A Queen Charlotte business owner says he's fed up with paying the regional district for a garbage pickup service he doesn't use.
Keith Moore told Queen Charlotte council Monday night (March 19) that the company he co-owns pays QCI Disposal over $1,000 a year to provide a dumpster and weekly pickup at the Bevan Building on Wharf Street.
But on top of that, he's forced to pay $408 a year to the village of Queen Charlotte for garbage pickup, money which flows directly to the Skeena-Queen Charlotte regional district. The garbage charge is mandatory for households and businesses on the islands.
Mr. Moore told council he has been unsuccessful in convincing the regional district administrator to waive the trash charge and is hoping for Queen Charlotte's support in the matter.
"In the company's view, we are paying for a service that we do not use, that we do not need and that does not meet our needs," he said.
Mr. Moore said using a dumpster rather than putting bags of garbage out by the road leads to less litter scattered around town, and that the regional district should be encouraging this.
If the regional district figured out a way to provide dumpster pickup, he would be happy to pay for that, he added.
Queen Charlotte mayor Carol Kulesha said the issue is complicated and that the first step would be for Mr. Moore to talk to the Islands solid Waste