Community Pickup Project Eulogy

(2021-2025)

 

The diverters' foundation is stopping this project for starting January 2025. The reason are mostly due to lower engagement and the changing priorities of the foundation.

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A Humble Beginning

In the summer of 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Diverters foundation created the Community Pickup Project. This was the first project that the newly created foundation rolled out. The project was developed with the following principles:

 

1- It is easy to implement and will have an immediate effect

2- Need to help the waste pickers and the general public

3- To see how the leadership of the foundation work and start a culture

 

The manager dusted off an old idea that he had when the pandemic started and thus the Community Pickup Project came to light. The project was in itself very simple: A pickup service for refundables during a time of high stress in the greater Victoria region due to the pandemic and restrictions on public gathering.

 

The project worked like this:

 

1- Members of the public would contact us via our website stating the amount of refundables they had and their availability for a pickup

2- The manager would contact a diverters who would go to the pickup time

3- The diverter would bring the refundables to the bottle depot and convert them into money

4- The diverter would keep 100% of the money

 

This was a good way for the public to support their local diverters who were also struggling during the pandemic. It also fostered conversation between the diverters and the general public thus raising awareness of the waste pickers impact in the community.  It helped the foundation to find its footing and learn how to work as a team.

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All Good things ends

Now fast forwarding to 2025: This project will always have a special place for the foundation.  Now the Foundation is working with partners to create and guide a few new projects.   

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