Recovering Scrap Metal from Northern Communities in

Final Project Report

Prepared by Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council

March 31, 2007

A project funded by Government of Climate Change Mitigation Program Northern Saskatchewan Scrap Metals Project 2

Background Metal recycling in the southern half of Saskatchewan is fairly well established. Most municipal landfills have a designated area for scrap metals. Some recycling programs include household metals. The collection and recycling of scrap metal from northern communities is hampered by transportation distances and lack of infrastructure. There are metal stockpiles in Saskatchewan’s north, but their locations and volumes have not been systematically catalogued. In addition, there is currently no plan in place to address either the legacy piles or the ongoing accumulation of such materials.

Project Objectives The objectives of this project were: • to locate and quantify the extent of metals stockpiled in northern Saskatchewan communities • to conduct a pilot to remove scrap metal from selected communities in order to determine the associated costs of scrap metal recovery in northern Saskatchewan • to investigate potential transportation options, including transportation corridors and backhaul options, to move scrap metals from northern communities to southern markets • to develop an implementation plan for the province that will include recommendations and creative ways of overcoming the barriers to increased recycling of northern/remote scrap metal • to seek the commitment from partners to embrace the scrap metal recovery plan with a view towards ongoing support

Results

Steering Committee The first task of the project was to bring together a steering committee composed of those knowledgeable about northern communities and those knowledgeable about scrap metal issues. Project Steering Committee Members: Warren Kelly, Sask. Environment, Ken Latimer, Wheat City Metals, Regina Boyd Clark & Al Loke, NewNorth—Sask. Assoc. of Northern Communities, La Ronge John Schisler, La Ronge Waste Management Corp., Rob Sinclair, NRCAN, Ottawa Yann Ruskovski, PAGC, Prince Albert Ian McDonald, McDonald Metals, Prince Albert Bryce Jardine, INAC/EC, Regina Randy Braaten, SK Government Relations, La Ronge Victor Chang, Sask. Environment, Regina Bruce Trotter, Meadow Lake Tribal Council, Meadow Lake The committee met several time to discuss scrap metal issues in the north. A workplan was adopted and later revised when it became clear that it would not be feasible within project timelines to carry out community scrap metal cleanups as pilot projects. The steering committee also met to decide on a long-term plan for handling scrap metal in the north. Northern Saskatchewan Scrap Metals Project 3

Scrap Metal Survey We completed a physical survey of 38 community scrap metal piles in northern Saskatchewan in January and February, 2007. Winter conditions have hampered the quality of the information received somewhat, but many piles were identified.

Situations vary greatly throughout the north. Communities manage their scrap in different ways. Some communities do not have a separate scrap metal pile, so their scrap is non- recoverable. Others may have poor or no road access so their options are limited. Many northern communities are very small and a plan to amalgamate their scrap with larger communities will be necessary. The entire survey is attached as Appendix A.

Pilot Sites We were unable to clean up any scrap metal piles as a pilot project because of the unavailability of equipment, the short time frame and the winter conditions. We were able to arrange for consolidation of abandoned vehicles in St. George’s Hill. The community had no formal scrap metal pile and many derelict vehicles were scattered throughout. The community selected a new site for the vehicles and a local company prepared the site and moved 35 vehicles to it. The cost of this project was about $3500. It included the clearing of roads and site preparation as well as the cost of dragging the abandoned vehicles from various locations to the new site. Now that the community has a designated area for scrap metals, it plans to continue to use it to collect scrap metal.

New Designated Scrap Metal Area

Area (roughly) before project

Derelict vehicles scattered around St. George’s Hill before the new site was established: Northern Saskatchewan Scrap Metals Project 4

Development of Educational Resources The steering committee recommended the development of educational resources to assist northern communities in improving how scrap metal is handled. Three items were developed, directed at different audiences. The first is a one-page brochure directed at operators — those in charge of landfills and designated areas. The brochure outlines the basic information on how scrap metal should be separated and handled, and gives some tips on how to arrange materials so that scrap metal dealers might be interested. A copy of the brochure is included as Appendix C.

The second educational resource is a backgrounder directed at community administrators. The backgrounder provides basic information about scrap metal and goes into more detail about any regulations surrounding scrap metal areas, describes the benefits of scrap metal recycling, and outlines how scrap metal should be prepared, e.g. removing mercury switches, draining fuel tanks, etc.

