The Rural Voice, 1991-01, Page 54GREY
County• Federation ofAgriculture NEWSLETTER The Rural Voice is mens byed to all Grey
9 County Farmers by the GCFA.
44610th St., Hanover, Ontario N4N 1 P9
519-364-3050
WASTE MANAGEMENT - WHAT'S THE ANSWER?
Waste management is one of today's
buzzwords. What doesitmean? Should
we dig ever deeper holes to put it out of
sight, only to have certain ground water
pollution over the long haul? Or is
incineration the way to go? What about
the mountains of used tires with no-
where to go? We are finding unscrupu-
lous operators dumping waste tires, old
fridges and stoves as well as construc-
tion waste under cover of night on the
back 40s of Grey County.
If we want to survive as a consumer
society, we must find ways to handle our
waste responsibly. That means reduce
waste, wherever possible, reuse what-
ever possible, and recycle everything
that is recyclable. Having done all these
things, the reality is that at least 60 per
cent of solid waste produced will have to
be landfilled or incinerated. Excellent
starts have been made in raising the
public consciousness through the blue
box programs and composters being
sold in the township at cost, but this is
only a small beginning of what needs to
be done. We need the determined lead-
ership and support of the federal and
provincial govemments and the fullest
co-operation of all agencies right down
to township councils.
But to be effective, county govern-
ment must be able to draw on the finan-
cial resources and research of the senior
governments. Together, there is no
reason why the present problem cannot
be turned into an advantage. On the TV
news recently, a device was demon-
strated which sliced and baled old tires,
reducing them 87 per cern by volume
into a tight bale which can be stored
without any hazard until a practical use
can be found. The impact of this ma-
chine could be tremendous. The key to
finding a solution is simply co-opera-
tion between all parts of society. We all
produce the waste, and we must all be
active participants in the solution.
As proof that this co-operative effort
can work at the county level, we only
have to look at Oswego County in the
state of New York. Fifteen years ago,
50 THE RURAL VOICE
they were at the same point we are now
in Grey County. Their 20 townships
were blessed with individual garbage
dumps in varying states of pollution.
When an individual taxpayer sued the
county for polluting his stream and won
in court, politicians, to their everlasting
credit, were shocked into action. They
bought a 400 -acre tract of land for a
central landfill site. Three hundred
acres of it served as a buffer with 100
acres being the actual dump. The opera-
tion started in 1980 at which time all the
local dumps were closed and replaced
with five well-designed transfer sta-
tions. All incoming garbage was
weighed and at the end of the first year
of operation, it became obvious that this
new site would be filled to capacity
within 15 years. With that realization, a
recycling program was started at the
transfer stations accepting metal, colour
separated glass, plastic containers, and
white goods (fridges, stoves etc.). There
was no market for paper or cardboard at
the time.
Oswego also started a separate site
for construction waste and a shredder
for wood waste. At the main site, a
special area was set aside for state-of-
the-art composting. As well, a four -unit
energy from waste (EFW) incinerator,
also state-of-the-art, was built and came
into operation in 1985. All these initia-
tives resulted in an extended life expec-
tancy of 40 years or better. Oswego
county government however, was not
satisfied and plans were made to double
the EFW facility. In the meantime, a
market was found for paper and card-
board, and recycling has become man-
datory. A company similar to our ARC
Industries has taken over separation of
recyclable materials. As a result,
Oswego has been able to shelve the
plans for EFW expansions and is look-
ing forward to gradually closing down
the incinerators as more and more waste
is being diverted to environmentally
friendly uses.
We visited Oswego in May 1990 and
were impressed with every aspect of this
totally integrated facility. Politicians
for once took a long range view and
acted on it. They now expect their
central dump site to last for a minimum
of 70 years or more. There is no reason
why a similar system would not be as
effective in Grey County.
This space does not permit inclusion
of all information obtained about the
Oswego facility. Anyone interested in
obtaining further information or a tour
of the facility should contact Grey
County Federation of Agriculture office
in Hanover, 364-3050.
submitted by
Karl Braeker
OFA Regional Director Grey South
"THE AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY —
PULLING TOGETHER, PULLING APART"
Rural Connections
in co-operation with Grey and Bruce County Federations of Agriculture
invite you to a presentation and discussion with
CYNTHIA PATTERSON
Cynthia, co-ordinator of Rural Dignity of Canada will address the topic
Tuesday, January 15, 1991
8:00 p.m.
Knights of Columbus Hall (1 km west of Hanover, on Hwy. 4)
FREE ADMISSION
Coffee and donuts