The Yellowknife Garbage Dump

Posted on 08. Jun, 2009 by Shane in Sightseeing, Yellowknife

Rating: +1 (from 1 vote)

One persons garbage is another persons treasure. The Yellowknife Garbage Dump is not like any garbage dump I have seen before. People are literrally dumping perfectly good items by the truck load everyday because they (a) are moving and do not have time to sell their stuff (b) are moving and nobody wants to buy their stuff (c) nobody wants to buy their stuff (d) everyone already owns it (e) they are moving and cannot sell it because people will wait to get it for free at the dump. Do you see the pattern here?

One of the realities of living North of 60 is that moving and/or shipping in and out of the North is no small cost. So many people try to get rid of as much as they can by selling it - to save money on moving expenses. What many movers soon find out is how hard it is to sell their good items (or do not know how to price it). Often many people cannot even give their stuff away so it usually ends up at the Yellowknife Garbage Dump where many treasure hunters await – including hordes of very excited and vocal seagulls and ravens.

When I first moved to Yellowknife I had heard that the Yellowknife Garbage Dump has become a bonafied city tourist attraction – one where you take your friends and family to when they come to visit. Even some of my co-workers have taken their visitors to the Yellowknife Garbage Dump for something to do.

So I rode over on my mountain bike to see this spectacle for myself. I discovered entire families, young-to-old couples, groups of friends, individuals, etc. hunting for treasures. I watched people pull out (almost new) kids toys, bikes, rubbermaid tubs, dog caddies, golfing equipment, clothing that still had price tags, car parts, speakers, chairs, sleds, Christmas trees, power saws, mini-fridges and more. Some people had special tools for opening up regular trash bags or dismantling large objects for the raw materials. Check out my picutures below.

Yellowknife Garbage Dump