Abbotsford Residents Alarmed Over Growing Garbage Crisis

Residents call for action as illegal dumping and waste accumulation worsen.

By Annabel Bessem

Residents of Abbotsford are raising concerns as increasing amounts of garbage accumulate throughout the city.

In 2016, the Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD) introduced a 10-year Solid Waste Management Plan aimed at reducing and managing waste. However, in recent months, locals have taken to social media to voice their frustrations, particularly about the state of local parks and trails.

Michael Martin, an Abbotsford resident, recounted seeing the problem firsthand during his morning walk.

 “I saw at least a dozen 75-litre bags, and some of them, three or four, had 20 or 30 pounds of rotting meat,” Martin said.

He added that the issue has worsened over the years, becoming "bigger and messier."

To address the cleanliness problem, Martin suggested adding more garbage cans in the area.

“Many bus stops, for example, don’t have proper containers, and even when they do, if there are 20 bus stops along a stretch of road, only four of them have garbage cans,” he said.

A strong advocate for cleanliness is the Four Wheel Drive Association, a non-profit organization that regularly conducts clean-up events across the province to improve waste management.

Matt Ion, communications director of the association, said their most recent clean-up revealed "piles and piles of garbage," suggesting that some of the waste has been accumulating for years.

"The lower layers of it were obviously years old," Ion said.

Ion pointed out that rising dump fees play a significant role in the visibility of the garbage.

“It could be just people that are lazy or too cheap to go to the dump,” he said.

According to the City of Abbotsford’s website, the average garbage dump fee in the city is $25 for a small load, and up to $134 per tonne for regular waste.

Ion also noted that construction companies often try to avoid these fees.

“We find a lot of drywall out in the backcountry. People dump entire loads of drywall because it is such a hassle to get rid of that stuff,” Ion said.

Samantha Piper, manager of communications for the regional district, acknowledged that illegal dumping remains a longstanding challenge.

“From a regional perspective, the prevalence of illegal dumping is unfortunately not new, and it continues to be a challenging issue to address,” said Piper.

In response to growing concerns, the district implemented a new waste sorting bylaw on Dec. 6, 2021, requiring residents to separate compostables and recyclables.

The district has encouraged residents to "adopt" local areas or organize community clean-up events to tackle the growing problem of waste in public spaces.

Aletta Vanderheyden, a spokesperson for the City of Abbotsford, said the city conducts regular and routine garbage removal in parks and open spaces.

“When reports come in, crews are dispatched to clean up and remove the garbage,” said Vanderheyden. “On average the city receives fewer than 60 requests per year for garbage pickup in parks and fewer than 50 reports of illegal dumping.”