The Regional District of North Okanagan is imploring the public to use more respect when disposing of waste at the Silver Star Transfer Station
Changes to the waste disposal facility took effect Aug. 1, which include new hours of operation and the introduction of staff at the previously unmanned site.
“What didn’t change was the basic ask to respect one another and not to dump garbage. We all have the responsibility to dispose of the garbage we produce properly,” the RDNO said in a Facebook post Friday, Aug. 14.
Two weeks into the changes, the RDNO says it’s had problems of illegal dumping and verbal abuse of staff.
“Yelling at our contractors and dumping garbage is not going to lead to policy changes,” the RDNO said. “If you’d like an avenue to share your concerns and thoughts, take the official avenues. Email us at solidwaste@rdno.ca.”
Security cameras have been installed at the transfer station to monitor for illegal dumping, the district said while noting that this sort of activity will be reported to the RCMP and Conservation Officers, and can lead to fines up to $2,000.
The RDNO says it received a lot of public input and weighed a number of different opinions in coming up with the existing operational hours, which are as follows:
Winter Peak (Nov. 15 – April 15): Sunday to Friday, 12 – 5 p.m.
Summer Peak (July 1 – Aug. 31): Sunday, Monday, Thursday and Friday, 12 – 5 p.m.
Off-Peak (April 16 – June 30 and Sept. 1 – Nov. 14): Sunday and Friday, 12 – 5 p.m.
For information on how to make a trip to the transfer station and more on the Aug. 1 changes, the RDNO has provided a frequently asked questions document.
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