Hundreds line up for hazardous waste drop-off in Whitehorse
The city of Whitehorse's environmental coordinator says the city needs to find a good long-term solution for managing hazardous waste, after hundreds of people queued up at the dump last weekend.
Bryna Cable estimates almost 1,000 cars showed up at the Whitehorse landfill on Saturday to dispose of things not collected with regular household trash — from waste oil, to bear spray.
The city only allows household hazardous waste to be dropped off at the dump three days a year — one session in spring, the other in fall — so many people wait months to get rid of those items.
"It was a very busy day. I don't think we saw the end of the line, ever, at any one point in the day where there wasn't a steady stream of traffic," Cable said.
The Yukon government controls the "designated material" regulations which limit what materials the landfill can accept.
City residents are expected to hold onto products such as motor oil, chemical solvents, pressurized containers such as aerosols or bear spray, and compact fluorescent bulbs.
Last weekend alone, the city collected about 5,000 litres of waste oil.
A firm called KBL Environmental is contracted by the city to transport the waste to Alberta for disposal.
Extra day this year
Cable says in past years, there were only two hazardous waste days at the dump, but this year a third was added — the Friday before the usual Saturday fall collection day.
"We're still looking at what we're going to be doing for next year, because we're seeing a growth in the number of vehicles and the amount we're accepting," she said.
Cable says the main constraint is cost. The City of Whitehorse and the territorial government together foot the bill, and Cable estimates each hazardous waste day costs about $50,000, split between two levels of government.
"We really need to figure out the best long-term option," Cable said.
