June 2023

We have a great deal to share with you this month so off we go. Our Beach Cleanup was a huge success, both in the fact that our beaches are so much cleaner now than they were a month ago, but more importantly, I think, is that predictions were bang on - there was less material brought into the Depot on the Sunday cleanup than last year. I would like to think this is simply people being a bit more responsible about what they might leave on the beaches, on their boats or docks to be blown into the sea, and maybe picking up some of the flotsam they might see on their beach strolls. And the good news continues - much of the material that was collected was sent off-Island to Ocean Legacy who reprocesses the materials into usable goods, thereby keeping the waste out of landfills.

The good news continues. The Mayne Island Recycling Society (MIRS) will be holding the AGM for members on Thursday, June 13th at 4:00 pm at the Adachi Pavilion. It is hoped that some new faces will be there; faces belonging to people who wish to get more involved in the improvement of their Island by taking an active part in making Mayne Island a better and cleaner place to live. This is also the time of year whereby we seek new volunteers for the Depot. These new volunteers are needed to help us to open the Depot on Wednesdays throughout the summer months (see the ad on page 3 of this issue).

And the Coup de Resistance - the "Rethinking" contest has been given the go ahead by the MIRS Board to commence this July. I am personally looking forward to receiving new ideas from the many users of the Recycling Depot. These ideas could possibly become common practice once the Board members think them through and perhaps see new ways of doing things. On a more personal level, I will get more fodder for my articles which I know people actually read based on some of the personal feedback I have received. Their comments demonstrate the thinking and rethinking of commonplace practices that so many of us might take for granted. My analysis of individual yogurt servings versus larger tubs of yogurt actually got someone to weigh the amount of plastic in the individual servings versus the large tub. There was less plastic used in the equivalent amount of yogurt. Eye opening for me and obviously thought provoking for the experimenter.

The "Rethinking Contest" will commence the first week of July. Official entry ballots can be picked up at the Depot and returned upon your next visit. The deadline will be July 29, last Saturday in July. I will call together a small number of Board members to help me judge the entries and we will announce the winners in the September MayneLiner. I look forward to you sharing your rethinking about recycling with our Depot Board.


Happy Recycling - remember to sort your recyclables at home to shorten your visit to the Depot.