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Letter: Sick of illegal dumping? Me too

On crown land near my home in Ootischenia I have come across a lot illegal dumping
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On crown land near my home in Ootischenia I have come across a lot illegal dumping: beer cans, broken furniture, yard waste, wooden pallets, slaughtered animals, an abandoned and burnt out car, mattresses, electronics, appliances…

I and others have made an effort to keep this area free of this waste.

Needless to say, I was disillusioned and frustrated when I ran into neighbours who were dumping a large amount of waste from development on their property. They believed that what they were doing was environmentally sound and that no one would mind.

After a heated discussion that ended on friendly terms, one neighbour told me, “Michael, you’re not going to change the way some people think around here.”

He may have been right about that but for the sake of people who never illegally dump and are sick of the mess left by the few people who do, and for the sake of keeping our region as pristine as possible, it’s worth a try.

In October 2017, The Recycling Council of BC released the results of a survey of BC communities which indicated that the main reasons that people dumped waste illegally were “convenience, cost savings/avoidance, and lack of awareness.”

This study also found that there were social, environmental and economic costs of illegal dumping. From discussions with the Ministry of Environment and the City of Castlegar, a number of the costs of illegal dumping came to light.

The social costs of illegal dumping include: it encourages others to dump illegally, it creates an unsightly mess and it presents hazardous conditions for the public. The environmental costs of illegal dumping include: it contaminates ground and surface water (including drinking water), it causes hazardous conditions for wildlife, it attracts and habituates wildlife to human garbage (which can lead to negative human-wildlife interactions), it increases the amount of dry combustible fuel for wildfires, it causes the spread of invasive plant species, and it causes slope erosion and destabilization. The economic costs of illegal dumping include: it negatively effects property value, it consumes municipal, regional and provincial resources for clean up, and it can, consequently, increase property taxes.

It’s puzzling that people persist to illegally dump when there are legitimate, convenient and inexpensive ways of getting rid of yard waste and garbage.

Compost it: organic material can be composted at home or at Castlegar’s composting facility.

Recycle it: most packaging can be recycled for free at the curbside or at the Ootischenia landfill, and a surprising variety of other materials can now be recycled at various locations in Castlegar.

Legally dump it at the Ootishcenia landfill — almost everything can be recycled, left at the landfill’s free store or discarded for a minimal fee. Burn it: appropriate yard waste can be burned legally at the appropriate time of the year and, within the city of Castlegar, with a burning permit.

Whether an act of illegal dumping is witnessed or dumped waste is found after the fact, it is helpful to the City of Castlegar or the Ministry of Environment if a report is made.

When encountering illegal dumping, keeping a record of information can be important for making a report later (ie. date, time, photographs, location, persons involved, etc).

Within the City of Castlegar, illegal dumping can be reported to the bylaw office at 250-365-7227. Illegal dumping outside the City of Castlegar can be reported to the Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) hotline 1-877-952-7277 or website https://forms.gov.bc.ca/environment/rapp/.

Confronting illegal dumpers is also an option. Letting dumpers know that there are people in the community that are not willing to accept the costs of dumping can be an effective deterrent. But it might be worth considering reporting the act and letting someone with greater authority deal with the situation to avoid a sketchy confrontation.

It may not be possible to change everyone’s thinking about dumping waste illegally. But it is possible to show that dealing with waste ethically and legally can be more convenient and as inexpensive as illegal dumping and without the risk of being caught and fined.

It is also possible to empower people to be stewards of public land within their community or region.

Mike Misuraca

Ootischenia

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