Ashes Suspected of Garbage Collection Fire

Disposal of ashes in garbage bins can cause serious issues at Yellowknife’s Solid Waste Facility (SWF) and for our community. On Friday, February 3, 2023, a load of waste collected by Kavanaugh Waste Management, on behalf of the City of Yellowknife, was on fire.  The suspected cause of the fire was hot ash discarded in garbage bins. 

This past summer, lithium-ion batteries were also improperly disposed and suspected to have caused two separate fires at the Solid Waste Facility.

Kavanaugh Waste Management quickly controlled these fires - but we remind residents that it is extremely important that ashes, batteries and other hazardous waste are properly sorted, separated from all household waste, and properly disposed of. If you are uncertain if a material is classified as hazardous waste, please e-mail SWFinfo@yellowknife.ca with the material description.