Corner Brook -
A man ready to turn in the keys and everything else that goes with his old car for something not only better on the eyes but friendlier to the environment, it's exactly what the representatives of Retire Your Ride were hoping to see.
Mike Babstock of Pasadena is absolutely ready to get rid of his 1990 Toyota car. In fact, he is already eyeing a new ride, but had no idea there could be an extra value to the vehicle he would be giving up.
Retire Your Ride allows people who have a 1995 model or older vehicle - provided it's still running and has been insured for the past six months - to trade it in to be recycled in an environmentally friendly way.
Babstock was one of the people who saw the information display at the Valley Mall in Corner Brook Monday, and he had to check it out.
"I have an older vehicle which I probably wouldn't get anything for on a trade in, and I was looking to buy something a little newer," he said. "I was wondering what I would have to do with my vehicle, if I didn't get a trade in, would I have to get somebody to pick it up or whatnot.
"When I saw the sign here, I thought I may be able to recycle it and get a couple of dollars for it and maybe put that towards my new vehicle."
The program, launched in January, and funded by the federal government offers incentives for vehicles identified as having 19 times more air pollutant than those of at least a decade newer. Those rewards include $300 cash, rebates on vehicle purchases from various auto dealerships in an amount between $500-$3,000, and in St. John's people are offered a one-year pass for the transit system.
In Newfoundland and Labrador the program is being done in support and partnership with the Newfoundland and Labrador Lung Association and the Conservation Corps Newfoundland and Labrador.
The national vehicle scrappage program is aimed at improving air quality and promoting sustainable transportation. That is an additional interest for Babstock.
"Rather than having it towed out to a scrapyard ... if there is some benefit that can come to the environment, that would be a bonus for sure," he said.
Meanwhile, Amanda Kinsman, co-ordinator for Newfoundland and Labrador, and Chris Rolfe, outreach intern, said the program has already been met with astounding result in the province and throughout the country.
"We have 186 vehicles recycled here in the province and people have received their rewards for those and we have another 50 who have registered and will receive their rewards as soon as possible and their vehicle will be recycled," Rolfe said. "We have actually reached our goal across Canada. There are 30,000 applications in, so hopefully we will get 30,000 recycled cars.
"We are doing well. There is lots of interest and we are getting out the message."
For more information or to participate, visit www.retireyourride.ca or call 1-877-773-1996.
