Editor, The News:
Re: Private collection is good (Letters, June 24).
Louise Wilson is a bit confused about the cost of city pickup.
I am in favour of a city service.
Everyone always yells tax grab, but if you think about it, wouldn’t it be better to pay our own people, rather than have five or six trucks rumbling and squealing through the streets from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
If you are now paying for private pickup, it must be around $25 a month, times 12 is $300.
Isn’t that what the city is asking for?
So how are we losing by dumping these private for-profit only companies and going with a once a week pickup for everyone?
It will cost the same, just do the math.
Maybe if the city did start a pickup system, there would be less garbage everywhere.
Any greenspace, including over the back fence, seems to be someone’s private dump. In the woods, on the roadside, garbage and yard waste is dumped indiscriminately, putting God knows what into the ground.
People need to be educated and disciplined in how they treat their surroundings. I’ve never seen so many rats as there are in Maple Ridge. We are infested with vermin, not just downtown, but the residential areas, as well.
This garbage issue goes way beyond the political stuff. This could be a serious health and economic issue, given time and inattention.
So much emphasis is being put on the homeless issue and constantly revamping downtown, things that affect us all are being ignored.
E.L. Willmott
Maple Ridge