HomeMy WebLinkAbout1998-07-22-SWAT-min.pdf J VY/-11iv1111uws, July LL, 1770 rage 1 Vt G
Solid Waste Action Team, http://www lexingtonma.org/swat/HomePage.htm
SWAT Team Minutes, July 22, 1998
*****Please note, next meeting is August 26.*****(Fourth Wednesday of each month)
Present: John Andrews, John Fedorochko,Kate Fricker, George Woodbury, Rosemary Green,Al
Levine, Dianne Can, Fran Ludwig, Eileen Entin
George Woodbury reported that the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center is essentially
finished. The first two collection days went well,though the contractors were slow handling the
crowd on the second day,when 1200 cars showed up (Half were from Lexington). Paint was the most
common material disposed of. Waltham will provide volunteers for the July 25 event. One can now
buy composting bins at a state-subsidized rate of$28 at the HHWCCenter.
George and Kate went to the DEP's Pay-Per-Throw workshop this month. Towns which have done it
claim that the total of trash-plus-recycling is reduced by half as a result. It also removes trash
expenses from the town tax budget, thus leaving money for schools and other municipal projects
suffering under Prop 2 1/2. Unfortunately, all towns who had curbside trash collection paid for by the
town, had trouble convincing citizens to give up their "god-given right" to "free" trash pickup. It
might be possible to show that if we had pay-per-throw any household which made an effort to
reduce trash could lower their costs well below the present$180/household/year which is now paid
with our tax money We would also have to convince people that pay-per-throw isn't just being done
by spendthrift administrators who want to waste money
November 16 will be Mass Recycles Day This may be a chance for us to produce an event and/or get
some publicity Deadline for registering an event is 10/2.
John Andrews gave a thorough and well illustrated presentation of the four methods of waste
disposal: Incineration, Landfill, Recycling, and Source Reduction. If one considers all the costs
(Disposal and collection fees, effects on home and property values,health costs, effects of method on
the economy of a town, and environmental effects), source reduction is by far the best and the first
step that a town should take. The best way to start that is by initiating pay-per-bag trash pickup.
Recycling ranks second in cost, and by providing jobs is good for the economy Third are landfills,
which produce almost as much greenhouse gas emissions as incinerators, but cost less, are less
damaging to the environment, do not depend on high-tech breakable structures and processes, and
can be done locally in small areas. The incinerators place last. They cost the most,have worse health
effects, have greater potential liability, have a worse effect on the environment, and require a constant
continuous supply of trash to function properly
What can we do?First we need to create a demand for source reduction, such as by initiating pay-per-
throw trash disposal. Once the demand is there, we can ask supermarkets to reduce packaging,we can
refuse to buy disposable materials, and we can get information to the schools (1/3 of town have
children in school), making sure that recycling is happening there. We can try to influence politics
through the Mass Municipal Association, MAPC, MAGIC Interlocal Cooperation, and MassPIRG.
We can try to get recycling bins around the town on Discovery Day and other town celebrations.
Finally, John Andrews reported that the DEP is proposing tightening the standards for incinerators,
but this is being opposed by the incinerator owners. NESWC also argues against the new standards
on the basis of cost. Why should our NESWC representatives be working against our health interests?
Is there a less expensive way to reduce mercury and lead emissions? John will write a letter
expressing our concern.
More Minutes
http://www.lexingtonma.org/swat/MinJul98.htm 10/9/98