The Rural Voice, 1992-11, Page 58BRUCE
County Federation of Agriculture NEWSLETTER
446 10th St., Hanover, Ontario N4N 1P9
519-364-3050
• The Rural Voice is provided to Bruce
County Farmers by the BCFA.
Waste management: we can't ignore it
Waste management is fast becom-
ing a subject few of us can ignore.
From tires to plastic, paper to steel,
the list of items we as a society throw
away continues to grow and must be
addressed sooner rather than later.
Bruce County is currently studying
the problem through the development
of the Waste Management Master
Plan. This study is jointly funded 50
per cent by the County and 50 per cern
by the- Province and concentrates on
the 3 Rs; Reuse, Recycle and Reduce.
Current provincial funding does not
contribute to the study of incineration.
The position taken by the present
provincial government has made it
clear that incineration will not be
approved as a waste disposal option
under the Environmental Assessment
Act. The Bruce County Federation of
Agriculture believes this to be
shortsightedness on behalf of the
provincial govemment. Bruce County
Federation of Agriculture asserts that
the 4th R, Regeneration, or energy
from waste, should be included in the
final solution for waste disposal.
The whole discussion seems to
boil down to the question of whether
we can achieve a similar reduction of
waste quantities through the 3 Rs, as
through incineration. The Bruce
County Federation of Agriculture
believes that rather than compare one
against the other, all 4 Rs must be
looked at as a complementary inte-
grated system. Such a system should
be explored with consideration given
to costs, consumption of renewable
and non-renewable natural resources,
local job creation, markets for
recycled products, provincial funding,
new waste diversion technologies,
composting and the list goes on.
In Ontario, given the limited im-
mediate future of incineration, much
effort is being placed on the develop-
ment of extensive waste reduction
programs. Removing materials from
the waste stream so that they do not
require disposal seems to be a
reasonable alternative. However, the
trick, regardless of the type of waste,
is to establish systems for diversion
that are efficient and cost effective.
As landfilling becomes more and
more expensive, due to the stringent
requirements for expansion and siting,
the options of reduction, reuse and
recycling become more attractive. If
we incorporate the reduced impact on
our natural resource base, the jobs
created in the 4 Rs sector and the
reduced cost to waste generators, the
arguments in favour of the Reduction,
Reuse, Recycling and Regeneration
options begin to take shape.
Incineration is not seen as the final
solution. Removing materials from the
waste stream so they do not require
disposal has to be the first priority. It
will be necessary to establish systems
for diversion of household, industrial
and commercial wastes that are both
efficient and cost effective.
With increased focus on the 4 Rs
and the successful implementation of
diversion programs, the traditional
notion of garbage dumpsites should be
replaced by the concept of a waste
management facility. Can such a
facility be seen more as a mid-sized
industry contributing to the local tax
NOMINATION FOR BCFA AWARD OF MERIT
FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO AGRICULTURE
Every year the BCFA presents an award to a person who has made a significant
contribution to the agriculture industry in Bruce County. If you have someone you would
like to nominate, please complete this form.
I Nominate:
Reasons For Nomination:
Signature'
Send to Bruce County Federation of Agriculture, 446 10th Street, Hanover, N4N 1 P9, or give to any Executive Member.
54 THE RURAL VOICE
base, employment, and not necessarily
a nuisance or liability for the neigh-
bouring community? Time will tell.
• The following is the mandate of
the Bruce County Public Liaison
Committee.
1. The Public Liaison Committee
provides the major liaison function
between the public and other various
groups involved in preparing the
Waste Management Plan.
2. The Public Liaison Committee
performs an advisory role to the
Steering Committee on public
concerns, priorities and issues.
3. The Public Liaison Committee
assists in developing and implement-
ing a public consultation program.
Public meetings on the Bruce
County Waste Management Master
Plan Study will be held on November
24, 25 and 26 at Walkerton, Wiarton
and Port Elgin. Watch for further
information (time and location)
regarding these meetings.
The politics of waste management
will be left to another article.
For more information about the
Bruce County Waste Management
Master Plan or the various aspects of
waste disposal or diversion, please
call: Robert Bregman, Public Liaison
Committee, Waste Management
Master Plan, 392-6272, or Barry
Randall, Waste Management Co-
ordinator, Bruce County, 881-1782.0
BRUCE COUNTY FEDERATION
OF AGRICULTURE
51ST ANNUAL
MEETING AND
BANQUET
Saturday, November 14, 1992
Ripley Community Centre
Social Hour 6:00 p.m.
Dinner 7:00 p.m.
Guest Speaker:
Hon. Ralph Ferguson, M.P.
Tickets $12.50 Per Person Available from office
at 364.3050 or from any Township Director
1