Waste disposal in first-nations communities: the issues and steps toward the future

The interests of First Nations communities in Canada have traditionally had little voice at the various points of authority that maintain the equilibrium or balance necessary to get environmental protection laws ratified, regulations distributed, and enforcement actions initiated on First Nations lands. (First Nations is the term commonly used in Canada to describe the various societies of indigenous peoples who are accorded status as "Indians" by the Indian Act of 1985 and who are not of Inuit or Métis descent.) Along with a lack of adequate funding to address human and environmental issues-as well as past industrial exploitation of First Nations lands-the safety and acceptability of many solid waste management practices in Canadian First Nations communities have become a serious concern for many members from both human and environmental health perspectives. A history of poor management, monitoring, and remediation of solid waste facilities across Canada's First Nations Communities and the lack of current resolve over this issue has left First Nations people feeling the consequences of pollution to their environment: rivers, land, and air. First Nations people are traditionally connected to the land, and consequently the degradation of the environment also leads to a decline in a way of life for the people and thus a decline in the cultural health of communities. This article examines the issues surrounding waste management on First Nations communities, looks at how First Nations are trying to handle their solid waste, and considers the larger issues of environmental degradation that First Nations communities face throughout Canada.