Anand Sharma discovers a television among overflowing recycling and trash bins at a condominium in southwest Edmonton. Despite the unknown origin of the TV, a staff member from the 113 West condo will transport it to the eco station to avoid the risk of not having municipal waste collected that week.
Various items such as mattresses, sofas, washing machines, and even exercise bikes are frequently dumped at condominium and apartment dumpsters in Edmonton. To address this issue, the city is considering several new measures, including increasing the number of free eco station days, launching a public awareness campaign on illegal dumping, providing education for condo and apartment managers, imposing higher fines, and implementing a large item pick-up program.
Property managers have reported resorting to private waste disposal companies to manage illegal dumping, with 73% of them indicating this in a survey. Condo corporations are facing escalating costs to maintain cleanliness due to illegal dumping, which poses administrative challenges.
Condo owners are burdened with additional costs for handling illegal dumping on top of the already high fees paid to the City of Edmonton for garbage and waste services. Illegal dumping has worsened with waste volume restrictions and the introduction of organic waste green bins, leading to reduced garbage collection by city crews.
Councilor Keren Tang emphasized that the problem lies in illegal dumping rather than the waste sorting system. Tang advocated for addressing the issue with appropriate tools and highlighted the need to shift the city’s approach to large waste from a car-centric model to a more resident-friendly system.
Enforcement of illegal dumping faces challenges, as property managers must provide witness statements and appear in court, making enforcement procedures cumbersome and slow. Despite evidence, 60% of property managers expressed dissatisfaction with the bylaw enforcement process, citing ineffective responses and unenforced dumping incidents.
In the quest to combat illegal dumping, the city issued 240 tickets for such violations at apartment and condo buildings over a period exceeding five years. Tang suggested that some programs could be funded through increased utility rates, while others would need to be considered in the fall budget planning.
Overall, the city is exploring various options to address the escalating problem of illegal dumping in Edmonton, aiming to find effective solutions to curb this damaging behavior.