A North Saanich resident is getting frustrated with the amount of dumping that goes on in his community.
The resident, who wished to remain anonymous, delivered to the News Review photos he took of dumping activity in North Saanich. He said he awoke Thursday morning to find computer and other electronic equipment piled in his yard on Mainwaring Road, and provided a photo.
He said he can’t understand why people do that, when just a few minutes away in the West Sidney industrial area, is a recycling facility that takes electronics. He said it took him all of five minutes from where he lives, to drop off the computer equipment — and it didn’t cost him a thing.
He also showed the News Review a photo of a truck he spotted, whose driver appeared to be dumping. However, he admitted it didn’t show direct evidence of that.
Despite the man’s frustration with dumping of garbage in this and other incidents he’s aware of, there seems to be few incidents of the kind in most Saanich Peninsula municipalities (not including the issue of dog waste bags).
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A Central Saanich bylaw enforcement officer said dumping is not a big issue in the District. Penalties range, he said, from $100 to $200 and can be a deterrent is someone is caught.
Sidney’s Senior Bylaw Enforcement Officer Keith Blott said its an infrequent occurrence in the Town as well, with no specific areas where it happens. He said there was a recent case of an abandoned homeless camp south of the Town’s public works yard, but on B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure property. He said the province cleaned it up after Sidney asked them to.
Blott said in other cases, people leave items on their streets for free pick up. In some cases, the items are left out too long and the Town goes around and picks them up for disposal. But since there aren’t many out-of-the-way places in Sidney, he said illegal dumping doesn’t happen very often.
A message for the District of North Saanich’s bylaw enforcement officer was not immediately returned.
On the Peninsula, there are recycling facilities in Sidney at Island Return-It in the West Sidney industrial area. Companies like Brentwood Auto & Metal Recyclers, Capital City Recycling in the Keating area of Central Saanich, PAN-INSULA Disposal and DL Bins Ltd. also offer disposal or collection services.
editor@peninsulanewsreview.com
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