Binners invited to drop off cans, bottles underneath Jacques Cartier Bridge today
La Fête nationale is not a party for everyone: especially not for binners.
Binners is a word used to describe people who collect cans and bottles, picking them out of garbage and recycling bins, and then returning them in exchange for cash.
Stores and dépanneurs usually take the collected material and return the deposited amount from the bottles, to the customer. But almost all groceries are closed today for the Fête Nationale.
In comes Marica Vasquez Tagliero, co-founder and volunteer at Les Valoristes solidarity coop, a non-profit organization that encourages people to use refundable, recyclable and reusable materials.
For the the fourth consecutive year, her organization will offer a market for binners, who need a place to drop off their collected materials.
A place for binners
Vasquez Tagliero and her volunteers set up a temporary bottle depot underneath the Jacques Cartier Bridge.
The process is simple: binners drop off their cans and volunteers from les Valoristes separate the cans and bottles. They then tally up the total value and return a receipt to the binner who can redeem the money at their check-out.
"These people face a lot of discrimination when they go to the traditional outlets for redeeming these containers," said Darren Innis, a former client turned volunteer.
Innis said only one in five of the binners who use the service are homeless.
"These people are taking an active part in bettering their situations.They're out on a daily basis doing hard manual work, when sometimes that's the only work they can do because of whatever challenges they may be facing," said Innis.
Binners who want to drop off their material can do so from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.
