My commentary today is going to waste.
That’s because the West Howe Sound Community Association (WHSCA)’s general meeting last week offered enough information about solid waste to more than fill this column. The WHSCA’s message, headlining its posters for the meeting, is there’s “no time to waste” before the community becomes efficient with its garbage.
Representatives of the Sunshine Coast Regional District – Robyn Cooper, manager of solid waste services; Kara McDougall, waste reduction coordinator; and Janette Loveys, chief administrative officer – brought show-and-tell materials to the May 10 gathering at Eric Cardinall Hall. One of the items was a kitchen-sized garbage bin. It had been sliced vertically down the middle, which was covered with clear plastic to show four layers of solid waste. From top to bottom they were labelled: 34 per cent food scraps; 27 per cent garbage (non-organic, non-recyclable); 25 per cent recyclables; 14 per cent other organics.
Cooper said the easiest layer to eliminate is the largest one. If everyone were to compost their food scraps rather than chuck them into the trash, the Sechelt Landfill would last significantly longer, she said.
The landfill’s lifespan, if everything stays the same, is 10 to 12 years. Population growth without changes to waste management would make it shorter. Composting would make it longer.
Buddy Boyd, who ran the Gibsons Recycling Depot with his wife until its sale in November, brought his own show-and-tell piece to the meeting. It was a Jora composter, the same model the WHSCA hopes to demonstrate in Area F neighbourhoods. The association is waiting for approval from the SCRD for a grant-in-aid to buy the chest-high, bear-proof, rotating bin.
The composter would be trailered to different locations in Area F. It would stay for a month or two in each, under the guidance of a volunteer “compost ambassador.” The ambassador would educate neighbours on proper methods of composting, including rotating the two-doored contraption, occasionally feeding it wood pellets, and depositing the right organics – and not the wrong ones – in the bin. The result would be organic soil for everyone who participates, along with less build-up in the landfill.
“We can have a huge impact as individuals if we change our behaviour,” Boyd said.
McDougall brought up another behaviour issue that adds to the district’s waste problems: illegal dumping. WHSCA director Don Holding reported seeing piles of trash being dumped in a lot on Johnson Road in Langdale. I’ve seen huge clumps of garbage that were tossed down a hillside under Hydro lines near my home.
In my opinion, depositing trash on property that isn’t yours is like eating crab at a restaurant and tossing the shells onto someone else’s spaghetti. It’s not only ill mannered; it’s disgusting.
McDougall encouraged Area F residents to report illegal dumping to the provincial RAPP (Report All Poachers and Polluters) line at 1-877-952-7277. The calls are routed through Victoria to the district. Local conservationists can usually act the same day and impose fines on the dumpers.
Incidentally, waste management and recycling came out at the top of the West Howe Sound’s spring survey of community concerns, WHSCA director Maura Laverty reported. Full results, including 78 written comments, are linked to the association’s website at www.westhowesound.ca
I won’t waste any more of your time, except to say I’d appreciate hearing from anyone who has news of Area F. Also, if you would like to become a compost ambassador, please send me your contact information and a suggested location for the composter, and I’ll submit your name to the WHSCA. My email address is [email protected]
