To the editor:

I was extremely pleased to see the large turnout in opposition to the solid waste transfer station proposed for the Oakville area.

Regardless of how the intended property is zoned, putting a facility such as this in such close proximity to a thriving, established, residential community is ludicrous.

Even if the trash is handled properly at the sight, the extreme increase in large truck traffic and pollution, the rapid added deterioration of streets, and the safety hazard caused by the intense truck traffic should be enough to end the prospects of such a project in this area.

The opposition is great; the project should not be approved.

That being said, I’d like to make a second point. We, as residents of this community we are seeking to protect, need to think beyond just stopping this project. We need to take the next step and act responsibly, to prevent another project like this or perhaps even a future south county landfill, as in-ferred by the attorney for Fred Weber.

We need to think about what we can do, as individuals, to reduce the amount of trash we produce in the first place, thus eliminating the need for these projects.

Each individual and each family needs to actively recycle as much as possible and just as importantly, we need to not buy products with unnecessary or non-recyclable packaging.

Don’t buy things you really don’t need and find an outlet for usable items that you don’t need anymore instead of just setting them out to the curb on trash day. Many organizations will take items that still are usable, and recycling is easy in this area for many things including junk mail, newspaper, tin cans, cardboard, glass, aluminum, and some plastics such as milk jugs.

You’d be surprised at how little you really need to throw away. Yes, this will take a little time and effort and some thought on our part, but then again the solid waste problem didn’t just appear out of nowhere and for no reason.

We produce the trash. We ultimately have control over the amount of trash that is produced. Trash doesn’t just magically disappear on trash day. It has to be handled and it has to be stored somewhere. Think about this the next time you drive around your neighborhood on trash day and see all the overflowing trash cans sitting by the curb.

Fred Weber didn’t put that trash there, he’s just trying to take advantage of a situation we and other communities have created and can correct.

James R. Hipp

Oakville