Ian Gartshore

Let’s compare how the corporate non-profit “Regional Recycling” (RR, the more recent brand name for the federally incorporated Encorp) and the Nanaimo Recycling Exchange (NRE) go about their "business." Firstly, the local RR depots are privately owned. They are licenced by the federally incorporated not-for-profit Encorp. So how are they funded? Encorp : Especially in the earlier days, when Encorp's “Return-it” was only a bottle depot, they were given the eco-fees generated whenever someone purchased a bottled beverage. They got to keep 100% of those deposits, even when the container was not given to them for a refund. They amassed large sums of our money ($43 million at its peak). They still get to keep these public funds. In the last year they reported (2016) about three-quarters of all of their income came from the eco-fees charged to us. The rest comes from selling the recyclables and other income. Click here for that information. The NRE has very...

Nanaimo’s heart and soul of recycling may be facing its demise. While the NRE has inspired citizens, businesses, the city and the regional district to adopt strong   waste-recovery practises, leading by example and helping to extend the life of the local landfill -costing us virtually nothing-, the NRE may be discarded early next year. Why? Because the majority of the Nanaimo city councillors have been convinced that the NRE is the responsibility of the Regional District of Nanaimo (the RDN) while the Directors of the RDN are being steered by their staff to believe that the NRE is, in essence, not required. The NRE primarily benefits residents and businesses in Nanaimo, yet technically its mandate falls under the RDN solid waste management. Yet the city utterly relies on the NRE to bolster its own recycling & composting initiatives. In fact the NRE is the principal waste recovery place to which the city’s website directs residents –because it is truly the one-stop cen...

This is the letter I have just sent to the mayor and council of the city of Nanaimo (mayor&council@nanaimo.ca is the e-address should you wish to do the same) Mayor and Councillors: I believe it was about three years ago I addressed the Regional District of Nanaimo, encouraging them to engage the Nanaimo Recycling Exchange, and noting to them how much the NRE benefits us all. Evidently the negotiations between the staff of the NRE and the City that followed went nowhere; the NRE simply did and does not have the capital to have met their expectations. Why should they? The NRE alone accepts materials that cost money to properly recycle. They do not get a slice of the income from recycling cans (apart from a few donations). One of the materials they alone accept is Styrofoam. This material alone can occupy up to 25% of the space in landfills, but because the waste industry considers only the WEIGHT of materials the NRE is given inadequate credit f or continuing to gre...

Pictured: Ian with a piece of Styrofoam; Photo credit: Terry Lee Wagar RDN presentation March 25, 2014   25 years ago the NRE led all of us into becoming one of the most progressive communities in Canada. They inspired us to do more. As you know the letters, petitions and phone calls to you Directors indicate the importance of this community leader. Unfortunately the previous staff report on the value of the NRE failed to capture its true value.    1)    As is the practise in solid waste management, the weight of the materials the NRE diverts from the landfill was reported to be very small. (Show Styrofoam). This material represents up to 20% of the volume of landfills, yet weighs way less than 1% of the total material. If the NRE did not collect Styrofoam our landfill would fill up much more quickly. This is but one example of the visionary leadership of the NRE that we fail to appreciate.    2)    The NRE is an inspir...