Waste management report due in coming weeks
Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Jan 12/01) - When people talk about recycling in the North, the first topic that often comes up are the high costs, relative to the south, of shipping materials to southern processing plants.
| Fact Materials recycled in 1999
tins: 103 tonnes |
"We wanted that sort of financial analysis done and that's documented in the report," said committee chair Kevin O'Reilly.
Currently in its third draft and being reviewed by city staff, the report was prepared by EBA Engineering Consulting.
Included in the report are a number of recycling and waste reduction scenarios with a variety of costs attached.
O'Reilly noted the city doesn't have far to look to find a recycling program worth emulating.
In Yellowknife, glass for beverage containers is ground up and plowed into the landfill.
In Whitehorse, the same types of containers are recycled at a processing plant entirely funded from bottle deposits paid for by the Yukon government. The plant is run by a non-profit organization, Raven Recyclers.
The Government of the Northwest Territories is now considering introducing deposits for glass beverage containers, O'Reilly said.
Territorial government officials involved with the initiative were not available for comment by deadline.
In addition to setting up a northern recycling plant, the report looks at the costs of shipping recyclables south.
Currently shipping costs are about $70 per tonne, more than most recyclables sell for at southern processing plants.
One option being considered is shipping recyclables at reduced rates in trucks that would normally head south empty.
Also being considered are more creative options for re-use, such as the one that gave rise to Yellowknife Glass Recyclers, a business which produces decorative drinking glasses and vases from bottles.
