from the Acting Medical Officer of Health, 2005

 

TRANSCRIBED FACSIMILE OF ORIGINAL LETTER,

                                    website posting December 27, 2005

 

Hastings-Prince Edward Health Unit         

179 North Park Street, Belleville, Ont K8P 4P1

Tel: (613) 966-5500 Fax: (613) 966-9418

 

May 30, 2005

 

Mayor Leo Finnegan

City of Prince Edward County 332 Main Street, Box 1550

Picton, Ontario KOK2TO

 

Dear Mr. Mayor,

 

Recently the local press has reported on deliberations by the City of Prince Edward county council on two issues in waste management, namely solid waste disposal and sewage treatment.

Some of your members have spoken in favour of waste incineration, and construction of another conventional STP.

 

I would like to draw your attention to the fact that both of these modalities may be implicated in potential public health problems.

 

The former may compromise air quality and certainly generates hazardous waste that has to be disposed of, and the latter generates sludges that may be contaminated with chemicals, which originate in the inappropriate mixture of human with industrial waste at STP'S. Disposing of these hazardous wastes and sludges is proving to be an increasing and expensive problem.

 

If there are good, environmentally sound and economical alternatives in waste management these should be seriously considered.

 

For example, Zero Waste is a positive constructive approach to solid waste management which is a progressive alternative to the negative and destructive traditional methods of incineration and land filling. Quinte Waste Solutions in Trenton continues to lead the way in North America towards Zero Waste but this approach requires vigorous support by municipalities if it is to reach its goal.

 

With respect to sewage treatment there were many interesting options considered at the "Ecofluency" waste management conference sponsored by citizens and held in Picton two years ago this month and whose principles continue to be promoted by your local SafeWaterGroup.

 

It is interesting that citizens of Prince Edward County have historically led the way in environmental matters. In the process of considering the future of waste management in Prince Edward County, all reasonable options should be considered for the good of the economic and public health of the community.

 

Sincerely yours,

 

Dr. A. C. Goddard-Hill

Acting Medical Officer of Health

AGH/vd