MLA pushes for waste incinerators in Clyde River, Qikiqtarjuaq
Both communities are dealing with excess of waste, says Mary Killiktee
Uqqummiut MLA Mary Killiktee said her communities of Clyde River and Qikiqtarjuaq have an excess of waste. She asked whether the GN would consider an incinerator and backhauling pilot project to deal with the issue. (Photo by David Venn)
To deal with an excess of landfill waste in Clyde River and Qikiqtarjuaq, MLA Mary Killiktee is pressing the Government of Nunavut to consider starting an incinerator pilot project in those communities.
“There is not enough space, and we do need help from the government to make sure that we dispose of garbage and metal properly,” Killiktee said at the legislature Friday.
She asked Minister of Community and Government Services David Joanasie to consider committing to a pilot project that would bring small-scale incinerators to Clyde River and Qikiqtarjuaq.
Joanasie responded, stating the Community and Government Services Department can consider, but not commit to such a project.
At a legislative committee meeting May 27, deputy minister of community and government services Kyle Seeley said his department is examining possibly bringing small-scale incinerators to communities.
He said it is also considering a pilot project for shipping out waste from communities such as old cars, to a place where it can be recycled. The purpose, he said, would be to extend the lifespan of landfills in communities.
Finding ways to address the overflow of regular and metal waste is an issue the Hamlet of Clyde River has been examining for several years, its senior administrative officer Jerry Natanine told Nunatsiaq News.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic started, there was supposed to be consultation between Clyde River and a representative from the GN on how to deal with metal waste and regular garbage, Natanine said.
Since metal waste has to be separated, there are plenty of old vehicles in Clyde River that need to be disposed of, he said. The hamlet has a separation program in place.
Natanine said the problem worsens when there is an overflow of regular garbage, because the wind carries it away onto the ice and surrounding land.
While the hamlet has a fence to prevent garbage from blowing away, snow and blizzards in Clyde River tend to break it every season, Natanine said.
“If we had an incinerator, it wouldn’t be a problem,” he said.
To deal with its excess of metal waste, the hamlet is considering sending all its old vehicles to a company in Iqaluit for crushing, Natanine said.
Killiktee also asked Joanasie if the GN would consider a pilot project to ship out metal waste in Clyde River and Qikiqtarjuaq.
Joanasie said his department will make sure a pilot project happens in a community, but couldn’t guarantee it will be in Clyde River or Qikiqtarjuaq.
The Nunavut Territory does not have any Metal recycle Program nor Infrastructure for Landfill sites. This can be introduce to professional photographer to take pictures across Nunavut, and present to CG&S, NIRB, DIO’s, and MP.
Oh? Look what the scholar walk-in!?!
Do you have any idea what you are talking about? The issue with landfills is that every item that Nunavut consumed from aluminum to zinc cream is brought in from afar at great cost; the majority on the barge. All this has to be transported out and the same cost on the barge. Who is going to pay for this? You want pictures of landfill infrastructure; there are plenty. Numerous studies, year after year tell the same thing. Nunavut has vast areas of land, the trouble is almost all communities are coastal and reside on permanent or semi permanent ice layers.
There needs to be a give and take agreement between CGS DFO CIRNAC, the department of Health and the communities.
Some of these groups are OK with the status quo and others refuse to budge on policies. You should go to some of these public meetings.
The Community & Government Services do not have any infrastructure plan’s on Recycle Metal or Landfill Sites in Nunavut. Yes, study’s has been done over past years but up to par, none has been progress to find a unique solutions to RECYCLE METAL or infrastructure improvements on LANDFILL sites to work and coordinate with Municipalities in Nunavut.
Go consume your retirement plan. Stutter!
What Nunavut needs is an end of life vehicle policy. Charge a fee to everyone who brings a new vehicle into a community via sealift and/or cargo and then use that money to pay for the management of that vehicle when it reaches the end of its lifespan. Usually used to ship the vehicle carcass south for processing and recycling. Been proposed before but Cabinet never had the stomach to pull the trigger
That makes way more sense than charging to dump a vehicle. Iqaluit does this, and all it does is encourage people to sell cars that are clearly about to die so they can avoid paying the dump fee. Charging to bring a vehicle into the community makes more sense.