The third resource is a one-panel display on how to handle scrap metals for optimum recycling. This display will be used at educational events and conferences in northern communities to reinforce the messages in the brochure and the backgrounder. The display is designed to be easy to set up and use, and we hope it will be used at many venues.

Long Term Plan While the educational resources will provide the information needed to run future northern scrap metal piles optimally, many current piles do not follow any guidelines. These piles will need to be cleaned up before new procedures can be implemented. Communities contacted during the survey were amenable to having their piles cleaned up.

In some other provinces, a company has been able to make a business from servicing northern communities’ scrap metal piles. This hasn’t happened on its own in Saskatchewan. In fact, our communities have great difficulties getting scrap metal dealers to even consider a pick-up. One suggested solution was for a northern organization to purchase mobile equipment that could travel to northern communities and process their scrap metal. While the approach has many factors to recommend it, it was considered unworkable. The cost of the equipment, the ongoing coordination, staffing, maintenance and travel costs would be very high. As the distances to scrap metal dealers effectively cancel out the value of the scrap, it wasn’t clear who would cover the ongoing costs in this system.

The steering committee also considered the value of a one-time cleanup of the scrap metal piles in northern communities. While not a sustainable solution in the very long term, a one- time cleanup would give the communities the opportunity to re-start their scrap metal collection areas. In combination with the cleanup and the educational resources provided by this project, we hope that northern communities would re-establish their scrap metal collection systems in a more environmentally sound way and in a way that will make the scrap easier to be moved to scrap metal dealers. We also hope that the cleanup will lead to increased community pride and will reduce scrap metal dumping.

Northern Saskatchewan Scrap Metals Project 5

A one-time cleanup will provide a clear idea of the cost of pulling the scrap metal out of northern Saskatchewan communities. It also gives a few years in which other long-term solutions (e.g. industry stewardship) could be developed. Alternatively, another cleanup could be planned in 5-10 years if it were needed.

The steering committee decided that the one-time cleanup is a useful medium-term plan that will generate useful cost and logistical information for future programs. NewNorth, the organization of northern Saskatchewan municipalities, has initiated the development of the one-time cleanup plan. Using the information from the community survey, NewNorth is estimating the amount of scrap metal that will need to be collected from the northern communities.

The plan includes the use of three sites located near the southern edge of the Northern Administrative District (NAD-see page 6) the district that NewNorth serves. These three sites will be used to consolidate the scrap metal. One site will serve the west side of the NAD, one the centre and the third will serve the east part of the NAD. Specific requirements of the sites include: -accessibility by large trucks and equipment — old gravel pits or other sites with good drainage are optimal -large enough to handle the estimated amounts of scrap available -the potential to become permanent consolidation sites for scrap metal -it would also be useful if the sites were able to be secured in some way Potential sites have been identified and work continues to get the permissions needed to use them for scrap metal consolidation.

NewNorth approached all northern communities to discuss the cleanup project. Communities who sign on to the cleanup project agreed to follow the rules and guidelines (if they weren’t already) when they re-establish their scrap metal systems. Each community is expected to assist in the consolidation by providing the labour to load the trucks. Communities are also responsible for gathering together any scrap metal that is scattered around so that it can be included in the consolidation.

NewNorth gathered estimates of the cost of gathering the materials from participating communities to the consolidation points. Once the cleanup plan details were finalized, NewNorth developed a proposal that will be presented to several funding agencies. We expect that if funding is secured work can begin in the summer of 2008. The NewNorth Proposal is included as Appendix B.

Northern Saskatchewan Scrap Metals Project 6

Saskatchewan’s Northern Administration District (NAD) Northern Saskatchewan Scrap Metals Project 7

Appendix A: Survey of Community Scrap Metal Piles in Northern Saskatchewan Bear Creek Bear Creek is an unorganized hamlet on Highway 155 between and . Estimated population is 47. Its landfill is located at N56 17.638' W108 55.297'. There is a small pile of scrap metal and there are a few vehicles scattered about the community, roughly 27 tonnes.

Beauval

The Northern Village of Beauval is just off Highway 155 between Green Lake and La Loche. The population of the town is 802 (2006 Census). Beauval borders on the IR192 English River reserve. The landfill at located at N55 08.155' W107 38.315'. It has a total area of about 1.5 hectares, with several cars at both ends of the landfill site, and a large pile of appliances. The town has backhoes and similar equipment available to move scrap. Several vehicles have also been abandoned at an old residential school site (N55 09.289' W107 35.092'). Estimated scrap is 308 tonnes.

