Port Alberni's Bottle Depot has moved a block and a half down Fourth Avenue into the building vacated by PY Marine, beside Southside Auto at Bute Street. But it's miles ahead in terms of comfort, says manager Nadine Thibeau.
The bottle depot moved from its former location about a week before Christmas.
While the new location is about the same size in square footage, the layout is much more efficient, Thibeau said. The building is heated, well lit and the sorting area is larger. "It's just a nicer building for us to be in," she said of the six full- and part-time employees. "It's heated and it will probably keep some of the wasps away in the summer."
The new depot is more modern, with three conveyor belts connecting the front desk to the rear, so plastic boxes of returnables can be sent safely to the back. The old account book will be computerized as well, so people will have to get used to letting staff know before they tally their returnables which account they are to go towards.
"Now we have a spot to do bottle drives under cover," Thibeau added. "Which is a big, big bonus."
Bottle depot owner Don Thompson has been looking for another location for quite a while, Thibeau said. The new building became available when PY Marine relocated to part of the former Zellers complex, at Third Avenue and Mar Street.
The bottle depot still has the same operating hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
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