Busy weekend in Langley overflows trash bins

June 3, 2017 1:30 am
Contributed photo — An unidentified man looks across Saratoga Passage while standing next to an overflowing trash bin near Boy and Dog Park on Monday. Excess trash was the source of a headache for one business owner, while the public works department said it dropped the ball on ensuring the trash was clean.
Contributed photo — An unidentified man looks across Saratoga Passage while standing next to an overflowing trash bin near Boy and Dog Park on Monday. Excess trash was the source of a headache for one business owner, while the public works department said it dropped the ball on ensuring the trash was clean.

A busy Memorial Day weekend ended with a bit of stink in Langley.

Garbage bins on First Street were overflowing with trash on Monday following the busy weekend. Public Works Director Stan Berryman said his department typically anticipates heavy trash days, but that an oversight resulted in the bins being forgotten. There were several days worth of trash piled up by the time public works made its rounds on Tuesday morning.

“We overlooked that on Memorial Day,” Berryman said.

The garbage was a source of frustration for Holly Price, co-owner of edit. Price said it hurts the perception of Langley when the sight of trash acts contrary to promotional and advertising efforts to make Langley a “beautiful” and “great” place. Price said birds picked up some of the trash and spread it around town, adding to the messiness of the situation.

“It looked awful,” Price said. “…For something like this to happen, it seems like a real set back.”

She is also frustrated that the city has no recyling bins.

Berryman said his department will need to do a better job of addressing the garbage the next time a busy weekend is anticipated. He also said the city has tried using recyling bins in the past, but that people typically contaminate them with trash and don’t police it well themselves. If it were to work, it would require monitoring, but Berryman said the city’s budget has constaints.

“It’s just a situation where it doesn’t work,” Berryman said.