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City to re-open solid waste facility with limited hours, designated drop-off

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1704solidwastefacility41.jpg Simon Whitehouse/NNSL PHOTO The City of Yellowknife has closed the solid waste facility until further notice as part of its response to the covid-19 pandemic. This week, the city was offering a dog waste drop off bin for residents to drop their dog waste as the snow melts.

The City of Yellowknife will be re-opening the city dump on Monday, May 4 for reduced hours and with a designated public drop-off area, according to a news release issued on Thursday.

A Spring Amnesty Event allowing waste to be dumped for free will be held from Tuesday, May 19 to Friday May 22 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The city states that recyclables, compost/organics, household garbage, pet waste, large items and other waste can be dropped off during these times.

"Salvaging will not be permitted at this time or during the Spring Amnesty event," the news release states, adding that this will be available again at a future date.

Since the pandemic, several city facilities have been closed to the public and one of the most important ones has been the solid waste facility.

In recent weeks, the city has expressed its continued focus on trying to address the increase of residential garbage demands due to residents spending more time at their homes during the pandemic while balancing the public health orders from the chief public health officer.

In Thursday's announcement, the City stated that residents may use a designated public drop-off waste and asked that they watch for signage and directions that will be in place.

Public Health measurements in place 

The City states that it is still aiming to limit the spread of Covid-19 as the pandemic remains in place. Among them include asking the public to use debit or credit cards when making payments, although cash will be accepted.

There will also be a maximum of 10 people allowed onsite at any given time to ensure physical distancing.

Sheila Bassi-Kellett, senior administrative officer with the city stated that the announcement is in hopes of addressing city needs for waste disposal during the pandemic.

“The City understands residents’ requests to access the Solid Waste Facility and we are pleased to be able to open the Public Drop-Off area,” she stated. “I want to thank residents for utilizing the waste disposal options available in these challenging times, for reducing waste wherever possible, and for your continued patience and understanding.”

Garbage pickup

Earlier in April, the city made temporary changes to garbage pickup that included weekly black cart waste collection and a suspension of green cart organic collection.

These changes will remain in place and green cart pickup is to resume at a later date, according to Thursday's news release.

"Small amounts of dog waste can continue to be disposed of in Black Carts at this time, however, the City asks residents to dispose of large amounts of dog waste collected from the winter months in the designated bin at the (solid waste facility)," the release states.

Cancellations 

The city will be cancelling some planned events that include large item pick-up, curbside giveaway and the annual Compost Sale, according to the news release.