The North Island has made some great green strides in recent years.
Communities have started recycling programs, volunteers have cleaned up roads, and the regional district has expanded and added innovations to the 7 Mile Landfill to make it more efficient.
But those worthy efforts by responsible citizens are being thwarted by lazy inconsiderate people who dump their garbage not only on backroads, but now right outside the recycling bins.
Why even bother to bring your garbage to the bins without sorting it, and then leave it out in the rain next to an empty bin, as recently happened in Port Hardy? It is nonsensical and costly.
When recyclables are not sorted correctly into the bins, the whole load can be contaminated, effectively cancelling the efforts of others who have painstakingly made sure their recyclables are just that – recyclable.
And the taxpayers are on the hook for the cost of cleaning up the mess as well. If evidence from the garbage identifies the perpetrator, then they should be made to pay.
Garbage is a fact of life for everyone. North Islanders have worked hard to find sustainable, cost-effective ways to reduce waste and minimize the impact on the environment. The solutions aren’t perfect or even complete, but they are a step in the right direction.
Those who trash others’ efforts are dumping the problem on us all.