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May, 2020 Recycling Report Now Online

In this newsletter, we celebrate the winning entries in the Earth Day Poetry & Photo contests, give an update on Depot services, and highlight one of our Founding Members.

Until next time, stay safe, stay calm, stay kind.

Click to view an online copy of the RMRS May, 2020 Newsletter. This and past newsletters are archived on our website.

Subscribe to our monthly newsletters & get all our recycling updates, news, and tips emailed straight to your inbox! You can unsubscribe at any time.

Reminder! Tissues and Paper Towels are NOT RECYCLABLE

REMINDER: Tissues and Paper Towels are NOT ACCEPTED in your curbside recycling or at the Maple Ridge Recycling Depot. If tissues or paper towels are found in your curbside recycling, it will NOT be picked up. #StaySafe #WashYourHands #DontRecycleTissues #DontRecyclePaperTowels

Celebrate Earth Day Event CANCELLED :(

MARCH 16, 2020 UPDATE: Looking at the growing concern about spreading the COVID-19 virus, we see no alternative but to add our #MapleRidge Earth Day celebration to the ever-growing list of cancelled events ☹ We would hate that an event to celebrate Healthy Communities be the reason someone gets sick.

Our planning committee has already put many, many hours of work into what was set to be an amazing day.  They are all superstars.

We’re so sorry we have to cancel this year’s event, but look forward to working with everyone on next year’s event.

Gain comfort in the emerging reality of people slowing down, taking a (forced) rest, and spending time with their family, in their gardens, and outside in nature. With enough time to pause and relax and re-think and re-group and re-connect, it may even be the beginning of a paradigm-shift.

Fingers crossed. Wash your hands. Stay safe.

We will be contacting participants who have already registered about refunding fees or using them as pre-registration for next year’s event.

PS. You can still enter the Celebrate Earth Day Poetry & Photo Contests…

Repair Cafes CANCELLED :(

With sad hearts we are cancelling all Repair Cafés for the forseeable future due to concern about the COVID-19 virus spread.

The safety and well-being of our volunteers (many of whom are seniors) and our community members is paramount and we would hate to be the reason someone develops an illness.

Your patience and understanding is greatly appreciated. If you are interested in learning about home repairs, there are many online resources, including these ones from the Share, Reuse, Repair Initiative: www.sharereuserepair.org/repair-at-home-resources

Stay safe, wash your hands, and keep on repairing!

The Maple Ridge Repair Café Planning Team

Happy (Snowy) New Year! – RMRS January, 2020 Newsletter now online…

If you visited the Maple Ridge Recycling Depot anytime between Christmas and January 11, you probably noticed it’s our busiest time of the year as people clean up after the holidays and recycle A LOT of stuff!! Luckily, our great staff were able to keep things moving and the weather wasn’t too disruptive.

In this newsletter…
-Save the Date! Celebrate Earth Day 2020 plans are coming together…
Celebrate Earth Day Poetry & Photo Contest NOW OPEN!!
-Ridge Meadows Recycling Society is now accepting membership applications! Sign up for (free!) membership before March 5 & enjoy socializing with other members and board members at our Annual General Meeting on April 2.
-Next Maple Meadows Green Drinks gathering is on Thursday, January 30, 6:30pm at Bean Around Books. The topic & speakers will be on green transportation in Maple Ridge…
-Save the Date! Maple Ridge Repair Cafes – Year 3 launches on Saturday, February 15, 11am at the Maple Ridge Library
-Meet our awesome Repair Cafe volunteer, Claude!
-Lots of local events coming up to keep your community spirit warm & bright!

Click to view the RMRS January, 2020 Newsletter.
This and past newsletters are archived on our website.

Subscribe to our monthly newsletters & get all our recycling updates, news, and tips emailed straight to your inbox! You can unsubscribe at any time.

Snowfall Procedure….

Snow IconKeeping an eye on the weather forecast, we wanted to give you the following info on curbside blue box recycling pickup in case of heavy snowfall…

  1. Check our website or Facebook page to see if your recycling pickup has been cancelled because of the snow.
  2. The safety of our staff and the public is our first priority.
  3. We will endeavour to complete pickup routes during snow events, but it may be necessary to cancel recycling pickup in certain areas or on certain days due to safety concerns.
  4. Each snow event will be assessed separately and we will do our best to communicate any cancellations or updates to you through our website, phone system, and social media sites. You can also sign up for our mailing list to receive direct email alerts, stat holiday reminders, and our monthly newsletter.
  5. Some areas are not safe for our trucks to travel during snowfalls. If you live in a hilly area or on a street that’s difficult to access, please do not put your recycling out in heavy snow. We will pick up your recycling the following week, weather permitting. You can also bring it to the Maple Ridge Recycling Depot during open hours (we are open 7 days a week).

Thank you very much for your understanding & patience!

 

Gift Wrap Accepted/Not Accepted at the Depot

Last year, just after Christmas, we had some of our paper bales rejected because they had too much plastic/foil wrap mixed in as well as ribbons & bows. All of these bales ended up in the garbage 🙁

At the Recycling Depot, we can usually monitor the non-paper gift wrap and keep contamination levels low, but when it is REALLY busy (right after Christmas), we get up to 600-750 cars per day and staff are unable to keep up with the amount of non-paper wrap & ribbons people are dropping off.

We do accept PAPER gift wrap at the Depot, however, during this busy time it is too much for our staff to keep up with, so we have made the decision not to accept any of it until the busy time is over.

Apologies for the confusion & happy holidays! We welcome your PAPER gift wrap at the Recycling Depot anytime after January 5!