Black Lake Black Lake is on the north end of Highway 955 on a winter road. It is a reserve community with a population of 1109 (2006 Census). Black Lake has closed their landfill and become part of a regional system with . There are Northern Saskatchewan Scrap Metals Project 8 scrap metal piles (about 54 tonnes) in several locations in Black Lake: -a car dump (N59 08.166' W105 36.604') -an abandoned car dump (N59 09.640 W105 39.041' to N59 09.635' W105 38.923') -the closed landfill (N59 08.330' W105 37.153')

Black Lake Closed Landfill

Black Lake — old car dump

Black Lake Car Dump

Black Point Black Point is an unorganized hamlet on Highway 956 about 16km from La Loche. It has an estimated population of 47. Scrap metal is located at an old landfill at N56 21.186' W109 23.818'. There is also a group of abandoned cars at N56 21.636 W109 26.335'. Total scrap is roughly 40 tonnes.

Abandoned car site

Old landfill Northern Saskatchewan Scrap Metals Project 9

Buffalo Narrows Scrap Vehicle Area

Designated scrap metal area at landfill The Northern Village of Buffalo Narrows is on Highway 155. It has a population of 1081 (2006 Census). There are two main areas for scrap metal in Buffalo Narrows. A scrap vehicle area is located at N55 52.851' W108 31.980'. The landfill (N55 57.215' W108 32.555') is well organized and has designated areas for scrap metals. Estimated scrap is 54 tonnes.

Canoe Narrows Canoe Narrows is part of the Canoe Lake Indian Reserve. It is located on Highway 965 west of Beauval. The reserve has a population of 822 (2006 Census). In addition to derelict vehicles in yards, there are two scrap metal sites. Old vehicles are piled around the east and south sides of the lagoon (N55 09.314' W108 09.766). There also a scrap metal pile at their old dump site (N55 07.359' W108 10.267). Total scrap is estimated at 122 tonnes.

Vehicles around lagoon

Scrap Metal at old dumpsite Northern Saskatchewan Scrap Metals Project 10

Cole Bay is on highway 955, west of Beauval near Canoe Narrows. Its estimated population is 156. Their landfill site (N55 04.323 W108 19.322) has been burnt, bulldozed and buried. Very little scrap metal has been built up since this was done. There is an old car dump at N55 05.473' W108 19.585'. There are also abandoned vehicles scattered down a trail at N55 05.356' W108 19.536'. Total scrap is about 27 tonnes.

Abandoned vehicles down a trail near Cole Bay

Vehicle Collection Area Cumberland House Cumberland House is on Highway 123 northeast of Carrot River. Its population is 810 (2006 Census). The community had a scrap metal cleanup about 16 years ago and would be willing to assist any future cleanup by marshalling abandoned vehicles and other scrap. The community’s landfill (N53 86.026' W102 19.796') has a large scrap metal pile. There are also some abandoned vehicle areas, one of them is at N53 56.883' W102 16.143'. Total scrap is estimated at 104 tonnes.

Part of scrap metal pile at landfill

Abandoned vehicles Northern Saskatchewan Scrap Metals Project 11

Deschambault Lake

Deschambault Lake is on Highway 911 north off the Hansen Lake Road. It is part of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, with a population of 821 (2006 Census). The community has a relatively new landfill (N54 48.080' W103 20.401') and a very organized scrap metal area, about two tonnes accumulated so far. Descharme Lake Descharme Lake is north of La Loche on Highway Landfill 955. It is an unorganized hamlet with an estimated population of 42. The landfill (N57 07.425' W109 11.560') doesn’t appear to have a separate scrap metal area, but it was hard to tell with the snow. There were a few derelict vehicles in the community itself.

Dillon Dillon is part of the Buffalo River Dene Nation with a population of 741. It is on highway 925 west of Buffalo Narrows. A large, organized pile of partly crushed cars at (N55 55.397' W108 55.147') is the main source of scrap metal in the area, estimated at 270 tonnes.

