As of Oct. 1, the City of Surrey is changing to a new waste reduction program. As far as I am aware, there was no public consultation whatsoever before this decision was made, but there was a small trial done somewhere in Surrey. This is a real affront to the taxpayer.
First, we have three new bins, which have been/or are being delivered by special truck to all areas of Surrey. These new bins are unsightly and for those of us with small homes, townhouses or condos, they create a huge space problem.
For example, we live in a small zero-lot line home and have to leave the three bins outside our front door.
One of my friends lives in a townhouse complex on King George Boulevard and they literally will not be able to get out their front door. They have no way to get the large bins around to the back of the townhouse.
I am sure that pick-up days will be a nightmare. There is to be a reduction of garbage pick-up by 50 per cent – only organic materials will be picked up weekly.
This will cause a problem with rodents, and in the summer, pungent odours.
We also now have to purchase special bags for our organic kitchen waste, which will probably cost the average household an additional $120 per year.
In addition, the bins have to be placed in a certain fashion, however there are many areas of Surrey where this can not be done, either because of tree height or actual road restriction.
Pick-up can also be problematic, as presently when the organics are emptied, most of it ends up on the street and the company does not clean it up. Will the same thing happen in the future? Will the Christmas turkey bones be spread out over the street for the crows to feast upon?
The idea of waste reduction is good and I am 100 per cent for it, but I feel that the way it is to be carried out is ill conceived and in these hard times, an expense we could all live without.
Bruce Wyder, Surrey
Program not geared to apartment complexes
It is commendable that Surrey is finally adopting the Rethink Waste collection program.
However, this program appears to only affect the population living in single- family residential dwellings.
Perhaps the same rules do not apply to apartment complexes, which have a much greater population density per city block .
At the building where I live, in addition to recycling bins, there are large garbage containers which amass all manner of waste material from kitchen garbage to discarded sofas, beds , mattresses, office furniture and so on.
It hurts me to see TVs and microwave ovens simply dumped into these bins.
In addition, non-residents can often be seen driving up to dump furniture, construction site materials, gyproc, empty paint cans, etc. during the dark hours.
The whole load is then happily picked up and delivered to wherever garbage now goes to ground.
I wonder how long it will take for the city to make landlords comply with whatever rules are, or will be, in place concerning proper disposal practice.
H. Torenbeek, Surrey