High school students teach Iqaluit a lesson in recycling

A group of high school students in Iqaluit have accomplished something the territorial and municipal governments in Nunavut are still struggling with — a recycling program.

Twins Andrew and April Tucker started the pop can recycling program at Inuksuk High School three years ago.

"We started the recycling program to protect the environment and help the community," says Andrew.

"I've always loved the environment and keeping the land clean," chimes in April.

The City of Iqaluit does not currently have a recycling program, and there is no territory-wide recycling available in Nunavut. Items like cans, jars, paper and cardboard are thrown out in the trash and accumulate at ever expanding dump sites, which can attract wildlife or cause hazards like fires.

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Over the past three years the group of students have collected thousands of pop cans, which they've been storing in a sea can donated by Arctic Cooperatives.

The Co-op will give the school's Green Club, which runs the recycling program, $1,500 for the collected cans — money the group intends to use for other environmental initiatives.

But with graduation only a few months away, the Grade 12 students who started the recycling program are now recruiting new volunteers.

"We want to make sure that it continues," says Kira Scott.

"The new volunteers have really ramped up the efforts to collect cans — they give us hope that the program will actually continue after we graduate," she adds.

Grade 10 student Alassua Hanson is one of the club's newest recruits. She says the concept of recycling is "amazing," and finds it "interesting that people care about the environment."