Take Back The Tundra

What happens to old washing machines, cars, and snowmobiles in the Arctic?What goes up must come down!

Canada's spectacular Arctic makes up over 40% of our landmass and is home to more than 100,000 Canadians. It is an essential part of our national identity and an area of growing importance internationally, it’s also more affected by rapid climate change than any other part of Canada. The Arctic is home to the Inuit, who have lived there for thousands of years, and to remarkable species, like polar bears and narwhal, many of which live nowhere else on the planet.

Each year, tonnes of vehicles and other metal-based products go up to the Canadian North but are never removed, leaving gasoline, mercury, batteries, methanol, antifreeze, tires and ozone depleting refrigerants on the Tundra.

This waste is releasing toxins into the land and water, affecting the fragile Arctic eco-system as well as human health. The waste is rarely recycled due to the complicated and costly process of de-polluting, dismantling and shipping

“We recognize that Arctic Canada is one of the most challenging places to implement a recycling program because of the distance from major recycling facilities. So we wanted to prove a point and say, if we can do it here, we can do it anywhere.”

In the hamlet of Arviat, old vehicles sit rusting beside homes and in the community’s metal dump. And in Gjoa Haven, old machinery from the nearby DEW line (old radar stations in the far northern Arctic) that operated in the 1950s and 1960s, has proven extremely difficult for the community to remove. This past summer we removed a significant amount of waste from both communities, but there is still so much more to be done to clean up our precious Arctic Tundra - we need your help!

It takes $120,000 to clean up one remote northern community

$120,000 is no small amount of money, but it will make a significant difference to one more community in remote northern Canada. This is how much money it costs to fill and ship 6 large sea containers full of recyclable materials from the tundra.

With your support, these materials will be shipped south via sea lift to their final destination in Quebec. The de-polluted metal will then be recycled and turned into usable tools and other secondary items and the pollutants will be properly managed to ensure as little impact to the environment as possible.

Here are the estimated costs of removing different items - which can you help with?

• Recycling the de-polluted Vehicle Body $4,000
• De-polluting the vehicle (i.e. removing fluids) $1,250
• Canister of Ozone Depleting Substances $1,000
• Barrel of Pollutants $500
• Bucket of Mercury Switches $150
• Bucket of Wheel Weights $80
• Tire $40
• Vehicle Battery $20

This environmental health initiative will not only help to protect Northern water quality, but will improve local capacity for ongoing pollution prevention, and protect our stunning Arctic tundra.

Together we can take back the tundra.  #TundraTakeback

Perks are all sourced in the North, helping to support artists and business across Northern communities in Canada.

Summerhill Impact is a not-for-profit organization, focused on creating and facilitating public engagement programs related to positive environmental and health impacts.

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