Here & There Column 2-19-08

Klatsch Discusses County Garbage Problems

We were not too sure if garbage was the most appetizing subject to discuss during our recent coffee klatsch but as we ground the beans for our fresh brewed Java and mixed the batter for the home-made oven baked donuts we settled in comfortably to air some views on what Sullivan County could and should do in regards to the Sullivan County landfill and garbage.
As has been noted in much of the media recently there is discussion at the county legislature to either expand the existing landfill or to consider exporting garbage out of the county..
In fact a resolution said that proposed phase two expansion of the county landfill "poses a direct threat to the health and safety of our residents and the county needs to start taking a hard look at alternatives to the proposed expansion including exportation."
It has been noted that the county only has 24 months of useful time life left in the existing landfill and the county has yet to get approval and a permit for phase two and there is the need for the board to responsibility look at alternatives to the phase two expansion.
Our klatsch, made up of a mixture of both Democrats, Republicans and an Independent, had some initial feelings that this whole landfill and garbage issue already is quickly turning into a political battle.
What alternatives does the county have one in our group asked.
Discussion seemed to bear only several alternatives, expand the present landfill (if a permit is granted) or look at exporting garbage out of the county.
What about garbage incineration several klatsch members asked.
Four of us indicated that the latest. waste-to-energy technologies offer clean air and no harmful greenhouse gases and a permanent solution with no lingering long-term environmental issues,
There was several questions that some don't think these new modern incinerators are clean enough and despite competing scientific claims and political agendas, most people do agree on one thing......public support for burning garbage goes up in smoke when an incinerator goes from a big idea to someone's backyard.
Two members of our klatsch said that the new modern garbage incinerators burn garbage at high temperatures and the heat is converted into electricity. Several of us had questions about that and it was then pointed out that trash is dumped into the incinerator, gases from the burning process are moved into a second chamber and burned again and the heat generated at this state is fed into a boiler which creates steam that runs turbines and generates power.
We agreed that this all sounded like the way the county should possibly go and following a phone call to gather more information it was pointed out that about 30 percent of the waste that goes in comes out the other end as ash which still has to be land filled.
We all agreed that the proposal to build an incinerator similar to this in nearby Middletown should be closely monitored to see if incineration is safe.
The garbage problem is never going to go away and we hope politics does not play a part in what direction the Sullivan County legislature decides to go.