The materials filling the dump in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, will soon take up a fraction of the space at the community landfill thanks to a new metal shredding machine.
The hamlet purchased the shredder to manage a build-up of metal waste that the community’s senior administrative officer (SAO) said has been sitting in the landfill for decades.
“Literally everything that’s come into this community in the last 50 years in the way of metal is still here,” said hamlet SAO Darren Flynn. “Metal waste is a real problem for us here at the landfill.”
He expects that with the new shredder, metal waste will be reduced to about a quarter of its current size.
The community bought the shredder for about $870,000 and it arrived by ship in July. All eight employees with Rankin Inlet’s public works crew are being trained to operate the machine.
Flynn said the hamlet chose the unit, because it’s the kind Arviat bought in 2018.
“We saw it in use in Arviat and we’re very impressed,” he said.
This summer, the crew will focus on shredding scraps. That includes aluminum siding and other odds and ends in the landfill. By next summer Flynn expects they’ll start shredding old vehicles too.
A pile of waste at the Rankin Inlet landfill. SAO Darren Flynn expects that with the new shredder, metal waste will be reduced to about a quarter of its current size. (Noel Kaludjak/CBC)
Scavengers fret not, Flynn said the hamlet will allow metal waste to sit for a period of time and get picked over before it goes into the shredder.
“In most communities, the dump is a resource that we jokingly call Canadian Tire,” he said.
In addition to saving space, Flynn said the shredded metal also reduces the risk of fires at the dump.
He said he expects the new machine to run from now until October and every summer for the foreseeable future.
“This will be a part of our operation for years to come to make sure that we keep the landfill in good shape.”