A pair of Nanaimo-area organizations are among the groups that were granted money from the Regional District of Nanaimo for garbage diversion initiatives.
In a press release, the RDN said it has distributed more than $300,000 of zero waste recycling funding program money to five groups, including two locally.
Gabriola Island Recycling Organization received $94,000 for construction support in order for its building to be operational next month, the press release stated. Money will cover part of the first year of the Makerspace operational costs, it said, and the organization will also plans to develop and initiate “a scalable textile education program to be utilized in schools” with the goal to divert up to 24,000 kilograms of fabric from the regional landfill. The material will be repurposed for applications such as stuffing.
Habitat for Humanity Mid-Vancouver Island was granted $80,000 to bolster its book recycling to 25,000 units, from 4,000, the press release noted. This will occur through research and development of a “book log product” suitable for use in wood-burning fireplaces. By automating the deconstruction and production process, it is hoped fewer books will find their way to the dump, lessening the need for more funding in the future, the press release said.
Other groups receiving money were Ocean Wise ($40,653), Synergy Foundation ($16,500) and Light House ($68,400).
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