Finally, the dark damp days appear to be coming to an end with a few days of consistently warm dry weather predicted for the weekend.
This has been a week of learning for me. It started Monday with a trip to the Humphrey Transfer Station and a ride on the large transtor truck to the McDougall Landfill. The transtor truck tips and empties the household garbage bin at the transfer site automatically using the power from the diesel engine of the truck.
Once the big truck is full, we travelled to the McDougall landfill about 20 minutes north of the Township offices. Once again automation takes over after weighing the truck. The waste is pushed out the back of the truck into the landfill where it is buried in soils.
Then Wednesday I travelled with Tom Macleod of Seguin's Public Works Department. We visited the Seguin Landfill site near Orrville where a large machine was grinding up everything except for the metals, brush and tires. Once or twice a year, this grinder turns everything into tiny pieces for proper burying. I watched an old fibreglass boat go through the grinder in addition to mountains of discarded construction materials including bathtubs and toilets. I came away from these two adventures committed to doing more to reduce, reuse and recycle. There is no way much of what I watched come out of the truck and go through the grinding process really needed to be thrown out.
I know that many of you are upset when you see furniture and other large household items at the Seguin transfer sites. It is all being dumped illegally if it is not going into the bins provided for plastics, paper goods and household garbage. PLEASE speak to anyone dropping off things illegally. Each transfer station has free dump days throughout the season when we will accept ANYTHING. Large items can also be dropped off at the Seguin Landfill need Orrville almost any day.
Your Township is struggling with how to deal with this illegal dumping. Remote cameras can record car and truck license plates but that is not enough to prosecute offenders. Should we staff the transfer sites? That will raise your taxes and limit the transfer site hours from their existing 24 X 7! If we gate the transfer sites, we worry that the illegal dumping will continue but be along the roadsides instead of at the transfer sites. Your ideas are welcome because it is an ongoing and growing issue that does not look good on the image of our township.
Council is in the process of rescinding the 1 hour boat parking bylaw for Rosseau that was hastily passed last year and we will monitor boat parking throughout the summer to ensure that we fully understand the issues prior to passing anymore boat parking bylaws.
Please enjoy this wonderful weather. Be safe on the lakes, keep large wakes away from shores and wear your lifejacket!
The grinder reduces large items into almost power at the Seguin landfill site.
Just a small sampling of what is in the "household" trash.