Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Aug 05/05) - There will be a place to deposit empty beer bottles come Nov. 1, but it almost certainly won't be at the Sportsman store downtown.

Ted Yaceyko tosses a box of beer cans into the crusher at his recycling depot at the Sportsman on 50th Street. - Chris Woodall/NNSL photo

Ted Yaceyko's business has been the sole recycling service provider for beer and liquor bottles for the last 34 years, but he says the territorial government's yet-to-be implemented recycling program, which includes non-alcoholic beverage containers, is too big a project for him.

"It looked like a little bit more than we could handle so we withdrew our proposal," said Yaceyko.

"I have no fight with anybody, no nothing. It's just the demands were just a little bit more than I wanted to do."

He said his store will continue accepting empty liquor bottles for the next few months, but would prefer to get out of it sooner rather than later.

The territorial government is currently in negotiations with an as-of-yet unnamed contractor to provide recycling services for all beverage containers - except for dairy - collected in the city. Full introduction of recycling services and bottle deposit fees in Yellowknife, originally scheduled for April 1 this year, has now been pushed back to Nov. 1.

Yaceyko said he heard the winning contract was going to a company located on the outskirts of town.

He said his problems began last month when the city began charging $65 per tonne of glass shipped to the dump where it's processed before it is sent south. Previously, there was no charge. "It was impossible," said Yaceyko.

"It's like every time you show me a loonie I give you back 25 cents. How long would you be giving me loonies in exchange for quarters?"

He said he has since worked out a deal that will make recycling the crushed glass bottles - about two tonnes per day - a little more palatable, but he doesn't believe the territorial government's recycling program would make him rich any time soon if he were to take it on.

Yaceyko said he has "other lines of interest" to fall back on.

"I'm not leaving the country or skipping or going away or anything," he said.

After October, customers across the territory will see a 10-25 cent bottle deposit charge added onto their purchase of aluminum cans, glass or plastic bottles and Tetra-style drink boxes. They can then be returned to a depot for a refund of up to 10 cents depending on the container.

Emery Paquin, director of environmental protection, said depots will be up and running in at least six of the larger centres by November, but the program will likely go ahead without the involvement of the NWT's other 27 communities even though residents there will still have to pay a deposit. "Obviously we would like to have depots in every community on the date the program starts up," said Paquin.

"Eventually, we're optimistic that we will have the 33 communities on board but we're not anticipating 33 depots on Nov. 1."

He said his department was unable to find any willing contractors in communities other than Yellowknife, Inuvik, Fort Simpson, Hay River, Fort Smith and Rae-Edzo.

Residents in communities without depots will be left to find their own way of returning containers for refunds for the time being, he said, adding he encouraged potential contractors in these communities to step forward.

"If anybody is interested they should contact us," he said.

Kink worked out

The Waste Recovery and Reduction Act, on which the recycling program is based, passed in the legislative assembly nearly two years ago. It was supposed to be enacted last April, but Paquin said the government had to delay it while government officials and lawyers worked out kinks in the regulations.

Range Lake MLA Sandy Lee said she doesn't understand why it has taken so long.

"The law passed in the last assembly," said Lee.

"I always thought that it was understood that law was pretty clear."

Great Slave MLA Bill Braden said while recycling is important, the assembly may have to revisit the legislation if the government continues to have trouble drawing interest in smaller communities.

"Unless we are able to establish a complete cycle - pay your deposit and get a refund - we should look into whether it can be applied in a given community," said Braden.