Recycling contractor Emterra Environmental is throwing out a challenge to the residents of Courtenay and Comox to recycle more, help the Earth and raise money for medical equipment at St. Joseph’s Hospital.

To kick start Earth Week (April 16 – 22), the company will contribute $1 to St. Joseph’s “Heart disease can affect all ages” fund for every tonne of recycling collected from blue bins in the two municipalities. Emterra is calling their challenge ‘Make Your Contribution at the Curb,’ and pledges to raise at least $4,800 – but the amount can climb a lot higher if more people recycle. “The benefit of ‘Make Your Contribution at the Curb’ is that the more people recycle, the more we’ll give to the heart care campaign for St. Joseph’s General Hospital Foundation,” said Ed Walsh, Emterra’s vice president of operations for B.C. “It’s a chance for people to make a big difference and it’s really easy to do. We encourage people to start today!” Not sure what to recycle? Go to the Courtenay and Comox websites for more details.

Left to right: Courtenay Mayor Larry Jangula; Ed Walsh; St. Joseph’s Foundation board member Ron Philip; Emterra North Island operations manager Dave Ross; St. Joseph’s Foundation board member Jim Bennett; Comox Mayor Paul Ives; Comox Coun. Maureen Swift; Comox Coun. Barbara Price; St. Joseph’s Foundation board member Susan Kelsey. Comox Coun. Patti Fletcher is shown behind the wheel of the truck. Photo by Spencer Anderson