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PAGE 28, WHFIBY FREE PRESS. WIEDNÈSDAY, AUGUST 23, 198L B"iodegradable ga'rbage is Compllcated issue:«cintist By Pippa B. Wysong When a plastic package announces that it is biodegradable, don't believe it-there is no such thing as a truly biodegrad able plastic, says a federal goverfiment scientist. Plastics expert. Dr. David Wiles, director of chemistry at the National' Researcb Council, says the. best tbing to do with plastics is recycle them. >"There's a lot af mythology floating around and it's very hard for people who don't have the facts to get them," Wiles- says. He is trying to set% the record straight.. Ho -says that 'when 'a substance biodegrades, it is due ta activity by micro-organisms-mostîy fungi- which excrete enzymes that go.after carbon atoms. When the fungi, break the carbon atoms off materials, such as paper or food wastes, these materials biodegrade. Ho wever, the micro-organisms canyt biodegrade plastics because the 'carbon atoms are too difficult for them ta break off. Wiles says this is just as well, since we use* plastic containers for food. Milk, fcýrexamp1e, cornes'in polyethylene jiqgs and bags which are 11totally inert microbiologically," Wiles says. If they weren't, we'd be eltifig and drinking plastic. 'Conditions have to be just right for the micro-organisms to do their thing, Wiles says. 1"They thrive in warm, moist, dark conditions"-- conditions flot found in* dumi, sites where plastics, food waste and other garbage end Up.' "In a sanitary landfill nothing biodegrades, whether or-flot it's biodegradable ... the conditions are flot rigbt. It's too dry, too cold,"1 he says. "Ordinary bi'odegradable things, like waste foodstuffs, which you thought were, neatly biodegrading away after you threw them out, are flot doing, that. " Since nothing biodegrades in the dumps, it is practically useless ta dump biodegradable or* com- postable products in landfill dump- sites, Wiles says. An example are environmentally friendly garbage bags-some of which may not be that enviranmentally friendly to CORPORATION OFTHE TOWN 0F WHITBY PLANNING DEPARTMVENT NOTICE 0F PUBLIC MEETING Tuesday, September 59 1989@ 8:00 p.m. Meeting Hall, Whftby Municipal Building Whitby, Ontario A Public Meeting wili be held by the Planning and Development Committee of Council of the Corporation of the Town, of Whitby to consider an application to amend the Downtown Secondary Plan and Zoning By- Law 2585. -The subject property is located at 500-502 Dundas Stýéet West, on the northwest corner of Dundas Street West and Euclid Street, as shown on the sketch beiow. IJ l iL8W1LL j -j JaSiN lSTflEET I 1i 1 Ij< 1 i i r The purpose of the above-noted application is to permit a mixed use deveiopment comprised of ground floor commercial uses (1,500 sq. ft.) and two apartment units. The purpose of this meeting is to provide adequate information -to the public and to permit înterested persons the opportunity to make representation in respect of the, Officiai Plan Amendment and rezoning application. If you are unable to attendJ the meeting, your representation can be filed in writing by mail or personal clelivery to reach the Planning Department flot later than regular working hours on September 11,. 1989. lnterested parties may inspect additional information reiating to the above application in the Planning Deparirnent, Level 7, 575 Rossland Road East duning regular working hours, Monday to Frklay or may contact the Planning Department by telephoning (416) 668-5803. ROBERT B. SHORT Diroctor 0f Pianning Corporation of tbe-Town 0of'Whftby start with. "When someo ne brings me a' package containing garbage bagsi that says 'these are 94 per cent1 biodegradable' and asks me if this I is correct, I have to sayno," Wiles' says. The bags are mad e from about 94 per cent polyethylene (a plastic) and 6 :per cent cornstarch. *Wiles says the starch wiIl biodegrade "under the right conditiohis, warm, moist and lots of oxygen," but the plastic doesn't. "You are left with a weaker than normal polyethylene bag," he says. When the cornstarch biodegrades, what remains is a plastic bag that is full of "pinholes" where the starch was. Bags that are advertised as being compostable are better. Wiles estimates that they have !about 50 per cent starch in them. In a com- post heap where conditions are friendly to micro-organisms, "the starch will biodegrade leaving par- ticles of polyethylene behind." The other option is plastics that "photàdegrade"~ or break apart by being; exposed ta ultraviolet (L.