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2 - Orono Weekly Times» Wednesday, Februaty 12,2003 7 Subscriptions $29.91 + $2.09 GST = $32.00 per year. Publications Mail Registration No. 09301 « Agreement No. 40012366 Publishing 48 issues annually at the office of publication. "We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP) toward our mailing costs. " Orono Weekly Times 5310 Main Street, P.O. Box 209, Orono, Ontario LOB 1M0 Email: oronotimes@speedline.ca • Phone/Fax 905-983-5301 Publisher/Editor Margaret Zwart The Orono Weekly Times welcomes letters to the editor on subjects of interest to our readers. Opinions expressed to the editor and articles are those of the writers and do not necessarily necessarily reflect the opinions of the Orono Weekly times. Letters must be signed and contain the address and phone number of the writer. Any letter considered unsuitable will not be acknowledged or returned. We reserve the right to edit for length, libel and slander. If your retail or classified ad appears for the first time, please check carefully. Notice of an error must be given before the next issue goes to print. The Orono Weekly Times will not be responsible for the loss or damage of such items. Recycling as a last resort A column on garbage in the Valentine's issue might seem a bit out of place, but this is the week the Region's new waste management plan is being implemented implemented in Clarington. But it's precisely because of our love for consumer goods that's put us in such a desperate bind to find new and improved waste management solutions. The new waste management plan is a nice piece of work. With much of the recycleables taken out of the waste stream, the amount of garbage going to landfill will be greatly reduced. We are now required to take our kitchen waste, food scraps, plate scrapings (including (including the meat) and put them in a bio-degradable plastic bag to be taken to the curb once a week in the special green pail provided. That waste will then be turned into compost. We've been composting since the begining of time, yet it's taken a dedicated effort by a level of government government to get us back into the habit. Then there's our infatuation for packaging. Until the plastics industry finds new end uses for all the types of plastic they produce and sell as packaging, we can either buy them and throw, them away, or avoid buying them altogether. . , y While the new, integrated regional waste plan tells us to toss the top and recycle all our plastic bottles, the truth is there is still no market for all the other plastics that we use every day like the margarine container, the empty ice cream pail, the yogurt container, etc. We eat out of single serving containers without too much concern for what will become of the package which held contents that took less than a minute to consume. consume. The new integrated waste program was a long time coming, and it's a good second step, following the original original blue box recycling program. However we should be putting more emphasis on the first and second of the three 'R's, reducing and reusing. Recycling is the last resort, with landfill being right off the map. Millpond free-for-all Letters to the Editor Respect for the ice Dear Editor It seems there has been an on-going problem as to who owns the Orono Millpond. Mr. John Verkuyl believes that since he cleans off and takes care of it that he owns it. He has told many people and kids that it is his ice. Well it's not! I'm writing this letter to let anyone who would like to go clown and skate, or has had their children come home after being told that they can not skate on the millpond, that they can skate on it any time they want. The MNR owns the millpond. If this harassment and bullying bullying keeps up, we will go further further in this matter. My kids go down there to have fun, their friends go down there to have fun, Mr.Verkuyl's son has played hockey with my kids and he seemd to have fun as well, so what's the problem? My kids and I, as I'm sure other parents of Orono appreciate appreciate the fact that Mr. Verkuyl does take good care of the ice. They have a safe place to play and are not hanging around downtown on the streets. So again I ask, what is the problem? problem? Mr. Verkuyl needs to realize realize that we are not going to stand around and let him bully our kids anymore. Sincerely, Jenny and Cord Jackson Sue and Jim Lem ay Linda Rae Dear Editor and Concerned Residents of Orono: We are glad to have the opportunity to respond to the letter written by Ms. Jackson so that we are able to tell our side of the situation. We are saddened that Ms. Jackson had not tried to resolve this matter by way of a phone call i or in person. First of all we would like, to ; address the safety issues of I leaving your children unattended unattended at the millpond. Young children may hear your rules of where and where not to go, but they don't always listen, and sometimes they forget. We know first hand about this because one of our daughters fell through the ice last year. Without adult supervision supervision there that night we would hate to imagine what could have happened to her. We have on several occasions occasions told children they are too close to the danger areas. Ms. Jackson does not seem to think this is an issue because on many occasions she drops off her children for the day and leaves them there without any adult supervision; Therefore she really has no idea what is actually going on. We are left having to discipline discipline children and young adults who we feel are not respecting the millpond area. The inappropriate language that is heard regularly is not acceptable to us, especially when there are small children present. There arc children throwing rocks on the ice, and not respecting the area that we try so hard to maintain. We have collected a garbage bag full of litter left on the ice this past season. Over the years we have welcomed everyone to have fun and skate on the pond, but there are always a few that ruin it for others. We have had calls from kids that ask us to turn on our outside lights over the pond and we are more than willing to do that. When they ask us how the pond is, they trust out opinion whether or not the ice is too soft to skate on or safe enough in areas. Wc feel that we arc not getting getting the respect from some children. We have simply asked them if they can maintain maintain their own piece of ice, there is lots there for the taking. taking. Last week during the thaw RESPECT Continued page 3