Scavengers. Garbage-pickers. Salvagers. ‘They're all names used to tag the people you. see at local dumps. The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, July 26, 1995 - AS Not the people taking the garbage in there, but the ones bringing it, ae ~ back out. They prefer to call themselves recyclers. __ Look beyond the seedy dumpster-diving image, and you understand | the Special pride these people take in the art of salvage. . By JEFF NAGEL BEYOND THE flies and the fish guts, between the green bags and cardboard boxes lie the treasures, _A few pounds of aluminum fit- tings. . A brass plumbing fixture. Achild’s doll, An aging power tool thrown ; away because the cord is broken. Maybe even a TV that can be repaired, ~~ The Thornhill dump i is a mine and Frank . Walker is one of the men and women there digging for dollars. “A lot of people think we’re animals because we're down here,’’ says Walker, as he un- earths a picce of scrap metal that could have came from a plane ~ wreck, “Aluminum,” he pronounces, examining it before throwing it in » the truck. 35 cents a pound.’ Walker is a retired 73-year-old logger, He and his wife Agnes don’t have much money beyond What he gets from his old-age pension and an TWA pension, ~ And the government cut back his pension by $230 when they ' found cut about the [WA pension. _ The retired couple makes ends ~ meet with the cash they get for trash. ‘‘We can use the money,” he says, pulling an old vacuum cleaner from the rubbish as Agnes scouts for pop cans. - Today the pickings are slim and the take ‘will be about $10 — mainly in pop cans and scrap metal. It doesn’t sound like much, but over the course of the weck a few trips to the dump can add up to $60 or $80, Walker says, ‘‘Before you could clear maybe $300 or $400 in a week,’ he says, "Then they stopped us from os going up to the city dump, they | “closed “ the = Usk. . dump, . now _ | they’re ‘talking about keeping us out of the Thomhill dump.’’ In. fact, scavenging is also _ banned at the. “‘active face’’ of . the Thombitl ane. The regional district does allow salvagers to work the scrap metal, wood and derelict vehicle piles there — if they first sign a waiver. But the rules don’t stop the scavengers, There aren't enough dump attendants to police opera- tions everywhere all the time, say officials at both dumps. Every new load that arrives is scanned by a few sets of eyes, and ears listen for the tell-tale metallic tinkle of pop cans being dumped. As soon as the vehicle is gone, someone’s there checking out the new goods. “T’ve got coffee tables, lamps, couches, coffee makers, four TVs and a VCR from the dump,’’ says Mari-Lenne Pierce, another Thornhill regular who protested the restrictions on scavenging at a recent public meeting. “Before you could clear maybe $300 or $400 in a week.” She's got unused greeting cards, wrapping paper and a sketchbook from the dump. Everyone aims for something different. Pierce homes in on dolls and home appliances, And Lindsay, Burnett’s eyes scan the junk for wood, Frank Walker specializes in scrap metal. And his entire work- shop behind his Braun St. home was built from wood and materials — even the concrete mix — that he found at the dump. The workshop houses power tools he either salvaged and repaired from the dump or bought with the proceeds of scavenging. ‘Its now a place of fine wood- work, where he uses a lathe to tum scrap hardwood left at the dump into finely crafted lamps and other furnishings. ye cn ‘hat De rdinog. erate Wr R te oo, - THEY MAY differ on what they're looking for, but Lindsay Bumett (above) and Mari-Lenne Pierce (left) are In full agreement when it comes to the question of allowing people the opportunity to res- cue useable items which end up at the Thomhill dump. They are pictured with some examples. Waste baffles recyclers WHILE SCAVENGERS like Burnett, Pierce,. the Walkers and others carry out most of the real recy- cling that goes on in Terrace, others are still talking about it, A recycling depot went under in here three years ago after the city refused to continue to subsidize it, Back in 1989 the province ordered all regional districts ta come up with plans by this year to halve the amount of garbage flowing into landfills by the year 2000. Two and a half years ago, under pressure from Victoria, the Kitimat Stikine regional district be- came one of B.C.’s last regional districts to begin work on a regional Solid Waste Management Plan, Since then politicians, lawyers, bureaucrats, and consultanis have been pondering how to solve the problem, The plan will cost ‘local taxpayers more than $250,000 by the time it’s finished. And it will cost a lot more to actually implement. ‘It’s absolutely criminal as far as I’m concerned,’’ says Bumett. To the recyclers, it’s the ultimate in hypocrisy, The government dictates that we shall reduce, reuse and recycle, It passes legislation mandating that. It then spends vast amounts of taxpayers’ money studying options and developing plans. But when it comes to doing something that costs nothing — simply letting people scavenge — they say na, “Tt’s so stupid, the waste of moncy,’’ Frank Walker says. ‘‘We’re supposed to be helping the. environment, But it seems to me they don’t want you te do that.”’ “What we take out is not being buried, so the dump is going to last longer,’’ adds Agnes. What’s really get them mad is the city’s move this year to tighten the enforcement of the no- scavenging rule at the city dump. **There’s tons of stuff going to waste — _ being burned or buried,’’? says Bumett.. ‘You can’t scrounge up there — you can’t even pick up a toothpick.’* Brad North, the city’ 8 environmental services foreman, says scavenging isn’t permitted because it exposes the city to too much risk if someone gets hurt. »“There’s just too much liability involved, ” he says, “And a waiver isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. It almost makes you more liable, be- cause it acknowledges that you know there’s a dangerous situation.’ He says scavengers will fight over garbage and get in the way of large trucks if it’s sanctioned. North notes that ‘salvaging is about to resume at the Terrace city dump — but not the way the Scavengers want. The city is now moving to privatize dump operations. Exclusive salvage rights for everything that goes into the dump will be awarded to whatever firm is: the successful bidder for the dump contract. _ The bids must be in by Aug. 8. ‘The old contract expires Aug. 14, The city hopes that by giving away the salvage a tights, a private company will be able to make . money, and the city’s subsidy for dump operations will be reduced. “T know the scavengers won't be happy,”’ North SAYS. - He's correct. “It’s wrong,”’ says Burnett, ‘‘The people who ga * to the dump to recycle -— they’re the ones that can use the money.” Ministry has passed salvaging buck THERE IS a distinction between scavenging and salvaging and the attitude of the province is dif- ferent to each. Frazer McKenzie {s the solid waste management officer with the Environment ministry, the agency which issues operating permits for landfills. Scavenging, he explained, is defined as the “organized, meth- odical retricval”’ of ilems from a landfill, items which have been | ~ waste materials and the physical tisks to People wandering around presorted and deposited in a sepa- rate area of the duinp. "Scavenging is ripping bigs open on what's called the “‘active face’’, the area of the landiill where general household garbage is dumped.. And under the province's criteria for landfill operations, salvaging is to be encouraged, _ Scavenging prevented, Scavenging, McKenzie empha- sized, raised public health con-- cerns both in terms of the poten- tial. for picking up diseases from in an arca of active dumping. However, he added, those provincial criteria are just guidelines, not regulations. **On- ly where it’s written in a permit does it become law,” McKenzie pointed out. Which {s just what the ministry used to do, issuing permits which banned scavenging while allow- ing salvaging, — However, that policy: has changed because the” ministry sees the scavenging-salvaging question a5 the responsibility, of the permit holder. “Most recently we have been silent on the issuc, leaving it to the discretion of the permitee,”’ he said. Which is what happened in the case of the Thornhill dump..The ministry permit for that operation contains no clause covering sal- vaging/scavenging so it was left to the Kitimat-Stikine regional district, throngh a by-law, to sct the rules, That by-law followed. the guidelines laid out thy the pro- vinice, As for any legal liability mat- ters which might arise should a - scavenger get injured on the site, . “That’s something they. bave to deal with,” McKenzie confirmed. - He said the ministry ‘now con-’ fined itself to dealing with en- - - vironmental problems. associated with landfills. Those included contamination of ground water as a result of leaching from the landfill, the’ potential for disease transmission. by dies and atmospheric pollution" problems caused by: smell. _ ~ CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD The Mail Bag ~ Helmet law ‘not needed | Dear Sir: | Finding roagures In fas Thanks for your recent “Bad Laws” editorial on __ the | voluminous mound of recent bills this provincial government has bestowed upon us unmily lot of lowly subjects, Last count since the NDP have been in power there’s been 250 bills introduced spanning 3400 pages of fibre. ; One point you missed with the cap on advertising for ftobby groups at $2000 was its elec- tioncering bias in favour of the NDP, You see the “working persons party”’ is counting on the blind faith and sheer number of rank and file organized labour sup- porters, many who will be paid or campaigning on union time to get out and pedal the party line or Touster the telephones a” freebies lo direct market their leaders blessed ‘B,C. Plan’? — all for gtatis and not accounted for as a quantifiable benefit under this bill, Speaking of pedaling, now comes this bureaucratic quagmire introduced which will require cyclists by Jaw in B.C. to wear helmets or face $200 fines. Being an avid cyclist, I do on most occasions already don the head gear while cycling on con-. gested commuter routes, high- ways or long distance touring. While a helmet may help lower incidences of head injuries, there are nO guarantees that the ‘brain kit or cervical vertebrae won't be lethally crushed in collisions with metal, asphalt, concrete, fixed of moving hard objects, If protective amour now be- comes the mandatory requisite for cyclists, why not also for in-line roller bladers, skiers, runners, climbers, kayakers, rafters, jet skis, pedestrians, motorists, bungee jumpers and soon and 80 on... 7? The betier ” ‘approach ' ‘toward’ safer cycling is through education and awareness, ° mutual: Tespect ~ amongst cyclists and: motorists alike for appreciation: of: the “rules of the road’’, and the de- | sign of good bike lanes in urban and suburban thoroughfares, _ This new bill is yet another ex- ample that js out of cadence with the public desire and best welfare. It is going to make a formidable task for the next B.C, government to unlegislate, de-lawify, and counter-quash most of: these . damaging infringements: on the | public’s civil liberties, ; Gerry Bloomer, : : Kitimat, BC Saan store -admonis hed- Dear Sir: The ctrrent construction of two: Saan Stores, onc in: Terrace ‘and . one in Kitimat, is a positive step: in that it bodes well for the eco-, nomic future of our.” arta.. Employment for. our. workers, taxes for. our ‘municipalities,’ wages that will be spent im our communities, ete. : - Whar is sad and unacceptable is. is. that some contractors . and: workers on these two projects are from out of province, It is a slap in-the face to our local sub-trades people. It is difficult, to understand Saan’s approach when We are ex- pected to shop’ at-Saan_ stores: while not having our own work ; forces building these “two projects, © ‘ Af this is considered a good cor porate strategy, then I for one say’ shame on: you Saan store. I for One will. not help. your profit. margins rise, ©’ Ask your out of province con: tractors to bring shoppers with them! | Norm Lavellee, - President, Kitimat — Terrace’ ‘ and District Labour Council: ‘The. Terrace Standard walcoines letiers te the: editor,. Our deadiine is noon each Friday. You can fax us at 604-638- 8492.