Recycling program taking old wrecks out of Postville landfill

It shouldn't be any surprise that the Postville landfill is full of old junk — after all, that's what landfills are for — but now the Labrador coastal community is cutting down on the volume of waste at the dump.

"Right now, we're starting to run out of space. We don't have anywhere to put our garbage," said Diane Gear, the AngajukKak, or mayor, of Postville. 

"We're starting to out toward the water and that's something we don't want to do."

The Postville dump has been overflowing for years, Gear said, filled to the brim with old wrecked vehicles and appliances. 

Once anything comes up to the communities, it never really comes back down.- Shelby Kerbel, Scott Environmental

A team has been working to depollute and tear out parts for recycling from about 120 vehicles and more than 150 appliances.  

The work is led by Scout Environmental, a Toronto-based not-for-profit organization, which the Nunatsiavut government partnered with as part of the Tundra Take-Back program this summer. 

Recycling harder in the north

Shelby Kerbel, a program manager with Scout Environmental, told CBC News that the isolation of northern communities can make it difficult to dispose of large items.

"Once anything comes up to the communities, it never really comes back down," Kerbel said.

"The longer they sit there, the higher the chances of these vehicles depolluting themselves and ending up in the ground right next to the North Atlantic."

Kerbel says dealing with the trash in northern communities is more challenging than in southern places.

If it's being left like this over the years ... it can affect our fish and affect the humans as well.- Gary Edmunds

"It's a problem in communities all across Canada but in the southern communities we have the capacity to properly depollute vehicles," Kerbel said.

"We have noticed through a lot programs which we have executed that there is very little capacity in northern Canada to carry out similar projects. So we recognize the problem and we've developed a solution."

Gary Edmunds, a Postville man hired to work on the project, said people were worried about ever-increasing piles of trash, and he's glad to be doing something about it.  

"It's not hard work. It's simple work. It's just the flies that are bothersome," Edmunds said as he tore out the inner workings of an old freezer. 

"A lot of these things have mercury in them. It's another thing we have to be cautious of."

Chemicals can cause problems

Edmunds is working to drain all the oil and fluids out of the vehicles and appliances. Once he does that, everything will be partially crushed and shipped out for recycling.

"If it's being left like this over the years, it gets into the soil, it gets into the salt water. It can affect our fish and affect the humans as well."

Scout Environmental brings professional recyclers into communities to show how the depolluting and recycling process takes place.

"They walk through all of the steps with the local hires, show them why everything is done in a certain sequence," Kerbel said.

"The skill transfer is why this is such a sustainable project. They can carry that out moving forward within the community."

Diane Gear is delighted with the progress. 

"We couldn't ask for better timing," she said.