I rise on behalf of the Yukon Liberal Party to pay tribute to Waste Reduction Week. Nationally, Waste Reduction Week is held in the third week of October each year. On Monday night, City Council declared that October 20 to 26 would be observed as Waste Reduction Week in Whitehorse.

Waste Reduction Week calls for all citizens, all Canadians, to adapt more environmentally conscientious choices in our everyday lives. The national Waste Reduction Week website provides resources to give people ideas to reduce waste in all facets of daily life. Reducing waste is one small solution every citizen can do to help with the many environmental challenges we face.

Recycling and waste reduction weeks date back to the mid-1980s when several recycling councils and environmental organizations began holding provincial events. Since 2001, a national effort was enacted under the banner of Waste Reduction Week in Canada, organized by a coalition of governments and NGOs, recycling and environmental groups from all 13 provinces’ and territories’ jurisdictions across Canada.

The Yukon Liberal Party supports the City of Whitehorse’s efforts in reducing waste in the city through the solid waste action plan, which has a strong goal of reducing waste by 50 percent by 2015. The solid waste action plan focuses in on getting the big stuff out of the landfill first — particularly organics through its expanded composting program, wood waste, cardboard and all recyclables. It also focuses on developing new partnerships to grow services that will reduce waste, showing that governments can show leadership in environmental change.

It is unfortunate that this week comes on the heel of the closure of Raven Recycling and we encourage Yukoners to use Whitehorse’s other recycling options — the bins at the Whitehorse management facility, P&M Recycling depot or the Blue Bin Recycling Society collection.

I want to thank all businesses, governments and individuals who have taken the time to recycle and to work to support landfill diversion goals.

Thank you.