Car pile at Dillon Northern Saskatchewan Scrap Metals Project 12

Dore Lake ’s scrap pile Dore Lake is on Highway 924, northeast of Green Lake. It has an estimated population of 27. Dore Lake has a well-organized landfill site (N54 36.711 W107 22.541) with a scrap metal area consisting mainly of appliances and some barrels. Total scrap, including about 20 abandoned cars, is roughly 28 tonnes. Garson Lake

Garson Lake landfill

Garson Lake is near the Alberta border on Highway 956 southwest of La Loche. It has an estimated population of 34. The landfill (N56 18.327' W109 57.851') doesn’t appear to have a separate scrap metal area, but it was difficult to tell. There are a few derelict vehicles in the community and another 6 vehicles at the old dumpsite (that we couldn’t get to). There was also an abandoned industrial site with an estimated 36 tonnes of scrap. Grandmother’s Bay Northern Saskatchewan Scrap Metals Project 13

Grandmother’s Bay is off Highway 102 northeast of La Ronge. The community is part of the band with a population of 320. The landfill ( N5539.706' W104 40.496') is very well organized and has a separate, fenced area for scrap metals approximately 15 x 30 metres. There were about 45 tonnes of scrap appliances at Grandmother’s Bay.

Green Lake Green Lake is on Highway 55 east of Meadow Lake with a population of 361 (2006 Census). The landfill (N54 16.562' W107 50.973') has a designated area for scrap metal about 20m across and 5 m high. Estimated scrap is 90 tonnes. Green Lake metal pile

Ile-a-la-Crosse Ile-a-la-Crosse is on highway 908 north of Beauval with a population of 1341. The landfill (N55 30.357' W107 58.569') has no separate scrap metal pile. There is an old dump site (N55 28.178' W107 55.101') with a small amount of scrap metal present, about 27 tonnes.

Metal pile at old dump site

Jan Lake Jan Lake is an unorganized hamlet off the Hanson Lake Road on Highway 135. The landfill (N54 52.596' W102 45.909') had some scrap (about 4.5 tonnes), there was probably more under the snow.

Scrap metal at Jan Lake Northern Saskatchewan Scrap Metals Project 14

Jan’s Bay Jan’s Bay is on Highway 965 close to Canoe Narrows. It has a population of about 198. In addition to many derelict vehicles in yards, the community has scrap metal in two other places: the new landfill N55 08.980' W108 05.909' and an old car dump N55 08.950' W108 07.373' (estimate: 135 tonnes). There is also a private collection of Old car dump old appliances.

New landfill scrap area

Private appliance stockpile

La Loche

La Loche car dump (partial)

La Loche is on Highway 155 north of Buffalo Narrows. One of the largest communities in the north, La Loche has a population of 2348 (2006 Census). There is a car dump at N56 28.701' W109 24.806' — a large area arranged in a L shape (scrap estimate 67 tonnes). The landfill does not have a designated area for scrap metals and is regularly bulldozed, so no scrap metal is generated from that source. Michel Michel is on Highway 925, not far from Dillon, with an estimated population of 79. There are at least 20 derelict vehicles around the community. There are also several car carcasses at N56 00.811' W109 07.103' along the road into Michel. Estimated scrap: 18 tonnes.

Car bodies along side of road Northern Saskatchewan Scrap Metals Project 15

Missinipe is on Highway 102 north of La Ronge. It has 5 permanent residents (2006 Census) with a greater population in summer. Their landfill (N55 34.374' W104 47.839') has large metal pile. Its base is cars that have been stripped (motors pulled etc.) and crushed with a bulldozer. Other scrap metal has then been piled on top. Estimated total: 45 tonnes. Missinipe Metal Pile

Montreal Lake Montreal Lake is a reserve on Highway 930 near with a population of 880 (2006 Census). The landfill ( N54 03.726' W105 49.194) has a designated area for scrap metal, about 18 tonnes.

Scrap metal pile

Patuanak is on Highway 918 north of next to the English River reserve. It has an estimated population of 84. The landfill (N55 50.949' W107 41.786') has a scrap metal area. Where the road curves at N55 53.479 W107 42.138, there are several abandoned vehicles. The reserve has dug a trench at N55 54.693' W107 43.421' with at several wrecks tipped into it but not yet buried. Estimated scrap throughout the community is 54 tonnes.

Trench at reserve Northern Saskatchewan Scrap Metals Project 16

Patuanak landfill

Abandoned vehicles on both sides of the road—Patuanak

Pinehouse Lake — Pinehouse Lake is on Highway 914 northwest of La Ronge. Pinehouse Lake’s population is 1076 (2006 Census). Workers at the landfill site (N55 36.774' W106 36.101') estimate that there are between 200 and 300 crushed cars piled about six deep (400 tonnes). There are also an industrial site that were impassable at the time of the survey that is reported to have equipment scrap, about 50-100 tonnes.

