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| ' a q EA PT mT---------- i | } Sixty sites approved for Soil Enrich ( 16 - PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, April 14, 1992 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" By Kelly Lown Port Perry Star A new soil enrichment pro- gram is helping Town- Ship farmers improve their soil and increase their crop yields. Sixty sites have received ap- proval in g and Brock Townships for Atlantic Packag- ing Products Ltd.'s Paper Fibre Soil Enrichment Program. The program which has been approved by the Ministry of the Environment and the Regional Municipality of Durham is aimed at helping farmers in Durham Region improve their soils and increase their crop yields by using paper fibre sludge as a soil conditioner. "So far the response (from farmers) has been good, said Eric Pringle, project manager. The program is el in Scugog and Brock Townships, but Mr. Pringle told the Port Perry Star they would like to see the project expand to other townships as farms continue to be signed up for the program. Residents of Ontario use more than 3.5 million tonnes of paper and cardboard each year. According to Mr. Pringle, Atlan- tic Packaging generates 300 tonnes of material each day. The company recycles used paper, magazines and card- board to make paper towels, tis- sue paper and newsprint at two 'recycling mills, one in Whitby, the otherin Scarborough. These mills use 400,000 tonnes of ma- terial each year that would oth- erwise end up in a landfill. The Recycling Council of On- tario estimates that 19 trees are saved for each tonne of paper thatis recycled. As a result of the recycling proses, Atlanta Packaging has en researching beneficial uses for paper fibres sludge over the past five years. These studies, which are still continuing, have confirmed At- lantic's paper sludge cannot in- jure plants or affect the quality of water, soil or food. Tests have shown the levels of potentially harmful substances such as heavy metals are well below the regulatory concern and are com- parable to levels found in live- stock manure. The aim of the project is to provide Durham Region farm- ers with a viable, cost-effective and beneficial program by mak- ingits fibre sludge available. il rich in nutrients and or- ganic matter produces the best yield of crops. Over a period of time nature and intensive farm- ing can deplete soils of these val- uable materials. Atlantic Packaging believes land application of paper sludge to be a safe and beneficial way to complete the paper recycling business that begins in homes and businesses, while at the same time keeping the Canadi- an paper recycling business healthy and competitive. Paper fibre sludge is a non- toxic solid material, dark grey in color. It is a by-product of the, paper recycling process, and is made up of organic and inorgan- ic nutrients with a moisture content of 45 per cent. FINDING A NEW LANDFILL SITE: THE NEXT STEP he search for a new landfill site to serve the residents of the Region of Durham is a difficult job. The provincial government has estab- lished a government authority, the Interim Waste Authority (IWA), to find three environmentally-suitable landfills to meet the long-term waste disposal 'needs of the Greater Toronto Area, which includes the Region of Durham. The search began last August when the IWA released its first document outlining the proposed criteria for the site search. During the public consul- tation period, the IWA received wide-ranging views and opinions about the planned process. | Following public comment, the IWA is now releasing the revised criteria prior to the preparation of any long list of potential landfill sites. Called Revised Approach and Criteria (Steps 1-4), Supplemental Criteria (Steps 5-6), and referred to as Environmental Assessment Document II, Part 1, this document includes additional and new criteria. It is now available to the public for a minimum review period of 60 days. It contains: PUBLIC ISSUES IWA RESPONSES REVISED APPROACH AND CRITERIA AND RANKING The workshop in Durham Region will be held on Saturday, May 2, 1992 to discuss the new criteria and ranking, at the following location: Brooklin Community Centre Cassels Road & Church Street, Brooklin del @uplel{-Nlsl(ol(ssle] ile] Nelalo RN {-To | ()1 call: 1-800-661-9294 Interim Waste Authority Limited Office provisotre de sélection de lieux d'élimiation des déchets Ltée Pour des renseignements en frangals, veuillez appeler le centre d'information publique au 1-800-661-9294. ment Program By returning organic materi- als from paper sludge to the soil for new plant growth, the recy- clingprocessiscomplete. The benefit to land applica- tion has been very encouraging. No significant adverse effects to crops, soils, surface water or ground water have been found in field monitoring due to the land application of paper sludge. Paper sludge acts as a condi- tioner when added to soil im- Proving the quality and the crop eld. This is not new to farmers as sewage sludges have been ap- plied to farmlands since the 1950s. Its benefits have includ- ed improved soil structure and moisture, increased nutrient re- tention, improved soil germina- tion, improved plant growth rates, improved drought resis- tance and greater crop yields. Tomatoes, cucumbers, pep- pers, corn, wheat, tender fruit and ornamentals have all bene- fitted from sewage sludges ac- cording to a study performed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Some greenhouse studies have reported up to 25 per cent increases in crop yield and growth. More recently, paper sludge has become a way to speed up the rehabilitation of pits and quarries, which are difficult ar-. eas to encourage plant growth. Due to the dry, sandy, compacts, ed conditions, they lack o vital to the growth of plants. The paper sludge adds organ- ic matter to allow plants to grow uicker and help recover from ught. Atlantic Packaging, along with other paper mills have had success at abandoned gravel pits both in Durham Re- gion and the Niagara Region. Paper sludge has also been used for the manufacturing of bricks, ceramics, wallboard, cat litter products and composting. Many safeguards have been implemented to address the concerns of the farmer involved in the program. , All farm sites are reviewed and must receive approval from the Ministry of Enviroment be- fore any material is delivered to the site. This material is deliv- ered free of charge and either Atlantic or the farmer applies the sludge using their own equipment such as a manure spreader. Atlantic Packaging assumes all liability for its material and on-site activities, and regularly analyzes its paper fibre sludge to ensure the material is of ac- ceptable quality. Atlantic will also prepare any required on- site storage areas or access roads. Farms which meet the specif- ic environmental criteria may receive up to 30 tonnes of Atlan- tic's paper sludge per a for each hectare of farmland. To ensure environmental compliance, selected farms will be monitored as will test plots to confirm the benefits of the land application. The Ministry of the Enviroment frequently will inspect the site to ensure compliance with its certificate of approval All program participants are updated regularly and will be asked to help monitor results. Farmers are under no obliga- tion to continue their participa- tionin the program. For more information on At- lantic Packaging's Paper-Fibre Soil Enrichment Program con- tact Todd Dupuis at (416) 298- 8101 or Eric Pringle at (416) 477-8400. A ic Csi matter and nutrients whichare = ug }