Economical Issues

The economical sides of this landfill dilemma become an issue when the landfill job market goes out of place. By the end of Cache Creek, there are going to be many questions for the future of employees of this dump site. Is GVRD or the provincial government going to provide them with new positions? Is this change going to make some lose jobs and some others get jobs? I am assuming it will be a trade off somehow and I am hoping that no one will be taken for granted.
But, how is this waste become an economical issue from a production stand point?
I believe that after almost 4 months of reading and researching, I am at a point to state that the idea of waste should be considered as an inefficiency in production. We produce so many things that we really do not need and bundle it in something that is not required, and probably put that bundle in a plastic bag that does not really need to be in. Therefore, we should aim for a more efficient production and market.
The public image of consumerism needs to be changed. Our society should first of all not be so influenced by consumerism but also promote more healthy choices. Ideas such as garage sales, donations, and recycling should be encouraged more.
By efficient shopping both businesses and individual people will be saving and also produce less waste.

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Well, here it is, the end of my weblog. I started with an idea that I randomly heard, and by researching I found out about the GVRD's recent problem. Then I studied different disposal methods, waste issues in other places, and discussed small waste issues that came up here and there. I am ending this topic with Social, Political and Economical aspects of the Urban Waste. This was very educational for me, and I hope it was for you as well.
Let's hope for the day with Zero-Waste.

Political Issues

This delay in the decision making for the future garbage site is also a result of the complicated political relationship of the different government levels. In our Urban Geography class, we read that Canadian provinces have assigned the collection and disposal of residential solid waste to municipalities (pg. 308). However, in case of proposed Ashcroft ranch, it was rejected by the provincial government indicating not including enough native consultation. In a way the involvement of the provincial government has made the situation a bit more complicated.
Another political issue adding more difficulty to the situation is the political activity of municipal parties. If the council of a municipality supports a green environment and is not interested and in need of creating more jobs they will oppose the establishment of a landfill in the city. On the other hand, if the council of a municipality would be interested in creating more local jobs, they would welcome and support the idea of a waste landfill in their city.

Social Impacts Continued...

Like many other issues in urban societies, GVRD's landfill issue creates the NIMBY-Not In My Backyard- syndrome within the province. Many proposed sites are the "backyard" of many of our people. Living close to a landfill site can be very dangerous as the carbon produced from composing or burning of organic compounds can be very damaging to our respiratory system. It also assists the production of acid rain which is harmful to our farms, our buildings and in general our environment. Another factor is the production of leachate that can enter the ground water system and eventually our rivers, it can become our drinking water, or the water we swim in. These points are all very logical reasons for why one may not want a landfill close by.
In addition to all the health issues related to having a dump site in your residence area, the presence of it also lowers the value of your property. Just like how a lot of people do not want to live by a landfill site, a lot of people do not want to buy a house close to a landfill. So, in many ways one may be pressured to live where they are because they do not have the money to leave. They may sell their house at a price lower than property level, so they can get away. This not only will not be beneficial but will be detrimental.
One other social problem is the job market for the waste industry. Many people such as the employees of the Cache Creek landfill may be losing their jobs if, the landfill chosen will be either very far away that they can not commute, or could be owned by a private company that would get their own people in work.
Another issue worth mentioning is that if the chosen landfill is a privately owned site and is not owned by GVRD it will have higher expenses for everyone. People may end up paying more than they do now for their annual waste collection and disposal. It is inevitable that there are going to be a group of people who will be unhappy with this additional cost.
All the problems mentioned may cause a change in people's garbage production conscience. However, people will not be changing for the next two years while Cache Creek is filling up. If any change in people, it will be showing in the next decade.
In the mean time, it is the municipal governments, GVRD, and the provincial government to make the right choice so it will be beneficial to everyone.

The next question will be who is really deciding? Is there a cooperation level between the government levels?

Social Impacts?

Strike, strike, strike this is what we have seen and heard in the last few days. The next thing we have heard has been, garbage, garbage, garbage! The headlines we have been seeing recently has been all about how to keep the volume of waste down, how to recycle, how to compose. Out of all the issues that city workers may be discussing, the one thing that has kept people preoccupied the most, is what to do with the garbage?
The one thing that comes up to mind is how could we make the people and media concerned enough about GVRD's landfill issue, that this worrying could become part of our social behavior. We automatically would become more cautious about recycling, or we all build our back yard composts or create our small worm compost in our balcony. Maybe a company with a creative marketing design would find a way to build a shopping bag that would be like the Nalgene of those who used to buy packs of bottles of water. We need a cool shopping bag! Our society needs things that are "cool" and stylish to make the habit of using it, positive.


To be continued...

GVRD's Dilemma

Another issue that came up to my attention in the last few weeks, is GVRD's dilemma (23 proposed sites) to find a new place to dump the garbage! Here is more technical information about one of our contemporary urban problems...
The concerns initially began when the estimated closing time for the now nearly full Cache Creek landfill was approaching. Cache Creek, one of three local waste dumps (the other two are Burns Bog landfill and Burnaby incinerator), is the end of a journey for 500,000 tonnes of waste generated annually in our region. The Cache Creek landfill is expected to be full by the end of 2008.
Cache Creek was opened in 1989 in an area appropriate for a long-term solid waste disposal site because of its dry climate, suitable geology and good access to highway.

