ARVIAT
Things are going to get a little greener in Arviat as the community works together with a non-profit organization to recycle old cars.

Old cars in Arviat will soon see themselves recycled as non-profit Summerhill Impact works with local companies and residents to recycle over 250 old cars in Arviat and Gjoa Haven over the summer. - photo courtesy of Eric Anoee

The Take Back the Tundra movement is a pilot project run by Summerhill Impact that could see 250 abandoned vehicles removed from Gjoa Haven and Arviat.

Summerhill is focused on creating and delivering environmental initiatives with partners in the government and business sectors. They focus on product stewardship and pollution prevention.

One of the big players in the effort is the Padlei Co-Op, which in the past has gotten residents involved in a pop can recycling program that's really taken off, according to Trevier Penttila, the assistant manager.

"We're trying to generate healthy sustainable communities in the North, and part of that is recycling so the community doesn't poison itself," said Penttila.

"The Arctic Co-Ops do a lot of recycling and helping out the environment in the North and the communities, already do a recycling program where we fill out the sea cans with aluminum recycling and send it down every year."

Caroline Sturk with Summerhill Impact spoke with Kivalliq News via email and explained how the program came to start in Arviat.

"Arviat was chosen as one of our pilot communities after talking to our partners and stakeholders," stated Sturk. "The community has a number of vehicles that need to be de-polluted as well as a strong recycling ethic. Arviat residents ... have been very supportive of the Tundra Take-Back program so far."

The pilot project was inspired by their 2011 program Retire Your Ride, which disposed of almost 120,000 old cars. However, Northern and remote communities could not be included in the program because of distance and the cost of shipping materials south to be recycled.

"Our program helps tackle this problem by bringing experienced recyclers North to teach local community members how to safely de-pollute a vehicle," Sturk said.

Why the need to recycle old cars, though? According to Sturk, it's because vehicles don't just rust and look bad in the community, they also poison it.

"Vehicles contain many harmful pollutants including oils, fuels, lubricants, antifreeze, lead, ozone-depleting refrigerants and even mercury," Sturk wrote. "If a vehicle isn't properly managed when it reaches the end of its useful life, these pollutants can be released onto the land as the vehicle rusts and breaks down over time. This pollution can have a negative impact on soil, air and water quality, especially in the fragile Northern ecosystem."

Through the program, Summerhill and the communities of Arviat and Gjoa Haven hope to safely dispose of 250 old cars by the end of the summer.

"Our team will be in Arviat from Aug. 21 to 28 and during this time we will hold in-class and hands-on training sessions to prepare our local hires," Sturk stated. "The team will be de-polluting vehicles at the metal dump, flattening them with a front-end loader, and shipping as many as possible south for recycling."

Through this process, they will also recover 200,000 kg of metal, 1,000 tires and 127 g of mercury among other things like oil, anti-freeze and refrigerants.

"Once the pilot projects are complete, we will be updating our practical vehicle recycling guide to reflect any new learnings," Sturk stated. "We will also write a report on the program's achievements and start planning de-pollution and recycling projects in other communities."

Penttila said he hopes the community will get as heavily involved in the car recycling as they did with the aluminum recycling project.

"We're trying to garner the support and see what we can do to implement the program that gets the communities involved," he said. "That's kind of what we do, we help them out and they in turn support us."

Along with the Co-Op, other businesses in Arviat involved in the initiative include the Hamlet of Arviat, Inns North, and Calm Air.

"The Padlei Co-op has welcomed our team at the Padlei Hotel, the Hamlet of Arviat has helped with logistics and communications, and Eskimo Point Lumber Supply is providing equipment rentals at a preferred rate," Sturk said.