Managing garbage saves Whitehorse business money

A Whitehorse property manager has discovered that recycling and composting aren't just good for the environment, they're also cost efficient.

Anne Pittans manages apartment buildings in the city. She spent a year monitoring garbage pick up — and its cost. She realized garbage was accumulating too quickly.

"Every morning, for two months I got up and opened each dumpster and noticed how often it was being emptied," she said.

Last year, Pittans installed recycling and composting bins, which reduced her trash pickups. She pays Raven Recyling, a non-profit organization, to collect the cardboard and cans on her properties. The city picks up the compost.

"That was actively managing the garbage and that's the whole point these days," said Pittans. "We can't throw everything in the garbage and call it okay."

A year later, Pittans' new system had saved her over $2000.

The City of Whitehorse has set a goal of diverting 50 per cent of waste from the landfill this year.