It is recommended that the qathet Regional District (qRD) board approve staff to submit a funding proposal to First Credit Union (FCU) for joint collaboration on additional zero-waste resources.
At the committee of the whole meeting on Thursday, November 14, a report was submitted to inform the committee of a potential collaboration with FCU to fund additional zero-waste resources that would be owned by qRD and administered by Let’s Talk Trash (LTT), the regional district’s waste-reduction education program.
Committee chair Sandy McCormick said she’d like to see zero waste bins like this at Shelter Point Park on Texada Island.
Let’s Talk Trash team member Tai Uhlmann said the FCU initiative is to add extra bins to the bins already going out to zero-waste events. She said they are a modular-style bin rather than a permanent style bin. There is a local contractor who makes the bins and supplies to order, she added.
Regional district manager of asset management and strategic initiatives Mike Wall said there is a draft illegal dumping strategy that will be coming to committee of the whole next month and there is an item that discusses areas such as Shelter Point, where permanent-style bins could possibly go in.
Uhlmann said the proposal for FCU would be 100 per cent funded by the credit union, owned by the regional district and managed by LTT. Any maintenance would be out of the LTT budget in the future.
According to a staff report from Wall, in August 2019, FCU reached out to LTT to express an interest in contributing to zero-waste event equipment. Wall stated they recommended the regional district submit a funding proposal to FCU for any additional zero-waste resources needed to support qRD’s effort to reduce waste through facilitating zero-waste events.
Zero-waste resources qRD currently supplies to events consist of three zero-waste station kits. Each has three bins – compost, recycling and refundables – plus signage, aprons, hats, bags, cleaning supplies and recycling and compost information.
Additional resources include a mobile dishwashing trailer and dishware. qRD purchased the stations in 2013 and demand increases annually. In 2018, 13 events borrowed the stations and in 2019, to date, 23 events have used them.
According to the report, the bins and lids are showing signs of wear and tear and there were several times this past summer where events wanting to borrow the bins overlapped, making scheduling challenging.
The report requests funding for three sets of new, locally made all metal zero-waste station bins with lids and two 10 by 10 tents.
