Week 7: June 12 - June 18
Scott Road Bottle Depot
JP and his crew were once again in great anticipation of Return-It Man. In fact he was so
hyped that when Super Sidekick arrived he almost drove the forklift straight through a wall! Lucky for everyone, he drives a mean forklift and had it all under control. Once the tent was up and the helium floating, Return-It Man cranked the tunes and danced all the way to Scott Road. At first people weren't quite sure what they were seeing, "Is that a giant box?", "Maybe it's a special kind of phone booth", "It looks lonely." But once Return-It Man started to flex his gigantic biceps, people caught on pretty quick; "Why didn't you say so! Hello Return-It Man!" "Wow, in the flesh, I am the happiest recycler ever!" "You look even more attractive in person!" Not one for modesty, Return-It Man threw down his best dance moves for the crowd before dashing back to the depot for the big draw. Thanks to the Scott Road Bottle Depot, the friendly staff and the kind, fun-loving community.
Coquitlam Return-It Depot
Arriving at the Depot and bouncing off the walls, Return-It Man was certainly ready to entertain. Return-It Man stood road side waving at cars as a huge team of cyclists sped past, “You guys need a partner??” shouted Return-It Man, arms flailing. “Sure!” they shouted, as they whizzed past. Before handler had a chance to grab Return-It Man's cape, he was running along side his new friends. Setting a fierce pace he led the group, handing out tattoos and his patented high fives along the way. He would have kept running if he hadn't spotted a rogue bottle on the side of the street. Abandoning his buddies, he carefully scooped up the bottle and handed it to a young girl. “Here you go my dear, you know what to do.” It just so happened that she was part of a bottle drive for the Girl Guides. Elated with seeing her hero, she smiled and high-fived Return-It Man, “Will I see you at the Depot?” she asked. OOPS Return-It Man had forgotten about the depot draw. With his remaining energy he sprinted back just in time for the draw and prize give away. “How was the run?” scolded Super Sidekick. “Great!” answered our Hero, “I think I set a record for honks and high-fives. Thanks Coquitlam for keeping me looking trim and keeping the landfills free of beverage containers.”
Biggar Bottle Depot
Return-It Man took a historical approach to his job at the Biggar Bottle Depot. Influenced by
Old Coquitlam he polished his spats, oiled his hair, and put on his most dapper look as he promenaded the cobble stone streets. Tipping his hat to the locals while admiring all the wonderful architecture he felt very posh... until he heard his favorite Queen song and was unable to contain himself any longer, he shook his fat bottom all the way back to the depot! “What happened?” exclaimed Super Sidekick. “Sorry, I had to dance”, replied Return-It Man, and dance he did. The entire rest of the day was spent dancing customers to and from their cars, inspired by the tunes, honks and cheers, Return-It Man realized that there is a time for the quiet appreciation of art, and a time to Recycle the day away... as beautiful as Coquitlam can be, finding a home for lonely beverage containers and shaking your money maker must always take center stage!
Ladner Bottle Depot
Something felt very stoic and timeless when Return-It Man flew into the Ladner Bottle Depot, so he asked Jake the depot owner: "What's the deal sir, are people a bit stand off-ish?" "Nope" said Jake "Things are just nice and relaxed... in the morning..." Sure enough once the 
prize wheel was out, the party cart spinning, and Return-It Man's voice bellowing through the streets, everything was once again crazy, busy and absolutely perfect. Even the ‘Random Act of Kindness Club’ poked their heads in and cleaned some windows for a while. In fact one of the volunteers and Return-It Man got talking music, so inspired was Return-It Man that he took to the streets with some of Simon & Garfunkel’s greatest hits. Not known for his singing voice, Return-It Man received a few sympathy claps. It wasn't long, before Return-It Man re-embraced his true calling and paraded around town looking for lonely beverage containers, and of course, reminding everyone about the big draw. When the winner was announced she leapt for joy "I have never won a thing in my life, the kids at school are going to finally think that I have stepped into the new millennium". The winner, in fact, vaulted into the new millennia and will be quite the trendy teacher while she roams the halls sporting her sleek purple mp3 player.
Langley Bottle Depot
Return-It Man was watching the sports highlights before he arrived at the Langley Bottle Depot. "Boy I'd sure like to play a round of one on one with Kobe Bryant, I bet I could give
him a run for his money" thought Return-It Man as he fastened his cape for the flight to Depot. "I'd even settle for a quick game of HORSE". When Return-It Man flew overhead he couldn't believe his eyes, in fact he had to do a double take. The Lions Club was at the depot cooking up smokies, the kids were holding balloons, and there was a regulation height hoop set up! Before you could say "Air Jordan", Return-It Man had his sneakers laced up and was taking on the staff's number one draft...It was epic. Between points, Return-It Man educated the public, handed out balloons and prizes, but when he had the ball, it was all business. Couple big dunks, and three-pointers and Return-It Man was up by two. Then the unthinkable happened, a junior player, no older than 9 was rotated in. "Hey kid" said Return-It Man "You think you got game?" "Well" said the boy, "I can shoot beverage containers from three point range into a beverage container bin no bigger than a 4 litre jug", and before Return-It Man could say timeout the young lad had nailed a three-pointer from well beyond the point to win the game. The crowd erupted and Return-It Man shook hands respectfully. "Be ready next year" smiled Return-It Man, "I will be practicing all summer!"
Newton Bottle Depot
Larry and his crew were all waiting for Return-It Man as he crashed into the parking lot. “Are you okay??” they asked, worried he had broken something. “Oh I'm fine, just a little top heavy...got a lot on my mind” joked Return-It Man. Brushing himself off, he smiled and saw that Super Sidekick had already prepared the balloons and prize wheel. “Wow, you're quick” exclaimed Return-It Man, “I learned from the best” replied Super Sidekick. After the two heroes scoped out the area, they made their rounds. A big party was going on at the shop next door as dozens of staff and guests were eating breakfast under the morning sun. They thought Return-It Man was so much fun that they had him bring his boom box out and dance with them while they ate their meal. Further down the street Return-It Man entertained the idle cars, King George and 72nd is widely known as one of the longest traffic lights in Surrey. Return-It Man's dancing, cheering and important-information-giving was well received as folks waited for green lights in the afternoon heat. Back at the depot, Return-It Man learned all about the fun-loving staff and interesting regulars, he found out that not only do some customers come in three times daily, but that others have been coming here for almost 10 years! As it struck “Prize O'clock” the depot was giddy with anticipation as dozens waited for the winner to be announced. Much to Return-It Man's enjoyment, the winner was in fact a regular, and someone who had been recycling with them for a very long time. Way to go Newton, you've got a very loyal customer base and some of the nicest staff around!