The Burning Question

ORIGINALLY POSTED Sunday, January 21, 2007

I had a phone call last week. I've been wondering what to do about it. As usual, my inclination is to talk or write.

It seems the Region may have cast their eye upon town-owned property at Highway 404 as a potential site for an incineration plant for garbage. It appears they were told not to even think about it. I find that credible given the fact we were having an election for the entire year of 2006. Just about everything we did was with a view to the upcoming vote.

But it's over now. Time to get back to the town's and the region's real business of dealing squarely with the problems that confront us.

No-one can deny the disposal of garbage is a pressing problem. The Region is on record as favouring incineration. The community does not favour landfill. Over the years, numerous delegations have made trips to Europe to look at various possibilities.

I didn't go. So I know as much as any citizen reading the newspapers about what was learned. I was asked in the recent election, (it may have been a trick) if I favoured incineration. My response was I would need to know everything about it before I would commit one way or another.

I have however avowed the principle that current practice of shipping waste to another country is not only economically and practically inefficient it is also immoral. Further to that, I believe it is completely and utterly insane.

In all modesty, I think most people share my view.

I believe it is incumbent on every resident in the region who produces garbage, to seriously consider the options available to us.

Incineration is an option. Since it is not likely to happen in outer space, it will undoubtedly have to happen here. The Region has a number of municipalities - It has to be one of us. No-one can afford the luxury of ignorance.

First info suggests the process is clean. There are no emissions. By-product is sufficient generation of heat to warm a significant number of buildings - which in turn would reduce demands on hydro generation which contributes to global warming.

Structures apparently are designed to look like any other architect designed industrial building.

Revenue to the municipality that agrees to host the facility are said to be substantial.

Obviously, these factors need to be verified and other aspects need to be addressed.

What happens to all that heat in the summer?

Truck traffic on the highway?

Would David Miller, Mayor of Toronto be allowed to stay in his pure white ivory tower while his city's garbage gets trucked elsewhere anywhere as long as it's not in Toronto?

Would the province still have the authority to order the facility in York Region to accept the garbage of any other municipality?

Would we operate it ourselves to ensure burning temperatures are never accidentally or deliberately reduced to save on costs?

What energy would be used to burn the garbage?

No doubt, there are questions galore.

All I want is a chance to ask them.

One thing I know; we have a moral and social obligation to ourselves and our children to find the answer to this problem

That we produce too much is a given. That we need to reduce the output - that too is true. That we will stop producing garbage altogether - not in my lifetime.