Volunteers clean up illegal dumping
Volunteer labourers work to remove 80 cubic meters of illegally dumped garbage in the Midday Valley Road. Approximately 30 people joined TNRD staff to help clean up trash around Merritt, Oct. 24.
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Volunteers swept along the Midday Valley Road, south of Merritt, on Oct. 24, cleaning up garbage that had been dumped illegally.
“It was a really great event,” said Martin Dickson, an Environmental Service Technologist who works for the Thompson Nicola Regional District (TNRD).
Dickson was busy on Oct. 24, driving between the three separate clean-up sites in the Midday Valley, and helping out with the removal of 80 cubic meters of garbage, or approximately eight dump truck loads.
The work was done by approximately 30 volunteers, who worked most of the day for free.
“It’s just one more example of how keen people in Merritt are,” said Dickson. “For them to come out in those numbers - we were really excited. It was excellent.”
Most of the illegal dumping started after the adoption of the Regional Solid Waste Management Plan, a year and a half ago. The plan introduced minor dumping fees under a user-paid program, but also instituted an unlimited free household recycling program.
According to Dickson, during early public consultation people said that there would be illegal dumping if fees were instituted. But Dickson noted that this is a standard side affect.
“It (illegal dumping) does taper off eventually.”
A growing number of municipalities in the province already have a Solid Waste Management Plan. Residents in the Lower Mainland have been charged for dumping garbage for years. The changes made by the TNRD have been mandated by the provincial government, said Dickson.
“The free ride is over.”
Dumping garbage at the transfer site costs a mere $1 per bag, and approximately $5 for a truck load or $10 for a very large load.
The nearest landfill is located near Lower Nicola.
Despite these low prices, illegal dumping has taken place. Fees for illegal dumping range between $200 and $5,000, according to bylaw officer Marguerite Kempin.
Kempin was out with the volunteers on Oct. 24. “She’s really doing a good job for the City of Merritt,” said Dickson.
Kempin was one the individuals who originally brought the illegal dumping in Midday Valley to the TNRD’s attention.
“I’m always telling people to clean up their yard, and then they come and dump it here,” said Kempin. “I guess I never thought of that.”
“People are pigs,” said volunteer Elizabeth Laird, who was picking up garbage alongside Kempin on Oct. 24.
Saturday’s clean-up was the first one to be carried out by the TNRD, according to Dickson. But there are already ideas for future clean-ups on Iron Mountain and other sites of illegal dumping.
“We’ll do it whenever we can,” said Dickson.
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