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Stroking numbers on garbage

Todd Oliver’s views on municipal garbage pick up certainly add to the garbage volume in Maple Ridge.

Editor,The News:

Re: Time to get with garbage pickup (The News, Jan. 25).

Todd Oliver’s views on municipal garbage pick up certainly add to the garbage volume in Maple Ridge.

So, because  every other municipality in the GVRD has municipal pickup, then we should?

Perhaps if Mr. Oliver jumps off a cliff, we will all follow. I think not.

Let’s look at the numbers quoted in Mr. Oliver’s ‘sales pitch’: $208 per year for garbage and green waste pickup.

A suspiciously exact figure stated without any supporting proof.

Compare the previous number with the staff report that gives the figure of  $275 to $350 for the municipality to collect the garbage and the blue box program.

We can be sure that the higher figure will be closer to the actual cost, whilst the lower will be the figure used to ‘sell’ the program.

To further stroke the numbers, the cost for private pick up plus the blue box charge uses the highest number quoted for independent pickup.

Just using the highly dubious numbers disseminated by Mr. Oliver and the municipal staff means that we will be paying between $33 and $138 extra per year with a municipal garbage system.

I am willing to bet that the higher number is an absolute minimum and that the cost will increase rapidly from there.

The only part of Mr. Oliver’s simplistic twitterings that I agreed with is his statement that garbage pickup is an essential service. This, of course, only applies if you do not own a vehicle with which to transport your garbage to the transfer station.

Currently, the Cochran household has its garbage picked up by one of our very able private contractors.

Over the years, we have taken our garbage to the transfer station ourselves, as well as that of our neighbours, or they have taken ours. Whichever way, its always cost less than the system proposed by Mr. Oliver.

Municipal garbage pickup, another nail in the coffin of the GVRDs’ livable region strategy.

John Cochran

Maple Ridge

 

One collector

Editor,The News:

Re: Time to get with garbage pickup (The News, Jan. 25).

I totally agree with Todd Oliver’s view on the garbage collection. We moved to Maple Ridge in April and found it very frustrating having to dispose of our garbage. We hired one of the collection companies to come and pick it up. We really should one garbage collection for everyone.

Christine Wood

Maple Ridge

 

Time to catch up

Editor, The News:

Re: Weekly garbage just a football (Letters, Jan. 30).

If everybody, including me, was as dedicated and disciplined as the Woodland and Campos households, the world wouldn’t be as polluted and toxic as it is.

Unfortunately, we are not.

Not everybody has the luxury of time, motivation and space to compost on a regular basis.

Maple Ridge is no longer a rural community and new subdivisions are popping up everywhere.

We are now a fast-growing, vibrant, commuter town struggling to find its identity, and a core group of citizens still wants to keep the horse-and-buggy mentality alive.

Change is inevitable.

However, there is a new wave of families moving into our community who expect the essential services, and garbage pickup is one of them.

A private collection service is cost-effective, convenient and environmentally friendly.

Recycling is picked up 52 times a year, and depending on the contract, garbage can be picked up 26 times a year.

All of our surrounding communities have experienced increased recycling and reduced garbage pickup with their private collection companies.

The facts are there. Maple Ridge will be no different. If you want a private garbage collection service, you have to write or email the mayor and council and demand they implement this essential service.

It’s Maple Ridge’s time to catch up.

Todd Oliver

Maple Ridge