Lack of bottle depot donations leads to reduced hours for Pathway employees

For over a decade, Pathways Abilities Society has worked closely with local bottle depots in Kelowna to support both the environment and the community.

Pathways has been working in the Central Okanagan for almost 70 years and helps to provide barrier-free employment opportunities for individuals with diverse needs.

During an ‘unseasonably slow’ period, people working through the Pathways Bottle Depot program have had a reduction in hours due to a lack of donations.

Bonnie Fraser, the Employment Manager through Pathways says that during this time it’s normally extremely busy, but because of the cold weather, she thinks that it's had an impact on people going out to donate their recyclables.

With it being so slow, Pathway employees working in the sorting centres at all Columbia Bottle Depot locations have been impacted.

“Everyone has lost at least one shift a week because it’s been so quiet,” explains Fraser.

“We are really encouraging the community to just remember that by donating to our program, it does employ and pay wages.”

Not only do donations bring work for individuals employed through Pathways, but it also provides a sense of community involvement and a way of socialization for those living with diverse abilities.

Those looking to help out can drop off sorted or unsorted refundable beverage containers to any of the Columbia Bottle Depots in Kelowna, as they will accept donations on behalf of Pathways.

A boost is anticipated for the program in the coming weeks, as changes to British Columbia’s recycling regulations will mean that milk and plant-based beverage containers can be recycled starting Feb. 1.

That means a 10-cent deposit will be applied to all eligible containers!

Fraser added: “I think the big thing right now is that we are really hoping we can encourage the community to donate their refundable products to us.”

Learn more about the program and where you can donate here.