To take your mind off things consider this “how tall is the garbage dump in Yellowknife?”
Surely someone at the city knows this important and record-setting number. At one time the city talked about sight lines and claimed people would not see the dump from the road. Well, guess what you can see it so we know it is higher then those original sight lines.
I have little doubt that Yellowknife has the tallest pile of garbage in the NWT. Possible higher than those of either Nunavut or the Yukon. In fact, it could be the tallest pile of garbage North of 60 and might be able to make it into the Guinness Book of Records.
Who knows, it might even be a tourist draw and it just keeps getting bigger and higher. I am sure if they put their minds to it, they could make it even higher in the shape of a giant pyramid. Now that would be a tourist attraction.
Now we really have our work cut out for us if we try to compete with dumps around the world. In Vietnam they had a dump on an island, and it reached a staggering 98 metres before it was closed down and turned into a tourist attraction.
Currently the Ghazipur Landfill in India is 64.9 m tall and still growing. No doubt it will become a tourist attraction when it closes. So we should think now of how we can build our dump to eventually draw in the tourists.
I still think a giant pyramid a viewing platform on its top might do it. We could add water slides for the summer and bob sled runs for winter might just do it. I think the city should form a committee to investigate this option. We should also make it handicapped accessible and run a contest for its name, although I think “The Dump” says it all.
A recent UN backed report suggested that methane is a leading cause of climate change and this needs to be addressed immediately and rotting garbage produces methane. So this is important stuff. Because of our climate Ironically, methane can be collected and used as a fuel.
The politicians are now talking about job creation. All they must do is open all dumps and all garbage to salvaging and salvagers and they would create hundreds and possibly thousand of jobs across this land. So, garbage dumps aren’t all bad: they can become tourist attractions, create jobs and fuels.
Maybe it is time we looked at garbage dumps in a new way. As a resource just waiting to be tapped. If everything in the dump that was salvageable, reusable or compostable were dealt with it could pump a considerable amount of money into our economy. Something to think about. It might also improve the standard of living for a number of people and even be used to build houses for others.
We can learn a lot from the dump. Plus, you never know what you might find when you visit the salvage area. I think the right to salvage at the dump should be mandated for every community. It could help their economies as well.
Yellowknife could become a world leader in building pyramids and dealing with trash. How’s that for a tourist motto.
Yes, I am being a little silly but with an election on during a pandemic we need a little silliness to raise our spirits. We are going through a bit of a rough period, but its not the first and it won’t be the last. Hopefully we will use it as a learning experience.
In the meantime, lets enjoy the fall as much as we can and think of ways to make things better for everyone. Stay safe everyone and help when you can. Its all part of being a community.