Raven Recentre Will No Longer Receive Paper And Packaging On September 15
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 10, 2024
Ben Charland, Communications
867-332-5662 communications@ravenrecentre.org
Raven’s decision provides certainty as City of Whitehorse continues to consider a curbside recycling program
On September 15, Raven ReCentre will no longer be accepting, processing or shipping most non-refundable recyclables (cardboard, paper, plastics and tin cans). The free public drop-off for paper and packaging at 100 Galena Road will close permanently on that date. Raven will still offer a 24-hour drop-off service for other materials, such as textiles and refundables, as well as continue other services.
“This is a big step forward for us,” says Jacqueline Bedard, president of Raven ReCentre. “Our long-held vision of transforming Raven into an eco-centre, focused on Zero Waste, is coming to fruition. We’ll continue with Raven’s other initiatives, while introducing Zero Waste innovations. These include education, the Reuseful Store, the Tool Lending Library, and a few exciting projects that will be announced soon.”
Bedard says that Raven first communicated to the City and Yukon Government in 2022 that it would no longer provide a free drop-off for paper and packaging after December 31, 2023, over a year in advance and as EPR was being developed.
“By this September, we will have bridged the gap for an additional nine months in hopes of a city-wide curbside collection program. We are now moving on with our next steps and have begun the process of selling our processing equipment,” she says.
Extended Producer Responsibility, or EPR, means that the products Raven has accepted at its drop-off facility will soon become the responsibility of the producers of those products. EPR will fully come into effect in 2026.
Heather Ashthorn, Raven ReCentre’s executive director, says that the timing of the September 15 change was carefully considered. “We have always been proactive, honest and upstanding members of the community,” says Ashthorn. “Our stakeholders, partners, both levels of government, and the public deserve certainty.”
The City of Whitehorse is currently considering its role in a curbside recycling program. As a very active founding member of the Recycling Committee along with the City and Yukon Government, Raven ReCentre has been deeply involved in the process.
“We have provided a lot of guidance and advice in the hopes of preventing any gap of recycling service for Whitehorse,” says Ashthorn. “Our free public drop-off was never an ideal or permanent solution for these materials. It is inaccessible to many Whitehorse residents. A city-wide curbside program would address this, and it would also divert more material from the landfill. That’s why we’ve been advocating for such a system for years. In 2015 we came close to achieving this goal and the City, after awarding a tender, withdrew support in the last hour. This time we have tried a different approach and over the past year and a half we have declared consistently that we are handing over the reins to the City and will not be reversing the decision. The time has come for this transition to take place. We’ll continue to be here to help.”
Ashtorn says she is relieved that EPR creates a legally responsible entity to manage and fund the non-refundable system. “This has been a key missing ingredient for an effective system,” says Ashthorn.
“We remain hopeful that the City will raise the bar for service before the regulation takes effect, collaborate with the producers to design a program that works with the new regulation, and implement that program in time to ensure there is no gap in service.”
September 15 marks the end of an era for recyclers, but also the beginning of a new one. Jacqueline Bedard says that it is bittersweet. “Obviously this will mean fewer people coming to our front door,” she says, “But to achieve Zero Waste in the Yukon, that’s a good thing. And this news is cause for celebration. We are doing some really exciting things at Raven, and this will open many more doors.”
After Raven stops receiving paper and packaging on September 15, Yukoners are encouraged to contact the City of Whitehorse about what to do with their cardboard, paper, plastic, and tin. Raven will continue to receive textiles, refundable materials, metals and e-waste. Education and outreach, the Reuseful Store, the Recycling Club for kids, the Tool Lending Library, Computers for Schools, and other programs will continue and even expand. Raven will remain a crucial resource for information, dialogue and Zero Waste solutions.
“We’ve been around since the 80s,” says Jacqueline Bedard, “and the end of us dealing with these materials is the beginning of something bigger. Stay tuned, because we are just getting started.”
About Raven ReCentre
Created in 1989 by a group of volunteers who wanted to see recycling happen in the Yukon, Raven now acts as a recycling and reuse hub for the entire Territory. Raven’s vision is prosperous sustainable communities within the regional and global ecosystems. Raven’s goal is to achieve Zero Waste in the Yukon. Raven is separate from all levels of government and does not receive core government funding.
Further Information
Visit ravenrecentre.org/september15 to read our extensive Q&A (below) and to learn more about this announcement.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Ben Charland
Communications and Media Relations
Raven ReCentre
867-332-5662 | communications@ravenrecentre.org
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Q&A
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First and foremost, it is time to move on. We have been planning to move away from most non-refundables for a long time, and refocus on our other initiatives that achieve Zero Waste in the Yukon—such as education, the Reuseful Store, the Tool Lending Library, and some exciting projects that will be announced soon. Raven first communicated this to the City and Yukon Government in 2022, as EPR was being developed, and to the wider public soon after. We have already begun the process of selling our processing equipment.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is territorial legislation that will be coming into full effect in 2026. It will change the nature of recycling in the Yukon. EPR means that the producers of many non-refundable materials, including paper and packaging, will be responsible for diverting those materials from the landfill. This could mean a city-wide curbside recycling program funded by those producers, which would be far more accessible and effective than the public drop-off. Effectively for Raven, EPR means these materials can be better handled by other entities, allowing us to focus on other recyclable materials and initiatives to help us achieve our ultimate goal as fast as possible: Zero Waste in the Yukon.
