Editor:
Re: “A prophet, but not in his own land,” Editorial, Nov. 25.
I agree it is “sadly ironic” that Buddy and Barb and Gibsons Recycling Depot are receiving so much recognition just when they feel they must step back and conserve their resources for their own security.
I learned a bit about recycling as one of the founding members of SCRAPS (the group that started the first Gibsons Recycling Depot behind SuperValu) back in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Once I began using Gibsons Recycling Depot in its current incarnation (and Buddy acquired that name legally, by the way) I realized that they were following the recycling practices I knew were most important – source separation and keeping the product clean.
I was surprised to find that so many people had a mean-spirited attitude toward this enterprise. The usual complaint was, “They’re a private company!” So what? I’m against privatization when it comes to the ferries or seniors’ care, but Gibsons Recycling Depot was working for the public good the way those other examples do not. The SCRD’s recycling program seemed pretty Mickey Mouse in comparison to theirs. I agree with Joe Harrison – the SCRD should have listened to Buddy about MMBC. Because of MMBC, I am landfilling many items I used to recycle, plus the rules are so bewildering that it’s hard to tell what’s recyclable and what isn’t anymore.
When the depot got the contract from the SCRD I heard that someone accused Buddy and Barb of “making out like bandits” – yet they still lived in their modest bungalow in lower Gibsons, mortgaged, as Barb says, to finance the business. They aren’t in it for the dough.
Anne Miles, Gibsons
