Garbage & Recycling - Stop Illegal Dumping
Illegal Dumping on the Sunshine Coast: We need your help!
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**EVENT: May 2012 Trash Bash Community Clean Up and Barbecue! ** |
Illegal dumping has become a major concern on the Sunshine Coast polluting soil and water and affecting wildlife habitat. Despite volunteer cleanups and the efforts of provincial and local governments, the problem has continued to grow. A concerted and comprehensive program is required to reduce illegal dumping on the Sunshine Coast. This online initiative is a continuation of the SCRD’s established illegal dump site tracking and response program and is a part of an overall strategy to reduce the instances of illegal dumping on the Sunshine Coast.
What can be done?
Learn about the 5 elements of the program:
| 1. Illegal Dump Site Inventory | 2. Reporting an Illegal Dump Site |
| 3. Good Samaritan Program | 4. Clean Up Events |
| 5. Regulation and Enforcement |
Interactive Illegal Dump Site Map for the Sunshine Coast
1. Illegal Dump Site Inventory
With the help of many community groups and volunteers, the SCRD has located, reported and mapped over 200 sites from Port Mellon to Egmont. The mission in doing a comprehensive inventory was two-fold: a) to try to identify the extent of the problem and b) to generate a map that can be used by community groups and individuals to coordinate the cleanup of target sites. The illegal dump site inventory is a map that contains additional information:
Photos
Location (road, landmark, GPS coordinates if possible)
Materials Description (types, picture if possible)
Size Categories (S/M/L): Small (garbage one person can pick up), Medium (need two people and truck), Large (equipment such as dump truck with loader).
(By clicking the “I” icon and moving the cursor over a point on the map and clicking again, you can get the exact location and description of the materials dumped. By clicking on “site photos”, photographs can be seen.)
To report a new illegal dump site, please first check the map to see if has previously been documented. If not on the map, then there are three ways to report:
On-line service – fill out the illegal dump report card (see Interactive Map) to report a new illegal dump site. There are several pieces of information you can fill in: location, GPS coordinates, pictures, and description. When you click submit, an automatic email report will be generated and sent to SCRD staff.
E-mail – info@scrd.ca
Call – 604-885-6800
Reported sites will be put on the map and considered for future cleanup events. SCRD staff will also report these sites to the BC RAPP line (Report All Poachers and Polluters).
3. Good Samaritan Program: Supporting Volunteer Cleanups 365 days a year
We encourage and support volunteers! Please call us in advance of cleaning up an illegal dump site. We’ll arrange for your landfill fees to be covered, and let the landfill staff know you are coming. (604-885-6800 or e-mail info@scrd.ca).
4. Kick-off Cleanup Event and Barbeque
The Kick Cleanup Event will be similar to the annual “Backroad Trash Bash” in the Powell River Regional District, wherein the Regional District provides funding to a community organization to organize and hold a one-day volunteer cleanup. The event will include a kick-off BBQ and prizes for participation, followed by the cleanup and delivery of the collected waste materials to the appropriate facility (e.g. transfer station or landfill). More to come on this… after the community group and event is organized.
To find out more about the onging Sunshine Coast Regional District Clean Up Programs, click here.
The SCRD is working toward a new bylaw enforcement system because currently there is no bylaw that allows local government authorities to issue penalties to dumpers without actually catching them in the act. Currently, the SCRD is seeking to gain this authority through a new Bylaw initiative.
In the meantime…
• Often identifiable items are dumped. These are used to locate phone numbers of individuals at home or work, and calls are made to request proper clean up.
• We call the RAPP line when dumping takes place in a watershed with the potential for immediate pollution, Report all Poachers and Polluters 1-877-952-7277.
• We call The Ministry of Transportation when the dump site is obstructing a road way, 604-740-8985.
• We call the local RCMP detachment when the dumpsite is a vehicle.
