Iqaluit council forms recycling committee

IQALUIT — The Town of Iqaluit wants to form a committee to deal with local recycling issues.

Council has been grappling with the more than one million plastic pop bottles that are burned at Iqaluit’s garbage dump each year. Recently local pop bottler Petersen and Auger offered to provide the Town with a plastic shredder. Nortran Inc. has also offered to pitch in by providing a container to store the shredded plastic.

But the Iqaluit council now has to decide what to do with the plastic bottles once they’re shredded, and they want the public to come up with some ideas. Plastic can be shipped south, but that will cost money. Council must also develop a scheme to collect the bottles.

Council’s development, works and public safety committee has instructed staff to form a committee to figure out how Iqaluit can start a full-scale recycling program. The Town is now contacting potential members.