Welcome to the Bowen Island Recycling Depot (BIRD)
 
Hours of Operation
Every Thursday to Monday, 9:00 am to 2:30 pm, except Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year's Day. We are always closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
 
Location: Mt. Gardner Road, across from the gas station on Bruce McLeod's Way.
 
For more information, contact: Kim Kasasian at 604-947-2744, Patrick Hawkes 604-947-9187 or email birdonbowen@gmail.com. 

HOME APPLIANCES - BIRD now accepts a wide range of electrical small appliances for recycling. The new program covers both plug in and battery powered small appliances that are designed for home use, so you can leave everything from you old toothbrush to your broken vacuum cleaner at BIRD. Large appliances such as a fridge or dishwasher will still be accepted by Bowen Waste (947 2255). And if the appliance still works, don't forget to check whether the Knick Knack Nook would like to take it.

Ever wonder where to find the best places to donate or recycle materials you no longer need that are not accepted by BIRD? Metro Vancouver has launched a free iPhone app called weRecycle to help the region's residents reuse and recycle just about anything.
weRecycle provides mobile access to the same database used by Metro Vancouver's award-winning website, www.MetroVancouverRecycles.org. All you do is enter a material and hit search to find convenient donation and recycling locations. What makes weRecycle unique is presenting that information in a user-friendly Google map.
The searchable app includes dozens of material categories such as electronics, sport equipment, appliances, furniture, building materials and mattresses. To find facilities, simply enter the material you wish to donate or recycle. weRecycle will use either your iPhone's current location or a location you specify to populate a list with the closest facilities that accept the material. Hit the Map icon for a Google map. Either interface will connect you with facility details.

 BILL CARR'S MESSAGE ABOUT STYROFOAM - Things I’ve learned about Styrofoam on the internet: It’s light weight and shipping costs make it impractical to recycle. Styrofoam accounts for 30% of the land fill volume in North America. If it is burnt the smoke is black and sooty indicating incomplete combustion and green house gases. It lasts a very long time which is one reason it makes good home insulation. If ingested by animals it can plug up their digestive tract causing them to starve. It is made from petroleum as is the gas which we pay so much for. Benzene is used in the production of it. Benzene is a carcinogen yet Styrofoam is used for coffee cups and food trays. If this information troubles you please write to the manufacturer (copying in your MP and MLA) asking that they start using one of the alternatives. And last, something I have always known, Bowen Recycling cannot accept Styrofoam. The only exception is the peanuts which are reused here on the Island. 
Note: London Drugs has a Styrofoam collection program. See http://www.genesisrecycling.ca/styrofoam-recycling

 
__________________________________________________________________________________________
 
Our Mission...
Our mission is to provide a convenient and welcoming location on Bowen Island where all recycled materials can be collected. We promote cultural awareness and responsibility for our waste, by educating everyone (ourselves, the Bowen public, and government) on how to recycle comprehensively and effectively.
 

 
 
Our History
The idea of a recycling depot on Bowen Island was first hatched in 1984, when a number of public-minded residents created the Bowen Island Recycling Depot (locally and affectionately known as BIRD).  BIRD continued to grow and thrive over the years, thanks to the steadfast dedication of dozens of volunteers. In 2007, BIRD moved to its current, spacious facility on Bruce McLeod's Way, named for one of the original BIRD volunteers.