yukon government department of community services is midway through a consultation process to get public input into its solid waste management strategy.
the meetings have three items on the agenda: building canada fund, integrated community sustainability plan (gas tax fund), and the solid waste management strategy.
the packed agenda has resulted in marathon meetings lasting often more than three hours. regrettably, like so many consultations, the meetings have a one way information flow (from government to people) and leave little time for comment and discussion.
what is emerging from the meetings is that people do not understand why solid waste management is not being looked at holistically. the second slide in the consultant’s (EBA engineering) powerpoint presentation explains that community services is responsible for waste disposal and environment yukon is responsible for waste diversion. clearly, the two departments need to work together to meet the challenges of waste managment and system-wide efficiencies. the concensus seems to be that we need to provide and exhaust all diversion opportunities (reduce, reuse, rethink, recycle and compost) before we think about what is left at the end – disposal.
environment yukon is under resourced, and currently appears to see recycling as a municipal responsibility, which leaves unincorporated yukon communities without services.
the communities that have serious longstanding concerns with toxic pollution from burning garbage have waited a long time for the opportunity to participate in a waste managment strategy. it’s a long haul, and there are two powerpoint presentations to sit through, but please attend these meetings. tell the consultants you want burning garbage to stop, and that some of the infrastructure money the territory is now flush with (in addition to our one billion dollar budget), must be spent on addressing the liabilities and problems at community dumps, setting up a territory-wide recycling system, developing a waste reduction strategy and innovative public education measures to help people reduce their waste and dispose of it in a healthy way.
to see some of the meeting materials and the schedule for public meetings, check the links here on yukon government community services homepage.
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