A former Langley council candidate has come up with a way to recycle election campaign signs into lightweight, dry sleeping mats for homeless people.

Gary Hee said he has been thinking about way to repurpose election signs ever since he ran for Langley Township council in 2018.

B次元官网网址淚 was driving down 200 street and I saw a whole mess of campaign signs,B次元官网网址� Hee recalled.

There had to be a better way to dispose of the plastic notices than sending them to the dump, he felt.

B次元官网网址淚 asked the [other] candidates what are you going to do with them,B次元官网网址� he related.

B次元官网网址淸I said] if you donB次元官网网址檛 want them, give them to me.B次元官网网址�

He ended up with about 800.

Hee demonstrated how sleeping mats can be made from campaign signs for the Black Press Media, using a cordless drill to sandwich several of them together into lightweight rectangles that can be combined to provide a full-length sleeping mat.

B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e dry and warm,B次元官网网址� Hee said, an better alternative to sleeping on the ground that doesnB次元官网网址檛 take up space and can be easily packed up.

Hee said signs from the current federal election campaign could also be repurposed for sleeping mats, but he wants to see if the idea gets some traction, before he makes another appeal for federal placards.

One church in Langley has expressed interest, Hee said, and he is hoping other agencies that assist the homeless will find the mats useful.

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This is HeeB次元官网网址檚 second bid to recycle the campaign signs.

Earlier on, he designed a small portable shelter for homeless people built with campaign signs, but the idea didnB次元官网网址檛 catch on.

B次元官网网址淚 ended using them for garden boxes,B次元官网网址� he said.

Hee said a local Langley church recently accepted a donation about 20 sleeping mats, and told him they intend to consult with community groups about the idea.

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Hee, a Surrey resident, got involved in Langley issues in 2014 when he organized a petition of local residents to call for traffic calming measures along 72 Avenue where it crosses the Surrey-Langley border.

Hee launched the campaign after there were a number of serious accidents where pedestrians were hit in the area of 72 Avenue and 198B Street.

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In 2016, the Township council voted to spend $1.6 million on safety improvements.

More recently, Hee circulated a petition among Langley residents that called on the provincial government, Langley Memorial Hospital Board and the mayors and councils of the City and Township of Langley B次元官网网址渢o implement ways and means to collaborate to remove parking fees placed upon us or our vehicles while attending the hospital emergency department premises for medical reasons during and up to a four hour period.B次元官网网址�

Hee set a goal of 2,500 signatures, only to see numbers top 3,500.

dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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