If you’re looking for pocket change, empty a new blue bin in downtown Nanaimo.
Thanks to Encorp Pacific, the company behind the Return-it Campaign, and the City of Nanaimo, 50 beverage container blue bins will be installed this month in downtown Nanaimo, the Old City Quarter and parks for the first time.
The new bins are “self-serviced,” meaning while the city will maintain them, it’s counting on the public to collect. Recycling containers will never be locked and anyone will be able to open the side door, clear out what’s inside and return it for deposit.
Charlotte Davis, the city’s manager of sanitation, recycling and public works administration, said litter is checked once or twice a day by bottle collectors but some cans can’t be accessed and it’s not safe. It’s also important to recycle, said Davis, who adds it prolongs the lifespan of the landfill and saves valuable natural resources.
“It’s not something we were doing before and I’m excited to be doing it now,” she said.
Encorp Pacific provided the bins for free. They will be placed next to existing litter bins to encourage residents to recycle. Fifteen have already been placed downtown and in the Old City Quarter and another 35 will be installed in parks later this month.