Dear Editor:
Most of the people who are picking up bottles curbside are hard-working people. A great many of them are seniors trying to supplement their income. As we now live in one of the most expensive cities in the world, bottle collecting is honest, hard work. It is also dirty, heavy and can be dangerous when working with glass, not to mention the damp, as winter is here.
No one grows up wanting to do this, but (for these people) the end of the money comes before the end of the month in most cases. Once the box is on the curb it is no longer on private property. I can understand homeowners not enjoying the awful noise (of bottle picking), once a week and the city and district apparently losing revenue; however, if the homeowner took these refundables to Encorp themselves, that revenue would be lost as a result.
That is unlikely to happen. Those who don’t need the money won’t make the trip; let those who do, do. Don’t have bylaw issue tickets.
Poverty is a horrific problem and it’s not just those who receive some form of government aid that are struggling. Let’s think of some solutions rather than penalize those who are out – in all kinds of weather – trying to make an extra buck.
S.T. Ryane
North Vancouver
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