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6 Independent & Free Press, Wednesday, April 16, 2008 OPINION The success or failure of last weeks launch of Haltons highly-touted GreenCart program appears to depend on who you talk to the service provider or the end user. In last Fridays Independent & Free Press, Regional Chair Gary Carr trumpeted a 75 per cent participation rate in the new initiative that sees kitchen scraps des- tined for Haltons landfill, instead collected at the curb for composting. However, Carrs glowing review of the programs kick- off last week With so many residents already engaged in the GreenCart program, we are well on our way to achieve our goal of diverting 60 per cent of waste away from the landfill struck a nerve with some residents who found themselves waiting as long as four days for garbage pickup promised under the regions new waste collection schedule. In Halton Hills, collection delays led to residents sending letters to the editor (see page 10) and phoning their local councillors and/or regional headquarters to complain. Complaints ranged from GreenCarts being delivered and then promptly taken away from townhome com- plexes where the logistics of pickup have yet to be deter- mined, to residents frustration over consecutive days of their garbage being abandoned at the curb, despite daily promises that it would be picked up. While a certain amount of startup glitches and mis- communication are expected when undertaking a pro- ject of this magnitude, we wonder if Halton Region was- nt adequately prepared to rollout the GreenCarts across a region of more than 440,000 people. Early indications from Carr are that the company con- tracted by the region for GreenCart, Blue Box and garbage collection simply wasnt prepared for the high volume of GreenCart compliance in the first week of the program. While the regions efforts to encourage participation in GreenCart are admirable, it appears not enough thought was dedicated to ensuring the first days of this new era in Haltons waste management plan would come off without a hitch. GreenCart woes Steve Nease LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear editor, As Senior Vice President of the Miller Group, I wanted to take the opportunity to express our appreciation to the resi- dents of Halton for their patience as the new waste management collection process rolled out the week of April 7th. In our 47 years of business, Miller Waste Systems has never seen such unprecedented participation rates in the roll out of a new waste management program, nor the volumes of material set out for collection. In many ways, this is a good news story that residents of Halton are aligned with the Regions goal of diverting material from the land- fill, reducing green house gas emissions, and the GreenCart program. The Region has promoted More Blue and Green for a Better Planet and Halton residents complied in record-setting numbers. As an example, on Sunday, April 13th, Miller Waste Systems collected over 200 tonnes of yard waste and approxi- mately 220 tonnes of Blue Box materials. The strong participation rates on the part of residents did lead to a number of start-up issues. I want to assure the resi- dents of Halton Region that Miller Waste Systems is committed to resolving the delays in waste collection and to ensur- ing service levels meet the expectation of residents. Among the actions we are tak- ing include: Additional trucks and manpower to address the high volume of materials Extra supervision of routes to ensure that all routes are collected and there is no carry over to the next day Working with the Region to moni- tor and benchmark our performance to measure improvement in service levels Miller Waste Systems was proud to have been selected as Halton Regions waste collection contractor and we are committed to ensuring a more efficient and effective service in the weeks and months to come. Blair McArthur Senior Vice President, The Miller Group Waste company VP sorry for collection delay Letters to the editor must include an address and daytime telephone number. Unsigned letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 200 words and may be edited for content and/or length. E-mail: jmcghie@independentfreepress.com Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1 Publisher Ken Nugent Advertising director Steve Foreman (sforeman@independentfreepress.com) Retail advertising manager Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@independentfreepress.com) Managing editor John McGhie (jmcghie@independentfreepress.com) Distribution manager Nancy Geissler (distribution@independentfreepress.com) ADVERTISING Advertising co-ordinator Jennifer Christie (jchristie@independentfreepress.com) Retail Sales: Jennifer Spencer (jspencer@independentfreepress.com) Katie Borg (kborg@independentfreepress.com) Brendan Louth (blouth@independentfreepress.com) Amy Sykes (features@independentfreepress.com) Andrea Lefebvre (alefebvre@independentfreepress.com) Real estate: Sue Spizziri (realestate@independentfreepress.com) Classifieds: Kristie Pells (classified@independentfreepress.com) ACCOUNTING Rose Marie Gauthier, Michelle McEachern EDITORIAL Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@independentfreepress.com) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@independentfreepress.com) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@independentfreepress.com) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@independentfreepress.com) PRODUCTION: Mary Lou Foreman, Kevin Powell, Shelli Harrison, Dolores Black, Debbie MacDougall STAFF DIRECTORY Send us a letter! Phone: 905-873-0301 Fax: 905-873-0398www.independentfreepress.com Something bugging you? What do you think? Below are the results of our most recent online poll. For the current poll go to www.independentfreepress.com Halton Police are planning a crackdown on speeders. Do you think speeding is a problem in Halton Hills? Yes (65%) No (35%) The Independent & Free Press is published Wednesday and Friday and is one of several Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE INDEPENDENT & FREE PRESS Dear editor, Most people seem to be complain- ing about the long winter but I have a different attitude. I know that under all that lovely white stuff there lies tons of ugly litter ready to resurface once the temperature rises. The 2008 Halton Hills 20 Minute Makeover is scheduled for Friday April 18 and is an invitation for businesses and schools to do a quick 20 minute clean up around their premises. The town-wide Clean Up is Saturday April 19th. Everyone is invit- ed to pitch in. Anyone participating should call the town at 905-873-2601 ext 2610 to register your location and to get free gloves and bags. More infor- mation can be found at www.halton- hills.ca. There will be staff at the Works Yard on Trafalgar Road on the 19th to provide supplies and to receive any collected litter. Last year we had a wonderful response from the community and this year I am confident that we will do even better. Jane Fogal, Chair, Litter Free Halton Hills Task Force Town to host clean up days Dear editor, The Acton Branch of the Canadian Cancer Society would like to thank all the volunteers who came out for the Annual Kick-Off Campaign Dinner and Evening of Appreciation. The event was held at the Knox Church Hall and much thanks is given to the Ladies Aid for allowing the use of their kitchen and hall, which made the evening so enjoyable. Lasagna, Caesar salad and yummy desserts were served to all who attended. The Friends from the Hill entertained during the evening and much thanks is given for their time and the great music they provided. President Cathy Gerrow wound up the evening by expressing the gratitude of all for the continued dedication and support the Acton Branch receives from all the volunteers. Please welcome your canvasser when the knock at your door. Thank you, Pat Kentner, Publicity Rep, Acton Branch, Canadian Cancer Society Acton cancer campaign kicks off with thanks More letters on GreenCart on page 10