Comments on: Dumping in rural areas

By: Lane Aspinall

Lane Aspinall — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:29:41 +0000

I do not agree with people dumping garbage where ever they feel like it. However, I take items to the dump many times during the summer and I am always surprised at the cost to dump unwanted broken things. I grew up in Guelph and am truly upset that our taxes keep going up and our services keeping going down. I would like to see city trucks pick up “stuff” once or twice a year such as toilets/tires etc. I do believe that would cut down on the dumping.
Also I am very careful to separate my household garbage but I always joke that you have to put a bow on your garbage in order to have it picked up.

By: Brian Holstein

Brian Holstein — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 19:56:34 +0000

Scott Tracy once did a piece a few years ago on this: he opened garbage dumped on Speedvale West, found an envelope. Whether or not he actually contacted the name on the envelope was not clear in his column.

Making a public example of the alleged offenders, while no doubt a pleasing and understandable retribution to many, could be a dangerous route to follow with law-suits, etc. What if the trash had been contracted to be removed? .

Perhaps, after an awareness campaign and signage as suggested by the mayor, if the ByLaw people could become involved they could do the Scott Tracey thing, even photograph the garbage in situ, then give the offender a limited time to remove it before a ticket is written.

That way the alleged offenders can quietly redeem themselves and hopefully learn a lesson (other than removing ID from their trash before dumping it). And the offenders have to actually do something other than simply paying an inconvenient and affordable fine.

By: Bill Hulet

Bill Hulet — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 01:17:25 +0000

Does anyone remember the old Arlo Guthrie song “Alice’s Restaurant”? It involved him getting pinched by the police for illegal dumping. They caught him by finding a letter addressed to him in with the other trash.

Why can’t the City do the same thing here and now?

By: Alexandra Barlow

Alexandra Barlow — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 16:00:38 +0000

I agree with Cam – I’ve found that the Downey Road area is also one of the worst areas for this kind of activity. I don’t know if signs will make that much of a difference – the individuals doing this sort of thing already know that it is illegal.

By: kfarbridge

kfarbridge — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:05:27 +0000

These are some other suggestions I have received.

1) Signage at rural dumping sites and within City limits.

2) Create a targeted advertizing campaign to discourage the activity

3) Engage residents in the solution by making people aware they can play a role in keeping our parks clean/safe by taking action when they see this illegal activity by calling bylaw enforcement.

By: Cam Guthrie

Cam Guthrie — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:54:45 +0000

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’d open up the bags and find something in them that can link the waste back to the original owners. Then I would fine them, dump the waste back on their property and send them a bill for the overhead costs associated with doing all of the above. Finally, I would put a picture of the offender(s) in the local media as “Dumpster of the week”.

Cam Guthrie