Media Clipping — July 9, 2004, The Cape Breton Post

Island lagging in waste reduction

By Chris Shannon

The independent research firm Genuine Progress Index Atlantic, based out of Halifax, announced that the province's solid waste management strategy is saving taxpayers at least $31 million a year. It's also diverting 46 per cent of solid waste into recycling programs.

According to the report, areas such as the Halifax Regional Municipality and the Annapolis Valley recycle more than 50 per cent of their trash, while it's less than half that in Cape Breton.

Known as the diversion rate — the percentage of garbage that is recycled and put in compost instead of ending up in a landfill — it showed that only 25 per cent of trash is disposed of by using environmentally-friendly methods.

Halifax leads the way with a diversion rate of 59 per cent — the highest waste diversion rate of all Canadian municipalities. That's followed by the Annapolis Valley with 51 per cent.

Several other areas have also attained at least 50 per cent waste diversion, including East Hants, Pictou County, Lunenburg and Queen's Regional Municipality.

The Cape Breton Regional Municipality's solid waste manager couldn't really explain why the Cape Breton statistic was so low.

"We've done fairly well with recycling, and it's steadily increased year over year," said Roger Munroe, who noted that recycling increased by 15 per cent this year over 2003.

He said where the island has to improve is in its composting program that is used by about 30 per cent of homeowners.

The CBRM currently has a backyard composting program, but currently there is no curbside green cart system that hauls away organic materials.

Munroe said while the municipality discusses ways to improve the solid waste strategy, a curbside organic program could encourage more people to compost.

"We haven't collected and processed compost, but that's going to be factored into the new strategy," he said.

"That is right at the table now, so the direction which we're going to take over the next 20 years is very imminent as to what will happen."

The high level of organic composting is one of the reasons why Halifax has had success in its recycling program, the report stated.

The environmental group, Atlantic Coastal Action Program, located in Sydney, believes a fairly high number of people in the CBRM participate in recycling.

Judy McMullen, program co-ordinator of ACAP, said she's not sure where GPI Atlantic is getting its numbers from.

"I really feel that's such a low rate," said McMullen, referring to the 25 per cent diversion rate.

"I don't see that here from what we do. I don't know how the numbers were determined."

She said one thing that was lacking at the beginning of the recycling program was an education program that could properly inform the public on how it would work.

GPI Atlantic also reported that the CBRM is the only area in the province to continue the use of incineration to dispose of its garbage.

Munroe said there are pros and cons to incineration. However he said the province isn't crediting the municipality for its efforts to destroy compost through the incinerator.

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