How Doing Your Part to Recycle in the Comox Valley Really is Making a Big Difference.

You’ve heard the clichés before.

• ‘One person CAN make a difference.’
• ‘Every little bit helps.’
• ‘Be the change you want to see in the world.’

But just because a phrase or opinion has become cliché, doesn’t mean it’s not true.

You Really Can Make a Difference

When it comes to recycling, every can or newspaper (along with hundreds of other products) you bring to the Courtenay Return-It Depot are helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to control the manufacturing costs of future products.

Canadian provinces collected approximately 72% of beverage containers sold in 2010. So, what’s that mean?

That means a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from reuse and recycling:

• Nearly 30 million dollars value of crude oil saved.
• Over 2.3 million gigajoules of energy saved.
• Almost 95 thousand tonnes of CO2 equivalent from being released into the atmosphere.

Good job!

BC Is a Recycling Superhero

When it comes to doing your part, the residents of British Columbia are really pitching in.

Over 6 billion aluminum cans have been sold in Canada. In BC, 89% of aluminum cans sold were recovered and recycled. That’s means:

• Over 5 million kilograms of aluminum were diverted from landfills.
• Using recycling aluminum instead of virgin ore to make new cans required 95% less energy.

All these numbers can be dizzying. So here’s something that you can truly relate to.

BC has the highest collection rate for non-refillable glass beverage containers — 93%. Recycling just one glass bottle saves enough energy to keep the light on in your bedroom for 4 hours. Just one! As a matter of fact, it’s estimated that manufacturing glass from recycled glass uses 35% less energy than making glass from raw materials

What Can You Recycle with Recycle BC?

• Nearly 3,000 tonnes of recyclable waste was collected in the Comox Valley in 2017. Products accepted in this program include:
• Printed Paper, flyers, brochures, newspapers, magazines, cardboard,
• Mixed containers : plastic bottles, Milk cartons, Metal cans, etc
• Household Glass jars and bottles – peanut butter jar, pickle jar, etc.
• Styrofoam – packaging Styrofoam, meat trays, egg cartons
• Plastic bags and other flexible bags – grocery bags, bread bags, cereal bags, chip bags, bubble wrap, etc.

What Can You Recycle with Encorp Pacific?

When it comes to beverage containers, nearly 19 million units were collected by Courtenay Return-It Depot in 2017. That’s equivalent to over 100,000 tonnes of CO2 that would have been released into the atmosphere.

Products accepted in this program are:

• Aluminum cans
• Plastic bottles
• Juice, wine and liquor bottles
• Drink boxes
• Wine boxes
• Pouches like Kool-Aid

So What Happens After You Recycle Your Products?

• Aluminum cans are sold and shipped to a facility in US to be turned back into aluminum sheet stock for new cans.
• Plastics are cleaned and pelletized to become new plastic material for manufacturers in BC, US and China.
• Paper and fibres are turned into new products like toilet paper & paper towels
• Glass containers are turned into fiberglass insulation, or sandblasting material, and crushed glass as construction aggregates.

Plus other products you can recycle includes small household appliances. Over 400 electrical products ranging from electric toothbrushes and blenders to microwaves can be recycles.

So — you really can be the change you want to see in the world.

Return It:
493 Puntledge Rd, Courtenay, BC V9N 3R1, Canada

Visit Us Online:
www.courtenayreturnit.com

Call us:
250-338-6013

Hours of Operation:
Monday to Saturday 9am-5pm,
Sunday 11am-4pm,
Closed Stat. Holidays