Last call to turn that old scrap into something good

There are probably a few yards, farms and shops around the North Peace with an old lawn mower tucked behind something, a broken appliance nobody has gotten around to hauling away, or maybe a vehicle that's been sitting there long enough nobody remembers the last time it moved.

Photo from 2025 Scrap Drive

And until Sept. 1, all that old metal can be worth a little more than whatever somebody is paying for scrap, with the Fort St. John Hospital Foundation and ABC Recycling once again turning it into support for healthcare here at home.

The Summer Scrap Drive has been running since July 1, with residents, businesses and organizations encouraged to bring their unwanted metal to ABC Recycling, where 100 per cent of the proceeds will support the Fort St. John Hospital Foundation.

This isn't the first time the North Peace has managed to turn a pretty big pile of unwanted metal into something useful either, with last year's drive bringing in $22,102.86 from roughly 150 tons of donated scrap.

“We saw a lot more donations from the general public this year compared to last year,” said McLean Welsh, Commercial Buyer at ABC Recycling, following the 2025 drive. “What I really noticed was that this year the engagement from the public was a lot more - lots of phone calls in to the office and many small loads that came in for donation. The people are now behind this drive and it can only go up from here.”

Apparently they decided to put that last part to the test this summer, because organizers have set a considerably bigger target of $50,000 for the 2026 campaign.

There is no shortage of things that can be brought in either, with old vehicles and vehicle parts, farm equipment, appliances, patio furniture and lawn mowers among the unwanted metal that can be turned into money for local healthcare.

“The support we’ve seen from our community throughout the Scrap Drive has been incredible,” says Megan Rader, Executive Director of the FSJ Hospital Foundation. “Local generous businesses like ABC Recycling that have tons of heart are the reason we can continue to provide new advanced equipment and technology to the Fort St. John Hospital. We encourage everyone to get involved, whether it’s old farm equipment or that broken toaster you have stored away in the garage; it all adds up and makes a big difference right here in our community.”

There's still a little friendly competition involved too, with the largest contributor taking home the Bischoff Trophy, a handcrafted cowboy hat made entirely from scrap metal by Bischoff Welding.

Josh Gilmour of Element Disposal earned those bragging rights in 2025 as last year's largest contributor.

For anyone looking around the yard or shop this weekend and realizing there might be a few things worth loading into the truck, scrap can be dropped off at ABC Recycling at 9631 78 Street in Fort St. John, or people can contact ABC Recycling to arrange a pickup.

And that's probably the part of this fundraiser I like most.

Nobody is asking you to buy something you don't need, sometimes helping out can be as simple as finally getting rid of that busted lawn mower leaning against the shed, or whatever else has been sitting around waiting for somebody to deal with it.

Only this time, cleaning up some of that old scrap also means helping the Hospital Foundation purchase new equipment and technology for the Fort St. John Hospital, keeping that support right here in the North Peace.