EDITORIAL – Some people just have no sense of community pride
Mess at Ord Road recycling depot.
An ArmchairMayor.ca editorial by Mel Rothenburger.
SOME PEOPLE have no community pride whatsoever. In face, they possess no social conscience, no sense of responsibility to others.
They are sad little people who think in terms of always doing things the easy way, of trying to get away with things.
They’re the reason the City of Kamloops is going to close down the Ord Road recycling depot. Too many people abuse the site, shoving garbage into the recycle bins and dumping junk and crap on the ground instead of properly disposing of it.
Think of it. A recycling depot is a part of the greater effort to help the environment, reduce the volume at landfills, and keep the community clean and tidy.
It’s just one of the pieces in the common effort to make Kamloops a nice place to be. Communities in Bloom, parks and boulevards, all of the amenities with which we the citizens of Kamloops and region are so blessed — they make up the whole.
These good things happen because people care, because they work hard, they volunteer, they pick up after themselves, they help each other.
Then there are the other kind, the kind who leave public washrooms in a disgusting state, who toss cigarette butts on the ground, who spit on the sidewalk and use the community as one big garbage dump instead of common living space that should be treated with respect.
At this week’s City council meeting, utilities director Jen Fretz reported that the Ord Road recycling depot is too expensive to keep open because it’s too labour intensive cleaning it up all the time. The very purpose of it has been defeated.
Part of the problem is that it’s not in a highly visible location, and you know what happens when people think they aren’t being watched — they do what they can “get away with.”
It wasn’t an easy decision for council to close the Ord Road depot because it’s quite possible the jerks who are responsible for the problem will just find other illegal places to dump their garbage. And it leaves the North Shore without a recycling depot.
But that’s what happens when goons with no community pride spoil things for everyone else.
mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca
ArmchairMayor.ca 
I certainly understand the frustration of the city. The site on Ord Road is continually a mess because of people who do not think or care. They just dump everything. Unfortunately they will do anything at all in order to avoid dump fees, including taking a drive that will cost them more in gas than actually going to the dump. I see the results of that in the hills above Batchelor where I walk with my dog. I take a bag with me every day to pick up the little stuff but cannot deal with the big stuff. Right now there is a car bumper and various muffler parts up there, a carpet, assorted other junk. Right by Lac du Bois Road just past the cattle guard someone has dumped their old painted fencing. Once the Ord Road site is closed I expect I will see much more as I did before that site was opened. I agree with the city that the costs of putting cameras is prohibitive and they would likely be destroyed by those who do not want their photos taken, ditto with lighting. I agree that a site nearer a well-lit higher traffic area would be better but I can imagine the hew and cry that would go up from nearby people no matter which site is chosen. This is a never ending problem and I believe it stems from parents who do not teach their children respect for their surroundings. This is not a school problem. This is a home problem. These values need to be taught and reinforced at home. We have become a throw away society with no thought about what that means for our neighbourhood, our city or, in fact, the planet. And OMG here it is Black Friday, the shopping nirvana of the year.
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Maybe the city should have built a transfer station there to collect the garbage along with the recyclables. There is obviously a need for that, as Betty said. I just can’t believe how shortsighted city council, and staff are when it comes to solutions surrounding garbage, and recycling.
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Maybe a few motion activated game cameras and some public embarrassment as in having the photo/video of your face and your illegal dumping activity posted on line, and having the penalty added to your city taxes would offer a deterrent. Folks that don’t own property could have the fine added to their driving record for the next time they renew their auto insurance. Just a thought.
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In many ways you are right but it seems to me that the city has been ignoring a major problem. Garbage in Kamloops is too hard to get rid of. If you are not young and strong and have a truck, disposing of large things is very difficult. Imagine that you are a senior without much money, who is reluctant to drive farther than the nearest grocery store. Going as far as the city dump is a major expedition. When you arrive there are fourteen rules about what you can dump that you need to sort out. The staff at the gate are unpleasant, making it a dreaded experience. Somehow you need to get your garbage out of your vehicle and into the dumpster. Hopefully some young man will arrive with his load and help you. Cinnamon ridge isn’t much easier. Many seniors put their yard waste in garbage bags and haul it in their trunks. Rules again – wood over there – grass over here – and take that home, we don’t take grass roots anymore. The whole system needs revamping so that it is run for the convenience of Kamloops residents and not the convenience of city staff or contractors.
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I think often people dump just anywhere today because of dumping fees that they don’t want to pay, or can’t afford to pay. Everything has a price tag on it in todays world. Make dumping free, and scrounging free, and the place will probably be a lot cleaner.
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