Sandy Bay

Crushed vehicles at Pinehouse Lake landfill

Sandy Bay is on Highway 135 northeast of Pelican Narrows with an estimated population of 1175. Landfill N55 28.420' W102 18.219' does not have a separate metal collection area. There is a car dump at N55 30.919' W102 18.174' with many cars, estimated at 135 tonnes (100 cars). Sandy Bay car dump

Sandy Bay car dump Northern Saskatchewan Scrap Metals Project 17

Southend Southend is at the end of Highway 102 on the IR200 Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation with a population of 910. The landfill (N56 19.637' W103 25.853) has a separate area for appliances but it was difficult to tell how many in the snow. The community also has a car dump in a sandpit at (N56 19.477' W103 15.369'). Some of the vehicles are stacked three deep. Estimated scrap: 70 tonnes.

Southend car dump Southend landfill

Southend car dump St. George’s Hill

St. George’s Hill Car Dump

St. George’s Hill is on Highway 925 west of Buffalo Narrows with an estimated population of 19. There is a car dump near the lagoon (N55 52.962' W108 57.650). There are many vehicles spread around town, about 36 tonnes.

Stanley Mission is on Highway 915 northeast of La Ronge with an estimated population of 124. There is a fenced enclosure for scrap metal at the landfill, about 45 tonnes.

Stanley Mission metal area Northern Saskatchewan Scrap Metals Project 18

Stony Rapids Stony Rapids is on the north end of Highway 955 on a winter road with a population of 255. The new landfill shared with Black Lake (N59 12.047' W105 46.637') has a designated area for metals. Stony Rapids also has a car dump (N59 15.195' W105 48.863') and some metal at its old landfill site (N59 13.791' W105 48.546'), estimated at 68 tonnes.

Stony Rapids car dump

Stony Rapids shared landfill

Weyakwin is on Highway 2 just northeast of the Prince Albert National Park with a population of 99. Scrap metal in Weyakwin is at the landfill (N54 26.284' W105 53.499') and in a car dump (N54 25.577' W105 47.752'). Total scrap estimated at 76 tonnes. Weyakwin metal pile

Weyakwin car dump Northern Saskatchewan Scrap Metals Project 19

Wollaston Lake Wollaston Lake is a fly-in community accessible by a winter road off Highway 905 with an estimated population of 129. The landfill (N58 05.892' W103 07.297') has separate piles for CFC appliances and metallic scrap appliances, old scrap metals and snowmobiles (being used for parts). There is also a car dump (N58 05.939 W103 10.334') with about 300 vehicles spread over several acres, also being stripped for parts. Estimated scrap is 410 tonnes.

Wollaston Lake car dump

Wollaston Lake landfill

Communities not included in the survey:

Brabant Lake Has no scrap pile—ships waste to Southend Creighton Community is large & close to , MB Metal pile was cleaned up last summer Timber Bay No separate metal pile Pelican Narrows No separate metal pile Sled Lake No landfill — ships to La Ronge Fond du Lac Remote & beyond project budget Remote & beyond project budget Remote & beyond project budget Northern Saskatchewan Scrap Metals Project 20

Appendix B: Proposal for One-Time Scrap Clean-up of Northern Communities

This proposal was prepared for the project by the Saskatchewan Association of Northern Communities (SANC).

Objectives: • To figure out how to conduct a one-time cleanup of municipal scrap metal piles in Northern Saskatchewan • To identify, and gain community support for, consolidation points for the scrap metal • To outline community roles and responsibilities in the one-time cleanup of scrap metal and to gain community support for these • To identify realistic cost estimates for the one-time clean-up • To compile all the information gathered into a proposal that can be submitted to fund the one-time cleanup.

Benefits: The benefits of this project are: • The recovery of scrap metal waste in northern Saskatchewan. • Environmental benefits such as elimination of toxic effluent from automobiles and refrigerators, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. • The education of northern people about proper scrap metal recycling practices. • Increased community pride via clean up activities.

Project Scope: Within Saskatchewan’s Northern Administration District (NAD) (map, right) , the province is subdivided into three areas. The top area, the far north, is comprised of communities that are primarily accessed by air or seasonal roads. Costs to transport scrap metal to the project collection points would be prohibitive. It would make more sense for the far north communities to consider other ways to remove scrap metal, possibly by barge. A separate proposal to remove scrap metal from the far north is needed.

