SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Starting this week, curbside recycling pick-up will no longer be available in Yellowknife.

Yellowknife Recycling Services, a private company that is the city's only provider, has started sending notices to its clients that it will be shutting down its services.

Founder and former owner of Yellowknife Recycling Services Clayton Morrell as seen in 2006. The company, bought by Ben Nind and Jeff Pitre in late 2006, is shutting down. - NNSL file photo

"We're not talking about it, we're just shutting it down," said part-owner Ben Nind.

"It's only for personal reasons it's being closed down," added Nind.

While Yellowknifers will still be able to recycle, anyone who subscribed to the pick-up service will now have to drop their goods off at one of the sites around the city, or at the Solid Waste Management Facility.

Nind purchased the company in late 2006, along with Jeff Pitre, from founder Clayton Morrell. The well-known recycling advocate began the business in 2003 out of frustration over the city's non-existent recycling pick-up services.

The business grew to claim over 100 clients, both residential and business-based. Morrell gave up the company to pursue a career in the Canadian Navy.

"For some businesses (the closure) could make the difference between whether they recycle or not," worried Ecology North program co-ordinator, Shannon Ripley.

She added that while Ecology North, a client before the closure, is small and can handle its own recycling, some larger businesses may not find it so easy.

Ripley is hoping the closure won't be all bad news, however. "It also is an opportunity socially as a community for us to pause and think a little bit about how it's done," she said.

The closure could also push the city to finally implement it's own curbside pick-up, said city councillor Bob Brooks.

"Now that the private business is no longer in place there may be more impetus for us to actually start up our own," he said, noting that the city received its own notice last week saying its pick-up service would stop.

"There's quite a number of people in the city and councillors that are interested in looking at the blue box discussion to see how we can increase the amount of recycling," Brooks said.

"I believe that it was because of (Yellowknife Recycling Services) that there was so much recycling going on."