The Public Consultation period on the Metro Vancouver Integrated Solid Waste Management and Resource Plan closed on July 14th,, 2010. The Metro Vancouver Directors who sit on the region’s waste management committee will meet in the second half of July to debate amendments to the plan. Their recommendations go to a vote of the full Metro board, currently scheduled for July 30th, 2010 at 9:00AM.
Here is a link to an article that explains the breakdown of voting and the weight of the votes on the Metro board. You can let individual Metro board members know how you feel about the plan.
At this point, municipalities and cities in the region appear split on aspects of the proposed plan, with many expressing concern about the implications of Waste to Energy incineration in terms of its impacts on health and the environment. Some municipalities are also concerned about the cost effectiveness of the incineration option.
What municipalities do agree on is that waste reduction efforts should focus on reducing, reusing and recycling, more aggressive diversion targets, industry-led takeback programs and ongoing strategies targeting zero waste. Some of these strategies include:
Reducing the amount of materials used in manufacture, packaging and in our homes
Reusing materials to extend the life of the product – manufacturers should be encouraged to design products that last or can be repaired.
Recycling items to close the loop in the life cycle, allowing indefinite use. Burning or gasification is not part of a renewable cycle.
Composting all organics will divert a major portion of the present waste stream.
Students at the University of British Columbia recently completed a very interesting study that concluded that Metro Vancouver can achieve its waste reduction targets without resorting to Waste-to-Energy incineration. Here is a link to their report and a video of their presentation to the Fraser Valley Regional District.
DR. Jeffrey Morris and a team of researchers have also produced a significant report that proposes options to Waste to Energy incineration.
It is possible for all of us – individuals, businesses, industry and government to do more in these areas. Until the science is conclusive and incineration technology is more advanced, we need to work toward these alternatives and protect our sensitive airshed. What strategies would you propose?
Contact individual members of the Metro Vancouver board in their cities and municipalities and let them know what you think about the plan. Find out who they are here.
The science surrounding Waste-to-Energy incineration is inconclusive. Scientists don’t agree on the potential impacts of emissions on human health and the environment. These emissions are difficult to fully measure and contemporary standards are based only on measuring some of the toxins released by the incineration process. Many toxins, such as dioxins and furans go undetected using current monitoring technology.
What people do agree on is that waste reduction efforts should focus on reducing, reusing and recycling, more aggressive diversion targets, industry-led takeback programs and ongoing strategies targeting zero waste. These strategies include:
Reducing the amount of materials used in manufacture, packaging and in our homes
Reusing materials to extend the life of the product – manufacturers should be encouraged to design products that last or can be repaired.
Recycling items to close the loop in the life cycle, allowing indefinite use. Burning or gasification is not part of a renewable cycle.
Composting all organics will divert a major portion of the present waste stream.
It is possible for all of us – individuals, businesses, industry and government to do more in these areas.
Until the science is conclusive and incineration technology is more advanced, we need to work toward these alternatives and protect our sensitive airshed.
It is important to let regional decision-makers know how you feel about the options for waste reduction.
What you can do:
Write to the Metro Vancouver Board and let them know what you think about WTE before July 14, 2010.
Copy your letter to the BC Minister of the Environment, Barry Penner.
Lobby for increased local recycling and composting programs and encourage the provincial government accelerate expansion of the Extended Producer Responsibility Programs to include packaging materials. INS ERT LINK: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/epd/recycling/history/index.htm
Share your waste reduction ideas with us! Let’s help find and promote solutions so we can all breathe easily.
Last chance to comment! Metro Vancouver is consulting on a new Draft Integrated Solid Waste and Resource Management Plan. This plan includes waste reduction strategies and a proposal for Waste-to-Energy incineration. It is important that Metro Vancouver hears your views.
PUBLIC MEETING
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Registration: 6:30 – 7 p.m.
Public meeting: 7 p.m.
Metro Vancouver, 2nd floor Boardroom
4330 Kingsway, Burnaby
If you wish to speak at the meeting, you will be asked to register at the front desk (five minutes per speaker). Written submissions are encouraged, and will be acknowledged. Issues raised in correspondence and at the final public meeting will be addressed prior to submission of the final plan to the B.C. Minister of Environment for approval.
Please note that this is the FINAL public meeting and will be the last opportunity to comment on the Draft Plan, and that the Metro Vancouver Board and Committees will not be accepting delegations on this matter after this date.
Send your comments by July 14, 2010 to:
Lois E. Jackson, Chair, Metro Vancouver and Greg Moore, Chair, Metro Vancouver Waste Management Committee who will be chairing the meeting.
EMAIL: icentre@metrovancouver.org
FAX: 604-432-6297
MAIL: Metro Vancouver
Public Involvement Division
4330 Kingsway,
Burnaby B.C.
V5H 4G8
“One thing I like doing is breathing”, said Wayne Snerle at a recent Public Consultation meeting on Metro Vancouver’s Waste Management Plan.
In addition to initiatives to reduce and divert waste by 2015, the plan proposes a Waste-to-Energy (WTE) strategy to annually incinerate 500,000 tonnes of garbage that will not be recycled, composted or otherwise diverted from households, business and industry.
Snerle, a former firefighter, opposes the WTE strategy based on his knowledge of the staggering number of chemicals released into the smoke of a typical household fire – more than 500.
That’s the view of only one of the many citizens who shared their concerns about the health, environmental and cost impacts of the proposed WTE incineration strategy at the public meeting.
Dr. Douw Steyn a UBC Professor in the Atmospheric Science Program Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, shares their concern and recently provided a list of six reasons not to incinerate garbage in the Metro Vancouver region.
1. Over the past two decades, the Fraser Valley has achieved about a 35 per cent reduction in emissions of ozone precursor pollutants. This is significant. Adding another emissions source (WTE incinerator) could undo those reductions. It is a step backward.
2. The shape and prevailing winds in the Fraser Valley airshed do not disperse pollutants. Air quality is already a serious concern.
3. Over time, the amount and chemical reactivity of emissions has been reduced. At the same time, there has been a shift eastwards in ozone exceedance (from Port Moody-Maple Ridge area to the Hope-Chilliwack valley). This is not fully understood. Until it is, we should not add more emissions to the airshed.
4. Incineration discourages the reduction and diversion of waste, which are clearly preferable options. Incinerators rely on garbage as feedstock. The Metro Vancouver region could ultimately be forced to import garbage to meet contractual obligations for electricity and heat.
5. Background ozone is increasing and it will become increasingly difficult to keep regional ozone levels below the Canada Wide Standard. This is a hemispheric problem, requiring international collaboration. All emissions will have to be curtailed to meet future targets.
And finally, said Dr. Steyn;
6. Incineration is “a dangerous thing” with many hidden costs. Incinerate as a last resort but do not use waste-to-energy as a justification for incineration.
Between Dr. Steyn and Wayne Snerle that’s a powerful list of reasons for Metro Vancouver to consider before moving forward with their plan. What reasons would you add?
View a video of Dr.Steyn’s full presentation ‘6 Reasons’ below: