Recycling and waste pickup changes are coming to several RV parks in the District of Sechelt and one resident says they weren’t given enough advance warning.
“They didn’t bother telling us,” said Mar-Lynn Church, resident of Ponderosa RV Park near Wilson Creek.
Letters were sent from the District of Sechelt on Friday, May 18 while others were being sent up to the morning of May 23, informing residents of manufactured home parks that they will receive weekly garbage pickup and recycling pickup every two weeks.
“The landlords had assured us that they had informed residents … but it doesn’t appear that message was getting through to everyone,” said Julie Rogers, communications manager for the District of Sechelt.
She said the change occurred because Waste Management, which took over during the winter from Direct Disposal, was going to stop collecting in the mobile home parks, leaving residents without service. She said Waste Management approached the district in March. Sechelt decided to amend its contract to include the service, which was approved by council two weeks ago.
Prior to the change of ownership, residents of the parks purchased garbage tags at a cost of $2 to $4 to receive pickup service.
The most recent notice informed residents living in mobile home parks that they will be charged $108 for the rest of this year’s service. Beginning next year, the yearly charge will be $216 for waste pickup and recycling. The charges will be added to property tax bills, due in July. In March 2019, Sechelt will also be implementing organics pickup, which will apply to RV parks as well.
Currently, recycling bins are being delivered to residents, and Waste Management is in charge of sending brochures to residents instructing them on what goes into the blue bins.
For Church, the problem extends beyond the lack of notice. She said many residents are seniors on fixed income who rarely purchased garbage tickets or shared the cost with neighbours. “It’s a 200 per cent increase to my taxes, without any notice… The very least they could do is warn us and let us know that we have to come up with an extra $108... Most of us are on pension. Most of us don’t have an extra $108 by next week,” Church said.
Blue boxes are being distributed, but Church said as of Wednesday she had yet to receive any information about what items may be recycled.
