Letters to the editor for Jan. 29
Where is the enforcement of Olympia’s urban forest regulations?
The City of Olympia claims to have a long tradition of caring about our community’s trees. We are a designated Tree City. The City of Olympia Urban Forestry Manual has a lengthy list of regulations regarding tree removal which applies to homeowners, builders and developers.
Why then are we seeing so much clear-cutting in our neighborhoods?
The city employs only one official Urban Forester, so builders wishing to remove trees are allowed to hire their own private forester to advise them on which trees are “hazards” and may be removed. In many cases, including a lot in our Southwest neighborhood, every tree on the property was deemed a hazard and removed. It’s clear that the regulations that were meant to keep our city full of beautiful and beneficial trees are being flouted and not enforced.
Builders are required to re-plant trees after building, but planting a 4-foot tree can’t be compared to the benefits of a mature tree. It will take generations to re-grow these lost trees.
The Urban Forestry manual lists the vitally important reasons we must maintain our trees including; enhanced stormwater management, critical wildlife habitat, absorption of air pollutants and contamination, reduction of noise pollution, cooling effects in summer and insulation in winter, and off-setting local climate-changing greenhouse gases.
Where is the oversight? Why is city government allowing our neighborhoods to be de-forested?
Frank D’Amico, Olympia
Correcting the record on Washington’s bottle bill
The op-ed written by Brad Lovaas of the Washington Refuse & Recycling Association in opposition to Washington’s bottle bill misses key context and includes misleading information.
The bottle return program is part of an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) proposal that would improve every facet of recycling in Washington — it’s not a policy on its own and we shouldn’t treat it as one. While Washington may have better recycling rates than most of the country, it still lags behind Oregon, California, and British Columbia — neighboring places with both EPR and bottle deposit programs. There’s no comparison between the existing commingled curbside system and the recovery and recycling rates realized under EPR or bottle deposit.
Bottle deposit programs fill a key gap in curbside pickup policies. Standard recycling trucks crush paper, glass, plastic, and metal together, making materials harder to sort. Contamination is often so high that they ship the residual mix off to landfills. This defeats the purpose of recycling and pushes recycling rates way below where they should be. One study shows that rates of recycling are three times higher under a bottle deposit program.
The waste management industry wants to maintain the status quo and control the tonnage of the material flowing through the system. Instead of maintaining what’s most profitable for waste management companies, we should improve end-markets for more materials and increase the use of recyclable materials.
Ultimately, the bottle bill is good news for the environment, and keeps Washington at the forefront of American recycling efforts.
Scott DeFife, Arlington, President of the Glass Packaging Institute
Resist numbness, engage action
Consoling victims’ families scarred by gun violence with “thoughts and prayers” is the least a civil society can do. With the recent horrific mass shootings in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay in California still raw, we must shake off just shrugging our shoulders. Concerned citizens can follow-up with action.
Right now, our state legislature is in session. Committee hearings have begun on advancing responsible gun safety measures. Each proposal holds out real hope for a safer public health environment for our children, our co-workers, our families. I urge you to become informed on the following introduced bills: HB 1178, HB 1240, HB 1143 and 1144 and SB 5078. A good starting place is the website gunresponsibility.org. Then contact your state house and senate members and urge them to support these bills.
Please don’t let these almost daily human tragedies numb your voice. Use it!
George Burazer, Lacey