to the sheer volume of textiles.
“I hate the concept of having a problem and sending it off to another country,” said Brander.
Electoral Area D director and committee of the whole chair Sandy McCormick asked why it was only the mainland recycling depots that were involved. She said previously, there was a textiles recycling box at the Gillies Bay recycling depot.
“I am wondering why Texada has been left out?” asked McCormick.
Devereaux said Diabetes Canada wants to start slowly, so they are starting on the southern coast and mainland portions of the qRD. He said Diabetes Canada is in negotiations to maybe move to Texada again.
The committee voted unanimously to recommend to the board that it direct staff to engage with Diabetes Canada to re-establish clothing donation bins at the qRD’s mainland regional district recycling depots.
