Dear Editor:
How do you get rid of an old hot tub? That was the question for an Upper Lonsdale resident in October who solved the problem by sawing it into quarters, then taking three up to the parking lot of Princess Park. That’s where I saw them before they were removed by the district.
Several people there that same day commented on what kind of person would do that, expecting the taxpayers to pay for the removal of their unwanted hot tub. The owners were able to load the huge pieces into a truck to get them to the park, so why didn’t they take them to the transfer station instead?
I wondered who would think so little of his community and his neighbours that he would dump his garbage in the neighbourhood park. Much to my surprise, the question was answered when I was out walking a dog down a back lane between the 100-block of East Windsor and St. James. There I spotted the remaining quarter of the hot tub sitting beside a garbage container.
I took a picture of it there beside the garbage wheeler with the address clearly marked on it. Then I called the district to see if they could do anything within the bylaws to fine the offender. I was told that I should report it to the RCMP.
The officer there told me that unless the dumped hot tub pieces were still in the park it would be very difficult to prove that the piece I saw in the lane was a match. They did take down the address of the sighting and said they would look into it but doubted there would be much that could be done.
Speaking to the district on a follow-up call, I was told that the numbers of illegal garbage being dumped in all of our parks are increasing. Not just bags of garbage but large pieces of furniture and other household items are being left in parks and other community outdoor areas.
The costs for removal are now being tracked in order to request an increase in the budget to cover them. We taxpayers will have to take on the costs for these inconsiderate neighbours who think we should pay for their no-longer-wanted items to be hauled away.
Perhaps with awareness of the growing problem, more people will consider reporting offenders if they are seen dumping their trash. With the numbers of cellphones in use, pictures can easily be taken when you see someone doing this. Common courtesy sadly appears to be less common as our population grows.
C.A. Allan, North Vancouver
Editor’s note: West Vancouver residents can call 604-925-7100 and District of North Vancouver residents 604-990-2311 to report illegal dumping. The City of North Vancouver has a new reporting app, CityFIX, which allows users to report illegal dumping among other issues. For details, visit cnv.org/CityFix.
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