Dear Editor:
I found it interesting the positions taken by candidates Williams, Wandell, Puchmayr, and Cote on the WTE plant. All suggested that we move to a zero waste model.
While I also believe that New Westminster is a poor location for such a plant and that such plants should be located away from metropolitan areas, a zero waste model is unattainable in the short term.
I read with anger the city's pamphlet on single stream recycling - they would be reducing garbage pickup to bi-weekly. While I support the single stream program, a 50 per cent haircut in waste disposal imposed on me by the city is totally unreasonable.
I will remind your readers that in 2010 residents were reduced from two full size garbage bags per week to a standard 120L automated pickup container. We effectively took a 50 per cent haircut on allowable waste disposal then as well. A second 50 per cent haircut in January 2012 means that over the course of two years our garbage collection has been cut by 75 per cent.
I recycle more than almost anyone I know. I go through more than two yellow bags of paper waste and three to five blue bags of recyclables per week.
In my household of four adults and one child, despite recycling to the maximum we some weeks still struggle to dispose of all of our waste in the provided container.
Upon calling the city to complain, I was told by city officials that this was a decision by the Metro Vancouver board, to reduce waste by 75 per cent by 2015.
I am all for waste reduction and recycling. I consider myself a soft environmentalist and I am a paying member of Greenpeace.
However residents cannot reasonably comply with this severe of a reduction alone. Soft, recyclable thermoplastics (plastic bags and wrappings) need to have a viable recycling stream for disposal whereby now most of them are ending up in landfills. Appropriate legislation (such as that in San Francisco) barring the use of plastic bags and packaging where not absolutely required for health reasons (such as meat packing) needs to be implemented. These regulations and solutions need to predicate such massive cuts in waste collection imposed on residents.
My solution? When January 2012 comes and residents realize that their garbage is overflowing, I'm going to start a garbage pickup business where we'll throw the excess garbage on the steps of city hall bi-weekly. Then, if they are elected, candidates Williams, Wandell, Puchmayr, and Cote can see just how realistic zero-waste is and city staff can contemplate what a great idea forcing a 75 per cent reduction in household waste pickup on residents really was while they try to clean the slime off their shoes.
Kris Taylor, New Westminster
