Waiting in line at the bottle depot with a trunk-load of empties has inspired a Drumheller man to look at an easier way to recycle bottles, while also helping the community.
BACtoBAC is driven by resident Rav Lal.
“When you are at the bottle depot there are always three or four people in front of you and guys with many bottles and cans, way more than I have,” said Lal. “Rather than just sitting here for 20 minutes I would just rather donate the cans and bottles and be on my way.”
He suggested the idea to a few people and they were supportive, and the idea took off.
The group has had bins donated by the Alberta Beverage Container Recycling Corporation (ABCRC) to be placed throughout town as a convenient way for residents and visitors to dispose of their empties.
“They (ABCRC) have done projects like this in many other communities so they were onboard with this when we told them what we are doing,” said Lal.
BACtoBAC has 10 bins coming in, and have been approved for 50 in total. Currently they have six locations picked out for recycling boxes.
“The bins we are getting are smaller ones like our garbage cans that are in parks. Because they look the same, we can foresee that wherever the town has a garbage can, we can put a recycling bin right next to it. There may be a demand for it, you never know,” said Lal.
He adds, they have applied for a grant from Encana for some of the larger bins to be centrally located.
The program not only gives residents a convenient way to dispose of bottles, but it also gives back.
“I looked around for who we could partner with and who could use the funds. The four main charities in town I support are The Salvation Army, the Morgan Jayne Project, DARTS and the Humane Society,” said Lal.
They came up with an agreement that would see all four groups split the funds for their projects. He said DARTS is also able to create some work placements for their clients.
“They are really happy because not only do they have a new source of funding, but also job opportunities for their clients,” said Lal.
“You want to help charities… and I just wanted to find a way to give them a constant stream of revenue. A program like this could provide funding year round based on people donating,” said Lal.
They are planning a program launch at 2 p.m. on Monday, June 6 at the Bottle Depot.
“We’ve been telling people to save them up because we are hoping to have a mountain of bottles there that day,” laughs Lal.
For more information on the project, check out the Give BACtoBAC Recycling Donation Bins Facebook group.
