Every morning at 5 a.m., Mark Holem sets to work on the garbage at the Landis Hotel and Suites on Hornby.
The 39-year-old sifts for empty cans and bottles, separates them and carefully cleans up before moving on.
Holem says he's a professional binner, not a skanky dumpster-diver.
And now he's got a new uniform, photo ID and membership card to prove it.
Holem is one of 26 Vancouver binners who've formed the Binners Association, a group trying to bring higher standards to their back-alley craft.
Hard times have brought rising numbers of people living off the city's dumpsters, bringing more nuisance complaints.
The group was formed because more dumpsters are getting locked down by the city, or being brought indoors by custodians.
"I'm hoping it's going to open up some doors to bins, hopefully get some access to them," Holem said.
"If people would recognize me, just to know I'm working for someone. People just don't know what we're doing. They think we're after stolen stuff. It's just strictly bottles."
Khaled Ali, general manager of the Landis, was impressed when he saw Holem cleaning up around the hotel dumpster a year ago.
So Ali gave Holem a key to the garbage room.
"He's very clean, very organized, and on time," said Ali. "On Monday and Friday, he takes the garbage cans outside, ready for the garbage truck to come, without [me] asking him."
Ken Lyotier, who runs the United We Can recycling depot in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, said the new group has agreed to abide by the Binner's Code.
The rules include wearing ID, being quiet and cleaning up around the dumpsters.
"I don't think we need to grovel," said Lyotier. "We need to stand tall and be respectful, but do it with dignity."
Once 50 members have joined, they'll be trained and made responsible for territories around the city.
Lyotier even hopes that, in the next few years, about 20 binners will get units in a proposed social-housing scheme a few doors away from the depot.
Another member, Noel Bernier, said he hopes the group will weed out the bad binners.
"Very, very few binners give the binners a bad name, because they're messy and noisy," he said.
After a decade collecting empties, Bernier, 49, believes the public likes binners.
"The vast majority are for us. They like what we're doing for the environment," he said.
Lynda Pasacreta, CEO of the B.C. Apartment Owners and Managers Association, said her members are amenable to working with the binners' group, but have reservations.
"It's a very interesting concept. It's very innovative," Pasacreta said, adding that complaints do come in about binners making noise at night and being involved in drug activity.
"We see they serve a purpose, because they do recycle a lot of things. People are just very, very concerned about safety these days."
jbermingham@png.canwest.com
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THE BINNER'S CODE
1. Leave the area around dumpsters cleaner than when you started.
2. Watch where you step and put your hands. Wear protective clothing. Wear light and reflective clothing.
3. If someone is already binning when you get to a dumpster, move on.
4. If you find someone's ID while binning, contact the owner to return it to them.
5. Try to be polite to the people you meet and avoid swearing if you can.
6. If you run into problems -- bullying, threats, assault, car accidents, etc. -- report them.
7. Empty out the contents of beverage containers.
8. When binning at night or in the early morning, be extra quiet.
9. If you find something of value in the dumpster -- TV sets, VCRs, jewelry, money, etc. -- make a note of where you found it.
*confused*
