This is the busy season for spring yard cleanups and with pandemic-related business closures still in effect, people are staying home and have more time to sift through the stuff around the house they no longer need.
That’s putting the pressure on the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George and its landfill, transfer stations and recycling depots to keep up with the demand for those facilities.
Weekends are traditionally the most busy times for yard cleanups and some people are skipping the long lines at the dump and leaving their loads for regional district staff to have to haul away. On Monday they discovered a load of appliances and building materials left beside the bins at the Miworth transfer station. Transfer stations are designated for household waste only. Larger waste items such as construction materials and recyclables are not to dumped at the transfer stations.
“We had a big mess there this weekend and that happens on occasion,” said RDFFG spokesperson Laura Zapotichny. “Considering most of that material that was left there has a place where it can go to be recycled, that’s disheartening.
“What we’re seeing on the weekend is just an incredible amount of people trying to access our facilities and incredibly long wait times and maybe because of that, people aren’t willing to wait the way they might have. I heard it was upwards of an hour Sunday to get into our Foothills site and part of that is social-distance measures we have to put in place due to COVID.”
People who don’t have food waste or other animal attractants are being asked to hold off on trips to the dump sites or to try to arrange those visits during non-peak times to avoid long lineups. RDFFG spokesperson
Appliances, paper, plastic, metal, cardboard and electronic items, which are recyclable, can be dropped off Quinn and Vanway stations, at the Return-It Centres in the Hart (6655 Hart Highway) or Peden Hill (2614 Peterson Rd.) and at the Foothills landfill. There’s also the Nechako Bottle Depot (1922 First Ave.) for recycling drink containers.
The problem of long lines into the Foothills Boulevard regional landfill site has been exacerbated by Friday’s seasonal start of compost sales. For $15, gardeners can haul away a bobcat scoop of compost big enough to fill half a pickup truck load.
“It’s almost a perfect storm for us,” said Zapotichny. “We just have high-volume usage at all our facilities.
“I counted 38 vehicles in the line at (Nechako Bottle Depot). We’re doing the best that we can and we just ask for people’s patience as we try to get through it.”
The landfill and transfer stations are now open seven days a week. Quinn and Vanway stations are open Monday and Tuesday from 8 a.m.-6 p.m.), Wednesday-Friday 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. The Foothills landfill operating hours are Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-5 p.m., Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
