Public Service Announcement..
Ok here is MY OPINION (Not that of my employer, the Government of Canada, or ANYONE ELSE On the green bin organic collection for communal compost.
As if our farmers don't suffer enough!. Our city has introduced the "improve our space, reduce the waste" program and the County itself has had the program running for around 2 years already.
The principal sounds great, it does reduce the waste and provides compost and a beautiful reduction in waste to the dumps.
Here is the downfall in my eyes. *I* Will never use this compost, I will never recommend my friends use this compost, and I pray that no farmer uses this compost for this single fact.
From an Inspectors point of view (me).. People are selfish, and silly. On a daily basis hundreds of Grandmothers, Mothers, Fathers, Grandfathers, Children, Singletons, Couples are smuggling dangerous cargo to Canada. That Apple you forgot to throw out on the plane from a foreign country? That is one deadly bullet in a compost bin, somehow you managed to "forget" to declare your smuggled fruit (up to $200.00 per banned item, 1 apple and a sandwich can run you $400.00), you throw it out in your green bin and it becomes a part of the city compost, that compost later gets bought and used by a local apple grower, and that apple you threw out just happened to have a micro organism that we just don't have here (Ie Japanese Apple Rust, or Painted Apple Moth), and with the compost might you be able to introduce it to our Canadian Farm.
Think it Can't Happen?
Think again - A simple sausage can cause a lot of damage . . .
Foot and Mouth Disease is an acute, highly contagious viral infection of cloven-hoofed mammals such as cattle, goats, sheep, and pigs. The disease spreads rapidly and easily, causing major losses in infected herds. An outbreak of this disease in Saskatchewan, in 1952, is believed to have been caused by a small amount of infected sausage meat imported from Europe which was fed to swine by a farm worker. The outbreak was not extensive and was quickly eradicated. However, eradication costs approached one billion dollars at the time ($30 billion in 1995 dollars) and many farm families lost their herds and liabilities as a result.
Many foreign species of plants and animals have been introduced in Canada and are now major pests to humans, agriculture and the environment. Some of the best known include the Black Garden Slug, the European Starling, Japanese Beetles, Gypsy Moths and Dutch Elm Disease. One thing these species all have in common is that they have been introduced accidentally and are multiplying in the Canadian environment. They have become major pests that cost our agricultural industry and economy millions of dollars annually and cause harm to our environment.
I am bitter about this because I have seen people go to GREAT lengths to conceal, and smuggle food into the Country. I have been assaulted more times, spat on, screamed at and watched more tantrums at taking away some powdered milk, a chicken bone for some type of religious purpose (This excuse does not work either), a link of sausage whatever it may be than arresting someone for smuggling a narcotic to Canada (And these are the ones that are facing a 7 year jail sentence).. Unbelievable.
As if our farmers don't suffer enough!. Our city has introduced the "improve our space, reduce the waste" program and the County itself has had the program running for around 2 years already.
The principal sounds great, it does reduce the waste and provides compost and a beautiful reduction in waste to the dumps.
Here is the downfall in my eyes. *I* Will never use this compost, I will never recommend my friends use this compost, and I pray that no farmer uses this compost for this single fact.
From an Inspectors point of view (me).. People are selfish, and silly. On a daily basis hundreds of Grandmothers, Mothers, Fathers, Grandfathers, Children, Singletons, Couples are smuggling dangerous cargo to Canada. That Apple you forgot to throw out on the plane from a foreign country? That is one deadly bullet in a compost bin, somehow you managed to "forget" to declare your smuggled fruit (up to $200.00 per banned item, 1 apple and a sandwich can run you $400.00), you throw it out in your green bin and it becomes a part of the city compost, that compost later gets bought and used by a local apple grower, and that apple you threw out just happened to have a micro organism that we just don't have here (Ie Japanese Apple Rust, or Painted Apple Moth), and with the compost might you be able to introduce it to our Canadian Farm.
Think it Can't Happen?
Think again - A simple sausage can cause a lot of damage . . .
Foot and Mouth Disease is an acute, highly contagious viral infection of cloven-hoofed mammals such as cattle, goats, sheep, and pigs. The disease spreads rapidly and easily, causing major losses in infected herds. An outbreak of this disease in Saskatchewan, in 1952, is believed to have been caused by a small amount of infected sausage meat imported from Europe which was fed to swine by a farm worker. The outbreak was not extensive and was quickly eradicated. However, eradication costs approached one billion dollars at the time ($30 billion in 1995 dollars) and many farm families lost their herds and liabilities as a result.
Many foreign species of plants and animals have been introduced in Canada and are now major pests to humans, agriculture and the environment. Some of the best known include the Black Garden Slug, the European Starling, Japanese Beetles, Gypsy Moths and Dutch Elm Disease. One thing these species all have in common is that they have been introduced accidentally and are multiplying in the Canadian environment. They have become major pests that cost our agricultural industry and economy millions of dollars annually and cause harm to our environment.
I am bitter about this because I have seen people go to GREAT lengths to conceal, and smuggle food into the Country. I have been assaulted more times, spat on, screamed at and watched more tantrums at taking away some powdered milk, a chicken bone for some type of religious purpose (This excuse does not work either), a link of sausage whatever it may be than arresting someone for smuggling a narcotic to Canada (And these are the ones that are facing a 7 year jail sentence).. Unbelievable.
posted by TraceyF at 8:19 p.m.
1 Comments:
That's interesting, because you are right. I would never use "free" stuff the city provides (compost, mulch, etc.) either. I've even had bad experience with purchasing mulch in bulk and having it delivered to the house. (We buy the small bags of mulch at the garden centre now. It's more expensive, but the quality is more reliable.)
It's too bad you can't do your own composting yet. I hope you get your grading sorted out soon.
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