Do 'no dumping' signs mean anything in Burnaby?

"No dumping" signs in Burnaby don't seem to be doing much to deter people from illegally chucking their junk.

"This is the worst spot," said Michael Robertson, pointing to a vacant lot where an upside down sofa lies, and a few feet away, a part of a trailer is left behind.

Robertson, who lives in an apartment complex near the site just off Sperling Avenue, said new items pop up in the alley every other week.

"I don't know why, but they always dump it here," he said. "People just see it once and think OK, whenever I gotta dump something, this is where I will go."

The City of Burnaby received 1,900 requests to deal with abandoned items in 2016, up 3.1 per cent from the year before.

The issue of illegal dumping was discussed by Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan and city councillors at a meeting earlier this month.

"I think people need to be discouraged ," said Corrigan during the city council meeting on June 12.

He asked staff to look into stiffer penalties for violators.

"There is nothing more atrocious for people trying to keep their city clean than finding one of their beautiful parks has been soiled by someone dumping a load of garbage," said Corrigan.

"I want to know we can prosecute that to the fullest extent," he said.

Currently, Burnaby bylaw officers can ticket violators up to $200 on the spot, whereas in Vancouver and other municipalities the fine can go up to $500.

In other municipalities, the amount is much higher. In Surrey, it is up to $1,000 and in Port Moody, $2,000.

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In the course of a year, municipalities around Metro Vancouver pick up around 40,000 abandoned items.

"Each year, it's costing those municipalities $2.5 million," said Paul Henderson, general manager of waste services for Metro Vancouver.

On top of that, municipalities like Burnaby that offer bulky item pick-up services for free spend another $2.5 million to collect and dispose of the items.

Rural regions in B.C. are also struggling with illegal dumping, since they have fewer resources to deal with the issue.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about illegal dumping in Burnaby is that the city offers free pickup and recycling of bulky items such as stoves, TVs and mattresses.

Residents just need to schedule a pickup day either via phone or online and then leave their item curbside.

"Maybe they don't know about the services provided," said Dipak Dattani, the city's deputy director of engineering.

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In 2016, Burnaby received 8,161 requests for bulky item pickups, an increase of 12.4 per cent from 2015 and recycled 5,781 mattresses and box springs in 2016, a 2.1 per cent increase from the year before.

In addition to reviewing the fines, city staff will also look at installing surveillance cameras at dumping hot spots.

Burnaby city staff are expected to present their recommendations to council in September.