The public recycling bins have been at their new location for three weeks and already residents are upset at the mess it has been causing.
Originally located on Timber Road, the recycling bins were moved to Scott Road, at the landfill site, on Oct. 17 due to the lack of organization by residents. Since then, many residents are upset at the disorganization of others by what they are putting inside these bins.
“Went to the new recycling area at the dump today and lo and behold, it is starting to look just like the old site,” said Dave But. “People just don't give a damn. There is stuff there that should be taken to the dump, which is very handy, but people are either too lazy or they don't care. Now with this area only open at certain times there is a need of a good surveillance system to catch people in the act and then fine them.”
The landfill site is open Monday to Friday between 10 a.m and 5 p.m and on Saturdays from 9 a.m to 5 p.m. The site is closed Sundays. Even with these scheduled times, others have expressed disappointment about the absence of employees at the site and their lack of attention towards the bins. This reasoning is because there is only one attendant at the site and they are also preoccupied with scale duty for users of the landfill site.
“The attendant is so busy with scale duty and collecting fees, recording plates of vehicles to assign weights too,” said Bart Lastman on a public Facebook group. “Watching recycle bins? Not possible.”
“The lids are left unlocked and open for convenience, it seems they should be closed up and locked as well, forcing people to properly sort,” said city councillor Tammy VanRoon. “I'm disappointed to see that there is still a problem. There is a line in the budget to increase curbside pickup, I hope that will help. I am not sure to be honest how often the bins are emptied, it may be part of the problem and worth investigating.”
While attending the landfill site, ElliotLakeToday.com did not see an employee for 30 minutes.
With Scott Road being further away from most residents, others appear to be dumping their garbage wherever they feel like. The most common places are the backs of the nature trails.
“Some individuals apparently are not capable of acting in a responsible, respectful or mature manner,” said Marion Bodogan. “It is unfortunate that we cannot make these individuals accountable for their actions or in this case lack of action.”
For comments or concerns about the city’s dumping policy, the Elliot Lake Public Works Department is urging residents to inform them at 705-848-2287 ext. 2600.