Salt Spring’s Island Return It redemption centre processes a lot of containers –– 3 to 4 million units each year, according to owner/operator Sophy Roberge, taking redeemables rain or shine, from all corners of the island.
“In the summertime, when tourists are peaking, it’s definitely higher,” said Roberge. “We get commercial drop-off –– so if they have a good year, we have a good year.”
It’s a surprise for some that Return It is not a government enterprise, according to Roberge, who said that while the structure of the business developed from government actions, they’re not operated by the province.
“We’re completely a customer-based business,” said Roberge. “We’re a licensed business –– not a franchise –– and there are about 180 licenses all over B.C.”
A common question: Where does it all go?
“We count it, put it in the computer, and put the cans in a bag,” said Roberge. “And that bag gets transported in one of those big trailers you see come in and out of our parking lot, and that trailer goes to Victoria.”
Once there, she said, the cans are put into bigger “bales” and are loaded onto barges.
“The barge goes to Vancouver, where the bales get melted,” she said. “It’s about 60 to 90 days from here to that [aluminum] being filled and back on the shelf for customers.”
Glass is nearly as quickly turned around, she said. Good quality glass that’s recycled properly can be re-used or put into products like road aggregates.
“Or it can be added to concrete,” said Roberge. “A lot is processed in Abbotsford, where they get re-melted into bottles.”
Roberge said you can see different beverage trends at different locations; the Duncan location, she said, collects a lot of beer cans.
And on Salt Spring?
“A lot of wine,” she chuckled. “Here, it’s a lot of big glass bottles.”
If there was a point of consumer confusion, she said, it might be that only the ready-to-drink containers can be collected at the redemption centre –– that means containers for creamer for the coffee, or whipped cream for your cocoa, need to go to the Rainbow Road recycling depot.
There’s also nothing inherently different between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage cans, she said –– they’re just managed by different supply streams and have to be sent in different containers.
People should leave labels on containers, she said, because when there’s an audit they are scanned, and bottles without labels don’t count. And, Roberge added, accuracy is the name of the game –– guessing isn’t good enough.
“People think they can just fill up to the line, but we really need a good count,” she said. “When we get audited and the bag is wrong, we’re the one getting fined.”
Make sure there’s no liquid, Roberge said –– rinse your milk, especially in the summer, drain that water and finish that beer –– and these days you can go ahead and leave the lids on. Roberge said there was a time when the request was to remove them, because when the big machine was compressing plastic bottles, caps were flying off dangerously.
“But unfortunately, they found out that a lot of the lids then weren’t being recycled at all,” she said. “So now they have a big perforator to cut through so the air gets out before they’re compressed.”
Is there a best time to come?
“We’re open 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday,” said Roberge. “I’m going to say there’s no bad time. Sometimes it used to be Saturdays were not as busy, but with the recent road construction we’ve started recommending people come in then to avoid the traffic.”
The new metal box out front gives people an option to carefully return containers outside of regular business hours, in exchange for donating their redemption money to a charity –– which will change each month, Roberge said, and Island Return It is inviting organizations to reach out to become a recipient.
“It’s a win-win, right?” said Roberge. “You do something good for the environment, there’s less cost for your garbage and you –– or a charity –– gets money back.”
For more information, or to apply to be the charity of the month, visit islandreturnit.com/salt-spring or call 250-537-8784.