After an unknown amount of recyclable material from this year’s Oak Bay Tea Party ended up in the garbage, disappointed volunteers are being assured that care will be taken to prevent such a mistake from happening again.
The Oak Bay Green Committee aimed to cut the amount of garbage from the annual event in half by recycling.
But soon after the event, which took place June 1 and 2, committee members discovered that some of the recyclable-filled bags ended up being thrown away.
Mayor Nils Jensen, one of many volunteers who sorted the waste, said it was likely that just a few bags were misdirected. Still, he said, it was tough on the people who put so much into the environmentally conscious effort.
“I can understand the disappointment,” Jensen said. “I’ve apologized to the Green Committee for, to some extent, their wasted effort, but by and large, most of the stuff did get properly recycled.”
He called allegations that the recyclable items were deliberately put in with the garbage at the municipal level unfounded.
“They were completely groundless,” Jensen said. “There’s absolutely no basis for them.”
A meeting held this week with the Green Committee was meant to “rebuild the bridges” with municipal staff.
“I think we’re well on the way,” Jensen said. “We’ll do a better job next year.”
