CORNWALL, P.E.I. - The Town of Cornwall is floating some options on how it can encourage residents to stop littering in local waterways.
Council passed a resolution during Wednesday’s monthly meeting tasking the town’s CAO to look for a solution to the issue of waste finding its way into Hyde Pond.
The most popular suggestion amongst council appeared to be a pilot project that would involve the town renting out a dumpster, which would be located by town hall, once a month for residents to use.
Coun. Shane McGuigan said council should be proactive, noting the pilot project had previously been discussed.
“If residents can throw it in the dumpster they’re not going to throw it in the pond. At least we can do our part,” said McGuigan.
Coun. Irene Dawson, who previously opposed the idea, said she felt it would make a difference and introduced the motion for the CAO to look into the options.
“I don’t want to provide free garbage removal but if that’s what it would take to keep our streams and estuaries cleaner, then I’m all for it,” she said.
Coun. Peter Meggs initially raised the issue after taking part in the Cornwall and Area Watershed Group’s stream cleanup earlier this month.
He said it was disappointing to see the amount of garbage in one of the creeks connected to Hyde Pond and that he was able to fill a couple large garbage bags within a short period of time time.
“Everything under the sun gets thrown in that creek, it’s unbelievable,” said Meggs. “There were two bicycles thrown in the creek for example, complete sets of tires, mattresses, you name it.”
The Guardian had published a story in May detailing a resident’s concerns about the amount of large debris in the waterway near Ferry Road.
Several other options were also discussed in the meeting, including sending out advisory letters in water bills and making landlords aware that, along with their tenants, they’re responsible for any litter from their property.
Town CAO Kevin Coady said Borden-Carleton does a similar initiative where they rent dumpsters for residents in the spring and fall of every year.
Coady, who was previously CAO in Borden-Carleton, noted that Cornwall staff had inquired with Island Waste Management Corporation (IWMC) earlier this year about doing something similar.
He said IWMC suggested it would not be a “great idea”, although Coady said he would look into the town’s options.
“That said, we did the same program in Borden, just along different lines, and it worked well. It was very helpful actually,” he said.
The town is also planning to meet with IWMC officials in September.
