Erin Fletcher
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Apr 05/04) - Recycling. It seems to take so much effort to rinse, sort and drop off cans, bottles and plastics to the Inuvik Recycling Depot.

But it's not, compared to what the staff on the Ellice Island Chevron Texaco BP Canada Energy Company Drilling Program go through to do their recycling.

The island is at the mouth of the Mackenzie Delta, about 100 km from Inuvik.

"We've always tried to take care of the environment," said Ralph Vanderlinden, safety co-ordinator.

The camp employs, houses and feeds between 57 and 71 crew members, which means lots of drinking boxes, plastic water bottles and pop cans.

He said recycling is one of many efforts of the rig staff to protect the environment. They also treat their water and sewage and recycle industrial waste like oil and cardboard, but this is the first year they've ever recycled their kitchen waste.

"One of the challenges is not having any food smells (on the containers) for the animals," he said.

Every few weeks, the truck that brings in groceries returns to Inuvik's recycling plant with dozens of bags of recyclables.

Barb Armstrong, a local recycling activist with A&B Salvage said operations like the Ellice Island rig are setting standards for the rest of the region.

Encana Corporation's Mackenzie Delta camp has also begun a recycling program.

Armstrong said most work camps in the NWT burn their garbage and that's all they're legislated to do.

"If they don't bring it to us then they burn it. With plastics, that's a terrible way to deal with it," said Armstrong. "I'm very happy we're getting the camps on board."

Armstrong hopes toil and gas companies will show Inuvik residents how easy recycling can be.

"If we can do this in Inuvik camps, then residents: why can't you," she challenged.

The Depot sends out 120 bags -- more than 2,700 cans, bottles and tetra juice packs -- every three weeks to be recycled.