IKALUKTUTIAK/CAMBRIDGE BAY - A pilot project to remove scrap steel and waste materials from remote Arctic communities was recently completed in Cambridge Bay, removing more than 20 tonnes of stagnant material.

Overflowing landfills are a common problem in remote Northern communities, like Taloyoak, where these stoves riddle the landscape. Northern Trucking Company Limited is hoping to launch a program to remove steel scraps, materials and dangerous goods from remote communities. A pilot project in Cambridge Bay removed over 20 tonnes of steel scraps. - photo courtesy of Martin Landry

This environmental clean up project is something Northern Transportation Company Limited (NTCL) hopes will garner support across the high Arctic.

Martin Landry, manager of business development for NTCL, is touring the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, talking to community leaders and government officials about the benefits of the environmental cleanup backhaul program. The program offers an opportunity for communities to remove unused materials from overflowing landfills.

"There's a lot of garbage and waste and there is a lot of scrap steel, batteries, stoves, fridges," Landry said. "Stuff (has) been brought in and hasn't been planned to be taken out. Schools have been replaced and the stuff hasn't come out. We think we've got a solution."

Landry said when the company's barge delivers goods every summer to high arctic communities like Cambridge Bay, it would leave behind sea can containers for the community to fill. The cost would be the companies set shipping rate per container and would cost between $2,000 to $4,000 - depending on the community. Credits for money made off certain items will offset cost, but certain products like paint and PCB products may increase cost.

"Our idea would be to take containers to landfill sites and they fill them up with what they need to and when we come back next year on our route and we take the backhaul containers back down to Richmond, B.C."

Once in Richmond, the materials shipped back will be sent to Amex Scrap Steel or Hazco Environmental and Decommissioning services, who will handle everything from fridges to batteries and other dangerous goods.

This past Tuesday, Landry met with mayors and senior administrative officer's in the Kitikmeot region to garner support for the program and while the environmental benefit is clear, the human benefit is also there.

"Part of the benefit of the program is it also hires local people in the communities," Landry said. "Six people were hired in Cambridge Bay for two weeks to stuff those sea cans, who otherwise would not have had employment."

Stephen King, senior administrative officer for Cambridge Bay, said the program was a chance to prove to the government of Nunavut a backhaul program like this is the best solution to dealing with waste issues in remote communities.

"We have this problem building up all over Nunavut," King said. "We have no solution for recycling it or dealing with the problem.

"It was a very successful program, but what I need is the government of Nunavut or the government of Canada to kick in here with a program to deal with this scrap metal problem. I felt it was important to show that a program like this could be done."

The territorial government has plans to bury much of the scrap metal plaguing the community, something King said was the main reason why he partnered with NTCL.

"I'm appreciative they've approved the capital funds to work on our dump, but it's a shame that in this day and age it's not a recycling alternative," King said. "It's a dig a hole and bury it (solution) and I strongly disagree with that solution. That's why I wanted to work with NTCL to show this is a better option.

"It would be just as cost effective to ship it to Richmond or Montreal than it would be to bury it in the ground."

Partnering with the Nunavut government and other communities in the Kitikmeot region could help foster a relationship with NTCL to make the program successful and beneficial.

"As a hamlet we don't have a lot of money to rely on so we are leaning on the government to provide us with solutions to the dump problems," King said. "If the five communities in the Kitikmeot were working toward the same goal it would lower costs for everybody. It would be worthwhile."

While the pilot project with Cambridge Bay was successful and Kitikmeot communities like Gjoa Haven and Taloyoak are eager to get involved, Landry said the financial challenge is something that could be a hindrance to getting the program in full swing.

"We're hoping the hamlets will help in getting territorial and federal funding for this," Landry said, just prior to a meeting with NWT officials about the benefit of this program for communities like Sachs Harbour, Ulukhaktok and Tuktoyaktuk.

"We believe it's a no-brainer."

Don Leblanc, senior administrative officer for the hamlet of Gjoa Haven, said the backhaul program is something the community is looking at as an option to deal with the large problem of steel scraps and materials piling up.

"We would probably be interested in doing it, if we found a way to do it," He said, adding they are looking at different options for dealing with the problem. "We're looking at solutions to the problem and how we deal with that solution right now is not clear."

The advantage to the program is it opened the door to dealing with the issue, said Leblanc.

"It would clean up an area that has been a real thorn in our side. This stuff is rusting away and it's an area we could use down the road for expansion should we go that route," he said, adding the program hopes to get the Nunavut government to support cleaning up remote communities.

"We'd like to ask for funding. They should support it and something should be in place."

The Nunavut Association of Municipalities passed a resolution recently to push for territorial and federal financial backing to establish an initiative to remove scrap steel from remote communities.

"It's really dependent on the funding," Landry said, adding NTCL wants the program to focus on more than just scrap metal.

"NTCL believes its a valuable service to the community and it's part of our mandate to help."