I’ve been following all the articles related to the Energy-from-Waste (EFW) project, and although I haven’t made up my mind, I’m leaning towards it. Landfills are a bad and outdated idea. The greenhouse gases they emit are harmful to the environment.
In the Talking Trash article [Incinerator townhalls meet strong citizen opposition, April 10], it claims the MRC currently spends about $1.7 million annually to truck 5,300 tons of waste to the Lachute landfill and that a circular economy – reduce, reuse, recycle – is the best way to save money and eliminate waste. Forgive me, but haven’t people and different levels of government been promoting that attitude for years now? If everyone was adhering to that system, we shouldn’t be in this situation. Most people are happy knowing all they have to do is take their garbage and recyclables to the end of the driveway once a week and a truck will come and take it away. Where it goes is of no concern, unless it’s an incinerator; then everyone gets their back up.
In Mr. Bimm’s letter, EFW: Shut it down [April 10], he asks why we’re putting ourselves through this charade of trying to solve a problem we don’t have. We do have a problem: landfills are filling up, and maybe the next site selected will be in Otter Lake. Don’t think it can’t happen, because they have to put our trash somewhere.
Many of us are against something without offering an alternative solution. The EFW project is just a proposal. At least the associated councillors and mayors are offering a viable option for our future garbage problem. Concerning the many who attended the information sessions who are against the EFW proposal, the only time constituents show up at meetings is when they are against something; when they agree, they feel no need to attend.
Maybe a referendum is a better way of gauging actual public sentiment on the option.
Philip Cook,
RAPIDES-DES-JOACHIMS
