R Jeff introduced Carla Stokes:
Carla has lived in Brighton with her husband since returning to Canada in 2015, after a 12 year term as expats. They became aware of Brighton while posted at 8 Wing Trenton in the early 1990's and family were now living in the Quinte area. Since going back to Barrie (where they were previously for 10 years) and 'lake effect' winter conditions had little appeal after living close to the coast but in a desert environment for 12 years, Brighton was somewhat of a compromise.
Carla's background is nursing and more recently administrative assistant work. She has many volunteer hours in the schools, sports and arts activities her now adult kids were involved in. She has been heavily involved in animal welfare/ rescue in the various places they have lived and have enjoyed being involved as a volunteer in various community initiatives.
After moving to Brighton, she became involved with a group called Helping Hands Northumberland (HHN) in late 2019. HHN had recently been approached by an environmental group based in Ottawa called EARTHUB, which seeks to divert specific items from landfill. This in short, is how she became a collector of used pill bottles and why she is here to speak to us today.
Helping Hands Northumberland is centred in Cobourg. Carla is a local representative in Brighton.
EARTHUB, of the items they count, has diverted over 600,000 pill bottles from landfills. The collect and divert other things as well. Carla is focused on the pill bottles.
Helping Hands Northumberland has diverted in excess of 2,500 pill bottles since getting involved. Most of these used pill bottles are sent to Doctors without Borders in Africa where patients traditionally would have to take pills home in their hands or wrapped in paper or leaves. Over 50,000 pill bottles have been sent from Northumberland through this service.
Locally, Carla collects the bottles, makes sure labels are off and she then delivers them to a Kingston drop off. From Kingston to Ottawa, then to Ohio and via other NGO's to Africa and Doctors without Borders.
EARTHUB's goal is to divert plastic from landfills.
A local use for small bottles / containers is the local Food Banks who can use to distribute things like salt in smaller quantities. Shelters can also use the small bottles.
Carla makes sure the bottles are cleaned and labels are removed. The bottles have to be sorted by size.
Shipping the pill bottles to Africa costs about $0.10 each. So donations are always welcome.
Carla is looking for organizations to collect pill bottles. R Chris volunteered to be Brighton Rotary's coordinator with Carla.