Fort William First Nation Now Recycles!

Fort William First Nation Curbside Recycling Information

Citizens of Fort William First Nation (FWFN) living on Mountain Road, City Road (to Back Street) and Quarry Road can now access our community's first recycling project. This pilot project, running from November 2007 until March 2009, will enable our community to participate in conventional solid waste management while educating the Anishinabek of the Gitchi Gami Environmental Programs on how to expand the project to the rest of Fort William First Nation beyond 2009.

Materials Accepted Recyclable products include:

Bag#1 Newspaper, flyers, magazines, catalogues, and soft covered books, household fine paper and box board e.g. Cereal boxes. Cardboard can be put in a blue bag or flattened and bundled 3'X2'X2' maximum bundle size or smaller. This may be bound with string or packing tape.

CHRISTMAS WRAP IS NOT RECYCLABLE


Bag#2 Rinsed metal food and beverage containers, pop cans, tetrapaks (juice boxes) and rinsed milk cartons, 1&2 plastic bottles only.

NO GLASS

ALL BAGS MUST BE VISIBLE AT THE ROADSIDE NO LATER THAN 7 AM EVERY SECOND MONDAY BEGINNING NOVEMBER 5, 2007


Recycling Dates and Times:

All bags must be visible at the roadside no later than 7 am every second Monday beginning November 5, 2007.

Recycling Service Areas:

All houses along Mountain Road, City Road (from James Street to City Road) and Quarry Road will be able to participate in this pilot project. All businesses are excluded from this pilot project, though the AGG would welcome discussions on how we could partner with FWFN businesses. Each household in the service area will be provided with a one time only set of blue bags. All of the participants who are included are encouraged to participate to the full extent to expand this trial to a full time and for all areas of the FWFN.

Why a Pilot Project?

Curbside recycling on Fort William First Nation (FWFN) has unique challenges. Unleashed dogs, bears, and a history of storing all waste inside wooden garbage bins are all factors that our community must overcome in order to bring curbside recycling to all of FWFN. This pilot project, ending March 31, 2007, will provide community members and the AGG with an opportunity to identify impediments to curbside recycling in our community. Subsequently we can identify the unique solutions to the unique problems our First Nation community faces in terms of offering curbside recycling. Once we've had time to reflect on these problems and solutions, the AGG plans to expand the project to other parts of Fort William First Nation, and eventually to the entire community.

Why is this Project Needed?

Both FWFN and non-FWFN citizens are using the Squaw Bay Road Dump. Here, waste that includes various plastics and other recyclable materials are being burned on a regular basis. When plastic is burned in uncontrolled dump settings it creates dioxin, which has been linked to cancer and diabetes and has been named the "the most toxic substance known to humans". By diverting recyclable materials from our waste stream we can make our community a healthier place for future generations.

More Background:

In 2006, EcoSuperior Environmental Programs partnered with residents of Fort William First Nation (FWFN) to administer the Community Awareness, Review and Development (CARD) survey. This survey identified a major need for recycling on FWFN and that the issue of waste management is resonates throughout the community.

Before the start of this project, the dump on Squaw Bay Road was identified as putting the health of the FWFN residents at risk. The CARD survey found 75% of respondents said that they do not recycle paper, plastic, glass, or metal, yet 66% said they wanted to recycle. Another shocking finding identified in the survey was that 40% of respondents said garbage was "always" burned on FWFN.

The start of the FWFN curbside recycling pilot project will start on November 5, 2007. This pilot area will include 80 residents, which include Mountain Road, City Road (up to Back Street), and Quarry Road.