Wednesday May 21, 2014 www.saobserver.net $1.25 GST Included
Recycling changes take effect By Martha Wickett OBSeRVeR STAFF
Paper cups for hot and cold beverages can now be recycled, but plastic bags and plastic film packaging can’t. These are just two of the guidelines that came into effect Monday, May 19 with the move to the MultiMaterial Bc recycling program. At Tuesday’s meeting of the city’s development and planning services committee, Rob niewenhuizen, director of engineering and public works, referred council to the brochure recently distributed to residents listing what can and can’t be recycled. “One of the important things to note, we are still a blue bag program, a clear blue bag program,” he said. “Many other communities have gone with carts and bins.” new recyclable items listed include: ‘gable top’ milk cartons, aseptic or ‘tetra pak’ boxes and cartons (without straws), clean plastic garden plant pots and seedling trays, and empty aerosol cans that contained food, air fresheners or shaving cream. The brochure notes that depots will continue to collect glass and, beginning Jan. 1, 2015, residents will be able to also take their plastic bags and plastic film as well as plastic foam or Styrofoam. In the meantime, residents are asked to either stockpile, re-use or stop using these items. Residents may call city hall at 250-803-4000 if they have questions. coun. chad eliason said he’s pleased, as the net number of items recycled has increased. He said education will now be key. “Fines for getting the wrong content are big for the city, that’s the fear.” coun. debbie cannon agreed, saying council should use an “out-of-the-box” way to educate residents, perhaps with some kind of game or challenge. under the agreement, each household receives $34 for participating, a figure that will be deducted from their annual garbage and recycling bill. In addition, the city receives $3.25 per household for education regarding the program. The new program stemmed from a change in 2011 to the provincial recycling regulation to require businesses that supply packaging and printed paper to residents to start taking responsibility for them once they’re discarded. eliason said he’d also like to see green waste go into a composting program, and remaining recyclable materials collected so there will not be the need for a new landfill in his lifetime.
lAChlAn lABere/OBSeRVeR
Seeking support: James Hanna sinks his teeth into a crisp Ambrosia, one of the apple varieties grown at Hanna & Hanna Orchards.
Growers oppose GMO apple Fruit: Okanagan company creates non-browning variety, but Salmon Arm orchardists don’t intend to cultivate it. By Martha Wickett OBSeRVeR STAFF
Some see it as a rotten idea fit for the compost; proponents think it deserves to be polished and marketed. Judgments are strong when it comes to genetically modified apples. The non-browning Arctic apple was created by Okanagan Specialty Fruits, an agriculture biotechnology company based in Summerland. The apple is currently awaiting approval from the u.S. department of Agriculture, with a decision from the canadian Food Inspection Agency expected to follow. James Hanna, owner of Hanna & Hanna Orchards in Salmon Arm, doesn’t mince words about the plan. “I think it’s ridiculous. We don’t need GMO apples, that’s for sure.
This week What’s making all that racket? Knocking on wood with the territorial woodpecker. See A8. Elder Ernie Philip’s life becomes the subject of a new film project. See the story on A19.
We already have apples out there that don’t go brown, there’s no need for getting into this GMO stuff. We’ve got a world-renowned breeding program and the ability to develop another nonbrowning apple with existing varieties, without having to do it with a GMO product.” He notes that Ambrosias and Galas, for instance, are varieties that brown very little. neal carter, the founder and president of Okanagan Specialty Fruits, responded via email to questions about the apple. carter said he settled on the name Arctic apple, because, “like the snowdriven landscape for which they are named, the flesh of Arctic apples remains pristine and unspoiled.” While there are “low-browning” varieties of apples in existence, he said,
only Arctic apples are non-browning. “Another advantage of having a biotech solution for browning is that we can make any variety non-browning, including ones that are already popular. So, rather than having to spend years (possibly decades) trying to develop a single new non-browning variety with no guarantee of success, we have Arctic Granny, Arctic Golden and many other favourites on the way.” The company’s website also lists plans for GMO cherries, pears and peaches. While opponents say that GMO foods have only been on the market since 1996 so their effects can’t be adequately tested, carter says biotechnology is relatively new, but that doesn’t mean its effects are unknown. See CFIA on page A2
Index Opinion ....................... A6 View Point .................. A7 Life & Times ............... A8 Time Out................... A10 Sports................A15-A18 Arts & Events ... A19-A22 Vol. 107, No. 21, 44 pages