Dear editor,
I request that Comox council reconsider its decision to decrease garbage collection frequency to every two weeks. Individuals who are not diligent about recycling and minimizing waste (due to either inability or choice) are unlikely to suddenly change.
The timing appears particularly ill-considered for multiple COVID-related reasons. First, there is now a corresponding increase in residential garbage as people are spending more time at home involved in various endeavours, making more meals, ordering online, and using disposable face masks and protective gear.
Some municipalities in B.C. decided not to increase municipal taxes in order to ease the financial burden on its taxpayers due to the pandemic. Taxes were increased as planned in Comox without regard to taxpayer burden, so this type of cost-cutting does not appear to be justifiable.
Food waste is problematic for several reasons, many obvious. Odour and pests are clearly a concern. The Comox website suggests “freezing” food waste until curbside pick-up. Freezer space is suddenly more valuable due to the pandemic. Should a Comox resident be forced to choose between actual food, or chicken carcasses and fish guts in their freezer?
Council seems to have been silent about the fact that stratas with individual garbage collection do not and will not have any yard or food compost pick-up at all. Perhaps, during these unusual times, it makes more sense to increase recycling and composting services, instead of decreasing garbage collection.
Fran Goldberg,
Comox
