Jason Unrau
Northern News Services

Inuvik (June 17/05) - After working with the territorial government to get waste recovery legislation and educating residents about the merits of recycling, the Inuvik Recycling Society decided to dissolve last week.

"Part of the reason why we folded is based on a series of events starting with the GNWT and the town not following our suggestions," said Barb Armstrong, the society's last acting president. "Basically the door has been slammed because the GNWT didn't take our advice."

What Armstrong speaks of is the society's request that the territorial government either offer the bottle recovery contract to the society, not-for-profit organization, to people already doing the job, or to the municipality.

In January, the GNWT put out a Request for Proposals, seeking interest in operating a beverage container depot in Inuvik. After the Town of Inuvik refused Armstrong's request to have a depot included in the town's landfill contract, she put a proposal together on behalf of her husband's company, AB Salvage, which currently holds the landfill contract with the town. AB Salvage has been running its own recycling service since Bernhardt received the landfill contract in 2001.

The only problem was that the landfill is town property and the GNWT required a letter of support from the town to award AB Salvage the beverage depot contract. Not wanting to compete with private business, the town declined to offer a letter of support and the beverage depot was awarded to Wrangling River Supply.

"The society was waiting for the deposit system to come along and fuel our other projects and now how things have played out there's really nothing more we can do," said Armstrong.

"AB was recycling long before the society appeared so we come along and say this is a great thing you're doing but you've got to bring the community on board."

Formed in 2000, the society worked to educate the public and partnered with the town to put blue recycling boxes in high traffic areas.

As for the town not supporting AB Salvage's bid to win the bottle depot contract, Armstrong did not have any comment.

However, town councillor Terry Halifax, a vocal supporter of AB Salvage and IRS efforts, did not hold back his displeasure.

"I think (the town) missed an opportunity," he said of the its decision to hire a consultant to explore the idea of including a bottle depot and recyclable processing station with its landfill contract, then decided against it. "But that's how government works up here. When they don't have the guts to do the right thing they conduct a study."

One of the recycling society's founding members, Katherine Thiesenhausen said she's confident that the society's legacy will live on.

"I wouldn't say it's the end as there are many dedicated people in the community who I'm confident will continue the initiatives," she said. "Obviously when a group of people who share a goal get together it's disappointing when it comes to an end but a lot of goals of the society were met in terms of (getting waste recovery) legislation."