Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

RADILIH KOE'/FORT GOOD HOPE - The NWT's first hazardous material pick-up project was held in Fort Good Hope last Wednesday. Residents were encouraged to drop off any hazardous waste such as spent motor oil, batteries, paint and cleaning supplies.

Fort Good Hope recently held a hazardous materials drop-off day to allow residents to safely dispose of dangerous goods. These items can include all sorts of household cleaners, aerosol cans, motor oil and motor filters, dead batteries and out-dated medications. - Brodie Thomas/NNSL photo

The collection day came about with the help of teacher Harry MacNeil and his eco-conscious students. Last year MacNeil helped start a recycling pick-up program in the Sahtu community, which now helps fund expenses at Chief T'Selehye school. That program led to interest in proper disposal of other waste.

MacNeil started looking for a way to dispose of hazardous materials properly and learned the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) was planning to begin starting pick-up day in several communities around the North.

"They were only going to do one community (in the Sahtu) but since we had done some preliminary work they decided to do two in the Sahtu and they decided to kick it off in Fort Good Hope," said MacNeil.

In order to properly store and transport the hazardous material, the community needed to bring in specially designed leak-proof containers.

The waste will be kept locked in the containers and shipped to processing sites in Alberta on the winter road.

MacNeil said there wasn't a lot of material dropped off at the first pick-up, but he expected interest to grow as more people are made aware of the program. He said the first recycling pick-up was also quiet, but it has since grown to become very successful.

MacNeil said students are really taking an interest in the program.

"Some of the senior students are going out when they're not in their classes to help and we have three very keen Grade 10 students who are going up after school," said MacNeil.

The goal is to keep hazardous waste from leaching into the local water supply and the food chain.

The dump in Fort Good Hope is located near the Mackenzie River, and chemicals that go in the dump could eventually leach into the water.

"It's very timely because they just had that large water usage conference last week," said MacNeil.

Sahtu regional environmental protection officer Jeff Walker was in Fort Good Hope to help with the pick-up. He said there was a similar pick-up in Norman Wells on Saturday.

"Our goal is to get to all five Sahtu communities this year. The others will likely be done when the roads open," said Walker. He said pick-up days will be held on a regular basis over time.

Walker said people are learning that properly disposing of hazardous materials benefits everyone.

"Once it gets into the water stream it gets into the food chain and creates human health issues but also wildlife health issues," he said.

Because of the traditional lifestyle that is lived in the Sahtu, anything affecting nature and wildlife will affect humans as well.

"For instance, we don't want the marten to die off because that could cripple the fur industry and cripple the local economy," said Walker.