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 Octoberafter it could no longer afford to subsidize the costs of recycling non-refundable items, like cardboard and plastics. Before itsclosure, Raven Recycling had been operating in Whitehorse for 22 years.

In January, representatives from bothRavenand P&Mtoldcity councilthey 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 itwill re-evaluate itsprogress 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 besome time in May.