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Island Foods renovates bottle depot and cans old bottle return system

“I don’t want people to spend the whole day here,” said Angela Taylor on Port McNeill’s bottle depot.
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THOMAS KERVIN PHOTO Residents can now return recyclables any time of the day in the outside bins.

Island Foods is all about customer satisfaction.

The company recently finished renovations to their bottle depot along with putting a new computer system in place, which Jim Cameron, resident and business owner in Port McNeill, said all came from customer feedback. “We were doing it the old way, we thought there was more opportunity for better service. We weren’t manned either, so someone would ring the doorbell, and then wait for workers to unload the truck.”

Cameron noted that “the most exciting part is seeing the growth.” He added that a few residents came in after renovations after not having visited for a few years and were surprised by the new renovations. “It’s a positive step for sure. If we weren’t here, residents would have to go to 7 mile to recycle. We want to be a complete recycling centre.”

Angela Taylor, one of the workers at the bottle depot, walked through the new process of returning bottles. She said the customers “bring the bottles in, put them in the trays, and then I count them and give them their money. It’s very similar to the Port Hardy Return-It Centre. It’s getting better since they’re so used to the old system. If you want to drop off your bottles and leave, I can count them and pay you the next day.”

“The computer shows the grouping of what everything is, push a button and an icon so there are no mistakes,” added Taylor. “There has to be labels on the bottles now.”

She warned those who tend to pick off their labels, who she jokingly calls “label pickers,” to avoid doing so, otherwise the bottles will be non-returnable.

Taylor stated that the purpose of the new system is to reduce the time spent at the depot. “I don’t want people to spend the whole day here.”

For those who want to recycle cardboard, plastic or other recyclables, they can do so at any time during the day since the outside bins will be open 24 hours.

Island Foods donates to the local breakfast program for Port McNeill elementary schools. “The bins are filled twice a week,” said Taylor. “It ranges from 900-1,200 bottles at five to ten cents per piece.”

Island Foods is a wholesale distributor of food and beverage items to all towns north of Campbell River. Cameron also owns a few Supreme Convenience Stores along the island. The recycling centre has been open for about 50 years. The depot is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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THOMAS KERVIN PHOTO
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THOMAS KERVIN PHOTO