Recent actions by Ontario's Ministry of the Environment raise questions regarding the public policy process used to address matters of environmental significance and economic importance. As an example, consider the ministry's decision to seek the two-year phase-out of the use of Dombind-a by-product of pulping hardwood and recycled corrugated boxes used as a dust suppressant for over 40 years on rural Ontario roads. What exactly is Dombind? It's a dark, pungent (read smelly) material comprised of water (73 per cent by weight), sodium acetate (7.9 per cent by weight), lignin and bound sodium (7.1 per cent by weight) and suspended material (e.g. wood and bark fines 2 per cent by weight). It also contains a host of other organic compounds some of which (specifically, dioxin) have been a source of public concern.
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