John England is getting tired of picking up recycling materials that have found their way into the hedge and fence at the front of his Deville Road property in Langford.
This week’s high winds, combined with the extra packaging and other post-Christmas items put in the multiple blue boxes at the curb in front of a townhome complex across the dead-end street, made the situation particularly noticeable as paper, plastic and cans were carried from the bins and into the roadway.
England, who said he winds up driving over numerous items come recycling time, figures the City of Langford should mandate the developers of multi-unit projects to provide an enclosed cage of sorts for recycled materials to prevent the scattering of items.
But Phil Rose, operations manager for Emterra Victoria, which does blue box pickup in Langford, noted that residents are responsible to keep their materials in place. He said the safety of drivers and the public is paramount during pickup times – drivers leave their vehicle running as they jump out to grab bins and empty them into the truck. As such, drivers are unable to chase down material that has flown very far.
“For the most part the guys do pick it up wherever they can, but based on the way they’re dressed, with heavy boots on, we don’t them to go trooping around people’s gardens,” he said.
Rose recommended that residents put heavy items on the top load if possible, to keep lighter items from getting picked up by the wind. If they have no glass or other heavier items, rocks or bricks can also be used as a temporary weight, he said. Municipal workers sometimes lend a hand in picking up stray items, Rose added, but residents still play the most important role.
As for England, he hadn’t spoken to a representative from the strata council of the complex at the time of this writing, but said that may be the next step.
editor@goldstreamgazette.com