Task force favors user-pay, recycling. The Solid Waste Task Force meeting at the Terrace Hotel last Wednesday attracted a crowd of only about 16 local residents. After the meeting however, Task Force chairman James Rabbitt, the MLA for Yale/Lillooet, said he wasn’t disappointed. He pointed out that waste disposal isn't a very exciting topic but those who turned out, although they offered nothing new, were interested and their comments reinforced those made at earlier meetings in other parts of the province. by Tod Strachan The main theme of the | . meeting was a “‘user pay’’ con- cept in which those contributing the most garbage would pay the most for its disposal. This, ac- cording to Rabbitt, would pro- - mote recycling, and extend the life of current land fill projects. Also, an awareness campaign to have consumers boycott non- recyclable products would en- courage manufacturers to pro- duce recyclable goods and fur- ther reduce the annual volume of solid waste that is buried or. otherwise disposed of in the pro- vince. This met with some approval ‘JAMES RABBITT: Our society must change. . ROBERT WILLIAMS: The user-pay concept will In- volve both Incentives and non-incentives. E DOUGLAS Terrace Review — Wednesday, November:2, "1988 27 _ Small crowd probes big probl RABRAT ‘ Solld Waste Task Force chalrman James Rabbitt (center), MLA for Yale/Lillooet, sald he wasn’t ‘disappointed | with the small turnout at the Terrace meeting. ‘Waste disposal isn’t a very exciting topic.’’ Nonetheless, space for sanitary landfills In B.C. is running out and, exciting or not, solutions have to be found. With Rabbitt are Ministry of Environment technical advisors, Dave Douglas (left) and Robert Willlams. at the meeting, but concern was expressed, not over the volume of waste, but with the content of the waste. It was pointed out that hazardous products such as pesticides aren’t recyclable and don’t belong in a land fill pro- ject. Rabbitt responded by say- ing that this concern had been raised before and there may be two basic solutions: consumer education and a_ refundable deposit that would go to the con- sumer upon return of the con- tainer. Rabbitt pointed out during. the evening that no recommen- dations have yet been formed, but generally speaking the future of solid waste disposal may look something like this: residents would have two containers in their homes, one for recyclables and one for garbage. When put out for pickup, a garbage truck would be followed by another vehicle that would pick up and sort recyclables. This, he says, would provide both an incentive and a non- incentive. ticipating would have larger volumes of waste but would pay for it, and those who did par- ticipate would save money. Ac- cording to Rabbitt this system has been used successfully by the municipality of Delta for the . past few months and is already: being. looked at by other com- munities, | : In order to make. this work, . however, Rabbitt ‘says that our society must change. According to Rabbitt, throw-away goods are consumer-driven, That is, manufacturers produce throw- away products because that’s what consumers want — and this whole philosophy has to change in order to prevent what ehe says could become an en- vironmental nightmare. At the current rate of useage, says Rabbitt, 60 percent of the: Those not par- province’s landfills are expected to be full in 10 years, and 90 per- cent could be full within 20 ‘years. Also of growing concern is the use of plastics in all kinds of disposables — from fast food containers to disposable diapers. . These, he says, are creating an environmental concern that may be difficult to deal with. There are a few side notes to the meeting however which in- dicate that even the Task Force “still has a distance to go before adopting a new philosophy on the generation and disposal of solid wastes. The first is Task Force’s information package — it was sent out to hundreds of media outlets. and community leaders, and consists of hun- dreds of pages weighing 830 grams {about two pounds). This amounts to hundreds of pounds of paper that will probably be fully read by only a few. The second item of note was really out of their control but demonstrates how easily our society has accepted the throw- away concept — coffee was serv- ed in styrofoam cups. As it turn- © ed out, the Terrace Hotel didn’t ° have enough china so they turn- ed to the easy alternative of the throw-away. Rabbitt strongly urged everyone to use the same cup when they went back for a refill. ~ ASSISTANCE FOR STORM DAMAGE ASSESSMENT APPLICATIONS: Terrace. ASSESSMENT CATEGORIES: ‘ landscaping losses. landscaping losses. landscaping losses. ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES: be required. FROM GENERAL FLOODING IN NORTHWEST BRITISH COLUMBIA Your Provincial Government is surveying and determining the extent of loss and damage to property of individuals, farms, small businesses, charitable organizations and municipalities affected by storms occurring on or about September 27-29, 1988. Assessment Application forms and information packages are available at municipal, district and regional district offices located at Hagensborg, Hazelton, New Hazelton, Kitimat-Stikine, Smithers and Terrace. Packages are also available at Government Agent offices located at Bella Coola; Kitimat, Smithers and CLAIMS WILL BE LIMITED to those falling within the following categories: 1. Where a creek, river or lake overtakes its banks causing flooding, exclusive of erosion or 2. Where a creek or river erodes its banks and causes property damage, exclusive of erosion or 3. Where a creek or river changes ¢ courses and causes property damage, exclusive of erosion or 4. Where land slippage or slide causes property damage, exclusive of erosion or landscaping losses. N.B. « Damages incurred as a result of backup of drains, escape of water from setvers or surface water runoff - are not eligible for compensation. , Recreational property/buildings do not qualify for assistance. — Individuals, farms, small businesses, charitable organizations and municipalities who wish to have their . storm damage appraised are advised that all Assessment Application forms must be submitted by November - 30, 1988 to the nearest Gavernment Agent's office or sent directly to the Assessing firm of Brouwer Claims Canada & Co. Ltd. at 4603 K Park Avenue, Terrace, B.C. V8G 4V1, Telephone (604) 635-7733. A It is imperative that Assessment Application forms be obtained without delay, completed in detail and returned promptly to facilitate early examination of damages. Along with these forms related insurance policies, tax notices, proof of ownership, property titles and detailed lists of items damaged or destroyed will ’ Those seeking assistance are further advised it is advantageous to salvage and conduct whatever emergency cleaning and repairs necessary to reduce the loss. Details pertaining to the above should be listed and held for examination by assessors when personal inspections are conducted. Province of British Columbia Ministry of Solicitor Ganeral Provincial Emergency Program ' eee et