‘Tis the season for illegal dumping.
It happens every spring, though it’s not exactly what people mean when they say “spring cleaning”.
In April, it was a load of trash left out by the quarry in Cobble Hill.
In May, there was another pile left along the railroad tracks just off Drinkwater Road.
And then there’s the perennial issue of dumping at Hillside Road off Highway 18.
The Shawnigan Lake area has had its fair share of mini dump sites this spring as well, including one community mailbox in the Meadowview area that has seen quite a few pieces of furniture arrive and leave with narry a person to be found.
This time, however, it’s the mailboxes near the Tansor gas station, according to Robert McKenzie.
“There was a large pole lamp and more items, before I went home to get my tablet, to take a photo,” he wrote to accompany a photo he sent to the Citizen. “The valley is showing an ever increasing amount of discarded trash, and the pace and blatancy of these acts will, I believe, only increase if something is not done. What that is, I don’t know,” he added.
According to the Cowichan Valley Regional District, “illegal dumping causes environmental damage to our forests and waterways and health and safety risks to visitors and residents.”
Those who witness illegal dumping are encouraged to call the Ministry of Environment’s RAPP hotline at 1-877-952-7277 or #7277 on their mobile phone.
Reports can also be made online at https://forms.gov.bc.ca/environment/rapp/
