Feature Article August 7, 2003
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SF Council Goes in Camera to Respond to Ministry Demand for Blue Box ServiceA letter from Nathalie Matthews, the Environment Officer at the Kingston Ministry of the Environment Office, that was sent to South Frontenac Township three weeks ago was discussed during an in camera session of South Frontenac Council on Tuesday night.
The letter, which was released to Frontenac News reporter Wilma Kenny on July 22, and has subsequently been obtained by other media sources, tells the township that in Portland and Loughborough districts, the township is in contravention of provincial regulations concerning curbside Blue Box programs.
Loughborough and Portland have curbside garbage pick up and the provincial regulations state they must pick up recyclables at the same time. Storrington District also has curbside garbage pickup but they also have a Blue Box Program, and Bedford District is exempt because they do not have curbside garbage pickup at all. Ms. Matthews asked that council respond with their plans for meeting the regulations, and asked for an implementation date as well.
The ministrys Kingston District Office requests the submission of a plan of action (before August 30, 2003) to address non-compliance with section 7 of the regulation, reads Matthews letter.
When Council went in camera to discuss the matter, Mayor Leonard mentioned he had been questioned by residents as to why this issue, which is now on the public record, was not to be discussed in public. We will be discussing with legal issues, he said, and there will be legal implications to what we say. We will make our decision public after we come out of the in camera session.
There were two reports to Council dealing with recycling that could be relevant to councils deliberations on the matter.
One was a report on a proposal by Michael Clow of Portland, who offers to pick up household Blue Box materials at the driveway or lane of participating households at a cost of $52 per year/household. The cost would be borne by the individual householders.
The report expressed the concern that, since there is no bag limit in Portland, and current fees cover pickup of all materials, it would be cheaper for people to put recyclables in landfill than to participate in recycling at a cost.
The report recommended that the Township consider the report of the township sustainability committee before looking at Mr. Clows proposal.
Council had requested a report by the SF sustainability committee on waste diversion and recycling in March and received draft 2 of the report at this meeting. The committee met with Bob Argue of REIC Associates in Perth, who helped design the original Quinte recycling program.
Argue told the committee of grant monies available for waste diversion. The report says Bob stressed that he felt it was important to focus on the whole waste management system, including how much increased diversion could extend the life of landfills, and recommended that a study be done which lays out and evaluates options for the future in order to help council make the best decisions.
The sustainability committee recommended that a consultant be hired to prepare a study, at a cost of $5,000 to $10,000, to assess the current system and identify options for Council to consider that 1) comply with the current Ministry of Environment regulations, 2) optimise Waste Diversion Ontario subsidy and income from recycling, and 3) extend the life of the Townships landfills.
