The recreation area at John Phare (Wormy) Lake is a lot more inviting this week thanks to a dozen volunteers organized by Sunshine Coast Offroad.
The group got together over the weekend to deal with an illegal dumpsite that included the remains of a camping trailer.
Haden Bush, one of the organizers and an administrator with the Sunshine Coast Offroad Facebook group, said although club members often participate in the Sunshine Coast Regional District’s (SCRD) annual Trash Bash, this was the first time they’ve organized a cleanup of their own.
“A lot of people noticed [the dumping] because it’s a pretty popular spot beside John Phare Lake,” Bush said. “It upset a lot of people and we wanted to show that we can get together as a group and community and do something.”
The volunteers hauled about 2,000 pounds (900 kilograms) of trash to the landfill in Sechelt, and the SCRD agreed to waive tipping fees. Bush said local contractor Nolan Flay was able to provide a small excavator and dump trailer to help with the work.
Bush said offroad club members often encounter illegal dumpsites on the back roads, even in hard to access places. “You’ll drive to where the road ends and you can’t go any further and there’ll be a boat up there, or a fridge – it just never ends.”
He also said they’re hoping to use the Sunshine Coast Offroad Facebook page, which is public, to organize more cleanup events in the future.
Illegal dumpsites can be reported through the Conservation Officer Service’s RAPP Line at 1-877-952-7277.
As well as running the Trash Bash every year, the SCRD has a Good Samaritan program that will cover tipping fees from material collected by volunteers cleaning illegal dumpsites. Contact [email protected] for more information.