ASHCROFT
Ashcroft is only 15 kilometers south of Cache Creek and has the same dry climate and suitable geology.
The Ashcroft site is owned and would be subsequently run by the GVRD, therefore preventing any private company from overcharging for services and tipping fees.
Also, the well-trained waste management employees, truck drivers, and many more key players at the Cache Creek waste facility could easily be transferred to the new Ashcroft landfill.
But, First Nations asserted their disapproval and concern about the possible effects of Ashcroft landfill on Thomson River Valley’s water table, with the threat of court action.

BURNABY INCINERATOR
Another option submitted to the GVRD is the proposal of Burnaby operators Montenay Inc. to increase their existing incinerator capacity by 80 percent.
As I mentioned in the previous postings, incinerators still require a landfill for waste that simply does not burn and for disposal of the hazardous ash generated.
But, increasing the capacity of a local incinerator can have various troubling effects on the Fraser Valley region.

BURNS BOG
Burns Bog at 4,000 hectares is the largest urban green space in Canada, roughly ten times the size of Stanley Park.
The southern portion of this internationally known ecological phenomena is where the City of Vancouver dumps its garbage in a landfill.
An additional suggestion for the waste currently being disposed at Cache Creek is to be transported to Vancouver landfill, Burns Bog, Delta.
This landfill currently has a life expectancy of 40 years. It is reported that diverting more garbage to the Vancouver landfill in Delta would cut its life expectancy from 40 to 20 years.

HIGHLAND VALLEY COPPER MINE
The Highland Valley Copper mine is the largest copper mine in Canada and one of the largest copper mining and concentrating operations in the world.
It is owned and operated by Teck Cominco Ltd. The nearest community to the Highland Valley Mine is Logan Lake, 60 kilometer south of Kamloops and 320 kilometers east of Vancouver, BC.
This is the Thompson Nicola region of BC, an area of hills, desert, the large and spectacular Thompson River, and a number of large provincial parks.
Its substantial open pits can now be filled up with waste and the the ore removal transportation network has already created the required roads to get down to the lowest points in the pits.

Above were just a few examples of the proposed sites, and there are some other options such as transferring the waste to Washington State or our Canadian neighbor, Alberta.

However, a final decision is yet to come...

The questions that may come to mind are; How are we being affected by this decision making?
How will the final decision affect us on a social and economical level?


* If you may be interested in the rest of proposed sites, you can check them out at GVRD's website.

Are plastic bags an issue?

A couple of months ago, I heard in the news that the city of San Francisco banned the traditional plastic grocery bags. This petroleum made non-recyclable and non-biodegradable plastic bags, can escape the waste stream, creating litter and endangering wildlife. Following this decision, small northeastern Manitoba town, Leaf Rapids, bans plastic bags.
Also, don't forget that as I mentioned before, San Francisco is the "Zero Waste role model" for GVRD. It makes me wonder if for GVRD banning plastic bags would be in the list of things t0 do.
It also makes me wonder how it would turn out, if GVRD or one of the municipalities propose such idea? I am curious to know if all municipalities would even consider this plan, since some of them don't even have a recycling program?!
Would banning plastic bags increase and improve sustainability in our city? Is it possible to have urbanization and sustainability happening at the same time? Is it possible to be the "the best city to live in", and have no waste management problems? Is it possible to be a growing city and have no worries about the waste? Is it possible to be hosting the Olympics but have no concerns about where the construction and solid waste is gonna go?
By the way, Where IS the waste going?

Looking at other places...

Globalization has different effects on various countries. These effects are treated differently, based on factors such as countries' resources and culture.
In rapidly growing cities, due to increase in population and consumption because of income level, there is larger amount of waste to be dealt with. This can actually become a problem in low income countries where most of budget goes to pick-up and transfer of waste, and does not leave much for discard. I want to briefly discuss research done on two other places in the world that are having difficulty with the waste management.

Globalization has been identified as playing a negative role in solid waste management in African cities (Achankeng 2003). Studies have shown that increase in waste generation based on quantity and variety has been one of many outcomes of globalization in cities of developing world including Africa. Achankeng finds that there is a positive correlation between city population and the scale of waste management problems. He also notes that there are a few formal systems of material recovery in Africa. However, there is a wide reuse of plastics, and bottles, paper, cardboard, cans for domestic purposes, highly common among the poor in the city. Many authors have identified the high volume of organic content of solid waste in African cities, suggesting to have a bigger investment on composting.

India has also been struggling with municipal waste management and scientist have been studying different approaches to overcome difficulties. Rathi (2005) studies two different approaches to municipal solid waste management; community participation and private sector participation. She concludes that there is a substantial reduction in the cost of waste management with community participation due to separation of waste at source, which in turn leads to a reduction in the requirement for community bins and transportation of waste.

Waste management issues created by urbanization have been studied by researchers in many countries in the past few decades. These problems are necessarily getting worse or better, but governments and people are at least more aware of sustainability issues and the outcomes.

