Editor, The News:
Re: Council considers garbage pickup (The News, April 1).
I would like to respectfully share a few thoughts on the topic.
I notice that the minimum fee at the transfer station for small loads will be $15 starting on April 6.
We can expect to see a lot more illegal dumping all over town.
This becomes a further incentive for a municipal system.
As for the cost of such a system, I hope an in-house service with related cost of equipment and municipal level wages won’t even be considered.
I am contracting a private provider for this service. It provides me with weekly pickup of one can of garbage and separate unlimited green waste pick up for a monthly fee of $20, plus GST.
The one garbage can limit is more than adequate considering that very little is left as garbage after the blue box recycling and the separate green waste is sorted out.
As you can see, this is far less than what was quoted in the local paper for such a service.
Therefore, I would like to see the city asking for bids from interested providers to cover the whole city, as this would be the most economical way to deal with the issue.
In view of the new minimum fee for small loads at the transfer station and the illegal dumping that is certain to follow, I think that it is the duty of council to act and I do not see any need for referendums or over extended consultations.
We elected you people to manage our city in the best interest of all.
Please make the necessary decisions.
Time is of the essence.
Gilles Parizeau
Maple Ridge