Letter to the Editor
Editor,
During the last Datacall process to Waste Diversion Ontario, the Municipality of Meaford diverted 3,300 pounds of plastic film for recycling: just over a 1½ tons of plastic. A volunteer program of which to be very proud.
At the Municipality of Meaford’s 2015 RE-Use & ECO-Fair, the Grey Bruce Sustainability Network publicized the success of the Municipality of Brockton’s (which includes Walkerton) 2014 plastic film recycling pilot project, a program similar to our own. The population of Brockton is almost the same size as the Municipality of Meaford. In their first year, they diverted 6,000 pounds or 3 tons of plastic film.
Operationally, the programs are not the same. In Brockton there are 3 designated dumpster type bins around their municipality for plastic collection. A private company is paid to haul and bale the film. Residents in the Municipality of Meaford voluntarily drop off their film plastic at the local transfer station. Switch Energy, at their cost, collect, clean and condition the used film so that it can be reintroduced back into the plastics industry.
Anyone who saw the documentaryTrashed,sponsored by Meaford Area Community Association (MACA), or Wasteland,hosted by Transition Meaford, is well aware of the irreparable damage of plastics on our oceans and their sea life. Small tan bits of plastic film (krill look-alikes) outnumber krill 6 to 1. Krill is the only food eaten by many ocean creatures. As well, tiny plastic balls, called nurdles, resemble fish eggs, another vital food source for sea life.
Marine biologists have sounded the alarm. Because of the volume of plastic in the stomachs of sea birds, many are now dying of starvation.
We have so many reasons to work harder to increase the Municipality of Meaford’s plastic film diversion rate. In addition, shall we all continue to work together on the companion priority: reducing the use of film plastic in our daily lives?
As the old skipping rope chant says:
Good, Better, Best,
Never let it rest
Until the good is better
And, the better is the best.
Lindy Iversen, Meaford
