The overall cost of illegal dumping in the region has gone up.
That’s according to a Metro Vancouver report to the region’s board of directors, which notes that in 2020, member jurisdictions reported 47,000 illegal dumping incidents including 720 incidents of abandoned gypsum.
Municipalities spent $3.6 million on the removal and disposal of abandoned items.
In addition, municipalities spent $2.5 million on large item pick-up programs.
The report recently forwarded to Delta council as part of Metro's board highlights, also notes COVID-19 restrictions coincided with a temporary decrease in illegal dumping incidents in the spring of 2020, followed by increases in subsequent months.
Overall costs of illegal dumping have increased across the region by on average by 4.7 per cent.
“Some of the increases in the total number of illegal dumping incidents may be a result of improved reporting practices, rather than a true increase in illegal dumping activity,” according to Metro. “Illegal dumping of gypsum materials continues to be a challenging and costly issue for municipalities.
Receipt of residential gypsum at all Metro Vancouver recycling and waste centres as of the fall of 2018 appears to have provided some benefit with respect to reducing illegal dumping of gypsum materials.”
The regional district also notes Metro and member jurisdictions continue to advance a number of initiatives including education, enforcement and enhanced data management to help reduce illegal dumping.
Enhanced extended producer responsibility programs for items such as mattresses would help reduce illegal dumping, according to the region.
The province this September announced electric-vehicle batteries, mattresses, single-use fuel canisters and fire extinguishers are among the products that will be eligible for province-wide recycling as part of a five-year plan to advance recycling in B.C.
They are part of a list of new items to be added to British Columbia’s Recycling Regulation and the Extended Producer Responsibility strategy.
As far as illegal dumping in Delta, the problem is an ongoing one, particularly in rural areas where garbage and renovation waste is often dumped.
Earlier this year, the city was able to track down and handed out a fine to the person who reportedly dumped their garbage by the side of a rural East Ladner Road.
The city posted a photo on social media of an unsightly pile of trash on 88th Street, a mix of household and other garbage, with a message that the person was located.
The posts were a warning for those who don’t want to go through the time and expense to dispose their trash properly.
Kaare Coupar, assistant manager of property use and compliance, told the Optimist at that time that Delta staff attended the person’s house in Surrey to issue a $500 fine.
The Surrey resident was to also billed for the clean-up.
