The amount of mattresses, electronics and furniture left abandoned around Vancouver has more than tripled in volume over a seven-year period, according to a city staff report that goes before city council next Wednesday.
The waste has increased from 6,800 items in 2006 to 21,500 last year, with the report suggesting the spike is related to the city’s lack of recycling depots for the merchandise.
Abandoned mattresses have been a major problem, with 7,700 piling up in the city last year. That was a jump of 5,000 from 2006 and that statistic can be attributed to people refusing to pay a $15 recycling fee to dispose of mattresses.
The Metro Vancouver agency set the $15 fee in 2011 and implemented a region-wide disposal ban on mattresses to keep them out of the landfill.
“The challenge is that it is difficult to catch people in the act,” said the report authored by Albert Shamess, the city’s director of waste management.
The Courier requested an interview with Shamess but was told by the city’s communications department that he could not comment until the report, which is on the city’s website, is presented at city council Wednesday.
A person caught in Vancouver illegally disposing of items such as a mattress can be asked to removed the item — and restore the area, if necessary — or repay the city if the person refuses to clean up the mess.
A person could be also be liable to pay a fine of up to $2,000 but the report doesn’t say if or how many people have been dinged with the penalty.
The report, however, noted enforcement is “currently limited” and the ability to request identification from a person and issue a ticket rests primarily with police.
“Enforcement of littering bylaws is challenging and requires significant resources,” said the report, adding the city will work with its various departments related to the bylaws and police to recommend options to tackle the problem.
In Delta, that municipality has recently installed surveillance cameras in low-volume traffic areas to record an increasing number of people who dump garbage on roads.
The city has devised a system where it is able to monitor abandoned waste reports and all 311 calls through what is called “a pilot business intelligence dashboard.”
“Through this tool, we are able to determine hot spots for future focus for targeted education or enforcement initiatives for our programs,” the report said. “Where repeat calls are noted, we are able to dispatch one of our street inspectors to work with property owners in the area to identify problems and work towards a resolution.”
The report pointed out that even though the number of calls for abandoned waste pick-up has gone up significantly, the actual weight of material such as computers and monitors collected has only gone up slightly.
“Even though there is only an increase of approximately 200 tonnes of material since 2011, due to the lighter nature of the materials this represents a significant increase in volume,” the report said.
