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100,000 Beers, Super Sacks, and More!
If you like numbers and recycling this column is for you: Mayne Island recycling totals for 2023! The Mayne Island Recycling Society (MIRS) closely tracks the volume of common materials collected at the depot. We say volume because GFL Environmental, the business that picks up our non-deposit materials, tallies materials by bale or “super sack” (those white sacks you see at the depot) rather than by weight. Wherever possible we compact materials into bales in order to minimize transportation costs. Deposits are different. We estimate the number of uncrushed beer cans, pop cans, tetra packs, etc. that fit into a super sack. In 2023, MIRS shipped 175 bales of mixed cardboard and paper, 88 bales of mixed containers (plastics and metal), and 46 bales of flexible plastics (bags), 32 super sacks of glass bottles and jars, 42 large bags of foam packaging, and 18 super sacks of coloured foam packaging. That’s a lot of material recycled in our small community! But what about deposits you ask. Did Mayne Island really consume 100,000 beers in 2023? The answer is yes. In total, the depot received an estimated 92,160 beer cans and 10,560 beer bottles, for a total of 102,720 empty beer vessels. Keep in mind this includes cider cans and bottles, and is an underestimate as it does not account for cans and bottles returned by businesses and individuals to off island facilities. The total estimated number of other deposits received at the depot in 2023 are shown in the list below. Estimated Total in 2023 Wine and hard liquor (glass): 38,400 Non-alcoholic bottles: 7,760 Pop cans: 92,160 Plastic drink containers: 34,000 Drink boxes under 500 ml: 2,880 Drink boxes over 1L: 6,400 Gable top bottles under 1L: 800 Gable top bottles over 1L: 3,600 Plastic liquor bottles: 400 You can learn more about where your recycling goes on our website under “What Happens to the Items We Recycle”. Remember, wherever possible, please seek out products with less packaging and please drink responsibly. |