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LANDFILL —
Possible landfill reopening sparks debate
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Currently, such trash is driven to the
Uwharrie Landfill in Montgomery County,
costing the city an extra $8 million a year.
The city's contract with Uwharrie Landfill
is set to expire this summer, leaving the
Council to debate what steps to take next.
Despite the utilization of numerous
trash consultants and years of debate, the
Council still has not declared exactly how
much the city could save by reopening the
landfill, according to the News & Record.
Estimates range from $1.5 million to $15
million.
Last March, the city accepted proposals
to "determine the best course of action
for waste management for the City and
surrounding communities," according to
the Official City of Greensboro website.
Seven private companies submitted their
proposals, but none were selected.
On March 8, the city will collect a second
round of bids from trash companies, all
revolving around the reopening of the
White Street Landfill.
The state of North Carolina does
not allow the creation of new landfills.
According to former Mayor Keith Holliday,
this means that the Council is receiving
pressure from the waste industry to use
the city's existing and permitted landfill,
reports the News & Record.
Many worry that if the landfill reopens,
it could limit the city's expansion.
"All the growth is going east," said
Ralph Johnson, president of the Concerned
Citizens of Northeast Greensboro. "The
problem is that if you reopen the landfill,
companies will be hesitant in terms of
setting up business."
The benefits of reopening the landfill
have been under debate since the decision
was made to close it in 2001.
"The whole argument, in terms of
reopening (the landfill), has been how to
save most residents of the city money on
the backs of a few people," said Professor
of Economics Bob Williams. "That's just
not fair."
Other community members see the
benefits of reopening the landfill. In 2008,
former Councilman Mike Barber began
promoting the landfill's reopening.
"I am not an expert on waste disposal,"
said Barber, according to the News &
Record. "But I do have a responsibility,
when I observe a horrible misuse of our
citizens' money, to shine a light."
With the current economy and state
budget cuts, cost effectiveness has become
a predominant topic among the Council.
once affected by the landfill express a
different opinion.
"At night, the smell would get real bad
when the wind would blow a certain way,"
said five-year resident Harold Bethea.
Bethea said that he would move if the
landfill was reopened.
Betty Little has spent over 50 years in
her house on Nealtown Road, less than a
mile from the landfill's entrance.
"It used to stink so bad — I don't know
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“Landfill” stickers were recently placed on trashcans around campus as part of the 2011 Recyclema-
nia initiative.
"I think closing the White Street Landfill
is a very poor use of public money," said
Dr. G. Donald Jud, professor emeritus and
research fellow in the Office of Business and
Economics Research at the Bryan School of
Business and Economics at UNCG in an
e-mail interview. "The costs greatly exceed
the benefits. If you drive around the White
Street neighborhood as I have, I don't think
you will find 100 homes that are damaged
by the landfill. "
Residents living in the area who were
how we made it," said Little. "The big men
are going to do what they want anyways.
They just need to leave things alone."
Currently, it seems that those in
opposition are much more vocal and active.
Former Councilwoman Goldie Wells urges
residents to take action and contact their
Council members.
"I feel that the landfill should remain
closed to household trash," said
Councilman Jim Kee. "I am in support of
new technology that can convert trash into
energy, and I believe it will be the solution
for all of Greensboro."
The Council has considered some
alternatives, but ruled out technology such
as incinerators due to cost. According to the
News & Record, Holliday said seeking a
regional landfill would be the best solution
in the long term.
"They are solving a social issue (by
closing the landfill), but they are definitely
not solving the environmental one," said
junior Linnea Saby. "There obviously has
to be a discussion about decreasing waste."
One alternative proposed by Williams
is to charge individuals for how much
trash they produce, either by weight or by
volume.
"Most people just put out anything as
garbage, and whatever they put out, the
city just takes away," said Williams. "It
doesn't encourage recycling."
"We need landfills because we don't
recycle and reuse," said junior Michelle
Severance. "People need to be educated
on where their waste goes and what they
can do so that their waste doesn't affect
communities like those surrounding the
White Street Landfill."
With fuel costs rising, junior Dima
Hanania proposes biodiesel trucks to
transfer the garbage, stating that initial
costs would offset themselves in the long
term.
"The city using biodiesel to move garbage
would also be a great, yet ironic, image-
booster of Greensboro," said Hanania.
Around Guilford, trash cans have been
labeled with "landfill" stickers to raise
awareness of the trash's final destination.
"The idea is to drive home that this
is not an innocuous trash can," said
Environmental Sustainability Coordinator
Jim Dees. "It's a landfill collection device."
What will happen to the landfill in the
coming months is unknown. Residents of
northeast Greensboro only hope they will
not be subjected to the traffic and smell
once again.
A meeting will be held on March 28
at Laughlin Memorial Church to gain
community opinion on the issue.
QLSP alumni apply Quaker values te life pest-Guilferd
By Sage Donpineo
Staff Writer _
On the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 22, Guilford alums
Alex Kern '95 and Becca Grunko '93 returned to their alma
mater to speak about how their experiences in the Quaker
Leadership Scholars Program influenced their career choices
and dedication to service.
Their talk, "Life after Guilford: Adventures in Quakerism,
Activism, and Family" was part of the Friends Center armual
series of speakers.
"Quakers are known for service," said IFP Gifts
Discernment Coordinator Frank Massey. "We try to instill
the idea of service, of a life of service to humanity. It's part of
the Quaker DNA."
QLSP was started in 1992 by Max Carter. Devised as a way
for Guilford College to identify dedicated Quakers seeking
scholarships, Grunko and Kem were some of the first clerks.
After a brief introduction by Carter, Kem took the podium.
He opened by saying, "Guilford opened up my life."
Since graduating, Kern's work has taken him from post
earthquake Haiti to Christian-Muslim conflict zones in
northern Nigeria. He is currently Protestant chaplain for the
Interfaith Chaplaincy at Brandeis University and executive
director of Cooperative Metropolitan Ministries in Boston.
Gmnko came to Guilford right after high school.
"While at Guilford, my understanding of what
Quakerism was expanded and exploded," said Gmnko. "I
"Guilford opened up my life."
Alex Kern '95
worshipped at programmed meetings and read the writings
of early Friends. During my time (at Guilford), I attended
YouthQuake and the World Conference of Friends in
Honduras — both incredible inter-Quaker experiences."
After graduating, Gmnko moved to Philadelphia, and she
and Kern started dating a year later. While in Philadelphia,
Gmnko worked for the Friends World Committee for
Consultation.
"Moving to Philadelphia was one of the bravest things
I have ever done," said Gmnko. "I moved to an entirely
new city where I knew only one person, just because I had
a low-paying job for an organization I was excited about.
Even though much of what I did was data entry, it was a
small office and an interesting place to be."
Eventually, however, she started thinking about the life
she and Kern wanted to have long-term. "I wanted to have
a balanced life," said Gmnko. In July 1999 Grunko and
Kern were married, and after the honeymoon moved to
Massachusetts.
"Even though I was only in QLSP, it had such a major
impact on my life," said Gmnko. "It was exciting to feel
supported in my exploration into Quaker belief, and I
learned so much about service and what it means."
"I am grateful to hear confirmation that the journey of
discerning one's calling is an ever-present process," said
sophomore Bonnie Hardee. "(Kerns and Grunko) seem
avid to pursue their life callings as they, fluctuate through
different communities, and energetic to follow their
leadings about parenthood and larger life decisions."