[GRRN] NYC Trash - FYI

RecycleWorlds (anderson@msn.fullfeed.com)
Thu, 17 Jun 1999 15:00:15 -0500


Garbage May Save a Shrine. The New York Times, June 17, 1999,
pA28.
The scene is one of the oldest plantations in America, with
about 700 acres on the shore of the James River and a giant
willow oak tree that Robert E. Lee played under as a child.
Shirley Plantation's owner, Charles H. Carter, is wagging a
battle in court to get barges of trash from New York.
He is a 10th generation member of the family to live on the
plantation that was first settled in 1613, six years after nearby
Jamestown Colony. It is still a functioning farm, growing wheat,
corn, cotton and soybeans. But most of its income is generated
from tourists visiting the landmark mansion and its elegant
gardens.
Carter said, "People may struggle to understand how solid
waste fits into the picture here. Reporters love to write about
bringing New York garbage into the home of Robert E. Lee's
mother. But I'd never do anything to hurt my own backyard, and
I'd never jeopardize our tourist business."
He pointed out an area about a half-mile away with a strand
of trees concealing a cove with a new port ready to receive
sealed containers of trash. Carter said, "You won't see it,
smell it or hear it. The only impact of the trash will be to
help us keep this plantation the way it is. We need the income
to preserve the buildings and the paintings and the grounds, and
to pay the inheritance taxes so it stays in the family."
Meanwhile, the port sits idle because of a new state law
passed by the Virginia legislature banning the shipping of
garbage on the James River.
Carter, the Charles City government and Waste Management
Incorporated, operator of the landfill, all filed suit to
overturn the law.

____________________________________
Peter Anderson
RecycleWorlds Consulting
4513 Vernon Blvd. Ste. 15
Madison, WI 53705-4964
Phone:(608) 231-1100/Fax: (608) 233-0011
E-mail:recycle@msn.fullfeed.com