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PAGE 6 THE CANADIAN STATESMAN, July 10, 2002 Streamlining our waste collection STREAMLINING from page I Durham's garbage, notes Mr. Watson, who says getting some of those organics out of the garbage bag will go a long way to improve our diversion diversion rate. If things go as planned, the other four municipalities municipalities of Pickering, Ajax, Oshawa and Whitby will follow suit with the program program some time in 2003. Toronto, which is about to phase-in a similar program starting in Etobicoke this fall, estimates organic collection combined with the City's recycling recycling program will bring the City's diversion rate to 60 per cent when it's fully operational. operational. Peterborough, which has taken organic collection even further in a pilot project in about 600 homes there, has achieved a 68 per cent diversion diversion rate in participating households. In addition to kitchen waste, it collects dog feces, kitty litter, wax paper and other papers that can't go into a regular recycling program. program. The organic program there is in combination with the already extensive - Blue Box program that includes collection of almost every type of plastic including grocery grocery bags. Mr. Watson says Durham will not collect plastic grocery grocery bags in its Blue Box program because there is no market for them and they may ultimately end up in landfill. Peterborough's Recycling Recycling Co-ordinator Susan Sauve says the city has never sent any of its recyclable items to landfill. The market for film plastics does go up and down, she admits, and on occasion, there has been a need to store the bags in trailers trailers until a market turnaround turnaround but the City has always always managed to sell them, she says. "Coloured glass is a challenge right now too," she says, "but we work hard at it. For the integrity of the program program it's really important for us to recycle everything we collect." Recycling is still less expensive than traditional traditional landfill she points out, suggesting suggesting the cost for Peterborough's Peterborough's recycling is about $65 a tonne compared to $ 115 for the collection and disposal of landfill-bound garbage. "Some people sell recycling as a program that will pay for itself. I don't believe in saying saying that but it's still cheaper per tonne than waste disposal disposal and environmentally, environmentally, you don't even have to think about it." While many residents have been calling for an expanded garbage diversion diversion program in Durham for years, one problem problem has been co-ordinating co-ordinating the effort between between the eight municipalities, municipalities, says Mr. Watson. In the past, each municipality has been responsible for its own garbage collection with the exception of the blue box. The Region, on the other hand, was responsible for disposal. This has made consideration consideration of any innovative disposal system a logistical nightmare. Increased diversion diversion would have required eight different collectors to agree on a similar collection method, then agree to purchase purchase any new equipment and vehicles to accommodate that program. "Collection, processing and disposal are all interlinked," interlinked," explains Mr. Watson, who adds integrated waste management means looking at all three components in tandem to find the most cost- effective and environmental- ly-friendly system. When you have eight different governments governments collecting the trash, it makes it much more difficult difficult to create one effective way to process and dispose of it, he says. Earlier this year, collection collection contracts in Clarington, Brock, Uxbridge and Scugog came due for renewal and a window of opportunity was created. All four municipalities municipalities agreed to have the Region Region assume responsibility of garbage collection, allowing it, for the first time, to dictate how the waste is collected so it can then direct it to more environmentally-fricndly disposal. In Oshawa and Whitby, municipal employees and- equipment are used to collect garbage. Those municipalities municipalities have expressed no interest interest in turning turning those systems over to the Re- g i o n . However, says Mr. Watson, there are discussions discussions ongoing