Dropped off some old tiles (from a floor renovation) yesterday and a few things have changed (from…read moremy initial review below).
1) the ReStore is closed and has relocated. Huge sign advising you where to drop items off
2) the price has jumped to $10...still a great deal for a trunk full of garbage
3) the dude in the booth now gives you a printed receipt !
4) I've bumped my 3 stars to 4 because of the changes
Original Review
From a strictly environmental standpoint, this place is fantastic, as it allows you to drop of items which you can see your neighbours trying to hide in their garbage bags. You see, the city of Vaughan has very strict garbage rules but a very robust recycling program. I'm allowed 3 bags of garage every two weeks, with unlimited recycling (bottles, cans, paper, cardboard, etc) and food waste (green bin). However, the 3 bag rule encompasses ALL non-blue box (recyclable) and green bin (organic waste) items. For example, if you change a toilet, it counts as an item, which drops your garbage bag allotment down to 2 bags. You can purchase extra garbage "tags" from the city (for a nominal fee) which you place on the additional items, but without those tags, the items are left at the curb....the 3 bag rule is pretty enforced. A few times a year we have "double up" pickups...which allows for 6 bags of garbage/waste, but sometimes you don't want things piling up in the garage until a double up day. The McCleary Environmental Centre is the place that accepts items that we used to throw out in our garbage, but which we now know can harm the environment.
Fairly easy to locate, you drive in and dispose of household waste items (drywall, tiles, lightbulbs, scrap metal, etc)....in clearly labelled bins. Most items don't require a disposal fee, other than the cost of getting it down to the McCleary Centre.
However, some household waste items require a "fee" to be disposed of......on my last visit I was charged $7 for a trunk-full of stuff. This is where I experienced something which left a sour taste in my mouth...and is quite shocking at the lack of controls in place. The city employee is in a booth...you drive up, advise him what you have to dispose of, he asks where you live, he advises you of the fee (in my case, $7)...you pay cash...and he points you in the right direction. I would suggest you have exact change...as on my last visit, I passed a $10 bill to him and suddenly he became Mr. Chatty. When he finally pointed me in the direction to go, I had to ask for my change. He mumbled something and passed me my $3. Not saying this is this guys practice, but if he pulls this stunt on a regular basis, he could walk out with a pretty penny at the end of his shift (there is nothing in place for the city to monitor the number of cars in/out....so staff could potentially make out like bandits). They really need to put proper procedures into place to prevent the public from being ripped off, as there are unscrupulous people out there (I'm not saying this guy is......but in this case, both myself and my passenger felt like he knew exactly what he was doing). This has only happened once to me, and I've dropped items off a few times (being an avid DIYer has its downside). But still........
I've also dropped off items for their "Restore" program. It's sort of like Goodwill...you bring in gently used (or unused) items that you would normally throw out, and they have an on-site store where they resell the items. Reuse at its best. I've brought in electronics, chairs, lamps, tools, etc)...it's free of charge if the items are deemed acceptable for resale. Profits are kept by the store.
So, in summary.....a great place to be environmentally conscious, just bring exact change.
