10/12, 3:22pm Facebook
message
Jim Routledge
did you
hear that thing i talked to you about before i left - its coming up for a
decision soon
Ian Gartshore
By the way,
I was told that the local landfill is open 7 days a week. Someone told you it
wasn't, right?
Ian Gartshore
Should be interesting to see what the Minister
decides. This could affect shipping metro van's trash to other jurisdictions,
no?
Ah, long
weekends.
For incineration,
I mean.
Ian Gartshore
Me don't
understand... They don't want to see their garbage exported while putting out
an RFP for WTE options that would require exporting their garbage!
Ian Gartshore
Not even to
Nanaimo?? Or are we talking about the city of Vancouver vs. Metro Vancouver?
Jim Routledge
The point is to stop it going unsorted and uninspected to Oregon
- all the efforts to insitute diversion, bans and prohibitions is being
undermined
Jim Routledge
Not only that, the cost of the system that is in place is
increasingly being shifted to citizens
Not only that - who is getting any jobs out
of the Oregon bound stuff?
Ian Gartshore
A few
benefit at the cost of the many. I'm seeing this theme being played out over
and over again.
Jim
Routledge
i will be honest with you Ian - there is a scary side
to being in favour of this - a risk but I feel its one worth taking
Jim Routledge
yes, the risk is that it does open the door to
incineration. so do I trust the system
and put my faith in the people running it or vote against it and risk the whole
last 20 years of gains
Ian Gartshore
So the ban
on export of waste is only for unsorted stuff, right? So why does this open the
door to incineration? Because then there's more trash to deal with?
Jim Routledge
its a complex issue Ian - hard to explain. I have been working on this for a while. I am a business kinda guy and my university
degree taught me to be wary of things like "monopoly",
"expropriation" & "Government controls" yet I find
myself leaning towards that in the name of saving the planet, jobs and fairness
to taxpayers
Ian Gartshore
I get that.
Isn't it fun (not!) when our simple solutions don't work very well in the more
complex world of reality??
Jim Routledge
to answer your question - it opens the door to incineration
because without Bylaw 280 there is no control for any purpose going forward -
incineration, local landfill volumes or MRfs
Ian Gartshore
It appears
to me that we are slowly reducing the power of governments while simultaneously
increasing the power of large corporations.
I see.
Jim Routledge
this Bylaw 280 will do the exact opposite - more government
its the application of
280 if it passes, if mary says "yes" that is the biggest challenge -
it could be done right
Ian Gartshore
We don't
need incinerators. I am trying to understand this situation from Metro Van's
perspective.
Jim Routledge
if you let
your trash leave the province, no jobs, no NRE, no diversion targets - are you
sure that’s what you want?
Ian Gartshore
I don't
think waste resources should be shipped off-shore any more than should raw
logs.
Nope.
I am trying to
understand Metro Van's perspective.
Jim Routledge
it is a tricky one - I think there is too much too lose to let
private industry handle this - its a public thing, like education, water,
ferries
Ian Gartshore
I think
that private industry could make wiser decisions if we did a full cost
accounting -one that includes the usually externalized costs of hauling
distances, burning, burying, etc.
In other words, including the costs of pollution, GHG
emissions, having to dig up more resources, etc.
Ian Gartshore
Yep.
And one more sector
would continue to benefit: industries that generate a lot of waste, especially
the food sector. They throw away tons of edible foods every year.
Jim Routledge
good point Ian-its a slippery slope
,we just start getting serious buy in on recycle and
then take the pressure off - how crazy would that be
Ian Gartshore
Chad of our
local Green Store said that he has difficulty getting some of these discards
because they're rather throw it away then have to sell it to him!
I know the RDN solid
waste folk are concerned about lots materials.
That should read "lost materials."
Ian Gartshore
I was just
told one of their staff that the MMBC funds are not subsidizing or lowering the
tipping fees but are used for subsidizing their utility bills.
I see.
Do you get to play a
role in this decision, Jim?
Ian Gartshore
OK. I think
those funds should be used to boost local manufacturing utilizing the waste
stream.
Jim Routledge
i would love to play a role if its endorsed - it it goes ahead -
yes, yes, yes - you got the idea now
Ian Gartshore
How about
using some of the Duke Point area for a waste recovery center and associated
manufacturing?
Ian Gartshore
Yep! Just a
month to go before e-day!
Do you have some folk who will help you get the message out?
Jim Routledge
Good
morning Ian - could I please have your permission to share the conversation we
had above about Bylaw 280. You asked
some good questions.
Today
Cheers,
Ian
