05 Jul

Bottle Drives: A Great Way to Raise Money While Learning About Recycling. At Island Return It, we host dozens of bottle drives every year, with Duncan being the busiest branch averaging 2-3 per week during the peak summer season. Schools and sports teams raise money for gear and trips; charities get out into the community to raise funds and boost awareness; and individuals band together to help someone in need. Running a bottle drive is easy, and the staff at Island Return It are here to support you, especially if it's your first time. Start by picking up our Bottle Drive Guide (at the Duncan branch) and reading it over. Then schedule your fundraiser well in advance, to make sure you get the day you want. There are 3 ways you can hold a bottle drive: 1. Go out into the community and collect (the most effective) 2. Post a collection site and people bring...

07:04 / Community / Local
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01 Dec

  Christmas is here, and with it all the extra planning, events and gift exchanges, and that means more clean up. I find it all rather daunting myself, and personally don’t enjoy all the extra garbage generated at this time of year. I plan to up my recycling game this holiday season. Creating an organizational system could be just the ticket to help me manage. Care to join me? Here’s what I’m thinking: Let's start by carving out some space where we can place some sorting bins. Somewhere easy to access.  Next label each box with these categories:  Curbside Recycling - Paper and hard plastics Returnables - Sort cans and glass by type, which will speed things up at the depot Clean Soft Plastics - Soft and crinkle plastic can now be combined together  Miscellaneous: broken electronics, Christmas lights, light bulbs, batteries and ink cartridges (no toners please)  Styrofoam (not peanut chips). Our...

19:07 / Community
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19 Mar

As part of our electronic waste recycling program we collect old TVs, along with computers, stereos, video equipment, [caption id="" align="alignright" width="320"] Old broken TV (Photo credit: schmilblick)[/caption] and many other electronics. When TVs arrive at our depots we have a special procedure we take when receiving and preparing them to be sent to processing plants in the B.C. interior because believe it or not, TVs are toxic. Despite international laws designed to prevent this, many developed countries send e-waste overseas to Asia and Africa. Inspections of 18 European seaports in 2005 found as much as 47 % of waste destined for export, including e-waste, was illegal. It is important that you know that when you recycle your electronic waste at Island Return It, we never send product overseas for dismantling. We use only approved facilities in North America. Older TVs Present a Special Challenge In particular, older TVs with CRTs (cathode ray tubes) need to be handled...

06:15 / Community / Recycle Me
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17 Oct

 School’s back in full swing (after a bumpy start), which also means it’s fundraising season again. Chocolates, anyone? Cookies? Magazines? Entertainment Books?!!  But what if you’re looking to make some money for your organization and save the planet at the same time? For this, nothing beats a good old fashioned bottle drive. Except, in order to make yours successful it might be time to do away with the “old fashioned” and bring your bottle drive into the 21st century!  Here are four steps to help make your bottle drive efficient, profitable, and fun: STEP ONE: ORGANIZE Form a small group of people willing to take initiative and delegate tasks to each person in the group. For example, have one person in charge of advertising, one person in charge of volunteer recruitment, and someone else in charge of sorting the collected containers. Choose a leader, having one point of contact will make the whole process...

01:27 / Community / Local / Recycle Me
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26 Feb

Perhaps you've noticed, we like to share interesting news from the world of recycling and environmental responsibility. There are so many great ideas out there that we feel compelled to share them with you regularly. Sometimes, though, its nice to have a list of great reading material that you can refer to. With that in mind we proudly present: Island Return It's Favourite Blogs 2014 1) Zero Waste Cowichan - This blog is written by the Cowichan Valley Regional District's Zero Waste Challenge team. It includes local news, helpful information and fun facts. 2) UsedBlog - UsedEverywhere.com writes a fun blog centered around reusing products, upcycling and being creative while staying true to green themes and values. 3) My Zero Waste - This blog chronicles the efforts made by one family to dramatically reduce the amount of trash they have created since 2004. 4) Grist - Grist is a "Beacon in the Smog" and topics range from Climate...

23:28 / Community
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