Down in the dumps
Residents believe dumping has been going on for 20 to 40 years
She worries about the safety of her three-year-old daughter every time she smells the fumes from garbage burning at an illegal dumpsite near her home.
This is what inspired Brooklyn Hennessey, 20, to go to the site and take pictures of decades worth of garbage, both household and industrial, that has been dumped behind the water tower in Reserve Mines. It is property owned by the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM).
“When I was a kid we used to play up in that area and our parents always warned us not to. There were open holes and pits being filled with cars, oil tanks and household garbage. This was 20 years ago it’s been reported numerous times,” said Hennessey, who posted the pictures to Facebook to raise awareness.
“I myself worry for everyone in the community that has small children. I myself have a three-year-old that will be driving her own four-wheeler this year and she could get really hurt with the amount of garbage in the area and holes. We ourselves need to stand forward and get people together to bring a stop to this.”
Multiple residents spoke to the Post on the request they remain anonymous for fear of their safety. They say this is because the person they suspect is doing most of the dumping has been known to issue threats of violence.
They suspect the majority of the dumping at the site is being done by one person for commercial purposes. They also believe the dumping has been going on for between 20 to 40 years and said they have filed multiple complaints with the CBRM, Cape Breton Regional Police and the Department of Environment over the years.
Jillian Moore, spokesperson for the CBRM, confirmed there have been multiple complaints about the dumpsite but didn’t confirm when they started. She did confirm an investigation is underway and said they couldn’t comment on the situation because of this.
Police spokesperson Desiree Vassallo said all complaints they receive regarding illegal dumping are immediately forwarded to the CBRM’s solid waste department for investigation.
Walking around the dumpsite on Tuesday, there is evidence of trash that was burned and tracks made by heavy equipment are visible from one of the roads leading into the site. Many of these tracks look fresh and lead to hills of dirt and garbage, which appears to indicate attempts are being made to bury the garbage.
Moore confirmed the CBRM is not using heavy equipment on the site.
“We don’t want harm to the (person doing the dumping) but we have a solid waste department that takes care of garbage. We pay taxes to run. It might as well be used,” Hennessey said.
“I would like for (other people in the community) to come forward and stop being afraid. Everyone has more information than me. It’s ongoing for 40 years.”
Dylan Yates, founder of the Cape Breton Environmental Association, has been at the site many times since the original Facebook post on April 28.
He got angry while going
around the site on Tuesday as he noticed some piles of garbage were moved and half-buried. He pointed out many small hills, covered with grass, that had rusted metals poking out and other garbage close by, which appears to prove the burying of garbage has been going on for years.
“This is only the stuff on the surface we can see. Lord knows what’s underneath,” he said, pointing to a pile of discarded oil tanks.
“If I had an oil leak at my house I would have to clean it up or get
charged. Why is this person getting away with this? I am sure many of those oil tanks had oil in them. What about the propane tanks? This stuff makes my blood boil.”
Yates, who is in finishing his bachelor of environmental technology degree at Cape Breton University, has been studying situations like this, learning about the harmful chemical that can leach into the ground. He said these chemicals can get into the ground water, which moves, and can contaminate
water tables, well water, lakes and streams.
This is why he believes a dump assessment study needs to be done to see if there is any environmental damage because of the illegal dumping.
“What is exactly under this ground? What are the impacts from that? Those are some of the things we need to find out,” the Glace Bay native said.
Yates also worries about the reported burning of garbage which can release harmful chemicals that he said can increase a
person’s chances of respiratory diseases, like asthma and bronchitis. He said children are most susceptible to this type of pollution.
“The lack of monitoring at this site and the abuse of the land really bothers me,” he said.
“We are bringing attention to this and standing up for the community. By helping them we are hoping we can get this dumping to stop. It is disgusting and it’s dangerous.”