The municipality of Summerland is asking landfill users to take precautionary measures at the Summerland landfill in order to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a news release on March 25, Anthony Haddad, Summerland’s chief administrative officer, said the landfill saw an increase in the number of visits over the past week as residents are working on projects inside and out.
The increased activity is also putting landfill users at increased health and safety risks, he said.
There have been long waits to enter the landfill, and some users, in their hurry to leave, are rushing through at unsafe speeds and are not disposing of their materials where designated.
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The landfill’s precautionary measures include the following:
• Do not utilize the landfill if you are self-isolating or displaying symptoms of COVID-19.
• Avoid unnecessary visits to the landfill. Make use of your curbside collection services and, if possible, store the materials you wish to bring to the landfill until a later date when it is safer to do so.
• Adhere to physical distancing guidelines (two metres minimum separation) while on site.
• All transactions be paid by debit or on contractor account only. Cash and credit card transactions are not allowed.
• Place materials only in their designated areas, no mixing of divertible or recyclable materials or including them with garbage. Please ask for help or visit www.summerland.ca/solidwaste for information on separating landfill materials.
• Drive slowly and safely while on site, following the 10 km/hr speed limit.
• Be considerate of other users and staff. This is a difficult time for all.
Additionally, all One-Day Recycling Depots scheduled to be held at the Summerland Arena will be cancelled until further notice.
Until then, the municipality is requesting that residents store their recyclable materials until the One-Day Recycling Depots may safely start again.
The municipality is asking that landfill users follow the precautionary measures to avoiding placing themselves, other landfill users and staff at risk and to prevent the need for restrictive measures to manage unnecessary exposure to COVID-19, up to and including closing the landfill to non-commercial customers.
The Summerland Landfill is currently open during regular operating hours. Advance notice to the community will be provided if additional restrictions are needed.
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