In 2022/23, Bunibonibee Cree Nation collected and backhauled a whole semi-truck load of tires (about 900). The tires were staged which helped reduce the amount of snow and water which would make them heavier to load. In 2023/24 Bunibonibee collected another full semi-truck load of tires and had them staged and ready to be backhauled on the winter road.

In July 2023, Pathfinders and staff from Winnipeg Trails visited Black River First Nation to host a Bike Repair event as part of the community’s Treaty Days celebration. The Winnipeg Trails team led a bike repair workshop while Pathfinders organized fun and competitive races on the speed, skill, and race courses they designed. The Winnipeg Trails team didn’t just fix the bikes, they instructed others how to perform the repairs themselves. This capacity building will hopefully encourage future knowledge sharing among Black River bike enthusiasts. We left excess bike parts and tools at the recreation centre for all to use.

In 2022, Product Care picked up 4 tubskids of paint from Buffalo Point First Nation. In 2023, the waste management team collected another 2 tubskids of paint, as well as a half drum of single use propane canisters and another half drum of aerosols. Thanks to the commitment of the waste team in Buffalo Point, they have begun collecting more products which fall under the HHW umbrella.

In the past 5 years (2018-2023) Garden Hill has been able to fully/partially depollute about 1700 ELVs (End-of-Life Vehicles). Some of these have been crushed and in early 2023, 219 crushed vehicles were sent to Gerdau Steel Mill for recycling.

In June 2023, The First Nations Waste Minimization team partnered with St. Theresa Point First Nation, Wasagamack First Nation, and Garden Hill First Nation to organize an in-community safety training session for waste management staff. There were 20 participants in total – 12 from St. Theresa Point (STP), 4 from Wasagamack, and 4 from Garden Hill. Participants took the Safety First: 4R Hazard Awareness Training offered through the Manitoba Environmental Industries Association (MEIA). The goal of the training is to help waste management staff be aware of the daily hazards they encounter at work and to go home safe to their families every day.

In November 2023, the waste management team in Little Saskatchewan First Nation managed to remove two 40 yard bins of scrap metal from their transfer station site for recycling. Waste Connections came out to do the pick up. Keeping the scrap metal in bins means less storage issues at the transfer station and is a quicker, less labor intensive way of removing scrap metal once the bins are full.

In August 2023, Pathfinders traveled out to Peguis First Nation to help package and stage e-waste that had been collected over the span of a few years. The e-waste was loaded onto pallets which were wrapped and moved by skid steer for pickup. In Fall 2023, 23 pallets were picked up by EPRA (Electronic Products Recycling Association) and sent to Exner E-waste to be properly recycled.

In October 2023, Pathfinders rented a 26 foot box truck and drove out to Pine Creek First Nation to help tackle an overflow of mattresses. Mattresses are a tricky waste material to divert because they are a non-stewarded material, meaning the community has to cover the cost if they wish to divert this waste stream from their waste site. In total, 55 mattresses, and 11 box springs were loaded up and driven back to Winnipeg where they were processed at Mother Earth Recycling. 

In January 2024, members of the FNWM Team visited Wasagamack First Nation to provide support in their Backhaul efforts. During this visit, Pathfinders helped develop a load plan of where to place different waste materials on the semi trailer, and also helped palletize and shrink wrap 2 pallets of lead acid batteries (approximately 80 batteries total). Wasagamack First Nation waste management team also shipped out two pallets of lead acid batteries as part of their 2022/2023 Backhaul effort as well.

In November 2023 and January 2024, Pathfinders traveled out to Bunibonibee Cree Nation and Island Lake region (St. Theresa Point First Nation and Wasagamack First Nation) with a MOPIA (Manitoba Ozone Protection Industry Association) technician to remove refrigerant gas from derelict fridges and freezers. 4 lbs. of refrigerant gas was collected from 117 depolluted units in Bunibonibee Cree Nation. 25 lbs. of refrigerant gas was collected from 223 units depolluted in Wasagamack and St. Theresa Point First Nations. These units will be backhauled on the 23/24 winter road and properly recycled in Winnipeg.