The bottom half of the NAD is divided into three sections for this project: North-West, North- Central and North-East. SANC member municipalities were contacted: North-West : Dore Lake, Patuanak, , , St. Georges Hill, Cole Bay, , Green Lake, Buffalo Narrows, Beauval, La Loche, and Ile-a-la-Crosse. North-Central : Air Ronge, La Ronge, Missinipe, Timber Bay, Pinehouse, and Weyakwin. Northern Saskatchewan Scrap Metals Project 21

North-East : Sandy Bay, Denare Beach, Creighton, Cumberland House, and Pelican Narrows.

It is proposed that the communities of each region prepare their scrap metal and have it hauled to the identified consolidation points. Once the metal is at the consolidation points, McDonald Metals in Prince Albert will remove it at no additional cost to the communities.

The creation of large scrap metal piles from many small piles is the only way to entice recyclers like McDonald Metals to come and remove it. This is because it is too costly for them to travel from community to community conducting assessments and collections. It is much easier to ship all the metal into one point. This is where the value of collaboration is most evident. Without it, the recycling of metal scrap at this scale would not be feasible.

Consolidation Points: Consolidation points have been identified for the North-West and North-Central regions: North-West: Beauval The consolidation point in Beauval will either be the Beauval landfill, or property in the industrial area that Beauval has agreed might suit the project’s needs. This will be at Beauval’s discretion. North-Central: La Ronge Regional Waste Management Corporation The consolidation point in La Ronge is the La Ronge Regional Waste Management Corporation landfill. It already contains a designated area for scrap metal that is used by the communities that are members of the corporation. While La Ronge’s scrap metal pile was cleaned up in the fall and winter of 2006, the region is large enough to generate significant amounts of scrap metal on an ongoing basis. No collection point was identified for the North-East region.

Regional Overview:

North-East Region: Three communities responded to the request for interest in the project. Denare Beach declined to be part of the program because they had already dealt with their scrap metal privately. Creighton was asked to be the North-East collection point, but declined to be part of the initiative because they were entering into a private agreement with Mandak Metals in Manitoba. Mandak Metals was willing to do a full clean-up for the town without any assistance from the town, likely due to the size of the community and its proximity to Flin Flon.

The only other community in the North-East region that is interested is Sandy Bay. Since only one community is involved in that region, it can either have its shipping reimbursed to haul its scrap metal directly to McDonald Metals in Prince Albert, or be encouraged to bring in a scrap recycler just as Creighton has done. Since it appears communities in the North-East are close enough to Manitoba to engage in partnership with private scrap metal recyclers, it may prove to be cost effective for Sandy Bay to do the same.

North-Central Region: In the North-Central region La Ronge and Air Ronge both agreed to be part of the program. Air Ronge is a member of the La Ronge Regional Waste Management Corporation and already uses its landfill. Missinipe was very interested in the proposal but had several concerns: Northern Saskatchewan Scrap Metals Project 22

1. Missinipe has a limited available labour to provide for the sorting/loading of metals. 2. Missnipe does not have any experience with the scrap metal trade, and would need assistance in sorting allowable materials 3. Missinipe is a tourism-oriented community and wouldn’t be able to provide manpower to prepare the scrap metal until late September, or early October. 4. Missinipe would need one year to budget for manpower and additional resources. A reasonable target date for implementation would be autumn of 2008.

If accommodations were made for Missinipe, the hamlet would likely participate. Missinipe has been included in this proposal.

North-West Region: Beauval, Buffalo Narrows, St. Georges Hill, Ile-a-la-Crosse, La Loche and Green Lake are all interested in this initiative and have agreed to participate. Beauval will be the consolidation point community. Village clerk Angus McKay has identified several contractors in the region that can be contacted through him for the hauling of scrap from other communities, and for the unloading of scrap metal in Beauval.

Community Obligations: Each scrap metal exporting community has agreed to the following: -To provide in kind support for the loading of the trucks, -To not ship prohibited (contaminated) scrap metal. -To make arrangements with a contractor, preferably within the community, to haul the scrap metal. To date, only Beauval has found a local contractor. Two logging companies (Button Top Logging and Double P Logging) have expressed interest in hauling the scrap metal.

Consolidation Point Communities: The consolidation point communities have offered their land for the short term storage of the scrap metal from all of the other participating communities of their region. Their scrap metal is already at the collection point so they do not need to ship it, and thus do not need to be reimbursed for shipping costs. The collection point communities will provide unloading support to the other communities, either through in-house services or contractors within the community. They will be reimbursed for this service at a rate of $150.00 per hour.

