By Katie Strachan
The Oshawa Express

While the conclusion of an infamous 16-hour regional council meeting in June was in favour of an incinerator in Clarington, many residents opposed to the facility across the region are saying it’s not a done deal. The Municipality of Clarington council appears to be searching for common ground between sides. The city council recently recommended to the region’s works committee that Durham develop a formal plan, which calls for no waste across the region by 2038, dubbed the “NoWaste by ’38 Plan.”

While the majority of the committee supported the recommendation, which would see the province developing a municipal waste management strategy and Durham working to reduce
greenhouse gases and costs associated with processing leftover waste, it was not favoured by all.“If you want to start helping with waste issues, then cancel the incinerator,” says Councillor Brian Nicholson to fellow committee members.

“We can’t afford to wait until 2038. We need to move quickly to 70 per cent (diversion). If you really want to reduce waste, you should have thought of this before starting the EA (Environmental Assessment) process towards a new incinerator.” But for Clarington Mayor Jim Abernethy, the plan will be helpful in reaching the ultimate goal of zero waste diversion.“In the end, if we did have zero waste then we wouldn’t have contentious issues,” he says.“The purpose of this (recommendation) is to get everyone in the tent to work together. It’s not about landfill or incineration. Let’s decrease the diversion so that it doesn’t become the issue.” Councillor Gerry Emm couldn’t agree more.“It’s going to take a lot of effort but I think it’s something we can aim for,” he says of zero waste. In the 1980s the region was achieving 20 per cent waste diversion, now it is 70 or 80 per cent, he says.“The last 20 or 30 (per cent) gets really tough,” Councillor Emm adds.

The recommendation also requests that the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) develop
a provincial and federal strategy, which would increase the amounts of waste diversion across
Ontario. This could be achieved by a policy that would allow all approved municipalities
the option of processing residual waste within the boundaries of its municipality, says the
report.“As we drive down the streets today, we’re not getting 100 per cent diversion
in our blue or green bins, but what we are getting is 50 per cent better than we were 20 years ago,” says Councillor Rick Johnson.“We have to continue to work together as a community.” Councillor Nester Pidwerbecki says the problem lies within the different levels of government.
“Everybody wants zero waste no matter what side of the fence you are on in regards to incineration,” he explains.“We can only go so far.

There are other levels of government that need to make changes.” But initiating this recommendation in Durham is a start, says Councillor Howie Herrema. The region’s NoWaste
by ’38 Plan would be the creation of a new waste management steering committee to research, assess and make recommendations to the region on solutions to ultimately get to the zero waste diversion goal, if possible. Councillor Nicholson says going after the manufacturers would drastically aid in achieving zero waste.“The people that create the waste should pay to dispose of it,” he says.

“We have the whole process backwards.” The plan would also create extensive public education and communication
plans, says the report.
But with this committee
would come extra costs,
says Works Commissioner
Clifford Curtis.
“We want to get some
funding in 2010 so we can
get a committee together,”
he says.
“We should have something
in 2011.”
The matter was referred
to staff for a report on
financial implications and
will be discussed at an
upcoming meeting.
The EA, which was submitted
in July, is currently
sitting with the MOE and
the region is awaiting its
decision.
Currently the region has
a goal of achieving 70 per
cent waste diversion by
2010.