Raven ReCentre will be accepting glass recyclables at their 24-hour public drop-off facility in Whitehorse starting from Sept. 16.
The site on Galena Road will no longer accept paper and packaging materials at drop-off points starting from Sept. 15.
The City of Whitehorse recently began handling the recycling of tin cans, plastic containers, mixed paper and cardboard at the temporary recycling depot located at the Waste Management Facility on the Alaska Highway, mile 919.
A fee of $1 is charged for each bag or container of up to 90 litres of recyclables.
“As the City of Whitehorse takes responsibility for the recycling of paper and packaging, we can dream big again,” Shannon Powell, executive director of Raven ReCentre, said.
Recycled glass will be processed into smaller particles and then separated to be used as an end-product. Raven ReCentre has confirmed its partnership with Lumel Studios — a glassblowing facility that offers a range of workshops — to supply the necessary materials for art creation.
“We’re taking bottles and jars out of the landfill and reducing emissions. But reused glass has a special beauty of its own. So, it’s a win-win, really: good for making art, good for the environment. Good for the Yukon,” Luann Baker-Johnson, the founder of Lumel Studios, said.
Powell told the News that Raven ReCentre is continuing to seek partners and highlighted potential applications for recycled glass in the construction industry.
Powell said they are considering the use of the recycled glass for insulation and are also looking for a company that is leaving the Yukon with empty trucks to take material south.
“Glass, beyond using it for creating art, is an inexpensive yet effective and beautiful building material,” Powell said.
Powell said Raven ReCentre's glass project reflects the Yukon government’s “Extended Producer Responsibility” regulation.
The regulation aims to make the producers of recyclable products responsible for their entire life cycle. Powell highlighted how companies now have an option to recycle glass within the territory rather than trucking it down south to be processed.
“We're not spending all kinds of money shipping it down. We can use it locally in the territory. So, just trying to anticipate that that's going to be part of the producer’s responsibility,” she said.
Raven ReCentre has a five-year roadmap that lays out milestones for the future ahead. Part of this includes innovating, expanding and educational outreach programs.
Contact Jake Howarth at jake.howarth@yukon-news.com
