INC NEWS - Is the new solid waste plan based on solid ground?

[nutryb at mindspring.com]

I think Mike has a worthwhile point. The arrival of the new director, hopefully coming with new ideas and knowledge, offers an excellent opportunity for at least re-evaluating shipment of trash vs. local solutions.  gas prices are only going up, which will make the currently-used shipping option less and less cost effective with each month.  and even though I'm no waste management expert, I have seen news items that would seem to indicate that there have been a number of technological changes and innovations in the last 10 years in terms of recycling, repurposing, and using waste streams for energy generation.  

while i see and understand your concerns in regards to the purely theoretical siting of a new landfill in Durham County (and wouldn't expect an easy consensus on such a venture, by any means!), in the interests of long-term sustainability and general good management, it would serve us to consider other ways of managing our city's wastes besides landfilling, regardless of where.  what about waste reduction programs? and wouldn't it make more overall fiscal sense to keep that money in Durham somehow, rather than giving it to trash shippers? even if it costs a little more to implement an alternative local solution, wouldn't it be worth it for the benefits of keeping money and jobs local, too?

just my 2 cents.
Paula C. 
from the Colonial Village neighborhood

-----Original Message-----
>From: Anne Guyton <annemguyton at yahoo.com>
>Sent: Apr 18, 2006 4:02 PM
>To: Mike - Hotmail <mwshiflett at hotmail.com>, RW Pickle <randy at 27beverly.com>
>Cc: inc-list at durhaminc.org
>Subject: Re: INC NEWS - Is the new solid waste plan based on solid ground?
>
>Mike,
>  
>  I do agree that the best policy would be to keep our trash in Durham  but every alternative you mentioned was studied in detail before the  transfer station was built and they were all either too polluting or  cost prohibitive or both.  Have there been huge leaps in  technology in the last 10 years that would justify the expense of  revisiting these questions?  
>  
>  These alternatives all have major downsides:  For example where  would a steam/incinerator plant be built?  Where would the  emmissions go?  Scrubbers to clean the emissions produce hazardous  waste that has to be carefully handled and probably trucked to an  appropriate landfill.  If you site a new landfill within the  county where will it be?  In whose neighborhood?  Last time  this was done years were spent identifying sites without reaching an  agreement on the location.  We are now much, much more urban and  less rural with much of the remaining rural land in the the watersheds  for Falls and Jordan lakes.  Those factors will make it extremely  difficult to find a site. 
>  
>  I think that building materials and appliances are currently removed from the waste stream being sent to VA.   
>  
>  Part of the decision to go with the transfer station was that it was  what other cities with similiar circumstances to Durham were  doing.  You have to remember that Durham is a very small county  that straddles two watersheds.  We are not like Wake County which  is large enough to continue development at the present rate for decades  without running out of land.
>  
>  I also don't see that VA will be able to hold us hostage because there  is competition among regional landfills.  Pender County here in NC  built one within the last few years.
>  
>  I just don't think its justifed to spend more time and money on these  questions without knowing that technology has changed  significantly.  
>  
>  Anne Guyton
>   
>Mike - Hotmail <mwshiflett at hotmail.com> wrote:              All,
>   
>  If my memory serves correctly,  working out   the contract to ship trash out of state was one of Lamont's first major   decisions after becoming city manager.
>   
>  At the time,  the decision was held with very   high accolades.   But for many, it was a very short sighted answer to   a much larger growing problem.
>   
>  What are we going to do with our   trash?
>   
>  For me,  it was and continues to remain   patently dangerous and eventual financially ruinous for us, as a municipality,   to haul our waste out of state.
>   
>  It's both environmentally and morally   wrong.
>   
>  But before we start moving forward on any 'new'   plan we need to answer the questions posed earlier and find alternatives for   bulky items (they weight more) to be picked up and trucked out of   town!
>   
>  WE SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR OWN   TRASH!!!!!
>   
>  As a community we must look at what options there   are available first, before we continue to make it worse.   The   plan presented by Solid Waste at this point in time only adds more weight and   money to its cost(s).
>   
>  I'd suggest we look at what other cities have   done.   What the latest technology regarding steam   generation/incineration plants,  massive recycling of building materials,   scrap metals and larger household items that could cut back (or hopefully   eliminate) the need to sent it to Virginia.
>   
>  Wouldn't it make sense to have a system in place   that could reuse and/or co-generate something positive out of our waste   stream rather than pay millions of dollars to haul it up   I-85? 
>   
>  No where in the plan that's being currently passed   around is a financially stable and physically viable long term   solution.
>   
>  Incorporating ideas other cities have been   successful with and implementing ways to drastically reduce the truckload after   truckload leaving Durham seems to me to be a better way to go about   it.
>   
>  If this new Director is even worth half the weight   (no pun intended) of what we're going to pay him,  he ought to at least   have some of these solutions in his tool box.
>   
>  Why not take advantage of what he can bring to the   table.
>   
>  Maybe we could make some changes that everyone   could agree upon and make sense?
>   
>  Now that would be a 'plan' a lot more people could   get behind!
>   
>  mike shiflett
>  
>
>
>		
>---------------------------------
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