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"Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" PORT PERRY STAR - Wednesday, September 6, 2000 - 3 Info session with Scugog is planned Paper sludge foes take fight to councils By Jeff Mitchell Port Perry Star Opponents of the stor- age and spreading of paper sludge in rural areas continue to press their point with local politicians. Members of Protect The Ridges, a citizens' group formed in response to the stockpiling of paper sludge in Clarington Township just south of the the Scugog Township bor- der, are meeting with area councils this week. They are seeking the politicians' support in their efforts to have the use of paper sludge ended. Oshawa and Clarington councils are on the agenda this week and next, said Protect The Ridges mem- ber Andrea Vice, who lives east of Raglan. The group will also hold a public meeting Sept. 27 at the United Church in Enfield. And they hope to meet with Scugog councillors in the near future. "We have to get them all to understand what we are saying," said Mrs. Vice. "We have to make people understand this problem is not small." The so-called sludge is a by-product of the recy- cling process employed by Atlantic Packaging in Whitby. For several years now it has been distrib- uted to farmers and spread on fields, or mixed with sand to produce a product called Sound- Sorb, which is used as fill at facilities such as race- tracks and gun club ranges. Both practices are legal. Residents in Mrs. Vice's area became concerned when a large pile of the sludge appeared, stock- piled in an old pit on a Clarington Township road east of Raglan. Despite industry claims that the sludge is safe, they worry that its contents have not Want help? Students look for opportunities By Jeff Mitchell Port Perry Star Wanted: People or organizations who want help. Port Perry High School teacher Rory Snider- McGrath is hoping to inform the community that there's a huge human resource that's just waiting to be tapped. Students must complete 40 hours of community service work in order to qualify for graduation, and PPHS has hundreds of kids looking to fulfill that requirement. Students from Grade 9 to 12 will be looking for ways to get involved, and amass the number of hours they'll need to ful- fill their requirements. Some have connec- tions that allow them access to organizations and activities, but others may have more difficulty. That's why Mr. Snider- McGrath is hoping to hear from anyone who has a community service opportunity that would be appropriate. "There aren't a lot of people out in the com- munity who realize these kids need 40 hours (of volunteer service) to graduate," said Mr. Snider-McGrath. "And a lot of people out there could use this kind of help." » IT Ex RN EE FR at events, Basic criteria for the students' service dictates that it be voluntary, and it benefit to the commu- nity. That opens a wide range of possibilities, from working on commu- nity events like fairs, parades, and festivals, to church programs and youth activity programs, food drives, environmental projects, and others, said Mr. Snider-McGrath. Students can' also qualify in the most fun- damental of ways: By helping out someone in need. "If an older person can't shovel the sidewalk in the winter, that kid could show up and make sure that walk is clean," he said. All that's required is confirmation from a member of the communi- ty that the work has been done, and the hours tal- lied. Students have the four years they're in high school to complete the required 40 hours. "I just need more peo- ple from the community calling in with opportuni- ties for these kids," he said. If you can help, you're invited to call Rory Snider-McGrath at the PPHS music department office: 985-9034. been completely docu- mented, and that haz- ardous materials may leech from sludge and into groundwater supplies. The use of sludge has triggered protests in other areas, most notably Brock Township, north of Scugog. Clarington has ordered the removal of the sludge pile east of Raglan, but residents want Township steps to be taken to ensure environmentally safe disposal of the mater- ial. And they want a review of the production and dis- tribution of the sludge. "It's a concern that it's properly taken care of," said Mrs. Vice. "Our biggest goal is to get rid of this stuff." No firm date for a meet- ing with Scugog has been set. But when they do come, members of Protect The Ridges will likely receive a friendly recep- tion. Scugog councillors have tackled the issue a number of times, and even came up with a draft bylaw that would have required each load of the sludge spread on fields here to be inspected. The provincial Ministry of Environment rejected the proposal as too costly. Scugog Mayor Doug Moffatt has been outspo- ken on the issue, and Ward 4 Councillor David Deitlien has been a vociferous opponent of sludge. He has worked closely with the Protect The Ridges group since its formation last spring. ling our new