A dearth of green-waste drop-off options for commercial operators in the Gibsons area has been putting small landscaping and gardening business owners in a lurch for too long, says Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) director Donna McMahon.
“I think we need to come up with some kind of an option here,” she said after outlining the problem at a Nov. 14 SCRD board meeting. “I know a lot of commercial people are using this by stealth,” she said, adding that enforcement, while “spotty,” is “creating hardship for these very small operators.”
According to the SCRD bylaw governing green waste, commercial operators must pay a tipping fee to dispose of the waste, while drop off for homeowners is covered by taxation. Commercial entities use a scale at the Pender Harbour transfer station and at the Sechelt dump, but there is no scale or permanent attendant at the South Coast drop-off location, so commercial green waste is not accepted there.
According to West Howe Sound director Mark Hiltz, the problem goes back as far as 2010.
McMahon described the commercial operators in the area as “one-person shows” – gardeners or landscapers with pickup trucks. “They’re going to people’s homes, usually senior citizens, and cleaning their yards,” she said. “It creates a problem if the small operator can’t drop off the green waste… It’s ridiculous to have them drive all the way to Sechelt.”
Chair and Halfmoon Bay director Lori Pratt said similarly, some seniors in her area rely on commercial operators for yard work, and asked about bringing in a program that would allow homeowners to get some free access, even if they aren’t doing the hauling.
McMahon said the simplest and most cost-effective solution would just be to allow commercial operators to use the depot.
Staff from the SCRD and the Town of Gibsons are exploring ideas and plans are in the works to provide options in early 2020, according to Remko Rosenboom, SCRD infrastructure services general manager.
At the meeting staff also recommended bringing a report back to committee with options for “a fair and equal process that allows for small operators to bring green waste to the South Coast drop-off site.” The motion passed unanimously.
