Since it was first established in 2002, Northwestel's Directory Recycling Program has enjoyed one successful year after another, thanks to the many students, teachers, parents and community members who have enthusiastically participated. 

The program was established with two main goals in mind:

1) To give northern schools a new way to raise donation dollars from Northwestel for their programs, and

2) To create a hands-on way for students to participate in a "green" initiative.

The program diverts out-dated Northwestel directories from community landfills and ships them to recycling centres in southern Canada. Students, teachers and support staff at participating schools collect old directories from family, friends, neighbours, businesses and government offices, and bring them to collection boxes at the schools. Northwestel rewards schools with cash contributions to be used for school activities and programs.

The program began in Yellowknife and Whitehorse, but through the years it has expanded to schools in other northern communities.

At the close of the 2010 program, more than 102,000 directories had been collected and sent for recycling. Throughout the life of the program so far, Northwestel has contributed more than $154,000.00 to schools in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and northern B.C.

The award for each school varies between $750.00 and $100.00 per year, depending on the number of directories that the school collects and its total student population. Nearly 50 schools have benefited from the program.

Northwestel is grateful to its partners in this program, which include the municipalities of Whitehorse and Yellowknife, as well as several local shipping companies.

Photo: www.archbould.com

Students at Elijah Smith Elementary School in Whitehorse were enthusiastic participants in Northwestel’s 2010 directory recycling program. They collected 680 directories, more than any other school in Yukon or northern British Columbia. Elijah Smith Elementary has participated in the directory recycling program every year since the program began in 2002. It was one of 44schools in the Northwest Territories, Yukon and northern B.C. that took part in 2010. Together, the schools earned a total of more than $27,000.00 in donations from Northwestel by collecting more than 15,000 out-dated directories for recycling.