Illegal Dumping Remains A Major Issue for City
The situation so bad in some areas, the Spruce City Wildlife Association organized a clean up in L.C. Gunn Park on May 1st. ( see previous story)
( at right, garbage littered through L.C. Gunn Park – image courtesy Spruce City Wildlife Association)
“Illegal dumping is a huge concern” says Sean LeBrun, Manager of Solid Waste and Parks for Prince George, “There are no boundaries for it, it’s north of town, south of town, east, west it’s all over. Prince George covers a huge area and we have no dedicated staff to clean this stuff up.”
It’s been a year and a half since the Foothills Landfill started charging per pick up load for residential garbage, but LeBrun says it’s much too early to say if that is a factor “We had illegal dumping prior to the tipping fees, we had it when Quinn Street ( transfer station) was a dollar, so even back when it was free, people were still going into Ginter’s Field and dropping garbage so it’s certainly not a 100% result of the tipping fee at the landfill.”
There is no cost to drop off most old appliances to the landfill, so LeBrun is at a loss to explain why people continue to dump those items on undeveloped lots in the City. “People don’t make that phone call to find out what their options are, they just throw it in the back of the truck get to the landfill and find there is a fee for appliances that have chemicals in them, and I guess people just feel it’s easier just to toss it over the cutbanks, it’s a never ending issue.”
One of the hotspots for illegal dumping is Hofferkamp Road. The situation so bad, that a few years ago, major work was done to make it more difficult for those large items to be tossed “It’s still a problem” says LeBrun, “We’re still going to have to go back in there and clean up, probably not as often as we had to in the past. With the things that we did, put up a fence, put up bollards and cables, really just trying to make it as difficult as possible for somebody to pack a fridge down, up, over and around, it still happens.”
Hot spots for illegal dumping in Prince George continue to be:
- Hofferkamp Road
- Wilson Park
- Ginter’s field,
- Ferguson Lake
- Forests for the World
- Blackburn
- Blueberry Road behind the weigh scales on Highway 97
“Every time we fix something, it moves somewhere else” says Le Brun.
With the cancellation of commercial garbage pick up, the City can have the staff that would normally look after the commercial waste, redirect their efforts and time to cleaning up the illegal dumping sites.
Comments
Time to set some discreet cameras at these “hotspot” locations. Maybe if they are able to file criminal charges and hefty fines upon some of these people who are dumping illegally, it might serve as a deterrant. Put these violators faces out in the media too as a big “shame campaign”. Unfortunately, this disgusting practice will not end. It will most likely just get pushed further out of town.
No kidding, put up a trail camera to catch these slobs. I have one at my lake lot and it works well.
Wow, a dislike. Guess we have some illegal dumpers reading this article!
People are just too cheap to pay at the landfill. They can’t afford $9.50 to properly dispose of waste but they can go and gladly spend that money and then some on beer and smokes.
It’s time to hit these slobs where it really hurts. Maybe have some folks pick through the trash and try to find a name or address in the trash that will lead right back to those who dump this crap. Then charge them the clean up costs and tack on a thousand dollar fine for good measure.
I found that the appliance repair down on Queensway will take fridges and freezers for $25. they even dispose of them for you.
That sure beats taking them elsewhere to have the freon removed. I had phoned around and had quotes up to ninety dollars for that alone and then I’d have to dispose of it myself.
I really don’t think its right to have to pay an environmental fee when we buy those items and then to pay again when we dispose of them.
Fridges and freezers are often dumped because people don’t want to pay to prep them for the landfill.
The RRFD should have a qualified person to come in and do that, after all they make money on them for scrap metal.
The landfill charges $20 for a fridge or freezer -that covers the cost of the technician to remove & recycle the refrigerant.
They’re $20 to toss at the landfill.
I had a fellow tell me the other day that Richmond Steel will actually pay for fridges and freezers. I can’t remember how much but it would be worth a call to find out if you need to dispose of one.
They mention 7 hotspots for dumping, this is way bigger problem than that, it extends for 100’s of kilometers in all directions. It is a massive screw up that needs to be addressed. And the lineups at the dump when they go all the way out onto foothills cutting off traffic, as well as lineups going out. I expect the back roads dumping is going to continue to escalate. What expensive nightmare these fees have created. Most of the stuff can be recycled and your get paid for taking it to the recyclers, just people do not seem to know about this option. No lineups at allens scrap and salvage.
Everytime there is an article about illegal dumping, a murder of crows swarms in to blame landfill fees and the closing of transfer stations.
I would be interested in seeing some clear evidence that illegal dumping is on the rise, and that the timing of this lines up with such.
The Norman Lake road is now a hot spot for illegal dumping. Now that the dump is monitored and only open specific hours people have now discarded chesterfields, old box springs, and mattresses over the bank along side the road. Too cheap to spend the 6 bucks and take these items to the Vanway transfer station.
Unless things have changed the residents of the regional district west of town get free tokens to Vanway transfer station since they closed the Mud River dump.
Get a few of the “good” inmates to clean it up – in Saskatchewan inmates cleaned highways, dump sites etc.
that was tried years ago and the city union complained that the inmates were taking jobs away from city workers and I am guessing the city workers had no intentions of doing it.
Dumping fees have nothing to do with this problem. It’s a simple case of brain dead people reproducing with their sisters and brothers.
And the line up at Costco gas station has nothing to do with cheaper gas prices.
I suppose if it was your yard they dumped it in it would be a bigger problem (to you), but because it is only, all of our yards, then it is not a problem. Land in Canada belongs to all of us. Why do we let others dump garbage in our backyards?
The clean up is paid for with your property taxes. You should not have to put up with it. I am sure it is only a few dollars added. Maybe $10 or $11 to pay the city workers to clean it up.
I think they should pay it themselves and not let it go on our taxes.
Clearly the two most popular topics on this site are “garbage” and “other people’s driving habits”. Yawn… but then again, I like to comment on politics, so each to their own I suppose.
And the comments about politics are garbage so the circle is complete:P
I found there are several very hot topics – painting street lines, garbage, driving habits and stories with minorities in it (mostly natives)
Comments for this article are closed.