Re: City stuck on unsustainable fiscal path: Pillai
In response to Ranj Pillai’s comments in Whitehorse Star, March 4th:
The recycling processors of the Yukon (Raven Recycling and P&M Recycling) applaud Ranj Pillai’s vision to engage the city in new revenue options, but would like to point out that waste-to-energy needs the same material that fuels the recycling industry.
While it appears that “in the area of waste-to-energy, there’s nobody else in it,” there indeed are at least 30 employees working to get cardboard, plastics and other valuable resources out of the landfill. As recycling processors, we need these resources and want more. Waste-to-energy undermines the infrastructure and recycling habits that have been developed thus far, and ultimately leaves little flexibility for the city to determine the best options for its waste.
We all remember when the city had a goal of 50 per cent waste diversion by 2000. If policies and programs had been developed to meet that target, it is unlikely that waste-to-energy would even be proposed.
The city’s new goal of zero waste in 2040 means creating cost effective and sustainable ways to reduce, reuse and recycle our waste, not spend money burning it. We look forward to speaking to council about these and other issues inherent with the waste-to-energy option.
Please consider the impact of waste-to-energy on us recyclers before you burn all of your eggs in one basket.
Joy Snyder and Pat McInroy
Raven Recycling, P&M Recycling
Whitehorse