Mile 9 Dump

(aka Mt. Lorne Dump, Robinson Dump)

The Mt. Lorne Funding Fiasco Update

As most of you are probably aware, we are having a funding problem with the government. We feel we are not being treated fairly, or funded fairly. For those of you who are not familiar with the situation, the Marsh Lake recycling organization received a funding increase from the government, while we were denied any increase at all.

We will try to answer the questions that this situation brings up but if you have other questions please don’t hesitate to ask us, or Premier Fentie, or Minister of Community Services Glenn Hart (their phone numbers and emails are listed below).

Why did Marsh Lake get a 50% funding increase from $3000 a month to $4500 a month ($54,000/year) after less than 1 year of operations?

Because Dennis Fentie gave them the increase at a public meeting. They were going to have to decrease their hours otherwise. So when Premier Fentie asked them what it would take “to make this problem go away?” he was told $1500, which is a 50% funding increase.

Why did Mt. Lorne not receive the same increase? (We get $24,000/year and have not received any increase at all since we began operations almost 10 years ago. We are asking for an increase equivalent to Marsh Lake, which would be from $2000/month to $3000/month)

We don't know. All the government has said is that they need to do a study. Minister Hart recently said that Marsh Lake gets more money because they get more garbage.

Why did Marsh Lake not require a study to get their increase?

We don't know. Mount Lorne MLA Steve Cardiff asked this question twice in the legislature and did not receive an answer. We have also asked that question of Minister Hart and also have not received an answer. If the study is really necessary and not something that the government is using to hide behind, then the fair solution would be to give neither organization an increase until the study is done, or to give both organizations an increase until the study is done.

Does more garbage at Marsh Lake justify more money for Marsh Lake?

The theory of more money for more garbage is ludicrous. We don't know of another jurisdiction on the planet that rewards the generation of more garbage through increased funding.

Are there good reasons why Mt. Lorne deserves an increase in funding equal to Marsh Lake?

Yes! Marsh Lake does a very good job and was recognized for it by Premier Fentie through their funding increase. We support the job that Marsh Lake does and we support the increase that they received so that they can pay their staff a fair wage. However, we also do a very good job and we deserve that same recognition.

1. Since we began our operations we have received no funding increase at all, although we have asked (and been denied) several times. During that same time YTG wages have increased approximately 18% and fuel prices have almost tripled. Marsh Lake got their increase of 50% after less than 1 year of operations.
2. While we do not receive as much garbage, we recycle about 25% more bottles and cans than Marsh Lake. And we do this in 40% less operating hours. (They are open 39 hours a week and we are open 23) We also recycle more than Marsh Lake does and we do this in 40% less time as well. (The amount that Marsh Lake recycles is growing very quickly and we expect their overall volumes to surpass ours in a few years as their staff educates the public.)
3. We accept tires at Mt. Lorne and we transport them to Whitehorse. There is no cost to the government at all. In Marsh Lake, they accept tires as well. But a contractor is hired to deal with the tires. We save the government money by transporting them ourselves.
4. We accept fridges at Mt. Lorne and we also transport them to other sites for proper disposal. There is no contractor cost to the government. At Marsh Lake a contractor is hired to deal with the fridges. We save the government money.
5. We accept metal at Mt. Lorne. We supply the metal bin for this service. We have not charged the government for the use of this container since we bought it.
6. Marsh Lake also accepts metal. A contractor is hired to deal with the metal. At Mt. Lorne we ensure that the metal bin that we provide for free to the government contains only metal. The government pays $200 to transport the bin to a metal salvage yard for processing. If the metal is clean there is no charge to the government. There has yet to be a back charge to the government for contaminated metal as far as we know. (We have recently had to stop providing this service as it was largely done on a volunteer basis so there may be recent charges and probably will be in the future.)
7. We save computers and electronics and transport them to Whitehorse for recycling. This saves the government tipping fees and transportation fees.
8. We have a compost site and organics site for natural material that is not suitable for composting. This saves the government tipping fees and transportation fees.
   

What options are available to us if we don’t receive equal funding?

1. If we receive the same funding as Marsh Lake - business as usual. This will entail lots more letters, phone calls, and emails to Premier Fentie and to Minister of Community Services letting them know how you feel about their methods of distributing funds. At some point one can only hope that our elected representatives would actually listen to the public they are supposed to serve.
2. If we do not receive equal funding we have to decide whether or not we should sign the draft contract they have offered us.
3. We could sign the contract under protest and investigate options such as reduced hours. With our current funding level from the government we would have to cut our hours down to 12 hours per week winter and summer, to pay ourselves at the same rate as Marsh Lake funding. Perhaps we could increase our volume of garbage by offering incentives to the public to bring their garbage to Mt. Lorne!
   

