Island Guardian

Monday, February 13th

BC Weasels Out Of Sewage Clean-Up?

Under heavy pressure from private groups and the media, appears to have come up with a novel way of doing little to nothing about on-going sewage dumping into the waters they share with the San Juan Islands. In a letter to an environmental group, the Ministry of Environment appears to acknowledge contamination of the sea floor is the result of the dumping, and indicates it would be investigating the matter further.

However, the MOE's letter goes on to state that it is policy to not apply the Province's contaminated rules to an active source of pollution, and implies that application of the contaminated site rules to the Capital Regional District (CRD) would only be considered if the "use" of the outfalls were to cease. Oh. Well, okay, and thank you for your time.

In their submission the groups had used the CRD's own scientific data to show it has polluted to the sea floor. ( Previous Stories ), the BC Minister of Environment (MOE) Many contaminants were found to be at levels in excess of the province's standards under the BC Contaminated Sites Regulations. The groups requested that the Director of Waste Management designate the sites as contaminated under BC law, and order the CRD to put in advanced sewage treatment to stop the pollution from getting worse.

"On one hand, it's a positive step that the province seems willing to acknowledge that the CRD's effluent could be an 'active source' of pollution," said Christianne Wilhelmson, Program Coordinator with the Georgia Strait Alliance. "On the other hand, we are extremely concerned that it is unwilling to use the contaminated sites rules to stop this pollution. Applying its contaminated site rules only after the CRD stops the use of the sewage outfall is illogical. Existing regulations must be used to protect the environment today."

"Normally, before any industry receives a permit to pollute, it must prove it is applying the best technology available to minimize pollution," said John Werring, Sierra Legal Staff Scientist. "Right now, the CRD is using the absolute minimum standard of sewage treatment that exists and, as a result, it is polluting the environment. The government should be holding the CRD to a much higher standard, especially with the 2010 Olympics coming to BC. The world is watching."

The MOE says it should have a report by the end of March on its findings into the environmental groups' assertions. The groups are calling on the government to make that report public when it is delivered.

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A Synopsis Of A Marine Resource Meeting

By Stephen A. Garrison

The EDC (Economic Development Council) sponsored a meeting at Islander's Bank on January 26, where County Councilman Ranker brought the attendees up to date regarding discussions held over the past month with various not-for-profit organizations and government agencies interested in influencing all the factors leading to environmental degradation of the US coastal marine areas. Commissioner Ranker proposed that a model institute be formed in the Puget Sound zone, since this area contains the largest marine biodiversity in the United States, and still has sufficient vitality to respond to change initiatives.

Commissioner Ranker made the point that the building of such an organization could be a "win-win" situation for both the marine sponsors and the counties' economy. The sponsoring organizations and federal government have spent in excess of $75 million in various reports that have defined the extent of the problem.
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Recycling is high in Washington

San Juan County is not the only county that takes recycling seriously. According to a report out of Olympia, recycling by businesses and residents in Washington rose to 42 percent in 2004, up from 38 percent the year before, according to new numbers compiled by the state Department of Ecology (Ecology).

Gains were made primarily in metals, paper and yard-waste recycling.

Ecology officials say this is due to good recycling practices, better resale markets for the materials and more yard-waste collection programs.

The official recycling rate is based on a required definition set forth in state law, which specifies what types of recycling will be tracked for certain types of waste. It includes most recycling of glass, plastic, paper and metals, and some recycling of tires and used oil.

Other types of re-use and recycling are easing the pressure on landfills, even though they are not part of officially counted recycling. They includes land-clearing debris, concrete, carpet and pads, furniture, construction and demolition debris, mattresses, batteries, paint and clothing. Coupled with the officially counted recycled items, the statewide rate for diverted materials would be 48 percent, up from 47 percent in 2003.

"To have almost half of the waste generated in Washington diverted away from landfills is a great success story," said Cullen Stephenson, who manages Ecology's solid-waste program. "It's evidence of responsible waste management by citizens and businesses."
However, he noted, while recycling has increased, the total amount of waste generated has continued to climb. Currently, Washington residents produce an average of 7.5 pounds of waste per person each day, compared to 7 pounds a day in 2003.

"Yes, we are recycling more than ever before, but we're also producing more garbage," said Stephenson. "Despite good efforts to properly take care of waste, we're still putting more into landfills than ever before."

Studies in Washington, Oregon and California show that a large amount of landfill waste is food scraps. Food waste, which can be composted, makes up more than 15 percent of household garbage and paper makes up more than 20 percent of household garbage.

"Two-thirds of the waste going to landfills could be recycled or diverted," Stephenson said. "It is time to move forward in how we think of waste and prevent it from even being created in the first place."

Some additional ways to reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfills include composting food scraps, avoiding products with unnecessary packaging and recycling or donating the purchased item when finished using it.

A 1989 Washington state law established a statewide recycling goal of 50 percent. The highest annual rate achieved so far was 42 percent in 2004. By contrast, the latest reported national average is 27 percent.

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