Make changes to trash policies now in PoCo
Email
Print
Letter to Editor
Share
Updated: November 02, 2009 4:35 PM
The Editor,
Re. “Some like PoCo trash changes, some don’t” (Letters, The Tri-City News, Oct. 28).
A few of the letter writers tried to position the new biweekly garbage schedule as a step forward towards a greener Port Coquitlam while painting the voice of opposition as coming from non-recycling hicks who care more about their precious little convenience than the well-being of Mother Earth. This inflammatory argument is truly unfortunate, unfair and insulting.
First, we have to acknowledge that families come in different sizes, ranging from two empty-nesters to sometimes eight or 10 individuals living in a single household that includes children, parents, grandparents and caregivers. Civic policies cannot be tailored to favour certain sizes or make-ups of families at the expense of others.
Many PoCo residents have legitimate concerns with organic waste and stinky diapers left to rot in our houses for a full two weeks. Even the mayor, in his latest attempt to appease the enraged residents, has admitted that the plan has many flaws and solutions will need to be defined to deal with what he called the “yuck factor.” He also acknowledged that the summer months will prove to be challenging given the rising temperatures, flies, etc.
What we are asking is for these expected adverse consequences to be addressed prior to moving ahead with the planned implementation. For example, the few cities in Ontario referred to by the mayor where a biweekly solid waste pick-up was implemented have also changed the green waste pickup schedule to be weekly. Why don’t the mayor and council follow this progressive example? Why wait until the summer months, when residents will be really impacted (and furious) before you start acting? Why not exempt the summer months altogether from this biweekly schedule from the start?
Leadership is anticipating risks and adverse conditions, and initiating mitigating actions to avert them. Our city hall, however, is determined to plow ahead and step into this stinky cow-pie, with no regard to the affected residents, just to be called progressive.
Osama Aziz, Port Coquitlam