Consolidation Point Community Protection: The communities that have offered their land as a consolidation point have taken on extra responsibility and have done a great service in helping this initiative move forward. These communities need to be assured that they will not be stuck with scrap metal that is not acceptable to the recycler.

Preventative Measures: All communities have been given preliminary information regarding the kinds of scrap metal that are acceptable and the procedures for preparing the scrap metal. This information is adequate for the initial estimation of how many loads are contained in the community scrap metal piles and for explaining what the general acceptability requirements are. However, more information will need to be provided by the scrap metal recycler once the program begins. The scrap metal Northern Saskatchewan Scrap Metals Project 23 recycler will need to contact the communities and provide more instructions on preparing the scrap metal. Once the communities have this information and have prepared the scrap metal for shipment, they can ship to the consolidation points. Once the program commences, communities must be reminded that failure to comply with the guidelines provided by the recycler will result in them not being reimbursed for trucking expenses, and they will be required to remove the scrap metal from the collection point at their expense. This will be the only way to protect collection point communities from carrying an unfair burden, and will safeguard the potential for future collaborative efforts in the North.

Estimated Consolidation Costs: The costs of this project are actually quite small considering its scope. Table 1 provides an overview of the costs per community, a total per region, and a grand total for the entire project.

Trucking costs were provided by Angus McKay, Beauval’s clerk, in consultation with Button Top Logging and Double P Logging, two local companies interesting in trucking scrap metal for this project. Mr. McKay also provided assistance in determining unloading costs, based on figures Table 1: Estimated Scrap Metal Consolidation Costs Km to Transport Waiting Unloading # Total Community Consolid- ($3.20/ ($300/ ($150/ Loads Costs ation Pt. km) load) 4 load) 5 North East Region Sandy Bay 1 10 450 $14,400 $3,000 n/a $17,400 North Central Region Missinipe 10 82 $2,624 $3,000 $1,500 $7,124 La Ronge 2 0 0 Air Ronge 3 0 0 North West Region Beauval 2 0 0 Buffalo Narrows 5 113 $1,808 $1,500 $750 $4,058 Green Lake 35 103 $11,536 $10,500 $5,250 $27,286 Ile-a-la-Cross 5 88 $1,408 $1,500 $750 $3,658 La Loche 5 214 $3,424 $1,500 $750 $5,674 St. George's Hill 10 169 $5,408 $3,000 $1,500 $9,908 Grand Total $75,108 1 Estimated cost to ship from Sandy Bay directly to scrap metal recycler in Prince Albert because Sandy Bay is the only participating community in the North East region. 2 Consolidation points—no costs incurred because their scrap metal is already on site. 3 Air Ronge uses the same landfill as La Ronge — see note 2. 4 This is paid to the truckers for the time they spend waiting during loading and unloading. It assumes one hour to load and another to unload at $150/hour. 5 This is paid to the consolidation point communities as they are providing the labour and equipment to unload the trucks. It assumes one hour unloading time at $150/hour. Northern Saskatchewan Scrap Metals Project 24 from various contractors in Beauval.

Since participating communities have committed to providing in-kind labour to load the trucks, the only cost during loading is the $150/hour paid to the trucking company for ‘waiting time’. This cost is incurred again when the trucks are unloaded at the consolidation points. In addition, consolidation communities are paid $150/hour to cover their costs involved in unloading the trucks. Each community provided estimates of the number of loads of scrap metal in their piles.

Next Steps:

Once funding is secured several things need to be done:

1. Communities need to be made aware that the program will be funded.

2. The recycler needs to contact each community and provide a specification sheet to ensure that it is clear which scrap metals are acceptable and how they need to be handled.

3. The communities need to be contacted by the coordinator of this initiative and reminded of their obligations as members of this program.

4. A timeline needs to be developed. Communities should be given at least two months to prepare and ship their scrap metals to the consolidation points. As some communities have mentioned, a longer timeline would be more realistic. The time frame could be as little as two months and as much as one year.

