City wants more binners downtown during Games

Plan includes hiring 22 people to collect recyclable bottles and cans during Olympics 

BY ANDREA WOO, VANCOUVER SUN

Bottle collectors at United We Can: The Downtown Eastside-based non-profit organization is expected to receive $50,000 in funding from the city of Vancouver to pay binners to help clean up the downtown core during the 2010 Winter Olympics. IAN SMITH, VANCOUVER SUN

The City of Vancouver plans to spend $50,000 on binners who will help clean up the downtown core during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

Twenty-two binners will earn $10 an hour retrieving recyclable beverage containers from 250 temporary recycling bins throughout the city.

They'll be hired by the Downtown Eastside-based non-profit organization United We Can, which is expected to receive city funding for the project.

"Just because folks live in the Downtown Eastside doesn't mean they don't want to be part of something this big coming to our community," said UWC executive director Brian Dodd.

"We're finding that in the binner community, there is an excitement that the Olympics are here. This is a way for them to be involved in what's going on."

The binners will work four-hour shifts each of the 17 Olympic Games days. They'll be scheduled in three shifts to provide 12 hours of service a day. Deposit refunds will go back to UWC to pay other workers.

The proposed grant goes before city council for approval Tuesday, where Coun. Geoff Meggs believes it will be an easy sell.

"UWC is truly one of those outstanding Downtown Eastside institutions because it takes what could really be a difficult problem and turns it into a number of positives by producing income and jobs for people while they do all of this recycling," Meggs said Sunday.

"By making this grant, I think it will spread some of the benefits around but also help the city keep the downtown area cleaner.

"Plus, it's a modest amount and from planned expenditures."

Funds will come from two pre-approved Olympic Legacy Reverse Fund projects: $40,000 from the Look of the City program and $10,000 from the Social Sustainability Initiative.

UWC was created in 1995 by and for the traditionally hard-to-hire, including those with addiction issues, mental illnesses and physical disabilities.

In addition to operating the East Hastings Street recycling depot, UWC employs about 150 people for various other positions, from cleaning up city streets to repairing bicycles.

UWC's Dodd says the Olympic binning initiative will keep city streets clean, create more jobs for Downtown Eastside residents and give them a chance to contribute to the Games.

He said it builds on the organization's Urban Binning Unit program, in which workers wear UWC-branded T-shirts and use purpose-built recycling carts to retrieve bottles and cans from local businesses, apartment buildings and special events.

Last year, UBU binners collected about 6,000 beverage containers from the HSBC Celebration of Light and Chinatown Festival.

On Sunday, binners at UWC welcomed the Olympic initiative.

"There is a need for it," said Kenny Jay, who has worked at UWC for five years. "There's already a shortage of staff here and there are so many bottles out there to recycle."

"I think it's a great idea," said Darryl Manson, adding that he would gladly take one of the Olympic-related jobs. "There are a lot of unemployed people in this area."

James Sykes said he thinks many people will be interested in the jobs, but he believes they should get deposit refunds on top of the hourly rate.

"I just spent 20 minutes collecting this," he said, motioning toward what he estimated to be about $15 worth of bottles and cans. "It ain't worth it to a lot of binners."

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