Litter left behind by weekend revellers is driving one Port Coquitlam man crazy.
Larry Neilson snapped a photo of food wrappers and other debris left outside one of the city’s bear resistant garbage cans and sent the photo to the Tri-City News out of frustration.
“After a hot weekend, the attached picture is what residents in the neighbourhood have to look forward to, morning after morning during the summer,” said Neilson in an email to the Tri-City News.
“The river and its neighbourhood of trails and parks is a gift that are not getting the respect they deserve. Garbage and dog poop everywhere.”
What's worse, the city has invested in special bins to deter bears but people are leaving their food trash behind even though it could attract bruins that could become habituated to human food and become neighbourhood problems.
People could get fined up to $225 for litter in the city of Port Coquitlam.
Neilson shot his photo of an overflowing garbage bin at the corner of Whyte Avenue and Maple Street on Monday (Aug. 15) as he went out for his morning walk.
He was complimentary of city crews who try to keep up with the mess, and questioned why people simply can’t put their waste and dog poop in trash bins provided for the purpose.
Garbage left outside of bins is an apparent ongoing problem in PoCo, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when people don’t want to put their hands inside the container clasp to open the bin out of concern for their cleanliness.
During the recent heatwave, garbage is noticeably being left on the ground when trash bins are full. It's a real problem because it could attract bears looking for food.
Neilson said people should be more considerate, especially near the river, which is an environmentally sensitive environment.
And he isn’t the only one trying to get people to put their trash in a bin or take it home.
Port Coquitlam is raising awareness about the problem on social media even as it employs a dozen people seven days a week to keep the city’s downtown and local parks clean and free of garbage.
Parks have been extra busy during the hot spell, according to a city spokesperson, resulting in more litter than usual.
As a result, garbage bins sometimes get full and the city is reminding people to clean up after themselves and take home what doesn’t fit.
Staff have also increased the frequency of litter collection in the parks during the pandemic and since the introduction of the alcohol in parks initiative.
Even the city’s mayor is getting frustrated with people leaving their picnic trash behind out to attract bears and other animals.
He’s asking people to clean up after themselves.
“People need to demonstrate respect for our community and others, and also have some self-respect. There is no excuse for littering. While our staff work very hard to keep our city clean and beautiful, it’s not the city’s job to clean up after people,” said Mayor Brad West in an email to the Tri-City News.