What are we doing now?

Even though the government doesn’t recognize the efforts of our organization, our staff and our volunteers, our community does. And it is because of your support that we feel we need to consult with you before we make a decision.

Therefore we will be having a public meeting to discuss the options available to us on Wednesday, May 28 at the Lorne Mountain Community Center at 7:00pm.

We will be inviting Premier Fentie and Minister of Community Services Glenn Hart to explain the government’s position and, hopefully, answer your questions.

So please come and let them know how you feel and help us decide what to do.

Thank you again for your amazing support.

 

Mike Bailie
Mt. Lorne Garbage Management Society

You could be hauling your garbage and recyclables to Whitehorse, or worse yet, smelling garbage burn again at Mile 9. Please speak out to save our transfer station.

If you believe that Mount Lorne’s pioneering waste facility should continue to provide full service to local residents, please contact the premier, Dennis Fentie, at 667-8660, or by email at premier@gov.yk.ca Tell Dennis what a bargain the Mile 9 dump is, even at $20/hour, and how important it is to the community. Ask him how he justifies one wage for Marsh Lake dump attendants, and another, considerably lower wage in Mount Lorne. Yes, calls and emails make a difference.

Write your own e-mail, or use the following:

Premier Dennis Fente
Dear Dennis,
Congratulations on your recent announcement of $80,000 in funding for community recycling. I hope you will extend the same spirit of environmental stewardship to properly funding Mount Lorne’s Mile 9 transfer station. Mount Lorne has pioneered community recycling and waste reduction in the Yukon. Dump employees already contribute a significant amount of volunteer time, and deserve to earn a decent wage for their paid hours, at parity with neighbouring facilities. Responsible garbage management is a top priority for Mount Lorne. Please help us to keep our transfer station open.

Yours truly, (name)

Or call your MLA

Mount Lorne MLA Steve Cardiff is pressing this issue with the government. It makes his case stronger if he can say he’s had “dozens of phone calls from constituents”. So give Steve a call at 393-7050 and let him know you’re concerned about the dump too.

Or contact:

Minister of Community Development Glen Hart 668-8629
   Deputy Minister of Community Development Marc Tremblay 667-5155
   Pat McInroy, Community Services Operations Supervisor 667-5195

Or write a letter to the editor. Yes, politicians read them.

For the Yukon News, go to www.yukon-news.com and use an online form, mail to:
Yukon News
211 Wood Street
Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
Y1A 2E4

For the Whitehorse Star,email letters@whitehorsestar.com or mail to:
Letters to the Editor,
Whitehorse Star
2149 Second Avenue
Whitehorse, YT Y1A 1C5

 

 

Background info . . .

The next challenge . . .

 

Please contact Mike or Lee at the Mt. Lorne transfer station for more information or if you have any ideas, suggestions or contributions of any kind that you’d like to make.

To Top

What's up at the Dump?

Metal

We have a big red dumpster or roll off for waste metal. All metal can be deposited in this bin and it will be recycled. However, if material other than metal is put in the bin, like regular garbage, old couches, wood, etc. then it will not be able to be recycled and we will no longer have this bin for metal. This means we will no longer be accepting metal at the dump.

So please, METAL ONLY in the big red dumpster and we will all benefit.

Organics

Organics is material such as cat litter and dog waste that is natural and will decompose given the chance. But it is material that you wouldn't put in the compost, unless you had a huge (commercial sized) compost pile that reaches temperatures high enough to kill all the foreign organisms

So please, put organic material in the organics pit.

Ask attendant for details or watch for the new signs going up

Organics Include:

cat litter
Dog waste
Straw bedding
Wood ashes (including nails)
Paper - contaminated paper that can't be recycled i.e. toilet paper, fast food wrapping etc.
Small yard waste

Reuse

We have been getting an awful lot of material for the reuse area lately and this is good. However, if the item dropped off is not really reusable, this material has to be taken to the landfill. This is done on a volunteer basis as there is no money for this.

Reusable items that are not reusable, usually mattresses and furniture in not very good shape, cost us more than $70 per ton and cannot go into the dumpsters for transfer.

So please, make sure that items dropped off for reuse are actually reusable or you will be asked to take them to another site that can deal with these items.