With fuel prices on the rise and recycling commodity prices on the decline, there is a growing fear YTG may find it more expedient to burn or bury more waste rather than compost it or transport it south for recycling.
Also, funding or any type of support for the territory-wide recycling of non-refundables - cardboard, mixed waste paper and plastic containers - is non-existent. Yet, led largely by volunteer efforts, these recyclables arrive at Raven Recycling from all the outlying communities daily.
Although this kind of volunteer-based recycling is laudable, it is not sustainable. Meanwhile, YTG's support for community-based recycling efforts appears to be arbitrary and/or spotty at best.
The question: Can a territory-wide recycling council play a role in guiding the management of solid waste throughout the territory? While burning or burying non-renewable and renewable resources may be cheaper in the short run, is there a better way to deal with recyclables?
To respond:
reception.ndp@yla.gov.yk.ca