Economic Benefits
Canada would receive several benefits from the export of rubber mulch to Nepal. Canada would receive economic growth due to the income created by exporting this product. Canada and Nepal could also create a strong trade partnership once a transportation route is established through the shipping of this product. Nepal exports several products that Canadians consume such as pulses, carpets, textiles, juice, and jute goods (CIA, 2016), and is better climatically suited to grow certain products then Canada is. Almost 10% of current exports go to the united states (CIA, 2016), so transportation to Canada would not be hard to achieve. Canadian retailers could import these products at a low cost due to a favourable exchange rate between Canada and Nepal, one Canadian dollar being worth almost 82 Nepalese rupees (The Money Converter, 2016). This importation and reselling would create an increase in profits for Canadian companies on already consumed products. A stronger trade partnership could also help Nepal by exporting to them products which they do not have the technology or resources to mass produce. Sharing Canadian technology and products that could help them improve their environment, infrastructure, and education to improve the overall quality of life and help to reduce poverty in Nepal could also be provided by a stronger trade partnership.
Environmental Benefits
(CBC)
Canada’s environment would be improved by the export of rubber mulch to Nepal. Although there may be negative impacts on the environment due to the exhaust from the machinery used for production, the benefits far outweigh this negative and more environmentally friendly equipment and machinery could be created. There are 28 million used tires disposed of in Canada every year, that roughly equals out to 219, 000 tonnes of rubber (Morawski, 2001).
Tires deposited in landfills tend to “float” to the surface as the landfill shifts over time due to decomposition and environmental factors like rainfall levels (Walters Forensic Engineering, n.d.). For this reason, used tires are stockpiled in large quantities to be left for years, shown in Figure 3 (Walters Forensic Engineering, n.d.). Large stockpiles of used tires can cause many environmental problems for the local environment.
Canada’s environment would be improved by the export of rubber mulch to Nepal. Although there may be negative impacts on the environment due to the exhaust from the machinery used for production, the benefits far outweigh this negative and more environmentally friendly equipment and machinery could be created. There are 28 million used tires disposed of in Canada every year, that roughly equals out to 219, 000 tonnes of rubber (Morawski, 2001).
Tires deposited in landfills tend to “float” to the surface as the landfill shifts over time due to decomposition and environmental factors like rainfall levels (Walters Forensic Engineering, n.d.). For this reason, used tires are stockpiled in large quantities to be left for years, shown in Figure 3 (Walters Forensic Engineering, n.d.). Large stockpiles of used tires can cause many environmental problems for the local environment.
Health Risks
Mosquitoes are small insects that tend to breed around still water as they prefer to deposit their eggs in stagnant waters to hatch (Illinois EPA, 2016). Mosquitoes have a short lifespan and reproduce very quickly, laying up to 200 eggs at a time (Illinois EPA, 2016). Not only are mosquitoes an irritating pest, they can transmit diseases like the west nile virus and other blood-borne diseases, to many animals, be it a pet, livestock or a human (Illinois EPA, 2016). This can be a big issue when dealing with wildlife, as wildlife is difficult to vaccinate, producing more hosts of the disease for mosquitos to contract. Mosquito control is becoming very important as the impending threat of the Zika virus, which causes severe birth defects, becomes more serious as confirmed cases are spreading northward through the United States of America and is known to be spread by infected mosquitoes (Illinois EPA, 2016). The inside of the tire in a stockpile can become an excellent place for mosquitoes to breed and hatch as it is a small, undisturbed area, that has a cupped shape that can collect water from rainfall or snow melting (Illinois EPA, 2016). If the stockpiles of tires can be reduced, so can the number of mosquitoes and the incidences of the diseases they carry.
Fire Risks
(Hourigan)
Tires are generally hard to combust, unless exposed to an open flame (Walters Forensic Engineering, n.d.). This is good news for the consumer of rubber mulch, as it is very unlikely that it will start a fire. Stockpiled tires were not thought to be a fire risk, until several fires were started by arsonists in these stockpiles all across the country (Walters Forensic Engineering, n.d.). The largest of these fires was in Hagersville, Ontario and started on February 12, 1990. Arsonists lit a stockpile of approximately 10 million tires on fire, one of the largest stockpiles in the area (Morawski, 2001). This fire burned for 17 days, which cost the community and the environment greatly (Walters Forensic Engineering, n.d.). Several crews of firefighters were involved in controlling the fire, and their wages were paid by the community through taxes. The environment was polluted by extremely high amounts of chemicals released by the combustion of the tires, part of the pollution was released into the atmosphere is thick, black smoke and part of the environmental pollution was caused by the chemicals leaching into nearby surface water. This fire led Ontario to start the Ontario Tire Stewardship to promote recycling used tires and the popularity of products such as rubber mulch increased (Morawski, 2001).
(Hourigan)