SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Taloyoak, Nunavut, is a little bit cleaner thanks to resident Yolande Aupalu. Last week she flew to Yellowknife with roughly 3,500 cans and bottles she and her four sons collected from around their community.

"I got (the recyclables) here through the plane. I was using boxes. Big boxes," said Aupalu.

She said she had to come to Yellowknife for personal reasons anyway and since Taloyoak has no recycling facilities, she brought the cans and bottles with her.

"I probably only collected from half the town," said Aupalu, adding she picked up mainly cans and plastic bottles from around the schools, the Northern store and Co-op. Aupalu said she did the good deed "to let my kids learn you have to recycle. People just litter out there and they know it's wrong."

She said she also wanted to clean up her community and hopes more people will be inspired to do the same.

"There was quite a few people who were happy with what I was doing," said Aupalu.

"I didn't have to pay (to transport the recyclables).

"This was a one-time thing that we did to assist (Aupalu)," said Kim Poulter, sales and promotions co-ordinator for First Air.

"We're always trying to assist our customers. We like to help when we can."

Aupalu said she hopes to do the same thing again when she comes back to Yellowknife in two months. She hopes more people will pitch in to keep the community clean because "I can't (clean up) all alone."