To kick off the last leg of the 2019 Summer Ambassador Tour, we headed east for a recycling adventure in the Kootenays! On our first day, we enjoyed a beautiful trek through Kelowna, taking the time to visit the recycling locations we had missed on our previous trip through the Okanagan.
Grand Forks expressed an interest in repairing opportunities
Our first collection event was at the Grand Forks Farmers Market. Locals welcomed with open arms and spent the morning dropping broken toasters, fans, and coffee makers. The residents expressed a strong interest in repairing opportunities. As a result, we will look into partnering possibilities with a Grand Forks repair community. After the Grand Forks Farmers Market, we stopped in at the Grand Forks Bottle Depot and chatted with the manager about the program. Afterward, we made our way to the town of Nelson where we spent the night preparing for the following morning.
Environmentally-minded Nelson
The next morning we spent the day at the Nelson Farmers Market, which hosts various talented vendors, crafters, and an assortment of local produce. The streets were bustling and the public came to us with all of their recycling questions. The main question we kept on getting was, “where can we recycle when you’re not around?”. So happy you asked! We directed them to www.electrorecycle.ca as well as the Nelson Leafs Bottle Depot (a quick two-minute drive from the market). Nelson appeared like such an environmentally-minded town. We were lucky to be surrounded by stunning views of the luscious mountains and the lake below. What a beautiful place!
Salmo and the SteamTruck
The following day, we had the pleasure of collaborating with Farrell and his mobile repair SteamTruck at the Salmo Valley Farmers Market. It was wonderful to be able to host a collection event with a focus on repairs. Farell told us about all the fascinating projects that he brings to the communities he visits across British Columbia. He specializes in repairs but also ensures that everyday items such as pop bottles and cans are reused and re-purposed into children’s games or kitchenware. As Farrell says, “reuse and repair are the first options. Recycling is the last”. He was so happy to show us a blender he had repaired with his 3D printer, creating a new lid for it as the old one had broken.
Our meeting with the Kootenay Boundary Regional District
We had the opportunity to meet with Tim from the Kootenay Boundary Regional District in Trail to see how ElectroRecycle is performing in this area. We were thrilled to get some inside perspective as to where we might be able to establish ElectroRecycle collection sites in the future.
Nakusp
On the final day of our trip, we attended the Nakusp Farmers Market, nestled on the shores of Upper Arrow Lake surrounded by the Kootenay Mountains. This beautiful community is quite remote and does not have a recycling location in close proximity, so we ended up filling our van to the brim with broken microwaves, vacuums, power drills and more, all destined to be recycled at the Revelstoke Bottle Depot. The drive to the depot provided stunning views of Upper Arrow Lake. We were fortunate enough to cross the calm water by ferry before continuing our journey back to Vancouver.
If your community is interested in participating at or hosting a collection event with ElectroRecycle please let us know! You can reach out to us via email at info@cesarecycling.ca.
Find our upcoming collection events schedule HERE
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