Confessions of a canny can collector
In 2 weeks I collected 260 refundable cans. $6.50/week, more than $300/year. I had visions of dogs helping, the dogs did not share my vision.
Recycling
Recycling your wreck
Some old trucks are a source of antique reverence to the past, but too many abandoned cars are an unfortunate part of Yukon’s landscape.
Fashion Forward
Progressive designs, by Scott Dudiak Scott Dudiak is the program coordinator for Zero Waste Yukon Milan, Paris, New York … Whitehorse? That’s right, for another year the Rendezvous Fashion show exhibited the creative garment designs of Yukoners. Channelling their inner Alexander McQueen, this year all designs were made from used, repurposed, or waste materials. Rather …
Bye-bye baggies
Keeping It Green Single-use plastic bags are out and reusables are in! Congratulations, Yukon! After 10 years of painstaking discussion, single-use shopping bags will be banned this year. In the fall of 2020, a quiet milestone passed in the Legislature with an update to the Environment Act (Bill 14) which allows the Government of Yukon …
Garage Sales – Doing it for (the) community
In early April, 79-year-old Lorraine White did what lots of Yukoners do: she held a garage sale. White, who was moving to Vancouver Island, sold her furniture and old china at her Takhini senior’s residence, and gave away the rest. Moving on or moving out are two reasons for garage sales. Connecting with community is …
Going green never looked so good
Fahrenheit Hair originally offered only hair services, but have recently expanded into further beauty services that include body sugaring, massage, threading, organic skincare and lash extensions.
Let’s end plastic pollution
To end plastic pollution, we need to shift our attitudes and behaviours. Plastic pollution affects our health and the health of the animals and plants we share our planet with.
New Ideas on What to do with Old Stuff
The recent closures of the Salvation Army and free stores at Raven Recycling and the Whitehorse Waste Management Facility have made it difficult to source affordable used goods and to donate unwanted items. Without a local outlet for reuse, many of these items will end up being thrown out. Zero Waste Yukon is working to …
Dare to Reuse & Repair?
The need for opportunities to reuse and repair have become more important than ever before, and Zero Waste Yukon…
Repurpose, Recycle, Reintegrate
Reducing our solid waste is not an easily digested subject. An upcoming conference in Whitehorse hopes to break down solutions into manageable bites. The Working Towards Zero Waste in the North Conference will bring together approximately 120 representatives from governments, businesses, non-profits, academia and the public to share success stories from other northern regions. The …
Discounting Trash
What would you consider to be valuable about Whitehorse? The nearby mountains? The vibrant community? Being able to fish and hunt close to town? Having the cleanest air in the world? How about the landfill? As weird as it seems, the Whitehorse landfill actually is a valuable resource that we need to think about more …
A Tale of Two Boxes
I had to do my first major snow clearance of the season on Hallowe’en. It wasn’t bad — took about half an hour. The snow was still fluffy, so it was easy to move. But, as I headed to pick up some last minute goodies for the coming horde, I saw the town’s pick-up plough …
Recycling Made Easy
In the beginning it was available only to the people of Riverdale. But now — two years later — the Yukon Blue Bin Recycling Society has grown large enough to offer recycling pickup to every major residential area in Whitehorse. Their service is simple; every two weeks a Blue Bin representative comes by to pick up recycling …
Paradigm shift slips on a plastic bag
“Paper or plastic?” has become a cliché for those no-win decisions we must make everyday: plastic is an oil-based product that chokes wildlife and is a blight on our streets while paper is a little piece of a living tree. Of course this question is often asked of me because, once again, I have forgotten …
A collaborative cup of inspiration
Like all good ideas, this one began in a coffee shop. Michael King, co-owner and operator of Bean North Coffee Roasting Company, had been looking for a way to promote canned coffee. “That’s the most environmentally friendly way to package coffee,” he says. “Bags are all the fad, but there’s no way to recycle.” Joyce …
Getting Down with the Trash
There were about two dozen people at Dawson’s recycling centre over a recent weekend. They were trying to do something about the mess that the place had become. While it’s true that the City of Dawson’s bylaw officer had served the Conservation Klondike Society (CKS) with a notice saying they had to clean the place …
