Reopening provides an economic boost
Bottle-pickers have been hit hard during pandemic closures of recycling depots
For some, the reopening of SARCAN recycling centres across Saskatchewan meant a clean garage or an apartment with less clutter.
For others, it meant a main source of income had returned to an economically depressed part of the city.
Alain Bernier made his way to the SARCAN depot along 9th Avenue in North Central at 10 a.m. on Monday. By then the lineup snaked around the block as staff were only able to let one person in at a time.
Arnold Lenselink, a SARCAN employee, said there was already a lineup when he got to work at 7:50 a.m.
Bernier, who had arrived with seven bags full of empties, said during the shutdown he had lost his main source of income — picking bottles.
“It’s been frickin’ horrible,” he said. “It’s been pretty chaotic down here.”
Bernier said an existing lack of opportunity in the neighbourhood had been compounded by the pandemic, making some people more desperate.
Bernier rode a bike, with a trailer, carrying his bottles tied down with a bungee cord. Since March he has been picking bottles at night, when there are fewer people out.
“It’s how I support myself. There’s no income here for anybody. There’s no other way to make money, so we have to do this,” he added.
“There’s at least this opportunity here. It’s not hurting anybody, it beats doing crime that’s for sure.”
Bernier said he worked as a bike technician out of his home, fixing and restoring bicycles for people in the neighbourhood. Since the pandemic hit and desperation set in, he hasn’t been able to leave anything outdoors.
“I’ve gone through probably eight bikes in three weeks,” he said.
After a month of picking, Bernier hoped to net $200 on Monday.
Sean Homenick, manager of SARCAN, said there’s an expectation that people will be bringing in more than the typical $75 cash limit on recyclables. Returns of over $75 will still be cashed out, but the remainder of the money will be presented in cheque form.
He is encouraging people to use SARCAN’S “Drop and Go” system as it limits contact. Also, people with too many bags may be turned away.
“We can’t let you come in with 80 bags of containers. It’s just not going to allow for physical distancing,” said Homenick.
A man driving a van drove past the long lineup and asked if anyone was willing to buy his bags of recycling. “I don’t want to stand in line,” he said.
Bernier responded: “Who does?” Across the province, Homenick anticipates the demand to persist.
“It’s going to be a busy summer,” he said.
Joseph Lubenau, a SARCAN employee, spoke to the people in line, asking them to keep their distance in the outdoor queue. The lineup stretched along 9th Avenue onto Angus Street in the mid-morning before Lubenau reminded people to maintain physical distance.
He’s expecting the demand to persist through the month. It’s not new to have a busy Monday but wait times were in the hourand-a-half to two-hour time frame.
“In this area there’s a lot of people that rely on recycling containers. We have people that come in daily,” said Lubenau. “They pick containers so they can get by.”
In Whitmore Park the lines were long as well but the tone of why people were there was drastically different. Six kilometres south of Bernier, Daniel Latimer said he was just looking to clear out his closet.
Mike Evanochko was in line too. He said during the pandemic he’s been looking for jobs but what brought him out on Monday was that he was tired of the bottles taking up space.
“Just want to get rid of them so they’re out of they way,” he said.
It’s how I support myself. There’s no income here for anybody. There’s no other way to make money.