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Jamie Sarkonak: Time for a reckoning against illegal garbage dumping

There's no excuse for putting your trash in farmers' fields. The penalties should be costly enough to hurt

One of Alberta’s greatest Samaritans is a man who goes by the online alias “One Ditch at a Time.” He scours the countryside for illegally dumped garbage along roadsides and fencelines, documents it, names and shames whenever possible (and it’s often possible, based on how much mail gets tossed), and prepares the trash for pickup or takes it away himself.

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But, as satisfying as his fight against dumping is, one can’t help but feel disappointed at just how steep this uphill battle is across Canada. This is a growing problem everywhere, and the authorities have little to say about it beyond the municipal level. Except, perhaps, in Alberta.

Jamie Sarkonak: Time for a reckoning against illegal garbage dumping Back to video

During a news conference last Tuesday with Premier Danielle Smith, a reporter asked whether the province was considering whether to crack down on illegal dumping — perhaps by assembling a team of officers to track down perpetrators and getting them to pay for the cleanup. Smith gave an encouraging reply: “We need to do something in the fall,” she said. Currently under consideration is a provincewide $10,000 fine and two years’ jail.

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