Janne Hicklin
Janne Hicklin has devoted many hours to arts and culture in the Yukon but her main preoccupation and occupation is in environmental projects and she has worked with the Yukon Conservation Society.1)
Jane and a group of friends, including Judy Dabbs and Val Loewen, set up a booth at the Whitehorse farmers’ market in the Jim Light Arena in June 1989. They collected aluminium cans and paid a penny for each. Janne and Anne Taylor stood behind that first collection table and they led a community environmental effort that changed the Yukon. The group covered the cost from their own pockets and then sold the cans to metal recycler Joe McInroy for the same price. After the concept was proven, the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce added another cent to the refund. Word spread and soon people were bringing bags of cans to the three-hour weekend collections. The goal of the group was not clean ditches but to showcase social responsibility where employees could earn a decent living and community members could overcome barriers to employment or stability.2)
The group formed a committee through the Yukon Conservation Society and expanded into collecting glass containers with a Yukon Liquor Corporation partnership. Paper recycling came with the PaperSave Program supported by some government offices separating white, coloured and glossy paper. Between 1989 and 1991, the group grew from a grassroots effort to a not-for-profit Raven Recycling Society. In 1992, government regulations allowed Raven to process a wider range of materials and they developed educational programs and school presentations with “Auntie Litter.”3)
Non-recyclable packaging, complex materials, and economic barriers make sustainable systems difficult to maintain so Raven remains active and true to their initial goals. In the spring of 2025, Raven employed nearly 35 well-paid employees to collect and process materials and educate the public.4)