Interestingly, Yukoners are already paying for the cost of EPR because similar policies exist in every Canadian province. Producers have already raised prices on paper and packaging sold through retail chains, and consumers are paying the fees nation-wide.
Finally, the paper and packaging program for paper and packaging run by Raven ReCentre was always intended to be a temporary solution until a more comprehensive program was put in place.
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EPR stands for Extended Producer Responsibility, and it is legislation that was passed by the Yukon Legislative Assembly. EPR has been discussed and developed for years, and it will be fully implemented by 2026. At that point, the producers of many recyclable materials—including paper and packaging—will be responsible for them. In other words, EPR means the producers will need to pay for a program, such as curbside collection, to effectively divert these materials from the landfill.
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We understand that this decision will cause some discomfort. However, this is all about increasing access, increasing waste diversion, and allowing the City to step up and take responsibility. Our public drop-off has reached its full potential to divert material from the landfill and, according to the 2017 waste audit, is capturing well under half of the paper and packaging that is generated in Whitehorse. Under EPR, paper and packaging will be better handled by other entities and systems, and Raven will be better positioned to achieve Zero Waste in other areas and initiatives, and with other materials. It is important to understand that recycling has never been free. One way or another, we all bear the costs. We believe that this decision reflects our commitment to the future of Raven ReCentre, to the environment, and to the exciting opportunities ahead of us.
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It’s been a lot longer than five months! We have been clear about our intention to move away from paper and packaging since 2022, in order to allow for a coordinated and timely transition to a new system. In 2023 we announced that we would stop receiving these materials at the end of the year—but we held off to give the City more time. During these past two years we offered clear and transparent data and recommendations directly to the City, through the EPR Advisory Council, and on the Recycling Committee. One of our recommendations was to dust off the curbside collection feasibility study that we helped the City with back in 2015.
The work has been done and we do not believe it should take long to add recycling to the current municipal collection streams. We hope that the City will be ready to at least partially roll out curbside pickup in the fall of 2024, which will give them over a year to test and make improvements to the system in preparation for EPR. In any case, this process has been going on for years.
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We are stepping up to lead the way towards Zero Waste, and by not dealing with paper and packaging—which will soon be the producers’ responsibility anyways—we can focus on these initiatives. There is a great deal of other recyclable waste that we can help divert from the landfill, and we can also serve as a leader on education, outreach, partnerships, and more.
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As a non-profit organization and social enterprise, there are limits to what Raven is capable of doing on its own. In 2015, Raven worked with the City to set up a curbside recycling pick-up service, which was even put out for tender, but City Council voted against the measure at the last minute. There is a for-profit curbside service operating in Whitehorse and available for those willing to pay: Whitehorse Blue Bin Recycling. We hope the City will soon implement a city-wide service.
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The future of how paper and packaging is recycled is in the hands of the City. We encourage you to ask them.
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Please ask the City of Whitehorse what your options will be after September 15.
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We have advocated for the City to include multi-family residences in a curbside collection program, which would align with EPR. When it comes into effect, the producers will be responsible for collection of all residential and some commercial paper and packaging. Currently, commercial cardboard is picked up by three for-profit haulers and they take it to the processor of their choice.
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We are not trying to strong-arm anyone. And we are not being adversarial. Raven has been a consistent, reliable and honest community partner since we first started in 1989. As a social enterprise, we determined years ago that it was time for us to move on from most non-refundable materials and refocus our efforts elsewhere. Our goal is to achieve Zero Waste in the Yukon, and we think this reorientation best positions us to do this.
Behind this decision is years of cooperation with and work on behalf of both the municipal and territorial governments, years of lobbying for waste diversion targets and policies, and years during which we provided recycling services below or at cost with minimal government support and participation. We feel it is time for a different approach because there is still a great deal of recyclable material going to the landfill and our governments need to step up and change that. We have worked alongside the City and Yukon Government to develop options for more accessible recycling services since 2022, when we first announced our intention to stop receiving paper and packaging.
Try to think of it like this: Raven has made a decision to focus on other ways of diverting waste which have not received the attention needed. We are doing what is needed—and in ways in which we are best positioned—to achieve Zero Waste in the Yukon.
