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LETTERS: Don’t dump on Surrey

Editor: I have been taking a daily walk around my neighbourhood for about five years.

Editor:

I have been taking a daily walk around my neighbourhood for about five years.

The advent of a new subdivision at the end of the street gave me a new diversion. At the end of 55A Avenue – just below the Number 10 highway – is the end of a street of brand new homes, and a turnaround for cars.

As the weeks and months went by, I noticed more and more garbage was being dumped there illegally.

Last spring, I wrote to the local papers and the mess was cleared up (Their garbage becomes ours, March 11 letters).

About four weeks ago, I really was incensed that so many of Surrey’s citizens were so uneducated and unaware of rules and regulations, that they would bring their garbage to spoil another’s neighbourhood.

We have a great garbage service here, with regular pickups of our green-, blue- and black-lidded bins. I called the municipality and put in a request for this mess to be taken care of, and had a very polite gentleman call back to say this would happen. A couple of weeks later, three elderly gentlemen with a truck and a homemade trailer were at the dump site as I arrived, and had packed everything into that trailer securing it with a mattress and a great deal of rope. They did not speak English, but I smiled and thanked all three.

Four days ago, the empty lots beside the turnaround were excavated for two more homes.

Today, as I reached the end of the street, I was stunned to see furniture, bits of wood and about 30 huge black plastic garbage bags, all stacked on top of each other.

This is not your kitchen garbage. This is some company that will not pay the dumping charges at the city dump, or that has material which is suspect and bring these bags in truck loads.

How I wish the perpetrators could be caught, but apart from an all-night watchman or surveillance cameras, they know they will get away with it – and your and my taxes no doubt will pay that bill.

Sheila Gair, Surrey