ongoing between the Region and Oshawa and Whitby about ways to make the systems compatible. compatible. Ajax and Pickering are both in the middle of long-term collection contracts. contracts. There is, says Mr. Watson, Watson, a possibility those contracts contracts also could be revised to create one collection method across the region allowing Durham to move forward with a more innovative, less landfill-reliant system sometime sometime in 2003. On the other side of the waste L disposal equation, Durham Region, like Toronto, Toronto, recently signed a contract to haul its landfill waste to Michigan. Some say the Durham eight-year contract to send 100,000 tonnes of garbage a year down the highway and across the border border - once again out of sight and out of mind - contradicts the Region's mantra about better waste management. But Jack McCorkell, Durham's commissioner of works, says the Region has also commissioned a study to find alternatives to landfill. Options such as energy- from-waste are being considered, considered, he says. "No matter, what happens there's going to be residual waste left and that's the component we're talking about now." The Michigan contract is flexible enough to allow for a reduction reduction of tonnage if Durham finds a better solution, he says, while giving the Region somewhere to send its garbage when the Keele Valley Valley landfill in Toronto closes later this year. Success of higher diversion diversion from landfill hinges on the buy-in from the public, adds Mr. Watson, who says the Region is looking for ways to make good recycling practices as easy as possible for residents. At the end of the day, at least for a while longer, some of our garbage will find its way to a hole in the ground somewhere. How much of it continues to go there may ultimately ultimately depend on those of us who put out the trash. ^VERTlStNG To have vuir fivers delivered by Durham's #1 Carrier Force! Call 905-579-4407 Wednesday, July 10,2002 McGregor IDA** Home Depot* Millwork* Sport Chek* Sears* SAAN* Bay* Sears* Brick* Color Your World* Future Shop* : livers nol necessarily in all papers Remember, all inscris, including (hose on glossy paper, can he recycled will] the rest ol your newspaper through your blue ho\ Recycling program. THIS WEEK "THIS WEEK'S" OUTSTANDING CARRIER MICHAEL Hi, my name is Michael. I am 13 years old. I have been doing my papers for nearly a year and a hall. Some ol my favorite things to do are snowboarding, watching wrestling, playing on the computer and playing video games. Some ol the money I earned from doing the papers I used to buy a snowboard, also a season pass to Canada's Wonderland and tickets to Wrestlemania X8. The rest ol the money I put towards my college fund. I enjoy talking to my customers who are very nice to me, especially the ones with dogs, because I have a dog ol my own named Casey. "As 'Carriers ol the Week' Michael will receive a Certificate of Excellence along with dinner at Boston Pizza and passes lor NEBs Funworld and a one week Family Membership for Durham YMCA." CARRIERS OF THE WEEK ARE SPONSORED BY THE FOLLOWING: YYMCA (A!. NEB'S FUNWORLD DICHXM HOOH YOUR CARRIER WILL BE AROUND TO COLLECT AN OPTIONAL DELIVERY CHARGE BETWEEN JULY 3 TO JULY 7, 2002 Call the newsroom at 905-579-4400 fa . ' ■ * , tti .... /i * . ■ ' .'Ayy .. ; ; ■ i ' : ï ; ; y, " i* ***?«. TPI _ l it VtiT) / rTr/v I ft I J ItrrtJ». Italian or lemon & He* Marinated IN ROAD WATCH STOP AGGRESSIVE DRIVING Call 905-579-1520 ext. 1687 QiP Yemen & Couture k_y x_y j TRUSTEES IN BANKRUPTCY Personal and Business Bankruptcy Including all other Insolvency Service OSHAWA 122 Albert St. (905) 721-7506 AJAX 50 Commercial Ave. (By App't Only) (905) 619-1473 COBOURG 2-1 Covert St. (By App't Only) .Ittnies R. Ymich (905) 372-4744 SATURDAY X i:\ KNINtt tl'I'OIXTUItMS U Ml.XKI 1 FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION All Halenda's Stores Have Meat Cutters on Location & will gladly custom cut anything for you! Quettioni or Cot An Halenda's stores have meet cutters on location & we will custom cut leryou! '|l: Oil Nelson street [Wntmrtk m Nw* mi H Him) $76-6328 Mon.'Thure. MHO Fri, ■ -Oioo Sal. Him GUHtB IUHBAÏ w ww.ad vantagea I rtech.com Taunton Suuerc T4UntBfl/RltMMI $71*1446 Men.. Wfifi, Thun. U Fri, §•? let, H, Sun. 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