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The most current waste audit (2017) estimates almost 2000 tonnes each of paper and plastic are still going to landfill each year, much of this coming from multi-family residential dwellings. Many people living in multi-family dwellings do not have transportation or the space to store waste. Even more recyclable material is flowing from the business sector to the landfill. However, if businesses were included in recycling collection, like the City currently does with its organics program, it would likely increase diversion. The City will have to consider including all of these sources to get to a higher rate of diversion. Regardless of current diversion rates, one trip to the landfill or a peek inside most black bins left at the curb tells the story of PPP heading to the landfill.
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Raven’s drop off has made recycling accessible to many Yukoners. However, customers still need to have access to a vehicle to get here. There is no bus stop outside Raven (we have asked the City to provide one), the bike lanes are not maintained in winter and are very dangerous in the dark, and we are not on the path to many other services.
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This is for the government to determine. Our suggestion is that the City invests in the program during the transition to EPR and then negotiates for full cost recovery from the producers under EPR regulation.
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EPR identifies which businesses have to pay into the recycling system and from whom material will be collected. The producer organization responsible for paper and packaging is currently conducting consultations, including with local businesses, to determine how collection will happen. If your business does not qualify for collection by the producers, please contact the City of Whitehorse to find out what your options will be.
We encourage all Yukon businesses to build recycling into their cost of doing business. Recycling has never been free and with the full implementation of EPR, some businesses will have to contribute to the costs.
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A non-profit organization is an entity that is separate from government and does not use its revenues to pay shareholders. Usually funded by a variety of grants, organizations like this funnel all grant revenue towards the goal/mandate of the organization. For Raven, this goal is the sustainable management of waste in the Territory as we push towards a Zero Waste economy. Raven invests net revenues back into the mission, and into an operating reserve that ensures the organization can replace equipment in a timely manner and pay staff in leaner times.
A social enterprise is, in practice, a traditional for-profit business. However, unlike a traditional business, profits made are reinvested into a cause. In recycling, the margins are slim, but Raven does make some revenue, primarily through our bottle depot, which is reinvested back into our recycling and education programs.
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Raven’s revenue comes from several different sources:
Contracts: Raven receives some of its revenue from operating programs like the Recycling Club for kids, the e-waste depot, and a paper collection service for government offices, all of which are tenders we win through a competitive bidding process.
Beverage Container Refunds (BCR). Our bottle depot is a business that generates revenue for us and for customers. This is what keeps the lights on. However, the fees in the BCR regulation have not changed for many years, while the cost of doing business has. We, therefore, see less and less revenue from this key source every year. It is time for the Yukon Government to open up the regulation and adjust the fees. Now that paper and packaging have a regulation, we will be advocating for these changes to be moved up the list of things government needs to do.
Raven’s Reuseful: Raven’s Reuseful is a not-for-profit second-hand store located in the Raven Recentre Depot. The store helps divert waste from our landfill and reduces the recyclables we ship out of territory while providing useful things to those in need of them at a low cost. It’s a win-win, and most of the revenues generated go back to paying staff to operate and maintain the store.
Papersave: Papersave is Raven’s commercial pickup service for paper in Whitehorse. We collect white and coloured office paper, newsprint, envelopes, magazines, shredded paper, and other mixed paper. We also collect boxboard and brown paper bags.
Donations: Beverage container donations help us out a lot! Thank you very much to our customers and supporters who are able to donate their bottles and cans!
Metal sales: Non-ferrous metals (aluminum, copper, brass, and stainless steel) are worth some money. We are keen to grow this business. Thank you to our dedicated metal recyclers! We also accept donations in this department. Please spread the word.
Grants: On occasion, Raven applies for various grants in support of our projects (e.g., upgrades to our building, art projects to educate the public, etc.). Grants make up a very small portion: less than 5% of our revenues year to year.
Diversion Credits: Although not directly funded or managed by local government, Raven does receive revenue from both the Territorial and Municipal governments for diverting waste from the landfill. In most years, this revenue does not cover the program cost entirely. When we stop receiving paper and packaging on September 15, most of these diversion credits will cease.
As a non-profit, we pay our staff well—over and above the living wage reported by the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition—and provide extended health benefits, but no additional revenue goes into the pockets of those working at or managing Raven. In general, due to the nature of recycling, our margins are slim, but all net revenue is put back into our services and programs.
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Raven may be a recycling centre, but we actually believe that recycling is the least important of the Four Rs: Reduce, Rethink, Reuse, Recycle. Not to say that recycling has no value; it absolutely does! Recycling can create huge environmental savings if done correctly. But its impact is low when you compare it to the other Three Rs in the list.
Of the Four, Reduce can have the greatest impact. Buying less stuff, or by buying stuff with little-to-no packaging eliminates the need for waste creation in the first place. It’s a powerful act, although often overlooked as not producing something renders it invisible.
Rethink is closely related to Reduce. In order to impact the system, we need to Rethink how we consume – not only as individuals, but also on a systemic and global scale.
Reuse is just the natural product of Rethinking and Reducing. If we prolong the life of our material belongings, we will naturally create less waste.