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~~ PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, June 5, 1990 -- 7 FOOD FOR THOUGHT Over the last couple of years, the plastic disposa- blo Saper has hes tagged a Qnroiments) ad nds of nasty things to happen when tossed into landfill sites. lynn; ppe But hold on a minute. An American researcher claims the disposables aren't nearly so "environment nasty" as we have been led to believe. William Rathje is an archaeologist at the Univer- sity of Arizona. He heads a team that spends its time digging up garbage from nine huge dumps in the States (nice job, but somebody has to do it, and all in the name of science) In any event, he found that those disposable dia- pers actually served to absorb toxic leachates and prevent them from seeping into groundwater. The diapers are so absorbant and work so well at soaking up the toxins, he goes so far as to say they might make decent liners for garbage dumps. As for the potential hazard of what's in those dia- pers when they are tossed away, Rathje says that vi- ruses become dormant after a couple of years and pose no threat to anything. Rathje was quoted in a Globe and Mail front- page story May 30. Now, he was presenting his find- ings to an annual meeting of plastics manufacturers (who loved what they were hearing, no doubt) but what he said is "food for thought" in the on-going gar- bage debate. He doesn't base his findings on lab experiments. He goes right to the source and digs up that garbage that's been sitting in dumps for years. He de-bunks the myth that "natural products" bio- degrade over time in dumps. Nope, he found 30 year old newspapers; heads of lettuce five years old, and brown paper bags from 1964 that can still hold gro- Viewpoint ceries. When he found corn cobs more than a decade old with the kernels still in place, it led him to question how adding six per cent corn starch to plastic gar- bage bags mades them "bio-degradable." "If you can't get microrganisms to eat corn on the cob, how do you expect them to eat plastic bags," he is quoted as saying. How indeed. I'm not suggesting for a moment that people who have switched to cloth diapers should stop using them and run out to buy a truck-load of disposables, but it is interesting how there is always another side to popular notions, especially when it comes to the environment. | came across an article recently about the ad- vantages of clear-cut logging practises (taking every tree from an area, regardless of size) as opposed to cutting every second or third tree. Granted, clear-cut areas look god-awful, espe- cially when viewed from a distance (an airplane which is how a lot of environmentalists inspect these are- as.) But if young trees are re-planted immediately af- ter cutting, they stand a much better chance of grow- ing into healthy mature trees. They don't have to compete for space, (air, light, water and soil) and in a few years, what used to look like a moon-scape is green again as the re-plants grow and mature. The argument of the article was that it makes more sense environmentally to clear-cut an area. completely, and re-plant it properly. It takes as much energy for trucks, cutters, skidders, etc.) to leave some trees as it does to clear cut. It seems that what bothers people about clear-cutting is the way the area versity physics student knows looks for a few years. They don't seem to want to ac- cept the fact it is cost-effective for the logging compa- nies, and the re-plants have a better chance to grow into healthy trees. Again, food for thought. And while I'm on this subject, | have never been able to figure out the logic behind some of the agru- ments against nuclear power plants. The alternative to nuclear power is fossil-fuel fired generating plants, which are notorious polluters, and require huge quantities of a finite resource. Nuclear plants are expensive to build, yes, and expensive to operate, yes, but they don't spew tonnes of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere every year. . And whether the anti-nuclear groups like it or not, an industrialized society needs electrical power, unless we go back to foot-pedals to run the machin- ery and equipment in the factories. Some of the highest air pollution readings on the planet are turning up in Eastern Europe and Siberia where the industry for decades has turned on badly- 'designed coal-fired plants with nary a trace of emmis- sion controls in place. Canada is getting it in the neck over the ill-fated Candu reactor in Romania, a project that has been plagued with problems, to be sure. But the Candu technology was not the problem in that case. And it really is foolish when critics say Candu and Chernobyl in the same breath. Any first year uni- the Candu reactor and the Chernobyl type are as different as night and day, when it comes to safety. With a lot of things environmental «these days, the lines between myth and reality get conveniently blurred, depending on the point one is trying to make. i ot aT ---- | Remember When? 45 YEARS AGO Thursday, June 7, 1945 Two high school teachers are leaving the high school staff to take new appointments. Mr. E.R. McClellan has been ap- pointed to the Ontario staff of High School Inspectors and Miss Lois Spooner has joined the staff at Aurora High School. Nursing Sister Ruth Hall was home for a day last week after spending her furlough on a trip to Miami, Florida and by plane to Nassau. 