Malcolm Gorrill
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Aug 03/01) - Inuvik residents are embracing their clear recycling bags. This pleases Barbara Armstrong, recycling co-ordinator for the Inuvik Recycling Society.

Barbara Armstrong, recycling co-ordinator for the Inuvik Recycling Society, pulls a recycling bag out from a load of trash deposited earlier that day at the town dump. The society has set up a depot at the dump. - Malcolm Gorrill/NNSL photo

Around the end of May the society arranged to have 10 clear bags, plus a brochure, placed in all mail boxes at the post office. The town made a $3,500 donation to pay for the bags, which once filled are put out with regular garbage and taken to the town dump.

Armstrong said that at first, many of the clear bags contained mostly garbage, but that now they contain more recyclables than regular garbage.

"The transition's been wonderful," said Armstrong, scooping out a recycle bag included in a load of garbage deposited earlier that day at the dump.

Armstrong took the bag over to the depot set up by the society. There are several bins there, including one for cans.

The recycling program is set up for aluminum and steel food cans, beer and pop cans, milk jugs, plastic juice, pop and water containers, and tetra packs.

Armstrong said the current depot is good for the summer, but that a building will be needed to expand the program to include items like paper (paper's value is based on its moisture content).

"It's showing people the recycling is working," Armstrong said of the current depot, which was financed by Chevron.

"A gentlemen came up here the other day to unload his garbage, saw what we were doing, went home and got his recyclables and brought them back. I mean, that's really rewarding."

Armstrong went to Whitehorse in June, and said the society started its partnership with Raven Recycling there.

"They've agreed to take all our recyclable products for processing and shipping south."

The Inuvik Recycling Society has yet to send any materials out of town.

A.B. Salvage, which manages Inuvik's dump, is donating all recyclable materials back to the society.

"I'm so pleased because before I came I heard we had support, well, now we're actually witnessing it," Armstrong said.

"The town's coming in, the oil and gas is helping us out, and the people -- so everybody that needs to make this project work are doing it."

Armstrong said the Northern Store is carrying the clear plastic recycling bags. She pointed out that people can use any bags they like, so long as they're transparent.