Toronto's Trash - Burn It

Today it was revealed by the Toronto Star that the Ministry of the Environment has developed contingency dump sites for Toronto's garbage.

Surprise, Surprise all of the locations are NOT in Toronto. Of course, this is if all else fails and Michigan finally begins to stop letting us ship our garbage there, which I have always found as an unacceptable solution.

I am by no means claiming to be an expert on dumping, incineration, or waste diversion programs. However, I am a firm believer in handling your own responsibilities, and this Toronto has not done. To that end, I propose that we begin utilizing some of the emerging "incinerating" technologies.

Currently there is a incinerator in Peel region. The heat generated from the plant is also a source of electricity. This is what has been in the past called "green incineration." The air pollutants that are emitted are minimal, and are well within the Ministry of the Environment standards. This is all from 1992 technology! More and more incineration is becoming the way to deal current waste disposal issues. Incinerators are commonplace in Europe - many of you that have travelled there would have likely never even noticed.

Toronto should adopt incineration for the following reasons:

1) It is clean.
2) It can be done without odour and can be visibly unnoticeable - ask the residents of Peel.
2) It can be cost-effecitve if it is done through an open bidding process with involvement from business.
3) It can provide energy.
4) It is a way Toronto can deal with its OWN problem.
5) It can be done while the City of Toronto continues to set an aggressive recycling and waste diversion program

Those opposed to incineration argue that everything should be recycled, and if it cannot be recycled, then it should not be made in the first place. I will admit, that this is the IDEAL situation. However it is not the reality. Instead we are currently diverting garbage to a neighbouring country and state without guilt. Even if incineration is just a temporary solution until "everything becomes recyclable" then I would argue that is a better solution then pawning it off to other juridictions.

They installed an incinerator in Peel when it was highly unpopular politically - but today, people do not even notice it is there - It will take alot of political will to ever make incineration a reality - but I think it makes good sense.