Week 8: July 13 - July 15, 2007

Sidney Bottle Depot, Cowichan Valley Bottle Depot, East Van Bottle Depot, Scott 72 Bottle & Return-It Depot & Willowbrook Recycling

July 13, 2007: Sidney Bottle Depot

The Sidney Bottle Depot staff and owners suggested that Return-It Man take a stroll into town to spread some good recycling vibes to everyone around. Return-It Man and his Super Sidekick, as always, were up to the challenge and walked up and down Beacon Avenue which is the main drag in Sidney. People were everywhere relaxing and enjoying the sunshine and the cool breeze off the ocean.

One woman was standing outside of the local museum and was thrilled to get the chance to see Return-It Man. She described to Return-It Man and his Super Sidekick how she had been the instigator for setting up an organized recycling system at her place of work, which is one of the stores along Beacon. She explained the fact that she set up inside bins for recycling all types of things including beverage containers. She said that if she had not done this, most of these items would be thrown in the garbage. Return-It Man and his Super Sidekick gave her a high five and some Return-It branded swag for her initiative.

Of course the Return-It Man and the Promotions Team spoke with many locals, plus there were several tourists that seemed to come from all over the s globe who were fascinated by the Return-It costume. Return-It Man and his Super Sidekick were stopped by several tourists who were curious about the recycling set up that was available in this region. Return-It Man and his Super Sidekick took this opportunity to speak about the Return-It system and were sure to get anyone visiting to return all of their containers at the Sidney Depot while they were in town, and to make sure to make sure the locals were doing the same.

Return-It Man and his Super Sidekick dropped in to say hello at the restaurant that is located in the same industrial court as the Sidney Bottle Depot. The staff in the restaurant were so excited that they ran out of the restaurant, with the customers still inside, and gave Return-It Man a big hug and posed for a quick picture.

July 14, 2007: Cowichan Valley Bottle Depot

The Cowichan Valley Bottle Depot visit was arguably one of the most exciting events that Return-It Man has ever attended. Louis Spronken, the depot owner, arranged for Return-It Man to show up for the “Duncan Days” Parade. Both Return-It Man and his Super Sidekick were suited up and took to the crowded streets of Duncan.

Thousands of people, young and old were in attendance at the event and the Return-It Team thrilled everyone. The Cowichan Valley Bottle Depot staff prepared an incredible float by decorating their truck with endless rows of recyclable containers and ribbons. Plus, Return-It Man and his Super Sidekick prepared several balloons and attached them to the back of the truck which complimented the float nicely.

Return-It Man jumped in the back of Parade Float, while his Super Sidekick followed closely behind the float passing high fives and giving out free swag to the eager people of Duncan.

The Return-It Man on the float waved and gestured to the crowd as the float moved through the town of Duncan and all the people cheered in response.

It was clear the Encorp Promotions Team were making an impact, as people from the crowd would shout out “I will always recycle my containers!” and “Great job Return-It Man I recycle all the time!”.

The parade featured 47 floats in total and the depot staff said that Return-It Man & his Super Sidekick certainly were at the top of the list in terms of who got the most cheers and clapping.

July 14, 2007: East Van Bottle Depot

East Vancouver road arteries, such as the Grandview Highway and the Broadway corridor, proved to be excellent locations to raise awareness of the East Van Bottle Depot location. The high traffic spots let Return-It Man really strut his stuff to all of the cars. Using his athleticism he was able to execute running high fives to all of the parked cars at the lights. His high energy points to the depot opened a lot of eyes. Not only because of the bulging recycling muscles but because the added decibel level from the megaphone forced everyone to find out where all the commotion was coming from. Return-It Man was also able to find some places to mingle with people on foot, namely the nearby SkyTrain station. This brought a lot of local traffic right to the team and they were able to remind all of those people getting off the train to go to the depot for a chance to win the Grand Prize BBQ in exchange for their empty containers.

July 14, 2007: Scott 72 Bottle & Return-It Depot

Return-It Man and his Super Sidekick were able to take advantage of the beautiful weather on the Celebration Tour Saturday and visit the Newton Athletic Park along with the local strip malls in the area. While on location they were able to talk to groups of athletes and their parents about the depot contest as well as its location. Lots of kids were curious as to what Return-It Man and his Super Sidekick were doing at their soccer games and did not want to pass up the chance to meet them. While canvassing the local mall area one of the local Edward Jones Financial staff was so impressed with Return-It Man that he even offered him a job in their office. Although flattered Return-It Man replied that he was more interested in counting returned containers at his local depot than counting money.

July 15, 2007: Willowbrook Recycling

Return-It Man noticed that the Willowbrook Recycling Depot was a very popular place for great recyclers as the line ups extended well into the parking lot as eager recyclers patiently waited for the chance to do their part to help out the environment. Return-It Man and his Super Sidekick took advantage of this by going up to as many people as they could to encourage everyone for the great recycling effort and to give away cool Return-It branded swag.

The depot staff was very helpful with the Celebration Tour as they set up a BBQ outside the depot with free hot dogs, bottled water and chips. Return-It Man and his Super Sidekick set up the tent and balloons beside the BBQ which made the celebration all the more fantastic. The combination of Return-It Man and his Super Sidekick with free food brought in a steady flow of customers to stop by to chat and learn more about recycling and the chance to win the Grand Prize BBQ. Dozens of people stopped by the tent after they had returned their containers or while they were in the line up to recycle their containers.

Many of the customers were bringing in water bottles to the depot due to the extreme heat in the area. Return-It Man and his Super Sidekick were sure to put in a reminder for everyone to keep recycling those containers and to make sure that their friends are just as diligent as they had been.

The depot manager took full advantage of Return-It Man’s presence by getting lots of pictures of Return-It Man and some of the customers who frequently come to the depot. She promised to put a number of these up inside the depot for everyone to enjoy when they visit the depot.