Solid Waste Solutions in Rural Alaska::
Reducing Purchase and Generation of Toxic Materials and a success story from Selawik:
Reducing Purchase and Generation of Toxic Materials:
Human and environmental health concerns are greatly reduced by reducing the purchase and generation (source reduction) of toxic materials, which will be addressed here. If you are looking for a detailed guide for
Hazardous Waste, please reference Solutions for Hazardous Waste in Alaska Native Villages at www.zender-engr.net/haz.htm. This guide was funded by
the Native of Selawik through the EPA Tribal Hazardous Waste Program Management Grant an includes, but is not limited to basics of hazardous waste, examples of hazardous waste programs throughout rural Alaska,
safety gear and spill response clean-up information, training, starting a program, funding, storing, shipping, writing ordinances, educating the community, testing and sampling, and how to properly recycle all kinds
of hazardous waste. Additionally, you may find the 15-page summary, Household Hazardous Wastes (HHW) available at www.ccthita-swan.org/pdf/household_haz%20_feb05.pdf,
as useful background information for educating your community.
WHY?
 What lands in a village often stays in a village or will cost money to ship back out of the village. Therefore, the most efficient way to reduce waste is not to create it in the first place! When you avoid making
garbage, you don't have to worry about disposing of it later. This is more important when you consider the potential human and environmental health impacts caused by using and disposing of toxic materials. Many of
the dumps in rural Alaska are unlined, leaking, flooding or sitting in or next to lands and waters that people subsist from. When hazardous waste, such as paint thinner, is discarded into these dumps the container
will eventually rust out, break down, or get crushed by an ATV, snowmachine, or heavy equipment and the hazardous material will be in direct contact with the soil. Snow melt, rain, and flooding will carry the toxins
from the waste through the ground and may effect drinking water sources and local rivers.
WHAT?
Community Education Many people do not know that some of the things they use or buy are toxic or considered household hazardous wastes. The documents above are great resources for developing education and outreach
materials for your community. This information can also be used to write up facts in your community newsletters or make regular announcements on the local radio.
Community Involvement Ask households to purchase less hazardous products and use less toxic alternatives. The Household Hazardous Wastes (HHW) document cited above includes alternatives to toxic household cleaners.
Find out from your community what non-toxic products work best for them and share this information.
Set up a Reuse/Exchange Facility A reuse center will allow people to bring in leftover household hazardous waste and reduce the purchase of additional products. Products can include items such as paint, paint
thinners, partially used household cleaners, and art and hobby supplies. For more information about selecting a good storage / collection center and to see examples, go to
www.ccthita-swan.org/Tutorials/storing_hazwaste.cfm.
WHO'S DOING IT?
Selawik
Hazardous Materials Exchange Connex: As part of Selawik's Hazardous Management Plan, Selawik environmental staff has set up a Hazardous Materials Exchange Connex. The Connex is for residents to share their household
hazardous waste products. Residents bring their products that they do not wish to keep in their house anymore. This will keep their children safe from accidents and the household air safer to breathe. Or these products
may be something that is leftover that they do not use anymore. Other people will be able to now use these products. Fewer chemicals will be needed in our community. The stores will need to order less hazardous products
because people will share. Household hazardous products should not be discarded at the dump because they can drain into the creek and then to the River.
This Connex is also used for other exchangeable items that are valuable and must be kept in-doors.
Open Hours for Materials Exchange Connex: Tuesday 3-5 pm, Friday 12 -3 pm. If the Connex is not open, look for the staff at the workshop or Environmental Department.
