Photo by Whitehorse Star
PROPOSED FENCING – Above is an example of the type of litter fencing the city is looking at buying to capture wind-blown garbage at the Whitehorse landfill.
City pursuing better dump litter control
City council is being asked to approve a budget increase for litter fencing to help reduce the spread of wind-blown garbage at the landfill.
City council is being asked to approve a budget increase for litter fencing to help reduce the spread of wind-blown garbage at the landfill.
There’s already been $95,000 identified in the city’s capital budget, but the low bid from a local supplier received earlier this month was $31,000 higher.
Council is expected to vote June 10 on the proposed $126,120 contract award to North Fraser Plumbing.
The fencing stands 4.6 metres (15 feet) tall, and is placed around the active area in the landfill where garbage is being deposited.
“The windblown litter’s most concerning impacts are the environmental impact on the flora and fauna downwind of the facility and electric fence maintenance issues (each piece of litter contributes to diminishing the fence’s output voltage),” says the administrative report to council.
“Modular litter fences are constructed to trap litter from the working face of the landfill and facilitate collecting it for burial before it can become airborne once again.”
The city is proposing to purchase 10 lengths of the fence, each length measuring 7.3 metres, or 24 feet.
City engineer Geoff Quinsey explained in an interview Tuesday the fencing is designed so that it can be easily moved with a piece of heavy equipment if the wind changes.
“This is something really effective that we can do to cut down on the amount of plastics in the trees,” he said.
The administrative report says because the fence is made of steel, North American market conditions for steel may have played a role in the higher-than-expected price.
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Comments (8)
Up 25 Down 1
Groucho d'North on Jun 1, 2019 at 9:15 am
Perhaps picking up litter could be a community service penance the courts give to violators of the laws? Why reinvent the wheel? It's not like there is a shortage of violators on the court dockets either.
Up 14 Down 2
Max Mack on May 31, 2019 at 5:14 pm
Or the city could keep funding volunteer groups to clean up the wind-blown debris outside of the perimeter fence. Oh wait, they will still do that.
Status quo means the debris gets cleaned up 2x a year at a tiny fraction of the cost of the proposed fencing.
Can't wait for tipping fees, utility charges, property taxes to climb yet again.
Up 11 Down 6
Boyd Campbell on May 31, 2019 at 4:34 pm
You don't really get a perspective on garbage until one gets out of a high speed vehicle and on a bicycle. The coffee cups/lids, plastic bags and drink containers littering our roadways is totally disgusting. It does not matter where you travel in the world the problem is the same. A big part of this problem are pick-up trucks which are open and not covered. I see it all the time. All of us have been guilty at one time or another as most Yukoners own a pick-up truck. The interesting point is that most commercial vehicles which are open must be covered. So the last thing we need in Yukon is more regulation - right? How do we fix this problem?
Up 10 Down 1
Hey your Worship on May 31, 2019 at 4:26 pm
While we are buying things for the dump, how about a wild fire hose run up from Porter Creek itself with a suitable pump attached for under 10 grand. This amount would seem much more affordable than the 2 million trucking scenario Bill was trying to come up with last fire. There will be another one sooner or later.
Up 15 Down 1
Mr M on May 31, 2019 at 4:05 pm
I will do it for half the amount and still make a good chunk of change.
Up 26 Down 1
Yeesh on May 31, 2019 at 1:29 pm
Wow. Couldn't they just use a taller chain link fence to catch the garbage? I'm tired of this City spending exorbitant amounts for simple things, while existing assets crumble under weak and lazy leadership.
Have you been to Shipyard's Park lately? I was there for the farmers market yesterday - it's a dustbowl with legbreaking holes all over the "grass" area and sliding hill. The area near the bench at the top of the sliding hill was littered with drug injection paraphernalia and liquor bottles. Great place for kids to play.
What's that Dan, taxes are going up again? Disgraceful.
Up 23 Down 3
CJ on May 31, 2019 at 12:22 am
Yes, it's pretty disgusting, I noticed that last week. The woods on either side of the road up to the landfill are covered in garbage. I don't really get how a fence is going to solve the problem, I guess they'll try anything but putting feet on the ground to pick up litter. Classic case of over-thinking the problem.
Up 32 Down 2
Thomas Brewer on May 30, 2019 at 3:12 pm
um, if my math is right, we're talking $12k per 24 foot section??
Really? $500 a foot? seems outrageous...