Yellowknife (Nov 06/06) - Residents of Yellowknife and the NWT have taken recycling to heart, according to the territorial government.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) numbers show consumers returned 23 million beverage containers for deposit out of an estimated 29.5 million sold in the NWT since Nov. 1, 2005.

"That's a 78 per cent return," said Emery Paquin, director of the environment protection division for ENR.

For those working at the solid waste facility in Yellowknife, the recycling program makes their job much easier with less waste coming through the gates, said landfill manager Bruce Underhay.

"That's 976 cubic metres less waste (per year)," said Underhay.

Taking advantage of the beverage program, combined with new recycling bins on city streets and user fees instituted in January, Yellowknifers are throwing out 21 per cent less garbage, the equivalent of 375 tonnes, said Underhay.

The NWT has three processing plants located in Yellowknife, Hay River and Inuvik.

The Yellowknife plant, called the Yellowknife Bottle Shop, has set a target of 400,000 to 600,000 containers per month.

Owner Adam Pich said the depot, where the containers are taken, exceeded that goal in the summer, taking in more than 1.2 million containers per month.

Pich attributes the success of the beverage program and recycling in the NWT to people trying to make a difference.

"I think that people are starting to look in their own backyards and say, 'how can I help?'" he said.

People depositing drink containers get money back, 10 or 25 cents depending on the container, which is a big draw, said Paquin.

NWT schools have made recycling a must for fundraising campaigns.

Ecology North applauded the territory's recycling program, but added there is still work to do.

"This is excellent for its first year," said Doug Ritchie, Ecology North's program director, "We'd like to see it improved upon."

Ritchie said Ecology North wants people to get a deposit back on other materials, particularly electronic items like televisions, computers and cell phones.

"In TVs and desktop computers, there is five to eight pounds of lead," said Ritchie, a substance he thinks shouldn't be going into landfills.

Tires and waste oil are other tough items to get rid of, said Ritchie.

The success of the bottle recycling program is attributed to recycling in each of the NWT's communities, said Paquin.

Twenty-six of the NWT's 33 communities in the NWT, representing 98 per cent of the NWT's population, have a recycling depot where beverage containers can be dropped off, said Paquin.

Contractors from outside the communities of Wrigley, Tulita, Kakisa, Jean Marie River, and Colville Lake - where contractors to collect recyclables could not be found - collect containers once a month.

The commitment to have recycling services available in every community was made by former minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Michael Miltenberger, said Paquin.

With the success of the program, Paquin said residents will get a chance to talk about what other types of materials should be recycled.

The only containers not part of the beverage container recycling program are dairy products.

These can be taken to the dump for recycling under the city's own recycling program, he said.

Eighty-four per cent of the materials the recycle depots collect are sold to collection companies in the South, according to Paquin.

Materials like glass bottles that cannot be sold are ground up and used as an alternative to sand for use as cover in landfills, he said.