A new initiative by the Live Lightly team of Quadra Island Climate Action Network (Quadra ICAN) has set up two recycling boxes for personal items at the Cove Pharmacy in Quathiaski Cove.

Residents from Quadra and the outer islands are encouraged to drop off their used disposable razors and razor blades in the sharps container, while the adjoining box for oral care products is there for used toothbrushes, empty toothpaste tubes and dental floss containers.

Lynda Unterthiner and Cathy Slater began the project by researching and connecting with the company TerraCycle, whose website says they specialize in recycling the "non-recyclable." The company sent Unterthiner containers, which she will ship back when full. TerraCycle works through partnerships with brands like Gilette, Oral-B and Crest who pay for the shipping and recycling cost. Moreover, the program accepts any brand of listed items.

Colleen Hogg, owner of Cove Pharmacy, stands beside the two special recycling boxes. Photo by Cathy Slater.

Slater said although this is a step in the right direction, she is looking toward a future where products like tooth powder and floss can be made locally and without plastic, as recycling still creates greenhouse emissions, not to mention the shipping.

"It's all part of a multi-faceted process of changing our societies from the industrial consumption age to the restoration age and looking at new ways of living on this planet," she said.

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