Rural residents should receive more yard waste pickup, so that system is fair for rural and town residents alike

Dear Editor:

I recently read the article in the Dec. 11 edition of the Osoyoos Times in which the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) is considering a one-bag garbage limit for rural residents.

Personally, I have no objections to changing it to one bag of garbage per week per household. However, if the RDOS wants the rural homeowners to be on the same schedule as town homeowners, then I would like to see our yard waste pickups changed.

Currently, town residents receive 19 yard waste pickups per year – bi-weekly from March until November.

Rural residents only receive six pickups per year – once a month staring in March and running through November. There are no pickups at all in June, July or August.

For the most part, rural properties tend to be larger than the town properties, plus there are more trees, gardens, plants, grass, etc.

We are invoiced on a yearly basis for garbage pickup, but I don’t feel we are getting the same service.

From early spring to November, which includes fall cleanup, I take approximately six truckloads of yard waste to the landfill and this is the same with my neighbours.

I think the system should be fair for everyone – both rural and town residents – by making the number of annual pickups the same.

We all pay for this and we should all get the same service.

Thank you.

Annette Star

Osoyoos, B.C.