Illegal dumping concerns RDCK Environmental Services
By Nelson Daily Staff
The Regional District of Central Kootenay said after-hours dumping at the Grohman Narrows Transfer Station and the Lakeside Drive Recycling Depot is becoming problematic.
“When people leave waste, including recyclables, outside of bins or at a facility gate outside of operating hours it is a concern for the RDCK,” Brittny Anderson, Environmental Services Coordinator said in a written media release.
Anderson said while the consumer may be leaving one small bag of recyclables, the action invites others to do the same.
This means more RDCK resources are allocated to cleanup efforts and away from other services Anderson said.
The waste or recycling can also attract animals.
“Our furry and feathered friends smell that bag of recyclables, or worse yet garbage, and may ingest it or spread it throughout the ecosystem,” Anderson said.
“Garbage accessible to wildlife habituates them and can lead to human-wildlife conflict. Many bears for example, are destroyed Anderson said the RDCK recognizes the public’s efforts to do the right thing by collecting, separating and transporting materials to our facilities.
“When materials are left at the gate, an action that may seem benign, it is problematic,” she said.
The Grohman Narrows Transfer Station and the Lakeside Drive Recycling Depot are both open Monday-Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Both facilities are equipped with video surveillance on site to support proper use of the facility.
Anyone witnessing illegal dumping elsewhere call the RAPP (Report all Poachers and Polluters) line at 1-877-952-7277 (RAPP).
