Waste – What is the Yukon government doing?

Yukoners produce approximately 1 tonne of waste per person per year. When waste is poorly managed, it can release toxins which accumulate in our groundwater and the nature around it. This becomes costly to clean up.

Learn more about why we’re making changes to the system.
 

It's expensive!

In 2018, the Yukon government and municipalities spent about $6 million to deal with everyone’s waste. Today that cost has ballooned to about $12 million.

Regional waste systems save money for all taxpayers . And we reduce emissions when there’s less to truck to Whitehorse.

A user-pay model means the people who produce waste pay for it. This makes us all improve our waste habits over time.

Tipping fees will be in place at all facilities by 2026. If you produce less waste, you'll pay less!

Reducing risks

Improving the way we manage waste means reducing risk.

There’s a risk of wildlife-human conflict at unattended and unfenced sites. When there is no staff gate, there’s a risk of contamination if someone  dumps banned waste.

We reduce these risks when we manage the facility and employ staff.
 

Consistency

No matter what facility you go to, you can expect the same level of service.

Each facility will have:

  • attendants to help;
  • gates;
  • posted hours of operation; and
  • a user-pay system with similar fees.

We’ll also continue to accept the same waste material as before.

Standards

We are legally and morally required to have better operating standards. To make sure we’re managing waste properly, we’ll:

  • cover waste frequently;
  • monitor ground water; and
  • sort waste properly.

We’ve chosen this new system based on professional recommendations and reports. It's become the norm across Canada.
 

What's accepted

Closed facilities can now dispose of their waste in the nearest solid waste facility.

These are the facilities, their hours and what waste they accept:

  • Carmacks solid waste facility (links to docs);
  • Mayo solid waste facility; and
  • Teslin solid waste facility.

Extended producer responsibility (EPR)

We’re looking to put in place EPR to deal with:

  • printed and packaging products;
  • household hazardous waste; and
  • automotive waste.

EPR shifts the costs of waste from the taxpayer to the companies who sell the packaging. EPR incentivizes companies to reduce waste and sell less of it!

Compost

All facilities will have organics composting. If we're all separating our organics from the rest of our waste, we'll be producing less methane and leachate.

Our air, ground and water will be cleaner for it.

We're all responsible

We're all responsible for the waste that we produce and for its proper disposal.

This means the solution to these problems involves everyone, including:

  • you;
  • your family;
  • small and large businesses; and
  • all levels of government.

The easiest way to reduce waste is to compost and recycle. We can all eliminate household waste with commitment and effort.