Meet Recycling Alternative and Shift!
We are pleased to announce Recycling Alternative and Shift are joining forces to provide SBIA members with a comprehensive organics and recycling collections service at competitive and exclusive rates. The exclusive rates will be based on number of businesses joining the program, the number of streams collected from your business, and bin sharing opportunities between neighbouring businesses.
The new Preferred Organics & Recycling Collections Service Provider program will help the SBIA reach the following goals:
- reduce the amount of landfill waste being produced in Strathcona,
- increase diversion of recoverable materials,
- coordinate service to decrease trucks and emissions produced in the area,
- reduce laneway clutter and litter,
- reduce vehicle congestion, and
- provide a unique and valuable service to all SBIA members.
Recycling Alternative
Considered a leader and innovator in the sector with a social purpose-driven model, Recycling Alternative has garnered a reputation in the local community for bringing fresh perspectives to recycling models such as the Food Scraps Drop Spots, Vancouver Biodiesel Co-operative and the greenHUB though our many community partnerships and collaborations.
Over our years in business, RA has also forged operational innovations to create efficiencies, reduce carbon impact and tailor programs to suit our clients? needs. In 2009 we pioneered, and custom manufactured our first of its kind ?zero waste? truck, designed specifically to manage multiple stream collections and community curbside models with this single pass vehicle. Most recently we have begun introducing on-site composting technology to reduce on-site volumes of food waste by up to 80% and address issues such as odour, pests and contamination.
Today, Recycling Alternative operates in Vancouver and Calgary, servicing hundreds of sites with collection flexibility ranging from daily, weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly to on-call. We specialise in working closely with our customers to design recycling programs, tailored to their needs and material volumes.
We are thrilled to be working in partnership with Shift and SBIA to establish a unique, district model recycling program, built on best practices for reduction and recovery, coupled with a sustainable community focused approach and excellent customer service.
Together, we believe the collaboration of Shift, SBIA, and RA for community collection will stand out as an example to other districts and neighbourhoods seeking sustainable alternatives to traditional waste collection models.
Shift Delivery
Shift Delivery is an innovative company tackling the challenges of urban logistics, congestion and pollution in Vancouver. With their unique electric-assist cargo tricycles, Shift out competes truck deliveries in many ways: efficiency, sustainability, safety, and flexibility. Through dedication to excellence and an empowering ownership model, Shift’s aim is to be a champion in sustainable business, and to positively impact our community, now and into the future.
Recycling Alternative and Shift Collections Services Include:
- Organics
- Mixed Containers (glass, metal, plastics)
- Paper
- Soft Plastic
- Cardboard
Comprehensive Recycling and Zero Waste Options ? On-call collection:
- Styrofoam (clean packaging grade)
- Electronic Waste
- Batteries
- Light Bulbs
- Pallets and Woodwaste Pallets
- Plastic strapping
- Metal waste (non containers)
The SBIA?s Commercial Recycling and Compost Program will end on October 30th. If you choose to work with Recycling Alternative and Shift, regularly scheduled pick-ups will begin the week of November 2nd.
If you have questions regarding the new Preferred Organics & Recycling Collections Service Provider, please contact Julia Berry, SBIA Sustainability Coordinator, at julia@strathconabia.com or by phone at (604)258-2727.
Read MoreThank you to our volunteers!
We want to give a shout out the awesome volunteers who have been contributing their time and efforts at the Resource Park. Ayman and Ahmed are high school students who volunteer with us through a youth volunteering initiative run by Ray Cam Community Centre. They started back in September, and have been coming on Saturday mornings to help out at the Resource Park. They consistently bring a great attitude and have done a lot of hard work at the park. Ahmed has recently gotten a job and will no longer be able to volunteer with us, so we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours.
Mayan, an Emily Carr University graduate, heard about the Resource Park and was keen to learn more about our small-scale neighbourhood composting model. She started volunteering with us back in October, and has been regularly volunteering one morning a week since then. Mayan is also a slow food and gardening enthusiast, so we are excited to have her expertise and help with the urban garden as we head into the spring and summer time.
Our volunteers help out with all types of tasks and projects around the park. A volunteer session might involve anything from emptying and storing compost from the Joras, to power washing the site and equipment, or cleaning and organizing the sheds. Recently their work has also included planning out and working on the garden beds, including amending them with compost and planting vegetable and flower seeds. On rainy days, Mayan also helps by entering collections data from our waste collections program.
We?ve had a chance to do some fun DIY projects as well, including building worm bins from five gallon buckets, making a grow-light box to start seedlings in, as well as planting potatoes using materials from the Resource Exchange.
Ayman helped build the grow-light box, which is a 53 litre container lined with aluminum foil. A clamp light with a 60 W CFL bulb is set up to a wall timer and shines on the seedlings for 14 hours a day. We?ve started leeks, tomatoes, peppers, and various herbs all from the basement office of the SBIA using the grow-light box.
Mayan did a project where she planted potatoes in burlap sacks from the Resource Exchange. She used SBIA compost and some regular soil as a growing medium. As the potato plants come up you gradually roll the bags higher and add more compost to the bags. We?ve placed the burlap sacks on a wooden pallet for easy drainage. There are more burlap sacks, compost, and pallets available at the Resource Park for anyone wanting to try this project themselves.
There will be some upcoming volunteer opportunities at the SBIA with the Marketing committee, for anyone interested contact : info@strathconabia.com or call the SBIA office at 604.258.2727
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