YELLOWKNIFE - In honour of Earth Week, three businesses are being recognized for their recycling efforts at Thursday night's Solid Waste Management Public Forum.

Ben Walker, general manager at the Yellowknife Co-op, stands in front of the store's cardboard crusher. The Co-op saves $1,500 a week by recycling its cardboard rather than putting it into the landfill. - Stephanie McDonald/NNSL photo

Canadian Tire and the Yellowknife Direct Charge Co-op will be honoured in the large company division and Tim Horton's for the small company category.

"The Solid Waste Management Advisory Committee... came up with the idea that some of these businesses should be recognized for their efforts," said Bruce Underhay, who looks after the city's recycling program and is manager of the Solid Waste Facility.

The Co-op has been collecting and crushing its cardboard for eight years.

"The board decided it was better to recycle than put cardboard into the landfill," Ben Walker, general manager of the Yellowknife Co-op, said of the store's decision to separate its cardboard from the garbage.

The city picks up the Co-op's crushed cardboard twice a week and Walker estimates that the store saves $750 on each load.

"Economically it's good, and it's also good for the environment," Walker said.

The store's Environmental Committee is tackling the plastic bag issue and has been promoting the use of cloth bags. The store's parking lot also plays host to five recycling bins, which Walker said are always full.

"I don't think we can fit any more on the lot."

Cardboard in the dump is "a big time issue," according to Underhay. Statistics show that 30 to 40 per cent of waste stream in dumps is comprised of cardboard.

In recognition of this fact, the city began charging $65 for a load of garbage at the dump, and only $30 for a load of sorted recyclables.

"The whole point of doing that was to provide a financial incentive for companies to recycle," Underhay said.

Cardboard is brought to the dump, baled, and then loaded onto a trailer and sent south to be recycled.

"More and more companies are starting to come on board all the time," Underhay said. Businesses often approach him with questions as to how they can reduce the amount of waste they are putting in the city landfill.

J.H. Sissons elementary school will also be recognized at the Public Forum for its recycling efforts.