Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Liard (June 10/05) - Frank Kotchea is worried about used diapers discarded on the land.

Frank Kotchea points to some tattered diapers dumped near the tree-line behind the weigh station outside of Fort Liard. - Derek Neary/NNSL photo

Behind the weigh station near the access road to Fort Liard, he called attention to scattered remnants of torn plastic with tell-tale tabs. A Huggies package lay nearby.

There are similar accumulations of diapers dumped at the Muskeg demonstration forest site and along the Muskeg River, Kotchea noted.

"They're everywhere," he said.

What he finds particularly bothersome is that rabbits have apparently been gnawing at the diapers, which are partly shredded. Rabbit feces is abundant in the area behind the weigh station.

He knows the plastic in diapers contains unappetizing chemicals, but doesn't know why rabbits are attracting to the diapers.

Several elders occupy dwellings near the weigh station. They set snares to catch the rabbits and therefore may be ingesting contaminated meat, Kotchea suggests.

Traditionally, diapers were made of cloth and filled with soft moss, Kotchea explained. When the contents of those diapers were left in the bush, they would biodegrade. He added that there is an old Dene cultural practice of not mixing a baby's excrement with other waste products, which may explain why some people refuse to throw diapers in their garbage. He said an explanation for that custom should come from an elder.

The Drum contacted several elders, but none professed to know anything specifically about appropriate disposal of baby's waste. However, Margaret Vandell of Fort Providence said it was important for moss harvested for diapers to be exposed to the sun and, after use, be "given back to the land."

Fort Providence did have the same diaper dumping problem up until about 10 years ago when several bins were constructed by an adult education class expressly for that purpose. The bins, marked "Diapers only," still stand in the community. Albert Lafferty, senior administrative officer for the hamlet, said a separate site at the landfill was designated for the diapers.

"I think it was well used and still used," Lafferty said of the program. "I think people have quit dumping (diapers) out in the bush out of town."