Whitehorse's Raven Recycling to reopen after funding increased

After months of uncertainty, Whitehorse's Raven Recycling announced yesterday that it will be reopening its public drop off bins. 

The non-profit organization — one of two recycling processors in the city, along with P&M Recycling — was forced to close last October after it could no longer afford to subsidize the costs of recycling non-refundable items, like cardboard and plastics. Before its closure, Raven Recycling had been operating in Whitehorse for 22 years.

In January, representatives from both Raven and P&M told city council they could not afford to process non-refundable materials like plastic, paper and glass without more support from municipal and territorial governments in the form of diversion credits — payment for diverting material from the landfill.

The Yukon Government and City of Whitehorse responded by offering temporary increases in funding to the processors totalling over $500,000, while investigating future options like residential blue bin collection.

"It was unfortunate that we had to close, because a lot of people who did recycle might have lost that habit," says Joy Snider, Raven Recycling's executive director. "But we're up and running again, so they can re-establish their habits."

The Yukon Government is set to review diversion credits on Dec. 10, while the Raven Recycling board has said it will re-evaluate its progress on long-term solutions and financial viability over the next 10 months.

No date has yet been set for Raven's reopening, but officials say it will likely be some time in May.