The popular free dump day will be held as usual this year, despite a Squamish Climate Action Network (CAN) proposal to eliminate the event in favour of a recycling event.
During the Tuesday (March 16) council meeting, members unanimously passed a staff recommendation to proclaim April 19 to 23 Pitch In Week, and open the landfill to free dumping on April 24 and 25.
Every year the District of Squamish allows locals to dump non-hazardous material in the landfill free of charge during the coinciding Pitch In Week, however it seemed that aspect of the week would be eliminated when the Squamish CAN sent out a mass email Feb. 22 proclaiming "Free Dump Days as we know them are history in Squamish."
"This tradition is now history," wrote the organization's co-ordinator Ana Santos. "Council has taken the bold step to move away from the unchecked disposal of 'waste,' and the district will now collaborate with Squamish CAN and Carney's to offer a responsible, educational, and fun alternative to free dump days."
This week Coun. Patricia Heintzman questioned why the landfill component of Pitch IN Week remained when it appeared the district was going to re-conceptualize the event.
"There is kind of an irony of having free dump day on Earth Day," she said. "Other than [saying] 'get rid of all your crap that you've been collecting over the last year,' we need to be more proactive about actually informing people that the landfill is costing us a lot of tax dollars and maybe we should be a little more cognizant of what we're sending into the landfill.
"I thought we were moving toward that type of model this year. And then we're faced with this so I'm just confused."
Mayor Greg Gardner said the district is heading in that direction, however the review of the event hasn't occurred yet.
"That just happened a couple of weeks ago," he said. "Even though I have an open mind about the policy in the future, I don't think it would be wise for us to make a sudden change of direction on the free dump days... without adequate notice to the community."
Coun. Corinne Lonsdale said although it's too late to implement Squamish CA's proposal, it's not too late to make commitments for next year.
"What I'd like to see this year is to make a firm commitment to cut that waste by whatever it may be -50 per cent -for next year for what we're delivering into the landfill during Pitch In Week and maybe get Squamish CAN to work with us to come up with some contest. Instead of a science fair it's a recycle fair," she said.
Lonsdale also suggested having a re-use-it centre at the landfill before next year.
Manager of operations Bob Smith said the district is printing education pamphlets meant for the people who "are putting a lot of material into our waste stream."
The district is also providing coupons to residents who, for whatever reason, won't have the opportunity to take advantage of free dump days on April 24 and 25, said Smith.
