Letters: June 7

Re: Pitbull Ban,  Chantel Winney

Re: Garbage, What’s a Township to do?, Pat Maloney

Re: Pit Bull Ban

Monte Drouillard’s letter contained two inaccuracies: the dog that killed two-month-old Aidan McGrew in SC was actually a Golden Retriever mix, and Makayla Darnell of OH was only three days old.

Chantel Winney

Re: Garbage, What’s a Township to do?

I was an inaugural member of the Central Frontenac Township Waste Management Committee from May, 2007 - March 2011 when I resigned in frustration and disgust. The committee was active in 2007 and 2008 when it produced a 19 point list of recommendations that was presented to the Council of the day on Jan 24, 2008, and then relegated to a shelf somewhere. The committee was mothballed in late 2008 and resurrected in 2010. In March 2011 the committee was turned into a free survey panel for paid consultant Golder & Associates at which point myself and another member resigned.

While it is true that CF has an unacceptably low rate of recycling and that clear bags appear to be the only way to ensure necessary compliance, the switch to the clear bag policy could have been handled much better. While a member of the committee I lobbied hard but unsuccessfully to have the township emulate

the policies of several of our neighbouring townships (North Frontenac, Tay Valley, Addington Highlands) and encourage compliance by allowing a free bag of waste in exchange for a full container of recycling materials.  I also lobbied unsuccessfully to have all existing bag tags accepted when affixed to a generic clear bag, regardless of the time frame. The point which seems to have been lost on other committee members, the CF Public Works Department and the CF Council is that ratepayers should be encouraged to recycle, not bullied into it. It’s small wonder that there continues to be a backlash.

Among other solutions that I brought forward that were rejected was the crushing of glass, and shredding of brush at the waste sites to be used for dump cover (Tay Valley, Stone Mills & Perth). Glass has not been accepted at municipal recycling centres for many years and is collected and then dumped into the waste site.

A simple U shaped cement block structure (Stone Mills) will allow the bucket of a front end loader to safely pulverize glass on site. Yard waste, brush and lumber must now be transported by the CF taxpayer to the Hinchinbrooke waste transfer site on Rd. 38, where it is burned. An industrial quality shredder, rotated around the various landfill sites can shred most of that saving both the environment and needless aggravation for ratepayers.

More importantly both of these materials can then be used to augment the tons of sand that are hauled and dumped on each of the landfills monthly.

Our neighbouring townships all face the same waste management hurdles that we do, including addressing the 600lb gorilla in the room that is municipal composting; but they have each adopted innovative solutions that are first and foremost user friendly, while CF Township limps forward taking tentative baby steps and waving its big stick.