THE GOALS AND INITIATIVES IN THE STEWARDSHIP PLAN
1A) Province wide Consumer Accessibility
We want to ensure that the network of Encorp authorized depots is sufficient to meet the needs of a growing population and the expansion of material streams being collected.
Goal: The creation of a strong network of Return-It depots delivering convenient access, accurate refunds and appropriate service to consumers and the community.
Support Initiatives:
- Depots are constantly assessed to ensure that they are in the right location, have the right layout and equipment, and are promoting themselves to their local market.
- to determine where additional depots are required we will continue to monitor population and geographic growth in cities throughout BC and we will assess volumes being collected at depots and grocery/beverage alcohol retailers.
- We will establish new depots. In addition to the City of Vancouver, Encorp has identified opportunities for additional depots in Victoria, Kelowna and Coquitlam.
1B) Vancouver area Consumer Accessibility
The City of Vancouver has a beverage container recycling rate of approximately 50% compared to the provincial rate of almost 75%. The City of Vancouver could support an additional 8 depots, nearly twice the current number. Depot coverage is much less than required because planning permission has been very difficult to obtain.
Goal: Ensure that Encorp receives City of Vancouver staff support for the opening of at least 4 more depots.
Support Initiatives:
- Encorp has provided staff support for potential depot operators with locations in Vancouver that require planning permission to operate a bottle depot. Financial support has also been provided to secure premises for the duration of the planning process.
- Following a successful appeal to the Board of Variance, we have recently (2007) opened a new depot on Kingsway in the City of Vancouver. We will demonstrate that the local community is supportive of the depot and that it does not contribute to street disorder. Thereafter, we will make further applications to open other depots.
