BARRHEAD-The Town of Barrhead has enough garbage receptacles to keep the municipality neat and tidy, assuming residents take the time to use them.
That was the consensus of councillors during their Sept. 9 meeting squashing a suggestion by Coun. Rod Klumph who suggested the town supply two industrial or commercial waste bins and put them in a central location to stop would-be litterers. He would later amend the suggestion to smaller waste receptacles installed in multiple residential locations.
The discussion dominated discussion on an amendment to Bylaw 10-2020, aka the Community Standards Bylaw, which councillors would unanimously approve after 20 minutes of debate.
The additions to the bylaw were the additions of two definitions (building and litter) and amounted to what chief administrative officer Edward LeBlanc called "housekeeping items." The bylaw also revisited the fine schedule.
"I am thinking of trash being dropped off in locations other than their own," Klumph said.
He specifically pointed to several apartment buildings, the elementary and high school as well as the Ag Barn's bins as well as the Ag Barn's waste bins as being the main targets for people dropping off larger items such as beds or appliances.
Assaf agreed, suggesting the municipality have two to three commercial-sized garbage bins at the transfer station to handle people's overflow.
"Let's be honest," he said. "Some weeks people have too much garbage. Why can't we have a few extra bins for people to use, so people don't sneak around and either put items in their neighbour's trash or putting them in a business' bin?"
Klumph then suggested the possibility of installing garbage cans around the municipality, in residential neighbourhoods, noting some residents pick up garbage they see while walking or jogging and then end up putting it in a resident's trash as they are walking by.
"I hate to see them tagged by our bylaw officer and as a result get a $150 fine," he said. "There are two types of people those throw garbage and people who pick up garbage and I would love to support people who pick up garbage."
Coun. Don Smith said he would oppose the purchase and installation of any extra garbage bins or cans, adding it would do little to solve littering or illegal dumping.
"We have bins and garbage cans around town already. I don't want to put in garbage bins or cans in, so people from outside our community can fill them up for us," he said, noting there would be an additional cost to the municipality.
Mayor Dave McKenzie spoke out against the extra trash receptacles saying they already have several trashcans in parks and on Main Street but said it is not uncommon to see litter in those areas.
"It's an age-old problem. Just because they are there, doesn't mean people will use them," McKenzie said.
Coun. Dausen Kluin noted if people were too lazy to dispose of their litter, there was little chance of putting in the effort to put them into one of the extra cans.
"Even if it was only five feet away," he said.
Nor did McKenzie believe there was much of a chance that the bylaw officer would ticket any good Samaritans picking up trash and depositing it in someone's garbage can.
"It is the spirit of the legislation that is important," he said. "The intention here is if you live next to someone and you are continuously putting your household garbage in their bin, there is a mechanism to try to curb that. It wasn't meant to penalize someone who scoops up a fast food container and puts it in someone's garbage can on their way by."
