Just by using existing recycling and re-use facilities, Whitehorse residents could significantly postpone the need for a new city dump, says the city's Environmental Co-ordinator Sabine Schweiger.

"It's not really out of our means to double the life of the landfill."

Residents who took part in a trial waste-reduction program over the past year showed it can be done. Participants in the program, called Waste Watch, reduced the amount of garbage they sent to the landfill by more than 50 percent.

Part of the reason for the dramatic reduction was the use of a central composting facility. Program participants separated compostable materials out of their garbage and set them out for pick-up every other week. During the trial period of the program, a record was kept of the amounts of garbage and compost produced by the participating households.

The use of a machine to shred large pieces of material made it possible to compost boxboard and other paper products that are difficult to handle in a household compost container. As a result, things like pizza boxes and paper food wrappers were diverted from the landfill to the composting facility.

Composting alone isn't the answer to reducing the amount of garbage we generate, says Schweiger. The three Rs -- reduce, re-use, and recycle -- still apply.

"As a home owner you have lots of opportunities to reduce the amount of waste you send to the landfill," she says.

Simple measures, like buying in bulk and carrying your own shopping bags, make a big difference in the amount of packaging that passes through your household, Schweiger says.

Buying second-hand goods not only reduces packaging but also reduces the demand for newly-manufactured materials.

"Re-use stores have really blossomed in Whitehorse," says Schweiger. "It's become quite an industry. Re-use reduces the amount going into the landfill and it also creates economic benefits."

Recycling has also blossomed in recent years. It's now possible to recycle cans, bottles, cardboard, glass, paper, textiles, oil, batteries, and some plastics in Whitehorse. There's a year-round paint exchange at the Whitehorse landfill, and special days for collecting hazardous wastes, Schweiger adds.

Based on the Canadian average, Whitehorse produces about 20 thousand tonnes of waste a year, says Schweiger. About half of that total originates with industrial, commercial and institutional sources, often referred to as ICI sources. The other half comes from residences.

Because commercial waste has a high proportion of recyclable material like cardboard, paper and glass, Schweiger estimates that 65 percent of the commercially-generated waste in Whitehorse could be diverted from the landfill by recycling and composting.

Residential waste in Whitehorse accounts for about 500 kilograms per person per year.

"From a household perspective, you could be diverting more than 50 percent just through recycling and composting," Schweiger says. Reduction and re-use would trim the total even further.

The Waste Watch program demonstrated that it can be done. More than 50 percent of the waste from the participating households, even after recycling and re-use, was diverted away from the landfill. In fact, the program worked so well that the city is continuing curbside pick-up of compost and is evaluating expansion of the service.

For more information about waste disposal options, contact the City of Whitehorse Environmental Co-ordinator at (867) 668-8312 or Environment Canada in Whitehorse.