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Raven still awaiting help

Raven still awaiting help It has been almost two months since we closed our public drop off area at Raven Recycling. We want to share with our customers and advocates how governments are responding to our change in service. We had hoped there would be a

It has been almost two months since we closed our public drop off area at Raven Recycling. We want to share with our customers and advocates how governments are responding to our change in service.

We had hoped there would be a resolution to the current situation, for our society and our customers, before now but unfortunately, we cannot report progress or updates on our many discussions.

We applaud the City of Whitehorse in recognizing their role in providing a sustainable and viable recycling system for Whitehorse residents. We look forward to learning more about how the blue box system will take shape and appreciate the city’s willingness to work with recycling industry members.

While we appreciate city council’s need for fiscal accountability with respect to tendering contracts, and appreciate their need to re-tender for the gatehouse contract we currently hold, it would seem to us more sensible to have some certainty regarding the new system prior to re-issuing the tender. Unfortunately, this adds more uncertainty to Raven’s operations at a time when we are working to restructure our own services and funding.

We are coping in the interim. For example Raven’s bottle depot remains open. We continue to serve our PaperSave customers, acting as a scrap metal dealer and visiting classrooms and giving tours. We are coordinating Zero Waste Yukon and continue to run Computers for Schools. A new partnership with the Salvation Army has seen us send out our first load of textiles and the free store remains open during depot hours.

We are anxious to open our public drop off again and are working with P&M Recycling and the Yukon government to come up with a short-term funding model until such time as other systems come into play. We hope to hear from Yukon government soon.

Along with P&M Recycling, we have raised concerns with YG’s proposed changes to the beverage container regulations and the designated material regulations. We hope our suggestions are reflected in the regulations that come forward.

As you celebrate the holidays, don’t forget the Raven bottle depot is open (check website for holiday times) and have many charity accounts that you are able to direct your refunds to should you wish.

We have received so much support and good will from the public for which we are thankful. Change is difficult but we are heartened by the awareness that people understand that all waste costs money and that diversion is a cost effective use of tax dollars and worth the effort for the sake of our environment. Please keep recycling!

Joy Snyder

Executive director,

Raven Recycling