Carnarvon Park plays host to monthly recycling to augment the roadside offerings thanks to the Oak Bay Green Committee volunteers. They commit to a depot the fourth Saturday of each month with the only concession this year being perhaps Boxing Day. But nothing else will stop them.
“It’s rain, shine, snow, doesn’t matter,” said co-chair Terri Hunter. “We always have people who say they haven’t heard about it … We do have regulars.”
A total of 66 households turned out last month to recycle soft plastics, hard plastics, foil, styrofoam and more. Likely some Christmas lights will be in the bin come this month’s round Jan. 24 at Carnarvon Park.
There was a rise in usage from its inception in October 2006 until 2008 “since the economy collapse,” said Hunter.
For the past three years since she came on, usage has maintained fairly level numbers, said treasurer Felicity Bradley. “It’s held pretty steady in both recyclers and volunteers,” she said.
Turnout is usually about 100 households, which is the unit they use to monitor numbers. In the summer that rises to about 120, says Bradley.
“As the weather heats up, the number of people who turn out to recycle goes up,” Hunter said.
The committee has 25 active members and “lots of supporters who are interested,” Hunter said. Six to 12 volunteers man the recycling depot each month.
“There’s a core of regular people,” Bradley said.
The Oak Bay Green Committee is a community volunteer organization formed in 2005. The group initially formed as an ad hoc committee working for better tree protection bylaws but continued as a local environmental group.
Other OBGC projects include community school visits, supporting the sewage treatment alliance and organizing the Pacific Mobile Depots for soft plastic recycling. The Oak Bay Green Committee donates from the proceeds of the recycling depot to different causes, for example, recently donating to plant Garry oak trees in Finnerty Gardens at the University of Victoria.
The community recycling depot runs the fourth Saturday of each month from 9 to 11:30 a.m.
cvanreeuwyk@oakbaynews.com