Week 8: June 19 - June 25

Guildford Bottle Depot

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes as Return-It Man rolled into the parking lot (to tired to fly he took the Return-It Mobile...also known as the Mazda). He was shocked to see all the lovely morning smiles from the staff. So bright and cheerful was the depot that Return-It Man couldn't help but get energized himself. “I think they're contagious” he joked as he bounced around the streets of Surrey. Making friends at the local Dairy Queen his spirits were lifted even higher with a complimentary Dilly Bar. “Mmm, I'll visit here any time” said Return-It Man casually leaning against a telephone pole. “Wanna play Frisbee?” Turning around Return-It Man and Handler saw three kids eying his Frisbees. “Do I wanna play Frisbee!? I invented Frisbee!” The five marched over to the adjacent park, Return-It Man learned a few new games and took the time to inform the group about the importance of finding good homes for beverage containers. Back at the depot the staff was running out of balloons. Returning from the park just in time, Return-It Man inflated a few more and drew for the mp3 player. Three cheers for Guilford Bottle Depot!

Bridgeview Bottle & Return-It Depot

Also known as BC's biggest beer bottle, Bridgeview’s inflatable bottle can be seen for miles around. In fact without the amazing inflatable bottle, (over two stories high) Return-It Man might have flown right past. On a muggy afternoon, the sun can sometimes cause sweat to get in Return-It Man’s eyes, making navigation a little tricky. Thankfully the giant bottle swayed in the wind, a beacon of hope for good recyclers everywhere. Quickly setting up shop Return-It Man went straight to work; Frisbee games to the north, honks and high-fives to the south, and all over town Return-It Man popped his head into local businesses and restaurants. So impressed was the bowling alley with his gusto, that they offered him and Super Sidekick a free round. Return-It Man opened with a strike and then followed with a few spares, however his cape and enormous biceps ended up getting in the way. “Now I know how Conan the Barbarian feels when he tries to eat with chop sticks” sighed Return-It Man as he excited the bowling alley. Lucky for the public he regained his form when a little old lady was calling for assistance, she had spilled a bag of recycling and the cans were rolling everywhere. A sweep and a dash and our Hero had her recycling carried stacked and sorted. “Yes” beamed Return-It-Man. “I may not be able to keep the bowling balls out of the gutters, but when it comes to beverage containers... I'm certainly the best!”

Sardis Bottle Depot

Back in the “Wack” (as in ChilliWACK) said Return-It Man to Super Sidekick. Our two heroes beamed with excitement. “Last year they met so many friendly folks they couldn't believe their eyes. This year was much of the same.” Like a couple on a spending spree our Heroes bounced from mall to plaza, from building complex to industrial park, except they weren’t spending…they were GIVING! Prizes, balloons, flyers, not to mention high-fives and of course, good recycling advice. A little apprehensive at first the community checked out Return-It Man from a distance not sure exactly what to think, but once he broke out the stereo everyone wanted to join in the fun. One mom actually found him cheering and hooting at cars in front of the local grocery store: “Excuse me Return-It Man,” she gasped out of breath clutching a newspaper ad in her hand. “My kids and I have been waiting all week to see you again, we met you last year and they insisted on finding you again”. Return-It Man was speechless and did what any good Super Hero would do… crank the tunes and break out the Frisbee. After the kids got tired of Returning-It, they moved into the depot to join in the drum roll for the big draw. You could cut the tension with a knife as Return-It Man mixed the ballots and reached in to the bag to pull a winner. Even though only one customer went home with 8 gigs of music pleasure, everyone left with a little extra cash in their pockets and bounce in their step.

Willowbrook Recycling

WOW! This is all Return-It Man could say after he got back to his Super Hero Pad.  Willowbrook Recycling certainly had a tough act to follow, we all remember last years historical Hawaiian theme, well this year’s Carnival theme was even better!! Dunk tanks, ball tosses, bottle cap guessing games, and so much more. What made the event epic was that participants scored points that were tallied at the end of the day, the best score earned the winner a recycling prize package worth over $100! Now if this isn't enough to get your recycling palate watering Willowbrook Recycling went to the next level by creating a replica “Plinko” game ala Price is Right (made from 100% recycled materials) complete with a Bob Barker look alike. Return-It Man recounted his adventures of the day keeled over in his Return-It lounge chair; “And then it was off to the local community festival where I danced with clowns, partied with Salty the Seagull and ate real TAFFY!” So spent was Return-It Man that by the end of the celebration all he could do was eat free hot dogs and shake hands with the droves of satisfied recyclers. Well done Willowbrook Recycling, you outlasted the KING OF RECYCLING. “If I had a hat that fit on my giant melon, I would tip it to the great folks here at Willowbrook Recycling” said Return-It Man as he awarded the final prize of the day, the coveted mp3 player.

The Bottle Depot - Port Alberni

It was a cloudy day flying over at The Bottle Depot in Port Alberni, and Return-It Man thought to himself with the cool ocean air at his back; “I sure hope the same friendly staff are here as last year!”  Return-It Man would not be disappointed. He had a smooth landing at the park adjacent to the depot, where he found Super Sidekick and the staff setting up the balloons and already distributing prizes. Return-It Man shook hands with his friends and began to do his trademarked march up and down the streets of Port Alberni, from a hardware store to department stores to a local restaurant, Return-It-Man let the whole town know that he was there and that recycling was PARAMOUNT! Honks and high-fives were everywhere, Return-It Man got so charged on all the attention that he had to go back to the park and join in on a game of Frisbee to burn off the excess mojo and recycling cheer (Return-It-Man always makes sure that he never leaves any extra “celebration” in his Super Hero Body before he leaves town). Back at the depot the mp3 player winner was ironically the same woman Return-It Man high-fived on the street...Did Return-It Man's good luck rub off a little? Or maybe it's all the positive vibes in Port Alberni!