City concerned about garbage dump

Police department investigating illegal dump on Kent Street

Charlottetown Police Services is investigating an illegal garbage dump on Kent Street.

Garbage that wasn’t sorted was illegally dumped in clear bags and placed on the city’s right-of-way directly across the street from the Charlottetown Fire Department. The city’s public works department was called in to clean up the mess.

“We’re not sure who or if it was a group of individuals,’’ said Scott Adams, manager of the city’s public works department, noting that the matter is now with the police department’s bylaw enforcement section.

“Anytime we have those kinds of issues with waste or garbage within the city right-of-way we immediately contact the police department as it is a bylaw issue. It is illegal to dump on city property. (Police) open a file on it and do an investigation and try to find out the cause of the dumping and who may have dumped it.’’

Adams said the public works department is called in to remove the waste because it has the labour force and it’s considered a public safety issue.

“Blowing garbage and debris is never good for vehicles or pedestrians.’’

Adams hopes speaking out on this issue gives people pause when it comes to dumping garbage.

“We just hope the residents will work with us and try to clean up after themselves and make sure things are sorted properly so they don’t get tagged and not picked up during your normal waste day.’’

Adams says people should go onto Island Waste Management Corporation’s website or contact IWMC to find out about sorting and when different types of items are scheduled to be picked up.

“. . . Because if they’re not going to pick it up what people tend to do is leave it on the side of the road and then it becomes a public safety issue that we do have to pick up.’’

On top of that, the city is on the hook for the dumping fee.