Selawik's Hazardous Management Plan clearly describes miscellaneous household hazardous waste products and outlines their program for managing these wastes as well as provide guidance for community, store, clinic, school,
staff, and elder responsibilities. The following section is taken directly from Selawik's Hazardous Waste Management Plan:
11. Miscellaneous Household Hazardous Products
There are many additional household hazardous waste products. These include:
- Household cleaners
- Paints
- Degreasers
- Insect sprays, mosquito coils
- Auto and boat care products
- Dyes
- Mold removers
- Air fresheners
- Fingernail polish, Hairspray
- Vehicle Transmission and Brake fluids
All of the above listed products are hazardous because they contain harmful chemicals. These chemicals can leak into the soil or vaporize into the air or dissolve into the water. They contaminate our land and water and can be
harmful to subsistence, even if they are not burned. Only if the containers are completely emptied and drained, are they are acceptable to end up at the dump. If product is leftover that can be used, discarding it at the dump
or in the trash is wasteful. Also, if a product has not been used for a long time, it is safer for children if the product is given to someone else to use. Children can accidentally poison themselves. Discarding leftover
household hazardous products is against Inupiaq values.
11.1 Program Summary
Any leftover household hazardous materials are brought to the Materials Exchange Shed in their original containers. Other community members may then pick up the containers and bring them home.
11.2 Community Drop-off
The community should drop-off their leftovers during the Shed Open Hours (see Chapter 2). If they wish to drop-off their products at any other time, they must arrange with the Environmental Department.
It is critical to drop off materials only in their original container. Without the original container and label, the liability risk is too high. Residents will not know how to use the product, or exactly what it is. At the
discretion of the Environmental Department, and with the advice of an elder, any residents who drop off products that are not in their original container face being summoned to a public meeting or other traditional form of reprimand.
If the product dropped off is particularly hazardous and the container intentionally mislabeled, the Council will exercise its sovereign power in a way the Elders decide meets traditional justice. If the product causes harm
to a community member as a result of the product not being dropped off in its original container, and the community member not knowing what the product was, the person or entity dropping it off can face criminal charges.
11.3 Community Open Hours to Pick Up Shared Materials
 The community may use the Materials Exchange ("Share Shed" or "Thrift Store") during open hours. They may either keep the product, or if there is material leftover they may bring it back to the shed, or lend it to neighbors.
With proper use, the Shed should not be any more dangerous than a store.
Community Duty #1:
Protect your community and children. Only bring leftover products in their original containers. Be certain that they are not leaking. Before you buy a hazardous product at the store, check the "Share Shed" to see if someone
has brought the product there. The less hazardous materials generated in the community, the better for everyone's health.
Business, School, Office, Utility, and Clinic Duty:
Use the Share Shed for any products that do not fall under Subtitle C, or that are otherwise unsuitable for household use. Do not use the Share Shed to discard hazardous wastes. It is against Inupiaq values, and as a business,
it is also against federal law. Do not bring material in a volume that is more than what a household would generate, without approval by the Environmental Department.
Staff Duty #1: Educate the public and businesses about the Exchange shed and its open hours. Announce on the scanner and flyers about how subsistence is protected by people using the shed, what types of materials are appropriate,
and that original containers must be used. During open hours, this Share Shed can become an additional community socializing place. It will be the beginning of a full-use Thrift Store, and its frequent use will provide a very
good justification or additional monies to build or renovate a larger building for this purpose.
Staff Duty #2: Staff the Exchange Shed During Open Hours. Make sure that it is kept organized, like a hardware store would be so that it is safe and pleasant to use. Turn back any containers that are cracked or where the product
looks like it is not what it is supposed to be. Be sure to turn away any containers that do not have the original cap, or where the cap/lid does not work anymore. Use a sign-in sheet for any containers that are from businesses.
Staff Duty #3: Evaluate the use of the Share Shed each month. If most people are not using it, find out why by asking community members. Increase education and incentives to increase the use. Everyone in the community should
be aware of the shed, as it will save them money and protect their children.
Staff Duty #4: Just before use of the shed has reached a high level of participation and there is not enough room for the products and people, start looking for funding to expand the operation. Use the numbers in your monthly
evaluations to justify funding.
Staff Duty #5: Safety No smoking. Ensure that a spill kit is always stocked in the Shed or just outside in case a container leaks. Keep safety gear available. Ensure that caps are secure on each container before open hours
(and just after closing). If someone has looked at a container but decided to not take it, check to make sure the cap is secure again. The cap/lid helps to keep this program safe. No smells should be noticeable if the cap is secured.
