Pilot project aims to ship old vehicles out of Nunavut

A non-profit group will help get rid of derelict vehicles in Arviat and Gjoa Haven, Nunavut, this summer.

The Northern End-of-Life Vehicle Recycling Program by Summerhill Impact (formerly the Clean Air Foundation) is in its pilot year and the goal is to ship about 250 old vehicles to the south by the end of September.

"What we're hoping to do is create a model for ongoing management of pollutants and recovery of recyclables out of communities across Canada's northern and remote regions." says Janet Taylor, an account manager at Summerhill Impact.

Taylor says Summerhill has gone on scouting missions to Arviat and Gjoa Haven. Later this summer, the group will send in professional automotive recyclers. They will show hamlet staff and volunteers how to decommission old vehicles and prepare them for shipping.

Shawn Stuckey, Gjoa Haven's senior administrative officer, says this recycling program is a great opportunity for the hamlet.

"It's attempting to deal with the real waste and the recyclables which is really important," he says. "This is a very special territory or land that needs to have that type of emphasis."

Stuckey says this is just the beginning of a project that will have many long term benefits.