In early July, Ashley Bradley put out a call on her Instagram asking the Whitehorse community to donate their returnable recycling.
The proceeds from the cans, bottles and tetra packs Bradley collected and returned were donated to the Committee on Abuse in Residential Schools (CAIRS).
CAIRS was created in 1993 as a safe place for residential school survivors and their families to sit, talk, visit and work on arts and crafts together. It is a safe place for residential school survivors and their families.
Bradley collected recyclables for two weeks and raised $785. That is a lot of cans.
“Over 40 (gave recyclables) and a couple of people just donated cash as well,” said Bradley. “They really wanted to be part of donating.”
Bottles, cans and other returnable containers less than 750 millilitres get a five-cent refund, so do milk and milk substitute containers. Containers 750 ml or larger get a 25-cent refund.
Bradley decided to start collecting cans for CAIRS after bodies were recovered from the grounds of residential schools.
“I myself don’t have much money, so I thought how could I come up with money and get more people to give?” said Bradley in an earlier interview with the News. “I know people are giving lots right now but I thought, ‘Oh, recycling.”
By collecting returnables, Bradley wanted to show that even a little can go a long way.
“I thought maybe it would make people think about how a little would add up,” said Bradley. “Some people were like ‘Oh, I know this isn’t much’ it was a grocery bag or one garbage bag. Then some people filled my whole truck.”
Bradley would drive to those who reached out to her and pick up the recyclables. She’d sort them before bringing them to Raven Recycling.
During the two weeks she collected, Bradley said the community support was outstanding.
“It was such a variety of people, young, old, different cultures, everyone wanted to help,” said Bradley. “I thought that was really cool.
“It was fun meeting all these nice people. Sometimes it was overwhelming. I think people needed a way to help and this was so simple and they were happy to give their year’s worth of recycling.”
What really stuck out to Bradley is that nobody wanted credit for assisting.
“We just wanted to help and that’s really special too,” she said.
Bradley may be done for this year but isn’t ruling out collecting returnables next year.
Contact John Tonin at john.tonin@yukon-news.com