The Yellowknife dump, or YKEA as itSA国际影视传媒檚 popularly known, resumed salvaging Tuesday after a Covid-prompted hiatus.

New salvaging policies, along with updated machinery, are a few of the ways the solid waste facility is working to meet its upcoming diversion goals.  

Diversion refers to recycling and reusing items brought to the landfill in order to limit what ends up buried at the site. 

By 2030, the goal is for the city-run facility is a diversion rate of 50 per cent. In 2018, that number was 13 per cent. 

SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 ambitious, but I think we can do it,SA国际影视传媒� says Chris Vaughn the landfill's manager of sustainability and solid waste. 

He says they are looking to change the culture of throwing things away, and want people to understand that every time someone discards a piece of trash, people have to work to manage its disposal.

He explains that salvaging and proper sorting is key to reaching the diversion goal. The new salvaging site is within the public drop-off area so that old vacuum cleaners remain separate from disposed couches, for example. That way, the public can better find what theySA国际影视传媒檙e looking for and less ends up in the landfill as SA国际影视传媒済reat treasures were being mixed with regular trash,SA国际影视传媒� Vaughn says. 

Sorting recyclables

While the dump continues to cope with a SA国际影视传媒渧olatile recycling market,SA国际影视传媒� Vaughn says they still don't have the capacity to recycle mixed plastics. Still, the facility is urging residents to continue sorting recyclables as the landfill continues to bale and ship cardboard and boxboard materials down south. 

Chris Greencorn, director of public works, says sustained sorting practices also encourage good habits that SA国际影视传媒渟upport recovery options if ever the market opens up.SA国际影视传媒� 

New gadgets

In May, the landfill acquired a compactor, which Vaughn calls SA国际影视传媒渁 game changer.SA国际影视传媒�  He says the siteSA国际影视传媒檚 staff were starting to worry about space at the facility.

With the compactor, Vaughn says the landfill has six to seven years of use, if not more. Without it, the siteSA国际影视传媒檚 lifespan would be cut in half. 

Prior to the compactor, the dump was using a baler that pushed waste into a machine and produced a compact SA国际影视传媒渂ale.SA国际影视传媒� The compactor saves space by repeatedly running over the waste until itSA国际影视传媒檚 flat.

SA国际影视传媒淪pace is a valuable commodity because it is not always readily available and so the city always looks to use space in the most efficient way possible,SA国际影视传媒� says city of Yellowknife spokesperson Alison Harrower. SA国际影视传媒淭he building, managing and closing of a landfill is an expensive investment, and the city looks to maximize its use and lifespan.SA国际影视传媒�

Also relatively new to the landfill is the woodchipper purchased earlier this year. The new machine creates wood chips of waste wood, which reduces the facilitySA国际影视传媒檚 risk of fire, increases site space, and allows the site to make use of the wood chips in composting. 

SA国际影视传媒淭he SWF (solid waste facility) is a dynamic construction site that requires waste handling, space management and strategic long-term planning to ensure that resources are used effectively and that the environment is minimally affected,SA国际影视传媒� Vaughn says. SA国际影视传媒淲e hope to do Yellowknife proud.SA国际影视传媒