Rankin Inlet’s landfill site, like so many others in Nunavut, is long past its best-before date and there is still no relief in sight.
And, for all the talk of the benefits of recycling programs these days, there doesn’t seem to be anything in the community’s pipeline on that front either.
The Government of Nunavut (GN) ended two three-year pilot recycling programs in Rankin Inlet and Iqaluit in December of 2010, citing costs associated with the program being entirely too high.
At the time, the GN determined it would cost $18 million to continue and expand the program in Nunavut, as well as an additional $750,000 per year in costs associated with operations and maintenance.
Hamlet Coun. Mike Shouldice has been keeping the faith on that front, however. He still sees recycling as more than worthwhile and hopes to one day see programs return to Rankin.
“While there are no hot topics of discussion currently taking place over recycling programs, nobody at the hamlet would disagree that the topic is important,” said Shouldice.
“We’ve done can crushing and 45-gallon-barrel crushing in the past.
“For us, during the past two or three years, maybe more, Agnico Eagle has brought its expertise up to our dump to help us with things like organizing, getting rid of and shipping stuff out.
“I would imagine we’ll see some some sort of rebirth of some of our former projects somewhere in the future. At least I hope we will.”
Senior administrative officer Darren Flynn said he can’t speculate on anything in particular, but the hamlet is still looking at a solution to the community’s ongoing landfill nightmare.
He said the hamlet is determined to look at the problem responsibly and try to be good stewards of the environment.
“Whatever we do going forward, it’s going to have to have some kind of a recycling component to it,” said Flynn.
“What will that look like? It’s a little too early for me to say.”
Flynn said the hamlet is waiting on a finalized plan from its partners at the Department of Community and Government Services.
He said the hamlet is looking for a long-term solution to the problem.
“I’d say the hamlet has done a pretty good job, all things considered. The replacement facility was built in 2002 and, here we are 22 years later, still making the existing facility work, while the other one was never allowed to be used. That speaks volumes as to what the council and our crews have done to stretch this thing as far as we can.
“The supposed new landfill was never allowed to be put into operation due to something called an AZR (airport zoning restriction) that got implemented and the new facility fell just within its 4 km restriction area.
“In those 22 years that have lapsed since, the municipality has still been able to, somehow, get everything into that landfill. And it’s done so with the added pressure of a growing community.
“So, the community has shown some really good practices on making this thing stretch out, but whatever gets resolved as the final solution for the next step, it’s going to have to have something more substantial than just compacting and crushing.”