A report to Prince George City Council is shining a spotlight on the problem of illegal dumping in our city.
City crews picked up 29,670 kilograms of waste (not including appliances) from Prince George ditches, sideroads and greenspaces in 2015. Those numbers are up from 18,080 kilograms in 2011.
City of PG Manager of Solid Waste Sean LeBrun says they’ve been fighting a losing battle in recent years. “We could probably spend as much time as we wanted, to go out and clean up within city boundaries. You don’t have to go very far, off the end of a beaten path to find piles of garbage.”
He added that the problem has started to have a big impact on other departments. “We don’t have illegal dump crews to go out and pick this stuff up. So we are really suffering not having to go pick up somebody’s garbage but we are also having to shut down and suffer in other areas.”
LeBrun indicated that the city currently isn’t happy with the response time they are able to provide to these dump site and are examining ways to dedicate more time to the issue.
The report states staff is “currently looking at the benefits of ending the collection of commercial waste.” The 205 commercial accounts around the city takes the city about 14 man hours a week to service, and may be better serviced by a private sector waste hauler.
The Regional District of Fraser Fort George approved it’s long term solid waste plan this week. It will aim to tackle the issue in it’s own way across the region, raise awareness and install prevention measures.
Something going on in the Prince George area you think people should know about?
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