References
Achankeng, Eric. 2003. Globalization, Urbanization and Municipal Solid Waste Management in Africa. African Studies Association of Australasia and the Pacific 2003 Conference Proceedings. African on a Global Stage.
Rathi, Sarika. 2006. Alternative approaches for better municipal solid waste management in Mumbai, India. Waste Management 26, 1192-1200

Is everyone aware?

When discussing problems at a large scale, sometimes we may forget the influence of people. I remember an Ecology prof. once said that the most important thing that could be cone to solve population problems is to be less homocentric and become more ecocentric. In another words we should stop thinking that the environment belongs to us, but we are all part of a community. Finally, most importantly we have to believe and show in our actions that this planet is not just for our generation but for all future generations.
All these sort of things are usually easier said that done. I have to admit that, myself, can not stop driving from one place to another, because access to transit where i live is very low, and my legs are just not strong enough to bike up hills. It is very sad that I know I add to air pollution, so I try to carpool more often. So, the question is whether people are aware of how harmful their actions can be to our urban environment?



One definitely smart and environmentally friendly action is to use compost instead of garburator. Ground up food can clog pipes and add more load to the waste water treatment plants. Composting lowers greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the number of trips trucks must make to the landfill, also the amount of methane released by the landfills. According to the GVRD website, Lower Mainland residents have purchased more than 120,000 compost bins from their municipalities in the last 10 years.
For those of you who don't know, in addition to Backyard composting, there is Worm composting. Worm composting is a way for apartment-dwellers and office workers to recycle kitchen scraps into a rich soil conditioner. Worm composting can be done year round, inside or out. So, if you have a balcony in your apartment, or even if you don't, I have heard that the worms DO NOT GET OUT!
If you find this interesting, or you are very inspired by Worm composting you can check out GVRD website for more information....

And more information...

• What is Waste?*

Waste can be defined as substances or materials for which the owner or generator has no further use, and are discarded.

• What is Solid Waste?

Solid waste is what we generally call garbage. It includes waste from home, offices, businesses, institutions, and industries, with the exception of specific wastes that are designated as hazardous.

• How is waste disposal damaging to the environment?

Leachate** from unsound land disposal sites can contaminate groundwater and soils if it is not carefully controlled, and landfill gases can contribute to global warming. Incineration of wastes creates a new set of environmental challenges, in the form of air emissions that must be strictly controlled, and ashes that require careful disposal. Although modern techniques can greatly reduce the risk on environmental damage, no method of waste disposal is entirely harmless to the environment.

• What is a solid waste Incinerator?

A solid waste incinerator is a facility where solid waste is burned under controlled conditions.
Through a very complicated system, incinerators recover energy from the incineration of waste. This is known as resource recovery. The energy recovered can be used to make steam for heating, electrical generation, or industrial processes.

• Why is solid waste Incinerator controversial?

One area of concern is air emissions. Without proper controls, incinerators can release harmful emissions into the atmosphere. These can include heavy metals such as lead, and mercury; dioxins, furans, and other harmful organic chemicals; and gases that contribute to acid rain.
Another concern, two types of ash that are generated. Bottom ash consists of unburned or partially burned material, that can be disposed in sanitary landfill sites. Also, fly ash, light particles that rise off the burning waste and are trapped by air pollution systems. Fly ash is considered a hazardous waste requiring special treatment and disposal.
Finally, some people are concerned that incinerators may discourage some waste reduction and recycling efforts, since recyclable materials like plastics and paper have high energy contents and can be valuable fuels for incinerators.

Notes
* A Primer on Waste Management-The Environmental Citizenship Series, Environment Canada, 1996
** Leachate: Liquid that has peroclated through solid material and removed soluble components. In land disposal sites, leachate is formed when moisture peroclates through layers of waste, dissolving and carrying along various chemicals.

Zero Waste Challenge Workshop

I attended the Zero Waste Challenge workshop held by the GVRD yesterday. The workshop was very informative specially for me, someone with no background in waste management. I am going to briefly talk about some facts I found interesting and educational. Some of you may already know all these.

• The plan is not to manage waste, but to prevent it.
• Some GVRD municipalities do not have a recycling program.
• As population increases, the amount of waste produced increases.
• Residents and businesses in the Lower Mainland generate 3 million tonnes of garbage and recyclables every year. There are obviously economical and environmental costs to deal with this huge amount of waste. Therefore, reduction of this -also called solid waste- is very important.
• Each year, approximately 20,000 tonnes of televisions and computer products end up in Greater Vancouver disposal facilities.
• "Zero Waste" has already been in place in San Francisco. The goal is to have zero waste by 2020, and successfully the rate of diversion rate has been 69% by 2005.
• GVRD is saying that if they did it, and are doing it in San Francisco, we can do it too.
• GVRD has established two main goals and is still working on the implementation steps to reach those goals;
• Goal 1: Minimize waste generation
• Goal 2: Maximize reuse, recycling, and energy recovery
  

Initial Thoughts...

I happened to see " Zero Waste", while I was surfing the net.
I dont really have a stand point about it, just yet, but this is the area I am going to be looking at...