'Every green space is full of mattresses and garbage': Illegal dumping a multi-million-dollar problem

Cities cracking down on illegal dumping It's illegal and disgusting, but some people dispose of furniture and trash by dumping it wherever they want, costing taxpayers millions.

Surrey, B.C. — It’s not just an eyesore.

It’s a multi-million dollar problem.

On the sides of roadways, next to parks, and along waterways in the Lower Mainland, people are dumping garbage illegally.

“Every green space is full of mattresses and garbage at the end of every month,” said Surrey resident Barry Lutz, who CTV News spoke to at the Central Surrey Recycling and Waste Facility, where he was properly disposing of waste.

“The city’s not a garbage dump.”

Elected officials say communities are getting tired of being dumped on.

“It sure raises the question of civic pride and the loss thereof if we’re allowing our streets to be turned into dump sites,” said Langley Township Councillor Kim Richter.

“I don’t know if there’s one root cause to it or if there’s several,” she said.

In Abbotsford, clean-up costs have been climbing.

The city spent more than $600,000 last year, including to clean up dumping around homeless camps.

“Some people will just dump an old mattress or a chair at an encampment, thinking they are helping somebody," said Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens. "Well, no, you’re actually making the problem worse."

Vancouver spent more than $5 million in the last two years dealing with dumped trash, a figure that includes the cost of investigations.

Illegal dumping jumped 50 per cent in Langley Township between 2021 and 2022, costing taxpayers $300,000.

In Surrey, $700,000 was spent on the same problem, but that’s actually down four per cent.

“Illegal dumping did increase during the COVID-19 pandemic, however the good news is we were able to bend the curve back down,” said Surrey's solid waste manager Harry Janda.

Langley recently set up cameras at a troublesome location in Robertson Crescent.

“Since that camera has gone in, there’s been nothing dumped” said Richter.

Surrey also has cameras, but catching culprits is still tough, and fines are few.

Over the past few years, Surrey has issued 30 tickets.

Abbotsford’s mayor said the use of cameras may not be effective in his community.

“In the rural areas, how do you do that because it’s so widespread?” said Siemens, who pointed out that some of the areas of greatest concern in Abbotsford are on provincial land.

Meanwhile, Janda said items getting dumped illegally most often are furniture, mattresses and appliances.

Surrey offers discounted disposal days that are proving successful.

“We held disposal days in late 2022 … We had over 5,000 vehicles visit this facility (Central Surrey Recycling and Waste). We collected over 850 tonnes of material,” said Janda.

The facility only opened recently and accepts many of the items getting tossed illegally.

“There’s a perceived thinking that the cost to dispose the material is high when actually the cost is very nominal,” he said.

“An example is mattresses cost $15 to dispose of.”

Richter, however, is concerned that increases in tipping fees at transfer stations are a deterrent for people.

She said township staff have been increasing patrols and keeping a close eye on popular dump sites.

She wonders if rural garbage pick-up should be expanded.

Meanwhile, Siemens said illegal dumping has been a “growing issue.”

“We are the largest geographic municipality in the province, so (we have) a lot of rural area challenges and a lot of urban area challenges as well,” he said.

He said the city is considering adding a large item pick-up program. It’s something that Surrey already does, allowing people to dispose of items like mattresses and furniture.

As communities look for new ways to battle the mess, some say the real change will only come when people choose to do the right thing.

“With the freedoms we have also come some responsibilities,” said Abbotsford’s mayor.