Dawson City has a garbage problem. Dawson City also has a budget problem. And now, the city is asking the citizens to pay the financial costs of the garbage problem.
I first want to applaud Dawson City Mayor Bill Kendrick, resident Molly Shore and project manager Owen Kemp-Griffin for their work in introducing portable food composting units, as described in the Feb. 16 issue of the News. I believe that everyone in Dawson City should have these units, as we have a serious problem with our landfill capacity.
The problem is, these units could be free, which would definitely encourage more people to use them. This is apparently not possible, with the way the current Dawson City council is managing the budget and choices of expenditures.
Where is our new garbage truck, that the city purchased? Currently, for a town of 1,500 people, we have a lone City of Dawson half-ton pick-up truck, pulling a trailer with one person loading and unloading garbage by hand. It’s an embarrassment.
Now, the city wants its’ residents to have only one bag of garbage a week. Is this realistic in the current circumstances? With one bag of garbage, where are recyclables going? Is one bag of garbage realistic for families, those who can’t afford a portable composting unit, or those who don’t have transportation to travel to the recycling depot far out of town?
If services are reduced or withdrawn, and people are penalized financially, it is no secret that we’ll soon see people dumping garbage in the bush, along the roadsides, and garbage bins will be overflowing throughout town. That is even before we see the return of tourists, miners and river travellers.
If we want to see a reduction in garbage, put the city’s immediate financial focus on giving the people the supports they need to reuse, reduce and recycle.
Make recycling bins available on every street. Bring back the contracting by tender of garbage delivery and recycling pick-up. The loss of our previous contractor who provided excellent service, was a huge mistake and we are now paying for it big time.
Businesses should not have to haul their own garbage. Many are closed seven months of the year and still pay for garbage pick-up, commercial water and sewer rates during winter months, when they are not even open. If the businesses are made to haul their garbage, then the cost of products, including food, will be passed on to the customer. This will hurt everybody – customers, businesses, and ultimately the City of Dawson.
Financially prioritize solutions to handle the garbage problem. Give us the proper service back.
Dave Robinson
Dawson City