Fellow Members of the Busy Overcommitted and Silent Majority

Hello Friends, Neighbors, Family, Colleagues, Acquaintances and Fellow Members of The Busy, Overcommitted and Silent Majority,

I was tossing and turning at three am this morning, because I was concerned about a serious problem that most Vancouverites are not even aware of, and need to be. So I have gotten out of bed to write you this letter and ask for your help.

First a bit of background, then I will share some things you need to know, and a few simple suggestions on how you can help.

Background

On January 15, next Friday, The Metro Vancouver Waste Management Committee is about to take a vote that is going to have a major impact on each and every one of you personally and you are not going to like it.

You may not be aware that Metro Vancouver is planning to invest huge sums (billions of dollars) in public money to build 6 major waste incinerator plants in the lower mainland. Here in Delta, it is anticipated that the plant could burn as much as 500,000 tonnes of waste each year, which will not be limited to household waste. There are plans to import toxic industrial waste from the US and other regions in order to make the plant (which is a for-profit venture), economically viable.

There are far better waste management alternatives than incinerators. For years, European countries have banned organic compostables in their landfills, and in Germany people who put recyclable materials in the garbage are charged double the dumping fees.

The stakes in this decision are high and the consequences un-reversible, so it is vital that we pay attention and take action as citizens. We cannot trust that casting a vote last year is sufficient to ensure our needs and interests are going to be taken into consideration as has been reinforced here in Delta over and over again with big projects such as the container port, and power line issues.

It is my understanding that the Metro Vancouver Board is proceeding on the assumption that people in the region support the plan simply because there has been no opposition.

We need to oppose this quickly and loudly!

HERE ARE SOME THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Zero Waste Vancouver and waste policy experts want to stop this plan. They are concerned about the known threats to public health and the environment caused by waste incineration, as well as lost opportunities for real waste reduction.

There are great alternatives to waste incinerators.

According to Helen Speigelman from Zero Waste Vancouver:

“Robertson's Greenest City Action Team has got Council to approve a new program to collect food scraps in their composting program. It starts up in May - but this is a small gesture.

There is an initiative that US activists are pushing -- Compostable Organics Out of Landfills by 2012 (COOL 2012). If Robertson is serious about Greenest City, he could show it by becoming the first major North American city to adopt a challenging target for organics composting -- and then putting action behind his words and work not only with single-family homes but also apartments, restaurants, hotels, schools, hospitals, stores, etc. etc. etc. Tough rules, high-profile communications campaigns, the whole works.

If the city took responsibility for getting the organics out of the landfill, and also promoted the heck out of the producer take-back programs for toxic chemicals like paint, oil, pesticides, etc -- then pretty much all that would come to Burns Bog would be dwindling amounts of plastic crud (lots of which we can get rid of by banning plastic bags!)”
You can get some easy to read background on the costs, health and safety risks and climate impact here.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

1. • Send A Message To Metro Chair Lois Jackson by Thursday January 14: LJackson@corp.delta.bc.ca
If you can’t get involved more deeply at this time, here’s something you can do right now. The Metro Board will approve the draft Solid Waste Plan for consultation purposes on Friday, January 15. Please write to Chair Jackson, copying your message to hspie@telus.net and asking that your message be put on the public record.

2. • Express your concern by forwarding this message to every Vancouverite you know.

3. Also email copies of your letter to the representatives of the 22 municipalities that are represented by Metro Vancouver board and to the Waste Management Committee.

4. • Send your letter to the Premier, your MLA and to your MP.

5. • For good measure, and to help spread the word, send your letter to your local community newspaper, the Vancouver Sun and the Province.

I know that is a lot of searching for email addresses, but it’s worth it. It’s now close to 5 am and I have to get some sleep!

Thanks for reading, and more importantly, thanks for taking some action, even if it is just to forward this to a few people on your mailing list.