It hasn't even happened yet, but the District of Squamish's plan to reduce garbage pickup to bi-weekly service from weekly already stinks.We understand what council is trying to do - bring curbside single-stream recycling service to Squamish without passing on a big increase in costs to taxpayers, while extending the life cycle of Squamish's landfill. It's part of a larger plan, which includes separate organic pickup from general garbage, and overall it's a great idea. Separating organic waste from non-organic and making it easier for people to recycle is convenient for residents, will reduce overall waste and eliminate Squamish's unsightly community recycling depots.But the plan to go halfway - cutting garbage service back to bi-weekly now, bear-proofing all garbage bins and introducing bi-weekly curbside recycling without a separate, bear-proof organics bin - is simply not going to pass the smell test. Here's why.The new garbage bins introduced a few years ago hold 246 litres - more than the old two 77-litre cans per week households were permitted before, which means that the average household likely wasn't filling their bin every week. But it's safe to say that the average bin is more than half full every week, which means that many households will have overflowing containers well before garbage day. And as a letter-writer astutely notes on the next page, even if every bin in Squamish is bear-proofed, the smell from two-week-old garbage will attract bears regardless - and lead them to plenty of unsecured garbage - and the already-growing problem of illegal dumping will only worsen.In short, in a community that is already experiencing problems with garbage-habituated bears, this is a recipe for disaster. This system will likely work fine once organic waste pickup is part of the mix, simply because there'll be one more secure bin to store garbage in. But if that's not in place off the start, as council plans, the first week off for garbage collection will be a bear smorgasbord.Council is trying to have its cake and eat it too, and it simply won't work. The fact that they have overridden both the Bear Aware group's concerns and their own staff's recommendations should be an indication of that.The one good thing about council's decision is its timing. If this new system starts up before our municipal elections in November (and we hope it will), this could end up becoming a major campaign issue for those seeking office.Perhaps some candidate out there should think about making election signs not to put on people's lawns, but on their garbage bins instead
