Re: Council approves automated pickup of city garbage, April 6.
In the 1980s I lived in Regina at a time when they introduced garbage bins that could be hoisted and dumped into the pickup truck by a mechanical lift system. I recall that my garbage containers were very durable and consequently quite heavy. In winter months, I struggled to pull them through the deep snow to the curb side every second week, but I was younger and stronger then.
Today I live on the side of a hill. I picture myself trying to wrestle a heavy wheeled cart up my steps each week. As a senior, I’m not confident that I will be able to do that for very much longer (if at all).
Given how many Nanaimo homes are built on slopes, there must be many residents who will be now forced to wrestle heavy awkward wheeled containers to and from their roadside every week. While I do not want our municipal workers to suffer workplace injury caused by lifting our current (relatively lightweight) garbage containers, I predict that many residents will suffer more serious injury if the proposed changes are implemented throughout the city.
It looks to me that the residents of hillside lots are not going to be happy to pay a 50 per cent increase in garbage collection fees and now be required to haul much heavier garbage containers to and from the roadside.
In my opinion, Nanaimo council is only considering the needs of employees, not the residents.
Gerry Matte, Nanaimo