Portage la Prairie’s Public Works department is dealing with more cases of unauthorized dumping at the city’s tree disposal site, Superintendent Paul Ziesmann says.
“We've been obviously noticing some of those social media posts, but we've also received a few inquiries and phone calls here at our operations department within probably within the last week and half or so. We've got a few more than normal,” Ziesmann notes.
He adds that some of the dumped materials include tires, concrete and engineered wood.
That creates extra work for staff.
“We do have to send staff there to pick through them to remove that. That takes away from other front facing services in and around Portage where those staff could be filling potholes, cutting the grass and those types of things,” Ziesmann continues.
Trees only, no commercial use
The tree disposal site is located behind the Water Pollution Control Facility, east of River Road (PR 240). It is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. for City of Portage la Prairie residents only. Only tree trimmings less than two metres long are accepted.
“All we really do truly accept there are just trees and branches. We don't really allow any other materials to be placed there,” adds Ziesmann.
The site is not staffed full-time.
“It is not a secure site where we have staff there all day. We just don't have the capacity to do that. We do rely on the public to adhere to those rules,” Ziesmann adds.
Why improper dumping happens
Ziesmann says it’s hard to say why some people are dumping improper materials, but there is a noticeable increase in activity on weekends.
“We hope that it's citizens, but we don't always know that. It could be people dropping things off from other areas,” he mentions.
Safety concerns with burning
The wood waste is eventually burned on site, which raises safety concerns if non-wood items are mixed in.
“There's safety issues when it comes to the burning and that's why we definitely have to send our staff there to kind of pick through anything that is dumped there,” Ziesmann says. “We hope that there's no explosives or any kind of volatiles that are being dumped there. That's because we do have to burn that wood waste once it piles up.”
Hours and reporting illegal dumping
The site opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 9 p.m., with gates locked by the fire department each evening, Ziesmann remarks.
To report illegal disposal of prohibited materials such as garbage, engineered wood, metal, septic effluent, or waste oil, residents can contact by-law enforcement at (204) 239-8326.
Violators are subject to a fine of $1,000 and/or imprisonment as per Bylaw 04-8244.
The city urges residents to follow disposal rules to keep the site safe and functional.
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