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It may be hard to spot, but Derek Allerton has no trouble seeing the blue beer can lodged deep in a snow bank. He picks up the can with a trash grabber and adds it to his already full bag.
That can is one of over 4,000 he has picked up since July when Iqaluit’s only beer can recycling facility, Northern Collectables, closed down after 31 years. Since then Allerton has filled 28 bags.
“Even in the small stretch we’ve walked, I’ve picked up almost 12 cans already in less than 500 metres,” he said.
Allerton typically picks up cans while on walks with his dog Winter, and says he does it to keep the city clean and raise awareness that these cans are a recyclable commodity that can earn 15 cents a piece.
“I’ve been doing this in part to bring awareness to this issue of litter in the city, which didn’t used to be as much of a problem until the recycling depot was closed,” he said.
On his walks, Derek Allerton uses a trash grabbing tool to pick up the cans and uses a reusable bag to store them. (Cameron Lane/CBC)
Northern Collectables declined an interview with CBC, but in a Facebook post announcing their closure wrote they dealt with “many issues” over the years as shipping containers sending recycling south became increasingly difficult.
“The effort we need to put is just getting harder to deal with every year so I have decided not to continue with it any longer,” the post states.
The government of Nunavut had been purchasing recycling services from Northern Collectables when it was operating and the closure post says that the territory is “working on establishing a new location” for the service.
The government of Nunavut declined an interview with CBC, but in an email statement, Hala Duale, a communication specialist for the Department of Finance, wrote there is no recycling service available to purchase at this time, but it “remains ready to purchase recycling services when they become available.”
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Duale wrote the Nunavut Liquor and Cannabis Commission continues to “set aside 15 cents from each aluminum can sold to support recycling once services resume.”
In the meantime, Allerton said he’d like a temporary service set up.
“I would really appreciate an interim measure, or where people could start bringing bags of cans back for deposits somewhere, even once or twice a week until a new system is set up,” he said.
Duale wrote that any new recycling service would be a municipal or private sector responsibility.
In an email statement from the City of Iqaluit, spokesperson Geoffrey Byrne said the recycling refund program was administered by the territory and is not affiliated with the city.
“While city waste facilities do accept waste, including beverage containers, any questions regarding beverage container recycling, such as replacement facilities or timelines, should be directed to the government of Nunavut,” Byrne’s statement said.
Derek Allerton says he has filled up 28 trash bags full of cans. He’s now working on bag number 29. (Cameron Lane/CBC)
Right now, Allerton has nowhere to put the cans he collects. He saves them from littering the streets and throws them out in the trash. But, some have other ideas.
“Some people think I should keep them, melt them down into an inukshuk or something,” he said.
“Some few people have said I should just drop them by the legislature and let them figure out what to do with it.”
For now, Allerton will keep picking up and get started on trash bag 29.