M.D. highlights illegal dumping and littering for #WasteWednesday

Yesterday was #WasteWednesday in the Municipal District (M.D.) of Bonnyville.

This week the M.D. highlighted and talked about the penalties for illegal dumping and littering outside of a landfill or transfer station.

M.D. Council passed a motion in 2021 to increase the penalties to a maximum of $2,000 per offense. The M.D. has 32 bin site locations and seven landfill transfer stations that residents can use at no charge.

“The goal of this strategy is to help ensure waste and recyclables are handled properly while keeping the environmental impacts in mind,” the M.D. stated. “Littering and abandoning items on the ground at bin sites, dead-end roads, and at landfill gates are all forms of illegal dumping and have an environmental and financial impact.”

 On April 6, the M.D. listed some tips on “So, how can we be better?” on its Facebook page.

1.  Put your waste in a bag, tie a knot in it, and put it in a household waste dumpster. Whether it is tossed out a vehicle window or was loosely put into a dumpster and then blown out during the transfer process, it is still litter. Waste is transferred three to four times before it leaves the M.D. If it’s not bagged properly, it can easily end up as contamination in our neighbourhoods.
2. If something doesn’t fit in a garbage bag, bring it to one of our landfill transfer stations. You might find out that it can actually be recycled. Many different items can be recycled these days including your old mattresses and over 600 types of household electric and battery-powered items. 
3. If there’s some life left in an item, bring it to the Freecycle area at one of our seven landfill transfer stations. Please don’t abandon it on the ground as it will be tossed out. Leaving items on the ground at the sites is a violation of the waste bylaw and also encourages others to do the same. What starts out as a couch can quickly turn into a mountain of garbage bags.

If you have something to dispose of and you’re not quite sure where it should go, you can always check out the waste location summary at md.bonnyville.ab.ca/140/Waste-Recycling or give them a call at 780-826-3951.