An uptick in household garbage filling Oak Bay trash bins has staff worried about what September will bring.
Oak Bay’s 225 municipal trash cans are strategically placed throughout the community to serve residents and visitors, explained parks manager Chris Hyde-Lay.
Increased use of parks and outdoor spaces is a known side effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. More people mean more trash, and household trash stuffed in the bins exacerbates the problem.
District staff provide pickup from municipal cans for 14 hours a day, seven days a week on the summer schedule. With good weather expected to continue, that could create challenges in September when that resource dips to eight hours a day.
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It’s just one issue of some people using public spaces as a dumping ground. Regular users of Cattle Point will be familiar with ongoing issues there as large appliances and couches frequently appear.
Oak Bay gets regular calls to pick up piles of furniture and other household debris dumped on street corners or out-of-the-way natural areas.
While there is basic recycling available at the popular Willows Beach Park, unfortunately, recyclables are winding up in the trash.
“We are encouraging people, if it is recyclable to take it home and recycle it,” Hyde-Lay said.
READ ALSO: Add yard waste to the trash being dumped at Oak Bay’s Anderson Hill Park
Oak Bay isn’t alone, residents near another popular park in the region, Saanich’s Mount Doug, raised the alarm in July after municipal bins there were left overflowing on a regular basis.
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