Nexus - 0108 - New Times Magazine-pages

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Spills and Chills 1989 ¥* Thousands of fish and birds died as aresult of a massive illegal dumping of cyanide in Sydney's new ocean outfalls could ra Bagel de Pe we a h Ww t 43 came wilhin days 0! the illeg: jumping O insafe ro ex, according o Ron Snape, | NO Beaches In Sight | 7.00oriesoroitans1o.oosivesor pai an cx-Water Board biologistnow work- tlie ing with the NSW Professional Fisher- | Sydney Harbour is unsafe for | % Greenpeace has demanded that Ranger man Association. swimming 62% of the time afterrainand Mines be prosecuted for breaching its envi- Mr Snape said the dumping of sew- 36% of the time in dry weather, accord- ronmental guidelines. The Ranger uranium age and chemical waste 4km out to see ing to a study by former N.S.W. Health mine gave only 3 hours notice before releas- will spread pollution up and down the Dept. scientist A.G. Bernard. He said the ing water from aretention pond next to a pile coast and poison fishing grounds with | situation was worse for Malabar, Ma- | of radioactive rock which had been dumped heavy metals. toubra and Little Bay where 83% of | there by mistake six months previously. “It’s acosmetic solution designedto | samples taken after wet weather and Dead fish were found in one heavily kcep the problem out of sight andoutof | 57% after dry weather were unsatisfac- | Cont@minated billabong. The Office of the mind,” he said in February. Mr Snape, tory. On the northern beaches 71% of Se get OE oN s eral and State authorities had apparently J e from Narooma on the South Coast, said samples taken after wet weather and ignored OSS requests that Ranger be made to NO SWIMMING OR FISHING LLILLLLLALLDLILILLA. LLLLLLLLL ELA LLL ELL LAL S LEE LLL ELLIS SLA LESS ILIIL his own research concerning mercury 14% in dry weather were heavily con- discharge water through a pipe, rather than pollution - in which he found up to six laminated. siphoning it from the pond. times the safe level in fish taken at The four-year study was based on Malabar for the board in the late 1970s - data collected from 1983 to 1987. One %* The proposed Wesley Vale pulp mill will was edited and shelved by the Water sample showed 100 times the recom- produce hundreds of organo-chlorines and Board. He was told notto continue with | mended level of bacteriological con- | dioxin, some of the deadliest chemicals heavy metal testing. tamination (Under this standard swim- | known. Inthelastsix months, three Canadian “The Water Board is doing very bad | ming is considered unsafe where the | fisheries closed because of pollution from biology,” he said. faecal count exceeds 300 organisms per | “Hemical pulp mills. He was testing fish that fed directly 100 mls of water). " from worms and weeds in sewage-af- Tests by Waverley Council showed See eae oy, Pars 10 Ose i ‘ chlorine-bleaching process at a proposed fected areas and points out that marine Bondi, Tamarama and Bronte beaches $450 million pulp mill to be built near life further up the food chain would were left open on days last November Grafton. contain far higher levels. and December when pollution had was There are many alternatives to up to 8 times the accepted maximum %& Researchers in the New England area of ocean dumping which can recycle level. Swim At Your Own Risk warnings N.S.W. have reported a ten-fold increase in wastes and make money at the same tim, were issued by the Water Board’s the number of scarab beetles, a major cause if the public and industry stop dumping Surfline. of spreading die-back of trees. Trec-loss is poisons down drains. one of the main reasons for soil erosion and salinity which cost the nation about $600 inillion per year in lost rural production. R a cy C | = ' 0 Ul rs e | f * IN Brazil, singer Sting has told president Jose Samey that he plans to set up a founda- tion to defend the Amazonian rainforest. We need to recycle more of our David Vincent, paper recycling ex- Sting arrived in Altamira where he met with wastes. According to a Metropolitan pert with Friends of the Earth, says that Chief Raoni of the Txucarramae tribe. Thou- Waste Disposal Authority report, ample recycling technology is available sands more Indians have gathered here to N.S.W. households throw out 1.7 mil- for paper - a quarter of all waste - but protest the proposed construction of a dam lion tonnes of garbage each year; about _isn’t used because of the availability of | and hydro-electric scheme on tribal lands. 800,000 tonnes are recycled. At least cheap public forest. 130,000 square kilometres of the Ama- 432,000 tonnes more could be recovered According to the MWDA report, zon Rainforest is destroyed every year. except for high recycling costs andlow —_ 53,000 tonnes of glass are recovered and ithe Hincmsial ies public motivation. 140,000 tonnes wasted; and only 200 ‘ The garbage consists of about 40% tonnes of recyclable plastic soft drink organic food and garden waste; 24% bottles are recovered (vs 6,000 wasted). paper; 14% glass; 8% metals and 9% Use paper and bottle collection serv- plastics (5% misc). 80% of this is recy- ices andcompost your scraps. Itactively clable. helps and wasting it really hurts. NEXUS New Times Eight - Aufum wTyV UAL pep ata We Ue LULL eat life further up the food chain would were left open on days last November Grafton. contain far higher levels. and December when pollution had was There are many alternatives to up to 8 times the accepted maximum %& Researchers in the New England area of ocean dumping which can recycle level. Swim At Your Own Risk warnings N.S.W. have reported a ten-fold increase in wastes and make money at the same tim, were issued by the Water Board’s the number of scarab beetles, a major cause if the public and industry stop dumping Surfline. of spreading die-back of trees. Tree-loss is poisons down drains. one of the main reasons for soil erosion and salinity which cost the nation about $600 inillion per year in lost rural production. R a cy C | = ' 0 Ul rs e | f * IN Brazil, singer Sting has told president Jose Samey that he plans to set up a founda- tion to defend the Amazonian rainforest. We need to recycle more of our David Vincent, paper recycling ex- Sting arrived in Altamira where he met with wastes. According to a Metropolitan pert with Friends of the Earth, says that Chief Raoni of the Txucarramae tribe. Thou- Waste Disposal Authority report, ample recycling technology is available sands more Indians have gathered here to N.S.W. households throw out 1.7 mil- for paper - a quarter of all waste - but | protest the proposed construction of a dam lion tonnes of garbage each year; about _isn’t used because of the availability of | and hydro-electric scheme on tribal lands. 800,000 tonnes are recycled. At least cheap public forest. 130,000 square kilometres of the Ama- 432,000 tonnes more could be recovered According to the MWDA report, zon Rainforestis destroyed every year, except for high recycling costs andlow —_ 53,000 tonnes of glass are recovered and - a 5 ithe Hincmsial ies public motivation. 140,000 tonnes wasted; and only 200 ‘Ay ~ He The garbage consists of about 40% tonnes of recyclable plastic soft drink if Hv be organic food and garden waste; 24% bottles are recovered (vs 6,000 wasted). Fi { paper; 14% glass; 8% metals and 9% Use paper and bottle collection serv- KN i plastics (5% misc). 80% of this is recy- ices andcompost your scraps. Itactively clable. helps and wasting it really hurts. my i NEXUS New Times Eipht - Aufumi ba Recycle Yourself We need to recycle more of our wastes. According to a Metropolitan Waste Disposal Authority report, N.S.W. households throw out 1.7 mil- lion tonnes of garbage each year; about 800,000 tonnes are recycled. At least 432,000 tonnes more could be recovered except for high recycling costs and low public motivation. The garbage consists of about 40% organic food and garden waste; 24% paper; 14% glass; 8% metals and 9% plastics (5% misc). 80% of this is recy- clable. eee ee eT Spills and Chills 1989