Sidney Bottle Depot employees Eli Sim, Matt Williams, Sarah Cross and Michael Seeley show that recycling is not just about juice boxes.

Sidney Bottle Depot employees Eli Sim, Matt Williams, Sarah Cross and Michael Seeley show that recycling is not just about juice boxes.

More than a bottle return

Electronics and batteries find a new home in Sidney

Did you know recycling can be part of a healthy lifestyle?

Every container you return is one that is kept out of our landfill. Locally, the Sidney Bottle Depot has been serving the community and diverting materials from the landfill for more than 13 years.

Bring your ready-to-drink beverage containers, liquor and wine bottles, beer cans to #5-10025 Galaran Road  and get your refund back.

Milk and milk substitute containers like almond, soy and rice milk are also recyclable.

“Also, as a part of our programs, we do offer End of Life of Electronics Program which TV, old computer, scanner, stereo, speakers get to be recycle and all materials stay in BC, nothing gets shipped overseas,” said Sophy Roberge, marketing, public relations manager. “Furthermore, the Sidney Bottle Depot is a Product Care Paint Depot; where paint and aerosol paint containers can be recycled.

“The best things about the programs, they are free. This makes it easy and more convenient for customers who want to make a difference without emptying their pockets.”

Last year, more than one billion containers were recycled into new cans, plastic bottles and pails, fiberglass insulation, roadbed, cardboard boxes, toilet paper and other useful items.

“When you return your containers, you make a valuable contribution to the environment,” Roberge said. “In most cases, less energy is used when the materials in beverage containers are recycled rather than newly manufactured.”

Pop and beer cans, glass and plastic bottles, tetra pak juice boxes, tin cans, wine-in-a-box, beer bottles, gable top and pouches can all be recycled at the Sidney Bottle Depot.

“In addition, we have a Product Care partnership which offers other great recycling conveniences. Product Care’s programs help protect the environment by diverting leftover and end of life products from landfills, waterways, and sewers,” said Roberge.

Product Care provides consumers with a collection system network for the products it manages. The collected products are then reused or recycled where possible.

The Product Depot Paint Depot program offers customers a free drop-off facility to recycle household paint cans and paint aerosols.

“Each product needs to be in their original containers, labeled and tightly sealed,” said Roberge.

The Sidney Bottle Depot also hosts a “Paint Exchange” program that provides usable leftover paint to customers who don’t want to buy a full gallon for small jobs — and it’s free.

The Sidney Bottle Depot takes desktop computers, monitors, televisions, speakers, laptops, home audio and video and other equipment that can be recycled for free at its facility.

“All the answers you need to recycle electronics you don’t want, we have them,” she said. “The Sidney Bottle Depot provides an environmentally sound recycling option for unwanted electronics providing assurance that these items will not be landfilled or illegally exported. You can drop off any of the acceptable products at the Sidney Bottle Depot at no charge.”

It also now accepts household batteries at no cost.

“(Through our ) partnership with Call2 Recycle, we collect household batteries and powertool drill batteries only,” Roberge said. She suggests you put your used batteries alongside your recyclable bottles and return them together.

“The Sidney Bottle Depot is a pioneer in the recycling industry in Sidney and the Saanich Peninsula and (we) hope the customers will enjoy doing their recycling at our facility (which is) newly renovated, painted and odor free. Come visit us at the cleanest brightest depot in town,” said Roberge.

The Sidney Bottle Depot is located at #5-10025 Galaran Road, it’s open Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more descriptions of products you can return visit their website at www.islandreturnit.com.

 

Peninsula News Review