Earth Day clean-up event backfires
Posted Apr 28, 2013 8:47 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Residents in the northwest community of Hidden Valley have a beef, and ironically the origins of the complaint are tied to the good intentions of last week’s Earth Day.
In what was billed a neighbourhood clean-up, residents were told they could drop off household items outside a community outdoor skating rink last weekend. The city would then take care of the rest, hauling the junk to a landfill.
But hazardous items — such as propane barbecues — were left behind by the garbage collectors, a cue to some people that collections were still being taken. As a result the pile of refuse has grown in the past week and now includes things like a cracked toilet, a kiddie pool and an exercise machine.
Resident Sue Gillrie tells The Calgary Herald, the site has become a playground for neighbourhood children and is extremely dangerous.
If you’re caught dumping items from a vehicle, it could hit you hard in the pocket book. A city bylaw official notes the fine for illegal dumping starts at $750.
