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EL -------------- SS -- er m------ LAI STAN OS Erbin Letters io the editor Councillor asks for answers Gary Herrema, John Aker Waste Management Committee Regional Municipality of Durham Dear Sirs: The citizens of Ward IV Scugog Township are wanting answers as to the course that you as a com- mittee will follow on the Landfill site selection process in Durham. All around the world in the past ten years, Political decisions in other countries have saved forests, (Thailand); stopped farmland degredation (Nigeria) ; stopped large scale landfills (Denmark); forced industry to clean stack emissions (Sweden). In each example the elected representatives took a long term approach to solve their problem and today these countries are reaping Positive Results. Wein Canada have to get away from this 'End Pipe" mentality that has been practiced for decades. We should assess future impacts that our actions now might create and not wait until these problems arrive in our midst. Our children today, I think, understand, at times, better where our society is headed than we adults and demonstrate more interest in. changing for the future. : Trash Reduction through the 3R's is achievable at a much higher rate than the current 12% in Duka; perhaps as high as 85%. Incineration with its drawbacks: Higher Initial cost - but amortized over more useful years probably equals landfill and only a small land base is required. Air Pollution - many technologies like afterburners, filters and centrifugal separation limit this to a small danger. Higher Management Required to operate - People are available with necessary skills. Higher operational costs - are recoverable through energy from the waste procedure. This burning process, along with an enhanced SR Program could see our region through the next critical decade until an 85% recycling goal is achieved. Once this has been achieved this pro- cess can be reduced. Apparently one incinerator would handle Durham Region's waste. Ask yourself - would one more stack be noticed? Ashes could be stored in concrete bunkers or trucked to a willing municipality. Landfills, (a truly archai¢ method) have no pluses other than perhaps the initial cost, They gobble up Farmland. Displace people, all eventually leak and emit significant air pollution. Why is Japan reclaiming old landfills today and incinerating the waste that they find is in much the same condition as it was when buried 40 years ago? Truly a Time bomb! One final factor to consider is our dwindling fresh water supply. Our world, through industrial pro- cesses and growing population uses more water than is replaced. Can we endanger this vital com- modity in the future? Please, as public servants, look beyond the present term and use your power and influence to start us as a region on a new path to handle the garbage problem. Landfill is not the answer! Only a continuing of past mistaken policies. We the residents of Ward IV await your response. Consider dropping this search for landfill sites and start us on the road to implementing other alternatives. Ward IV Councillor Glenn Malcolm, - Nestelton Nestleton no place for a dump To the Editor: On September 23, my world was changed in an instant by finding one unsigned blue paper in my mailbox. A single sheet, stating that Durham region was con- sidering placing a landfill site across the street from my farm; however it also noted that I real- ly need not worry since a dump 'next door would not affect me. This decision to consider plac- ing a landfill near Nestleton couldn't have come at a worse time. I was just recovering from eight months of chemotherapy sessions, and was due for radia- tion treatments which I am now presently undergoing to treat lymph cancer. One of the things that kept me going through the agony of high dose chemotherapy treatments, was the prospect of working on the many projects I had in mind for my farm, when I would be recovered and had regained my strength. For at least one year my life had been put on hold to struggle with disease. It is through the grace of God, that I have been cured. Now I find that my life has been placed on hold a second time, this time it is not a struggle to retain life, but is instead a threat to take away my home. Five years of hard work rebuilding and repair could easily be wiped out. With this cloud of uncertainty hanging over my head, I do not feel like working on the slightest improvement. There is no way I could live on this farm, with the homestead IF YOUR AD WAS HERE "Over 20,000 people could have read It this week. That's a lot of potential customers for your business. For Advertising Made Easy call the PORT PERRY STAR 985-7383 water supply, which consists of a spring, just a stones throw away from the proposed landfill boun- dary. This spring is the first of a large series on my farm that form the origin of the Janetville Creek. Another tributary flows through the middle of the proposed dump, across my land, then across HWY 7A, eventually feeding into the Scugog River. The entire vicinity has a high water table which in Spring rises above the ground in spots on my farm as well as in areas of the proposed dump site. Both Wilson Avenue, and the Fifth Concession are regularly washed out in the Spring. Contamination of this water source by dump leachate would render this water source unfit to drink for man or animal. I have been shown convincing scientific evidence that cancer and other chronic disease rates have dramatically increased for- miles around the Whitchurch- Stouffville dump. The contamina- tion of the Scugog Watershed is a more serious situation than many people in Scugog realize. Once your water source has been poisoned by a landfill, you may as well consider this situation to be permanent. The real irony is that much of the waste placed in dumps can be recycled, and much of the rest is needless, such as all the excessive packaging materials we all throw away. It would not take all that much effort to greatly reduce these mountains of waste which we are building up, through a change in/personal habits, and a change in waste collection pro- cedures, to include more thought into what is done with garbage. Instead the Region of Durham has laid off a considerable amount of recycling workers, and would rather dump garbage into some ill conceived site a few miles out in the country. Our water supply is a precious legacy, which we must guard against any threat. David Dietlein, Zero Garbage, R.R. 1 Nestleton PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, October 23, 1990 -- 19 Political will needed to create change To the Editor: In response to a letter publish- ed in last week's Star (Oct. 16/90) from Mr. Roy Grierson, I would like to express both strong agree- ment and disagreement with his views. First: I agree that the problem of waste disposal is far greater than most people are aware of and far more serious than most _ people want to believe. Second: I stongly disagree with his statement that the most en- vironmentally suited site should be selected regardless of which interest group shouts the loudest. There is no such thing as an en- vironmentally suitable waste disposal site. This is a contradic- tion in terms! This kind of think- ing suggests that, by not voicing opposition, politicians know what they are talking about and know what is in my best interest. This is difficult to believe given past and present experience. . I personally believe that there are better ways of doing everything - If you're not part of the solution then you are most likely part of the problem! It seems to me that more often than not the solutions and better ways are not implemented because it is not politically expedient to do so - this refers to all levels of government, Loud vocal opposition is necessary to create the political will to change. People are 'mad as hell and are not going to take it anymore' - evidenced by the re- cent provincial NDP victory. Our regional councillors best take note " of this, given 1991 is an election year. They have alienated four townships with their selection process and archaic thinking with regards to our serious en- vironmental crisis. . In closing, I am proud to say that I suffer from the Nimby (not in my backyard) syndrome, and qualify that by adding - not in my neighbours' yards, not in my township, not in my region, not in my province, not in my country, not on my planet!!! The Earth abideth forever but the quality of life is up to us. : Sincerely, Barry Urie Nestleton (416) 797-2431 Another reason to get Invisible Fencing. Want to give your dog freedom, and safety too? Then call the number below for free information on Invisible Fencing. Ten years and tens of thousands of dogs stand behind Invisible Fencing. It's veterinarian approved and recommended as completely harmless and humane. And it all comes with a money-back guarantee. Because you can't see it, Invisible Fencing maintains the beauty of your property. It costs less than conventional fencing. And if you move, it can move with you. To learn all the other reasons to get Invisible Fencing, call: Of South East Ontario € Wd te beng A img, b Tes CHRISTMAS in the VALLEY by Walter Campbel % FRAMER'S GALLERY 233 Queen St., Port Perry ¢ (416) 985-2543