5. The recycler must agree to remove the scrap metal from the collection points by a deadline to be decided upon in consultation with the collection point communities. Appendix C: Northern Scrap Metals Brochure Northern Saskatchewan Scrap Metals Project 25

AppendixScrap C: Northern Metal Scrap in Metal Northern Brochure Communities

Scrap metal (old appliances, vehicles, metal of providing service is a disadvantage to more household items) can be easily recycled into new remote communities. If distances are too great, metal products. Recycling scrap metals can dealers may require communities to pay them to pick • save valuable landfill space — scrap metal is very up the scrap. bulky • reduce exposure to toxic materials — scrap metal can contain mercury, lead, and other hazardous materials • increase community pride — abandoned scrap metal can be an eyesore • save energy and reduce greenhouse gases — recycling steel uses 75% less energy and produces 40% less greenhouse gases than producing it from virgin materials

Another potential difficulty can occur for communities who have small amounts of scrap metal. Picking up scrap metal usually involves specialized equipment and many dealers won’t go to a community unless there is enough scrap to make it economically worthwhile.

Metal piles that are contaminated are another problem. If the metal is mixed in with non-metal items, the cost of separating it out is often higher The Challenges for Northern Communities than the value of the metal. The main challenge to recovering scrap metal in northern Saskatchewan communities is the distance Strategies for Northern Communities to markets. The closest scrap dealers operate out of Community CoCo----operationoperation Prince Albert and the closest metal recycler is in The larger the scrap metal pile, the more attractive it Regina, hundreds of kilometres away. The value of is to scrap metal dealers. Several communities may the metal that can be recovered often doesn’t want to consider combining their scrap into one generate much surplus once the higher costs of large pile. Choose a site with an accessible road that transportation are included. can accommodate heavy equipment. Most scrap metal dealers prefer a minimum of 200 tonnes of While communities closer to markets can sometimes metal before they travel to pick up a pile. This is get paid a little bit for their scrap, the increased cost roughly 135 vehicles or 2500 appliances. Smaller Northern Saskatchewan Scrap Metals Project 26 communities would need many years to accumulate Handling scrap vehicles this amount, so it makes sense to consider joining Saskatchewan Environment regulations ban the piles together. disposal (burial) of vehicles at landfills. Communities can get a permit to establish a designated area for Keep a clean, wellwell----organizedorganized pile vehicles. It makes sense to have a scrap vehicle drop- Scrap metal dealers will not put their labour into off near the general scrap metal pile if there is enough sorting out the metal from a pile contaminated with space. Sask. Environment usually requires that old wood, dirt or other non-metal items. In addition to vehicles stored in the designated area have the being more attractive to scrap dealers, tidy, organized battery, oil and gas removed beforehand. Vehicles piles can contribute to community pride. should be stored in a single layer. Although it takes up more space, vehicles should never be flattened. The Some care and scrap dealers need access to the trunks and hoods to planning is be able to remove any mercury switches and other necessary to keep hazardous items before they flatten the vehicles the scrap metal themselves. pile contaminant- free. Good, clear Separate out the aluminium and copper signs and a clearly Aluminium and copper have a higher value than marked area for steel. Keep them separate from the other scrap and citizens to drop off the dealers will be able to give you a higher price for scrap metal are a them. You can tell they are not steel because a good starting point. Keeping an eye on the pile and magnet won’t stick to them. The higher value of non- removing inappropriate items (i.e., if it is not mostly ferrous (non-steel/iron) metals may help offset the metal, it belongs somewhere else) stops other citizens costs of getting metal out of more remote from thinking it is okay to put non-metal items into the communities. Communities may want to consider scrap metal pile. securing these metal piles to prevent scavenging.

Handling old appliances Getting the scrap out Some appliances require special handling to minimize Two scrap metal dealers in the province have mobile their hazard to the community. Federal regulations equipment to handle municipal scrap metal piles: require that air conditioners and refrigerators have McDonald Metals, (Ian McDonald) 306-764-9333 the coolant (CFCs) removed and destroyed by a Curtis Construction, (Rod Anderson) 306-543-3944 licensed technician. Communities may want to consider charging a small fee for accepting CFC- Communities also have the option of paying a containing appliances that could be put toward the trucking company to haul their scrap metal out. For a cost of having the CFCs removed. Appliances should list of Saskatchewan scrap metal dealers and their be lined up with the backs facing out. Once the specifications, visit www.saskwastereduction.ca/dbase coolants have been removed, the appliances and select ‘all communities’ and ‘scrap metal.’ other household scrap can be pushed into a pile to reduce space, as long as no dirt gets mixed in.

Prepared by the Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council, 306-931-3242, [email protected], www.saskwastereduction.ca with the assistance of Government of Canada Climate Change Mitigation Program, www.recycle.nrcan.gc.ca March, 2007