Editor’s note: This story appeared in the April edition of the South Cowichan Connector, a publication for and about the South Cowichan Valley. Look for our May edition starting May 2.
Recycling has been compared to magic: the art of turning things into other things.
Bringing that magic to the Cowichan Valley and spreading the word, especially as Earth Day approaches on April 22, is what Island Return It is all about.
“We just want more people to know that we are here for them,” said Sophy Roberge, who owns Island Return It with her husband Vince Spronken. “Our biggest competitor is laziness, where most people just put things in their blue box and that’s it. If people bring their recycling to us, we’ll give them money back. I know recycling can be a chore, but choosing this lifestyle can have a big impact on the environment.”
Earth Day was first observed in 1970. It is now recognized worldwide across 193 countries. The official theme for 2024 is Planet vs. Plastics.
South Cowichan residents can recycle their plastics and so much more at Cobble Hill’s Island Return It, which is one of four depots on the island owned Vince Spronken and Roberge. They also have locations in Campbell River, Salt Spring Island and Duncan. The family once had six locations but sold their depot in Sidney in 2020, and more recently their location in Esquimalt in September of 2023. Vince’s dad Louis Sponken opened his first return depot in Duncan in 1995.
In 1970, British Columbia introduced the first mandatory deposit and refund system for beverage containers in North America. A program was first created through Encorp Pacific to recycle bottles and cans. First founded in 1994, the company’s mandate is to develop, manage and improve systems to recover used packaging and end-of-life products from consumers and ensure that they are properly recycled and not land-filled or incinerated. According to Roberge, B.C. started off with six depots with two in the Interior, two in Vancouver and two on the Island. Sponken’s Duncan location was one of the original six.
“The demand was so high because people in B.C. really wanted recycling. The program worked because now there are 185 depots,” said Roberge. “They used to have a liquor store inside the Best Western hotel in Duncan and Vince’s dad ran the show. He had first started taking bottle returns when he there and then was approached to come on board with the program and he jumped at the opportunity.”
The original location in Duncan was called the Cowichan Valley Depot, their second location in Sidney was called the Sidney Depot and so on. When Vince’s dad Louis passed away in 2010, he and Roberge took over and wanted all their locations to be unified so she re-branded the business to Island Return It just over a decade ago. They now have 42 staff between all four locations and Roberge says they usually have three to four at their location in South Cowichan.
“It’s been very challenging in some ways but also very rewarding,” said Roberge. “The way I see it is that it’s not just a business but a lifestyle. We don’t want our staff to finish work and then put stuff in the garbage, we want to teach that almost everything can be recycled properly. So why not take what you learn from work and apply it at home?”
The Cobble Hill location will soon be celebrating 10 years, first opening its doors in 2015. Roberge said it was long overdue when they finally found the right building, and notes that their location manager Cindy Mason has been there since day one. All four locations offer a free recycling service to the community, and operate from Tuesday to Saturday. Cobble Hill’s hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. while the Duncan location opens their doors at 8:30 a.m.
The Cobble Hill location recycles batteries, beverage containers, electronics, light bulbs, power tools, smoke detectors, grocery bags, cell phones, and pretty much any small appliance that fits on a counter top such as coffee makers, toasters and microwaves. They even recycle old DVDs, CDs, and vinyl — the only difference between them and their Duncan location is that the latter also accepts paint. However, Island Return It does not have the licensing to deal with gases such as Freon so items such as air conditioners, dehumidifiers, and ice machines will need to be taken to either Bings Creek or Fisher Road Recycling. Roberge notes that nothing is shipped overseas and bigger pieces are dismantled at facilities in Vancouver.
“Every program that we are affiliate with have their own location where the items are recycled. We are just the collection site,” said Roberge. “For example plastic bags go to Merlin Plastics in Vancouver where they all get shredded into tiny pellets, and those pellets get sold as a commodity. Same with electronics. TV’s get dismantled and all the plastics get separated from the precious metals, and any mercury or lead get collected and recycled for other purposes. Everything gets reused. In 2010 the Olympic medals in Vancouver were a part of the recycling program, and were made with some of the recycled material.”
Recycling facts: plastic and garbage bags kill over one million sea creatures a year, glass takes over one million years to fully biodegrade in a landfill, and each aluminum can recycled saves enough electricity to light a 100 watt bulb for 3.5 hours. Through the efforts of community members Island Return It has been able to recycle over one billion containers since their inception in 1995.
“One small step can make a big difference,” said Roberge. “Everybody makes a difference by just doing one step at a time, every action counts.”
Island Return It also takes steps to make a difference through supporting local charities and community groups that are dedicated to helping people, such as Cowichan Sportsplex, Big Brothers and Big Sisters and Habitat for Humanity. They highlight a local charity each month, and usually can raise anywhere from $500 to $1,200 for them. On March 30 the Mill Bay Conservation Society had a table set up outside their South Cowichan location where they had a chance to raise awareness about their salmon enhancement program, and what they do — community members were able to show their support through giving recyclables to the highlighted charity.
“A little action has big rewards, and every little bit helps,” said Roberge. “While we may be the collector and provider it is community members who drop off their bottles to help others in the community. It’s real nice, it’s a nice circle. Customers are able to give them their bottles and cans and that will go towards their budget of the year for things like renovations, insurance, gas and even buying coffee for their volunteers. Last year when they were here they got around $1,200 so it means a lot for a society that normally survives on grants — every little bit helps.”
Island Return It’s highlighted charity for April will be Sun FM for their Stuff the Truck campaign, which raises funds and donations for those affected by food insecurity. In addition to this monthly endeavour they also assist in organizing bottle drives for many children’s team and school fundraising events which in turn enable them to make the most of their efforts and be successful in reaching their objectives, and are also huge supporters of performing arts, music festivals, and other special cultural events throughout Vancouver Island.
Island Return It believes in recycling today for a better tomorrow. In the past staff has participated in various clean-up programs, and on previous Earth Days owners paid for a tree to be planted in each staff member’s name. Roberge says they are normally approached to participate locally in Earth Day events, but unfortunately nothing had been planned for this year. The reality is instead of getting hung up on one day, the culture of recycling should be practiced religiously.
Those who bring in their recycling will receive 10 cents back per bottle. Roberge noted that for every bottle purchased one one pays 10 cents for the deposit, and then there is a three cent environmental fee which pays for the recycling program which is consumer-based and not through the government. Roberge said as adults regularly bring in their bottles and cans, this allows a great teaching moment with creating a small recycling system at home and teaching kids at a young age how they too can make a difference. This might be as simple as having little ones put old batteries from their toys into a small bucket instead of the garbage and getting them involved in the process.
“We hope our customers leave feeling like they received friendly service, and that the chore of recycling was easier than they thought it would be and was actually a good experience for them,” said Roberge. “We also hope they realize in doing so that they have made a difference for the planet. It’s all about increasing your education and awareness about recycling here in the valley. My take away is that this a great lifestyle — recycle, recycle every day.”