To the Editor,
I was driving around town yesterday looking for a wheeled 80-litre garbage can. It does not exist.
There is a 77-litre, with wheels, of extremely poor quality. It does not have a locking lid.
I went to city hall where they have this substandard bin on display. Employees both at city hall and at the stores selling these in town agree the quality is extremely poor and that a bear could demolish them in a matter of seconds.
I spoke, by telephone, to our city manager. He thinks these cans are just fine. He recommends we put our garbage out on our front streets “just before the truck is due to arrive” to avoid the bears.
He also states “ 77 litres is just like 80 litres” when asked why we have been told to use cans that, if one requires wheels, do not exist.
I pointed out the issues for single seniors and/or handicapped folks. He states he has an 83-year-old mother who lifts her garbage can onto a metal dolly and wheels it that way.
The 77L cans will not hold two bags of garbage. We can purchase a $2 sticker and two 77L cans, plus the dolly if required, and this, by my calculation, will come to approximately $40 plus the cost of the dolly. Our city manager then pointed out that this was an interim measure.
Therefore, if the cans are demolished by bears, we should not have to buy too many replacement cans prior to the advent of the new truck with the robotic arm. That would be the very expensive truck, that is too big for the alley, that most of us do not want.
Why are we, at least, not allowed to keep our current method of garbage pickup until the new truck is operational?
It is clear that we are in need of a comprehensive referendum on what services residents want and how we want them provided.
Lorna LeBlanc,
Port Alberni