City of Iqaluit mulls takeover of beer can refund program
Residents, businesses losing 15-cent deposits without return system, while litter accumulates
Derek Allerton picks up beer cans in Iqaluit near Joamie School recently. He’s been collecting litter since July, when Northern Collectibles stopped accepting the cans for refunds. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
The City of Iqaluit is exploring the purchase of a machine where residents could exchange their empty aluminum cans for cash.
Municipal staff is looking at developing a “business case” to determine the feasibility of the move, Bill Williams, the city’s director of infrastructure, told councillors at their Nov. 25 regular council meeting.
The Government of Nunavut charges a 15-cent deposit on aluminum cans of alcohol sold in the territory. People previously could take their cans to a facility located at the Iqaluit business Northern Collectibles.
But the business discontinued the service in July, leaving consumers with nowhere to take cans for a refund.
The concept Williams presented to council includes a city-provided machine where residents could bring in empty beer cans for a refund of their deposits. The Government of Nunavut, which collects the deposits, would provide the refunds.
“Our goal, if approved by council, is to come up with a program that would be fully cost-recovered from the GN and not put the city in any jeopardy, financially,” Williams said.
Councillors unanimously gave the green light to start a feasibility study into this option.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how this could work and improve our city,” said Deputy Mayor Kim Smith, who described the sight of cans on the streets as “pretty gross.”
Iqaluit resident Derek Allerton says he has picked up 4,000 cans over the past six months. During a walk along Joamie Court on Friday afternoon, Allerton picked at least 20 cans off the side of the road.
“I know there are a lot more cans out there, and without the financial incentive for people to bring back cans many people don’t pick them up,” Allerton said.
The lack of a return system is an additional cost for some businesses.
Steve Sullivan, president of the Baffin Regional Chamber of Commerce and head of hospitality at Qikiqtaaluk Corp., said licenced bars and restaurants are losing a “significant” amount of money in lost can deposits and fees.
Without a recycling and return system in the city, cans are just going to the dump.
“It doesn’t seem to be fair to be taking that money from individuals and businesses for no service,” Sullivan said.
He said he wants the GN to respond to businesses’ concerns. He’s glad the city is looking into a solution.
“I think it’s a fantastic idea,” he said. “We’re willing to help.”
Before the election, former finance minister Lorne Kusugak mentioned the department was in talks with the city on a possible recycling program.
Hala Duale, spokesperson for the Department of Finance, acknowledged there is currently nowhere to recoup deposits in Iqaluit.
“The [Nunavut Liquor and Cannabis Commission] continues to set aside 15 cents from each aluminum can sold to support recycling once services resume,” she said in an email.
“[The commission] would purchase services from a municipal service if one was available.”
Allerton said the city will have a lot to consider about how this system is operated and maintained, including that it might take in hundreds of thousands cans per month.
“But it’s a great idea and it’s better than what we currently have right now, which is nothing,” he said.
All of nunavut gotta pay deposit on cans and not able to get the money back. Its just the way it is, not just iqaluit.
Iqaluit has a service no other community has = normal
Iqaluit loses that services = crisis
GN needs to step in to help Iqaluit = normal
No mention of the GN doing the same for any other community = normal
Iqaluit’s favourite child syndrome = continues
Charging a recycling deposit fee with no way to get it back and no recycling services is just wrong. It’s ridiculous that this is even a thing. If the GN can’t provide a way for people to get their money back, then STOP CHARGING IT!! Paying a fee for cans to end up on the ground all over town or the dump. Only in Nunavut.
Agreed. If you cannot get your money back, it is just another tax. The money that is collected, what happens to it?
No fee without a service.
It’s time to teach the GN a lesson.
I will protest this injustice by not buying beer!
Who is with me?
Too bad ppl have to litter them all over the land and city in the first place. By law picks on hardworking citizens giving fines for parking etc while public drinkers go unscathed……..
I wonder what handling fee will be established by the City to either make this a cost neutral program or one where the City turns a profit. I also wonder what the GN is prepared to pay the City under such agreement, possibly a handling fee of 2-3 cents at maximum?
I’m sure such an agreement won’t cover the cost of a city staff member having to dedicate time to report back to the GN with Financial statements on the program, internal auditing and all other processes. Who’s going to cover the costs for rental space if the intent is to put such machine at a local business or is the city going to have the machine located at one of its facilities? There is just an abundance of variables to consider. None of which I am sure have not been tabled and discussed internally. It really doesn’t make sense. Wouldn’t the practical approach for the GN putting this business opportunity out to tender? Maybe there is a willing entrepreneur out there that would happily take the $200,000.00 from the GN that’s been dispersed previously for taking on this program.
I guess the sole sourcing option is the best for the GN and the quick buck option for the city. I forecast municipal tax dollars helping to cover this doomed adventure.
The city, GN should take a look at our cousin’s next to us in Greenland how they do their recycling programs, every community has it, even a village of 30 people.
Cans, bottles, plastic bags.
It’s very impressive, can see the European influence where it has worked very well since the 80s,
Here in Nunavut we tend to adopt ways from southern Canada when there has been much better examples elsewhere such had Greenland and Scandinavia.
If you ever take a trip to Greenland you will see the difference in how clean their city/towns are with no litter on the streets. Cardboard’s, paper, wood is burned in their incinerators, the heat being used in near by building for heat. The landfill so clean you could not tell there is one, they’ve mastered this and to adopt how they do it would really go a long way for us here, we know a lot of how it’s done in southern Canada does not work very well here, but we continue to try and do the same when it doesn’t work.