¶V) "convert pôlyethyliene rý something that will photdegrade, but you can't convert it ta som- thing that will biodegrade." However, he notes& that in a dumpsite light ca I t get ta photodegradable plasics because "the :stuff is coverec over every day.~ Thin sheets of photadegradable plastic are used in agriculture. Farmers can lay them between, rows of vegetables ta help keep the soil warm and moist, and discourage weeds. "When the stuff breaks down at the end of the grawing season, you simply plow it under," says Wiles. Plastic that photodegrades, breaks down into small dust-sized particles- that mix in with the soil, heýadds. (Canadian Science News) Plastic botties, film wil soon be recycled Durham Recycling Centre will launch a pilot project in Whitby this faîl whýen it begn collecting plastic botties and plastie film. Wjile no start date has yet been set,__recycling centre general CORPORATION 0F THE 41...*:~TQWN CF'WHITBY PLANNING DEPARTMVENT NOTICE 0F PUBLIC MEETIN Tuesday, September 5, 1989 @8130 p.m. Meeting Hall, Whtby Municipal Building Whitby, Ontario A Public Meeting will be heid by the Planning and Developmenit Committee of the Corporation of the Town of, Whitby to consider a proposed amendment'to the Regionial and Town of Whitby Officiai Plans and Zoning By-law 1784 by Veltri & Sons Ltd. The subject property is located in1 Parts of Lots 19 and 20, Concession 1 as shown on the sketch belnw The purpose of the Off iciai'1Plan amendment applications is to redesignate the 'property from Industrial to Residential to permit 13 semi-detached residentiai lots, 40 street townhouse lots and a 43 block townhouse development. The purpose of the zoning amendment is to change the current Greenbelt Zoning to the appropriate Residential Zones to permit the residential development proposed. The purpose of this meeting is to provide adequate information to the public and to permit interested persons the opportunity to make representation in respect of the Off iciai Plan Amendment and Rezoning application. If you are unable to attend the meeting, your representation can be filed in writing by mail or personal delivery to reach.the Planning Department not later than regular working hours on September 12, 1989. lnterested persons may inspect additional information relating -to the above application in the Planning Department, Level 7, 575 Rossland Road East during regular working hours, Monday to -Fnday or may contact the Planning Department by telephoning (416) 668-5803. ROBERT B. SHORT Director of Planning Corporation of the Town 0f Whitby manager GlendIa Gies says it' Will begin sometime in'September.* "Vie chose Whitby because that iswhere we helc4 the pilot praj ect far the two-litre plastic pop bat- tles," says Gies A fyr will be hand-delivered ta evey oor in Whitby, letting residents know the start date. And then, along with newspa- pers and cans, Whitby residents will be able ta throw out plas#Ct battles and jars Amongth e battles and jars that can be recycled are /mar- garine and yogurt containers, liquor battles vinegar botles dish washing hiquid battles and1 hand-lotion battles. "TIhe plastics that are semi- rgitd, says Gies. There are execptions. Plastic batties that held hazardous chemicals, such as aven cleaners or drana, can't be recycled. "There might be residue in the bottle and we can't risk anyome's safety," says Gies. Plastie film that can be recy- cled are wrappers from cheese slioes, meat purchased in stores, Saran wrap, mnilk pouches, tailet tissue wrapping and sandwich bagidegradable and 'p hotode- gradable garbage bags cannot be put out for recycling, says Gies, as they cauld degrate afIer being recycled. F or the pilat prject, Gies is asking ail hauseholds ta place the film inside a plastic bag and set it beside newspapers while battles shauld also be pDut in a bag and placeda n top ofàthe b lue box. An additional 250 hames will receive an attachment for their blue box which can be used for holding the plastic film. Gies saya the collection 'of p las- tic film is a. joint prajeet wit the Du p ont Canada campany which wilbetaldng the film and con- ducting tests ta determine what it can be recycled inta. Gies also says the recycling centre has a number of markets far the plastie bottles. The pilot praject is expected ta last six months., According ta Gies, if Durham Regian approves collection of plastic on a region-wide scale, and begins rc ing collection at apartments, it couldbe recycling 10 per cent af aIl its waste by next year. Durham has set a target of recycling 25 per cent of its gar- bage by 1993.