Dear editor,

Before the new changes in waste pick up, our strata received services from Emterra by way of the city of Courtenay.

Our yard waste and compost could be combined and placed in a bin, which was picked up weekly. Along with our blue box recycling, most of us had virtually no garbage and we would probably only put a small bag out, once a month. This was extremely efficient and environmentally sound.

Now we have been told that our strata does not qualify for the new city program. We had to secure a private company (Emterra) for our garbage and recycling. They will not pick up our yard waste and compost. Furthermore, the fees for this abbreviated service is costing us much more, leading to higher strata fees. We would have to go to another company to pick up our yard and compost waste at even more costs to the residents.

We decided to take a few small bags of compost in the original green bin supplied by the city to the waste management depot in Cumberland. We were informed on arrival that there would be a minimum cost of $10 every time we did this. How can we be environmentally responsible when we are being told to just throw our compost in with the garbage, or pay exorbitant fees to dispose of it?

What needs to be done is to have a transfer depot somewhere in the city where residents who are not included in the new system can take their yard and compost waste, which can then be transported to the appropriate waste station. Coun. Melanie Mc Callum has said that proper disposal is valuable. This should be the same for all residents in Courtenay.

Paul and Lorna Locke,

Courtenay