Victoria pilot project could put extra cash in the hands of bottle collectors

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CTV Vancouver Island

A participant in a Binners' Project program in Vancouver. (Binners' Project)

A new initiative could help Victoria-area binners earn extra cash from the beverage containers and household waste they collect.

The Vancouver-based Binners’ Project is launching a pilot project to find ways to generate more income for binners in Victoria.

The project will begin with a meeting Thursday to assess the needs of local waste pickers and see if a Vancouver model could work on the island.

In Vancouver, the Binners’ Project partners with the Vancouver Convention Centre and the Pacific National Exhibition to sort and divert waste from landfills, and provide income to pickers.

The Binners’ Project in Vancouver sorts waste and recycling for its clients for a weekly fee. The service promises increased room in recycling and garbage bins and a cleaner waste-collection area.

Participants in the Binners' Project sort disposables and remove refundable containers for their clients. (Binners' Project)

“This is the first time we’re exploring an expansion of our programming to another city,” said Binners’ Project director Anna Godefroy in a statement Wednesday. “In the next four months we’ll brainstorm with local binners and businesses and hopefully find solutions to poverty and exclusion in Victoria.”

Victoria binners are invited to the meeting with volunteers Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Next Steps building at 1627 Quadra St.

“We know that the experience of binners in Victoria may not be the same as binners in Vancouver, or other places in Canada,” said program manager and former binner Davin Boutang.

The meeting in Victoria is made possible with the support and partnership of the Victoria Foundation and Our Place Society.


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