Inuvik (Mar 04/05) - After organizing its own recycling regiment for Inuvik, the folks at AB Salvage will continue their work with the government's blessing.

In a letter to Inuvik Recycling Society president Barb Armstrong, director of Environmental Protection Services Emery Paquin notes that Albert Bernhardt, the proprietor of AB Salvage, offered a proposal that was "rated the highest and could potentially provide the best value as both a depot and processing centre."

"There's a lot of work to do still but this is another small step towards making what Albert started sustainable," said Armstrong, who is married to Bernhardt.

When Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development (RWED) put out its request for proposals regarding a community beverage container depot late last year, Armstrong appeared before Inuvik council to ask that the town combine a depot with its landfill contract and tender a proposal.

But after hiring a consultant to explore the possibility and determining there were too many unknown cost factors, council decided not to compete with the private sector.

At the dump Monday, Bernhardt was thinking about possible locations for the depot and eventual regional processing centre, which will handle other recyclables.

"Maybe attached to the free store," he said, pointing to the Inuvik Works project for salvageable items, currently under construction.

"And then we can really start shrinking the dump."