If a smell is noticeable, bring the container outside. Ensure that spill response procedures are posted. If a spill occurs, regardless of its volume or potential harm, clear the shed of any non-HAZWOPER trained personnel immediately.
Only small quantities of everyday household hazardous products should be in the shed, so that remediation of the spill should be straightforward. If the spill occurs and the product does not appear to be what the container
says, regardless of volume, clear the shed, and evaluate the situation outside the building. Only re-enter with appropriate level of safety gear.
Elder Role: Use the Share Shed and bring others when you do. Give the Environmental Department suggestions about how they could make it usable and nice to visit. The Shed should be as clean and organized as a store.
Community Education: Selawik's Hazardous Management Plan clearly outlines educational opportunities for reducing purchase and generation of toxic materials. For example, in a section titled Burning of Plastics in Burnbarrels
is Not Allowed, there are the following suggestions for community, store, clinic, school, staff, and elder responsibilities:
Community Duty #1: Try as hard as possible to not buy plastics - this includes containers, bottles, and wrapping. When there is no alternative to plastic, purchase Type #1 or Type#2. These Types some day may be able to be
recycled in Selawik ONLY IF THEY ARE SAVED OUT FROM THE WASTESTREAM.
Store Duty: Do not purchase plastic bottles when aluminum cans or glass bottles are available instead. Do not purchase Styrofoam cups, plates, or bowls, and order paper instead. Even if the price is slightly higher, the
community health risks that will be reduced are worth it. If the public complains, ask the Environmental Department for Handouts on Plastic and Styrofoam dangers, or ask Elders to announce on the scanner how this step
protects subsistence and community values. There is a significant chance that the batteries will contain mercury, even alkaline batteries.
Clinic Duty: Act as a role model for the rest of the community in separating out plastics, and not using plastic or Styrofoam containers. Remind community members when you see them with plastic bottles or burning plastics
how it can impact their health and subsistence. Pop beverages in plastic bottles also usually contain a larger volume than aluminum cans or glass bottles. Encouraging the public to stop using plastic beverage containers
will likely reduce consumption of sugary beverages. You can remind them how sugary beverages impact Alaska Native health.
School Duty: Have school classes work with the Environmental Department and Stores to make posters or handouts that teach Youth and Adults about why they should reduce or stop buying plastic bottles and Styrofoam.
Order only paper disposable products or if affordable, biodegradable disposables made natural materials. These disposables are becoming less expensive, and you can work with the Environmental Department to order these.
Staff Duty #1: Education on the hazards of plastic bottles and Styrofoam. See www.ccthita-swan.org/pdf/open_burning.pdf for example of hazards.
Staff will work with the School and Elders to educate the public about the importance of reducing greatly their purchase and use of plastics, and never burning them, especially in town. Let youth know (who are the
biggest consumers of plastic beverage bottles) that the reason plastic bottles are made is because they don't get burned in the lower-48, but recycled or buried. If they were open burned, plastic bottles would not be
allowed to be made in the United States. They are that dangerous to breathe when burned. Work with them to find a way to recycle the bottles in the future. Show them products (like clothes) that have been made from
recycled plastic bottles.
Staff Duty #4: Ensure that the Tribal and City Offices switch to their own plates and cups, or use paper, by reminding people and acting as a role model.
Elder Role: Show the community that you don't use plastic bottles or Styrofoam. Remind people over the scanner and in town that burning plastics harms subsistence racks and it is very unhealthy to breathe. Let people
know that reducing plastic buying follows Inupiaq values of not wasting materials. Educate youth about Inupiaq life without plastic and chemicals.
Contact:
Raven Sheldon, Director, raven.sheldon@akuligaq.org and Lorraine Ticket, Environmental Technician, 907-484-2005, lorraine.ticket@akuligaq.org
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