35 YEARS AGO Thursday, June 9, 1955 The official opening of the Friday night shopping in Port Perry was well received. A large crowd was on hand for the special opening night bargains and to enjoy the monster bingo later in the evening. It was reported that a full grown doe was seen crossing the garden at the home of Miss Audrey Kent. As several deer have been seen on Scugog Island, it is thought that the doe may have swam across the lake. 25 YEARS AGO Thursday, June 10, 1965 Harry Peel, Warden of Ontario County in 1955, presented an inscribed plaque to Warden J.J. Gibson, at a Testimonial Din- ner held in the Legion Hall, June 2. The plaque was inscribed as follows: A Testimonial of sincere appreciation to J.J. Gibson, Reeve of Port Perry - Warden of Ontario County, in recognition of distinguished service to citizens of Port Perry and the people of Ontario County - Port Perry Chamber of Commerce, June 2, 1965. Congratulations to Mr. James N. Gray, who was one of 50 students graduating from the Faculty of Medicine at Queen's University on Saturday, May 29. James is the son of Mr. and Mrs. John I. Gray, Port Perry. Manchester News - Miss Rose Baker of England and her sister Mrs. Margaret Steer of Ajax, spent several days with Mr. and Mrs. Dick Steer, Margaret and John. Mr. and Mrs. Elliot and two sons of Napanee were weekend guests with the same Steer family. Around Town - Mr. and Mrs. George Shipway, Eastborne, Sussex, England, aunt and uncle of Mr. John Jefford, are spen- ding the summer in Canada. They are now visiting John and Reta in Port Perry. 20 YEARS AGO Thursday, June 11, 1970 Douglas Williams, former coach of the Oshawa Generals, chatted with Brian McNab, 18 and Lou Anne Popowich, 16, after the P.P.H.S. Athletic Banquet last Thursday evening. Brian won hn 4, Re reg --. --__ (Turn to page 10) Lelters io the editor To the Editor: Obscene! This is the only prin- table one of many words that come to mind while reading about a 15.2 percent Durham Board of Education tax increase for Scugog township. Is our Board oblivious to the mood and to the financial capabilities of taxpayers? If my budget exceeds my in- crease in income, I have no choice butt TO REDUCE MY SPENDING. The Board has no mandate to improverish the taxpayers of this region. On the contrary, they have a responsibility to balance spending increases with increases in inflation rate only--particularly Race was "just ducky" To the Editor: Well here it is Sunday, and Canoe the Nonquon 1990 will go down into the History Books of the Scugog Shores Historical Society' as a great race. It was sure a great race for this aging blue Canoe ... I'm back in 'my resting place with my bottom turned skyward but thanks to you Pete my Bow is being held just a little bit higher and my stern isn't dragging quite so low ... I can't thank you enough for all your help ... It was most certainly my finest hour with folks from Seagrave cheering me and my crew along ... Speaking of my crew they were very understanding of my aging condition and did everything in' their power to make my life easier ... unlike the lady in white who yelled at me at the beginning to get going ... they stopped along the way on numerous occasions so as not to press me to my limits. Special thanks to Chris MaGill who took pity on my crew and gave them shelter in his lovely home and me a resting place on the soft green grass during the thunder storm. Thanks also to all the folks from the Yacht Club and the Port Perry Fire Department who kept a close eye on me and offered assistance should I need it ... To all the wonderful people of Scugog who showed such faith in me by pledging money thank you ... the funds will be put to good use (Turn to page 8) Tolerance level has been exceeded at this time in view of a slowing economy. As frustrating as my own situa- tion is, people on fixed incomes are infinitely worse off. Where will it stop? Will taxes on a $3,000 assessed house rise to $5,000 - $10,000, or $50,000? will tolerant Canadians finally revolt and refuse to pay these exhorbi- tant taxes? No segment in society, even the Board of Education, has a right to tax people out of their homes and properties. Wake up, trustees!! The Gravy Train has ground to a halt. This taxpayer's tolerance level has now been exceeded. ) . Ian Edmiston, ) Greenbank FREEZER HOSP TAL PERSONNEL. W -- "That must be where they keep the bed pans.'