685 replies to this topic

[LJ]

Langford? Alpine?

Yes, GFL now tho.

[Victoria Watcher]

He has a routine: Once every two weeks, he heads out when the evening recycling bins are taken to the curb. (The CRD asks people not to put refundables in blue boxes, but they do it anyway.) On the off-weeks, he picks up returnables from the homes of Esquimalt clients who ask him to do so.

 

Except where it used to take one day to collect from the latter, it now can take three. When his bottle-laden trailer comes clanking down the street, people he has never seen before come running from their houses, waving bags of empties. “That has happened a lot since COVID.”

 

It’s not that people are necessarily drinking more — the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch says sales spiked in the last two weeks of March, but then returned to normal — but that they’re doing it at home now that they can’t go out.

 

Also, some of the places that used to accept returnables — grocers, government liquor stores — have suspended doing so while trying to adjust to our suddenly altered reality.

 

 

https://www.timescol...bust-1.24128587

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 03 May 2020 - 05:35 AM.

[Rob Randall]

Wait a minute, I distinctly remember reading in the news several years ago that the CRD wasn't happy with bottle pickers because they skimmed the bounty from the blue boxes and that the money the CRD gets from the recyclers is based on the market value of the goods and that deposit can and bottle revenue is pre-calculated and factored into the deal. In other words, the collectors were stealing from the government. 

 

Since when have they been saying don't put returnables in the box?

[Victoria Watcher]

i don't know.

 

i also notice this article does not say how much money he earns.  but it sounds like a lot.  325 pounds of cans and bottles 4 times every 2 weeks.  sounds like he works 4 days - every 2 weeks.  or something like that.

 

guy looks healthy and fit and clean cut.  he's only 42.  maybe this will land him another job.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 03 May 2020 - 05:37 AM.

[Rob Randall]

Now that pop cans are ten cents I would bet that trailer of his can hold a hundred dollars or more. 

 

It's impossible for me to believe Jack never asked the guy how much money he makes over the course of their conversation. I can think of a few reasons he would decline to give a precise number.

[Victoria Watcher]

if it was just empty and dry cans he's packing he can hold 8907 16.55 gram cans per load.  or $890.70.

 

if it's empty 26-ounce wine or spirit bottles he can carry 294 per load.  $29.40. 

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 03 May 2020 - 05:50 AM.

[Mike K.]

Wait a minute, I distinctly remember reading in the news several years ago that the CRD wasn't happy with bottle pickers because they skimmed the bounty from the blue boxes and that the money the CRD gets from the recyclers is based on the market value of the goods and that deposit can and bottle revenue is pre-calculated and factored into the deal. In other words, the collectors were stealing from the government.

Since when have they been saying don't put returnables in the box?

Me too. They said that was essentially where the money was.

But that was before we learned we’re lucky if our recycling stays out of the dump or off a Philippine beach.

[Rob Randall]

I suspect that all blue box glass is just ground up so I can understand keeping standard beer bottles out of there. The breweries love to get them back.

[Victoria Watcher]

I suspect that all blue box glass is just ground up so I can understand keeping standard beer bottles out of there. The breweries love to get them back.

 

the recycling truck that comes by should just take your entire blue box contents and apply 300,000 psi pressure to make it into a small golf-ball sized cylinder with a sharp cone end.  then use a pile-driving type attachment to ram it into your lawn 2-3 feet deep.  safely disposed of and every two weeks you get a tiny bit of lawn aeration too.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 03 May 2020 - 07:35 AM.

[Rob Randall]

^Then obviously some future technology will be able to excavate it and recycle it at the molecular level. I don't see any problems with this plan. 

[Victoria Watcher]

Garden Waste Drop Off at Royal Athletic Park

 

 

May 8, 2020

 

As a result of more residents being home during COVID-19, the City has seen increased demand for the garden waste drop off service. In response to this demand, the City is temporarily expanding this services by introducing a new yard waste drop-off area at Royal Athletic Park for the next two weeks.

 

The temporary yard waste drop-off service will be available from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays only, from Tuesday May 12to Friday May 15 and Tuesday May 19 to Friday May 22 in the Royal Athletic Park parking lot. Find out more on the Garden Waste Drop Off page 

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 12 May 2020 - 10:16 AM.

[Nparker]

So basically the CoV has decided parks are good for just about any purpose except relaxation and recreation. Well done. 

[vortoozo]

^ 

Who goes to relax in a parking lot?

[GetLisaSomeHelps]

I'm all for bashing this council, but media conveniently left out a pretty important piece of info.

 

After seeing the line at Saanich PW, CoV opening a 2nd temporary garden waste dropoff IN THE PARKING LOT at RAP seems like an okay idea.

[mbjj]

We went to that drop-off today. It was excellent, something the city did right for a change. We just had three bins full. You backed into a space (we left one space empty between ourselves and the next car), then hauled the bins out and just dumped them on the ground. As I'm unable to lift anything this was perfect for my husband as he had to do it by himself and one bin was quite heavy. It was better than trying to lift it over the lip of the garbage truck. Then a piece of machinery (I'm hopeless at their names) scraped it into a heap and loaded it into a big dumpster.  I hope they keep doing this every spring and summer.

[Mike K.]

I'm all for bashing this council, but media conveniently left out a pretty important piece of info.

 

After seeing the line at Saanich PW, CoV opening a 2nd temporary garden waste dropoff IN THE PARKING LOT at RAP seems like an okay idea.

 

Oh, that wasn't something that was widely circulated. I wonder if they were telling people that in the line-ups and kept it hush as far as announcement? Is there a source for this on the City's website?

[Nparker]

Delete from the post above:

 

The temporary yard waste drop-off service will be available from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays only, from Tuesday May 12to Friday May 15 and Tuesday May 19 to Friday May 22 in the Royal Athletic Park parking lot

[GetLisaSomeHelps]

Oh, that wasn't something that was widely circulated. I wonder if they were telling people that in the line-ups and kept it hush as far as announcement? Is there a source for this on the City's website?

 

It was mentioned in the body of every story I read but not in the headline.

[Mike K.]

Ah, gotcha. 

[mbjj]

I think the info was on the city's facebook page. My daughter sent it to me, thank goodness.