Canton is going green
By ED BALINT REPOSITORY STAFF WRITER CANTON Early June is now the target date for startup of the city's first curbside recycling program. Delivery of recycling bins to homes is scheduled to begin in May, and the program will be phased in to different sections of the city. Mayor William J. Healy II provided the details at a press conference Tuesday in conjunction with Earth Day at the Kimble Transfer and Recycling facility on Bolivar Road SW. Starting next month, one bin will be given to each household for free. Recycling information will be mailed to residents with city utility bills, including startup dates in their neighborhoods. Recyclables will be picked up the same day as trash. Healy has signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which has inspired many of the city's green initiatives, he said. Hundreds of mayors across the country have signed the agreement. Environmental initiatives include an energy audit, which will focus on several areas in city government, including: -- Lighting efficiency, including bulbs, controls, inefficient fixtures and systems and traffic signals; -- Water usage, including toilets, sewage treatment and water heaters; and -- Building efficiency, including insulation, windows and doors. Healy said he's committed to increasing the fuel economy and reducing emissions with the city's vehicles by purchasing only fuel-efficient cars and light trucks in the future. Vehicles that use renewable fuels also will be considered. Healy has consulted City Council about the plans, said Council President Allen Schulman, who attended the press conference with Councilman Greg Hawk, D-1. Schulman, a proponent of environmental initiatives and energy efficiency, is chairman of the Canton Sustainability Commission, which includes members of the community, business people and other city officials. "I think the mayor is very progressive in his ideas and his vision," Schulman said later Tuesday. For the energy audit, the city could utilize "experts" at local colleges, he said. "This is absolutely serious," Schulman said of the environmental plans. Programs can be on small and large scales. For example, sensors could be installed in city buildings to automatically turn off lights, Schulman said. "That doesn't seem like much, but you're talking about over a period of time, an enormous amount of money that is being wasted and therefore an enormous amount of energy that's being wasted," he said. The administration also is exploring converting the city's garbage and sewage into renewable resources such as ethanol, methane and electricity, Healy said, generating a potential revenue source for city government. "If we hope to preserve our environment for our children and grandchildren, we must begin to think of creative ways to deal with the garbage we produce every day," Healy said in a news release. Discussions are in the "very preliminary stages," but the city "is committed to pursuing a waste-to-energy plan" for sewage and garbage "in the very near future," Healy said. Instead of using incineration in the sewage treatment process, the city could convert sludge — a byproduct of the treatment process — into soil additives and electricity, he said, reducing emissions. The "next Congress" and a new president may devote resources to a nationwide green energy movement, Schulman said, potentially making federal grants available to urban centers such as Canton. Sewer department funds, low-interest loans and bond funds are other potential resources for renewable energy projects, he said. "In this instance, it's not a question of money," Schulman said. Reach Repository writer Ed Balint at (330) 580-8315 or e-mail: ed.balint@cantonrep.com
This page was created April 23, 2008
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