In December 2016 District of Sparwood council adopted an amendment to the Utility and Solid Waste Management Bylaw 1014 to address the issue of animal attraction to waste, in an effort to mitigate the human-wildlife conflict in Sparwood.

The majority of Sparwood residents have voluntarily complied with the change; however, there are approximately 150-250 households, whom after multiple notices, remain non-compliant.

Following the initial public education phase, the district took the next step to further encourage compliance this summer by not picking up garbage that did not comply with the bylaw and leaving behind a notice tag to inform the resident of the issue to be corrected before their next scheduled collection.

As a resident, it is important to remind ourselves, that with British Columbia facing its worst fire season in over 50 years, wildlife is becoming displaced and searching for food, water and shelter. The displaced wildlife may travel to areas, such as Sparwood, that are not currently affected by the fire, in search of food.

This possibility poses considerable safety concerns for residents of Sparwood when taking into account WildSafe BC’s recent announcement regarding their record-breaking number of calls that they were receiving this summer related to black bear conflicts resulting from improperly stored garbage. Please visit www.wildsafebc.com to learn more about how you can help to decrease human-bear conflict in Sparwood.

The District of Sparwood continues to encourage all residents to comply with the garbage collection changes and help mitigate human-wildlife conflicts and eliminate wind-strewn garbage throughout the community.

If you are over the limit (maximum of two containers with tight-fitting lids totalling 140L or less with each container not weighing more than 50lbs) consider bringing your excess garbage to the Transfer Station, there is no charge for household garbage as this service is FREE!

Please visit https://sparwood.ca/transfer-station for hours of operation and to learn where to dispose of prohibited items such as building or hazardous materials, medical waste, chemicals, paints, oils, flammable liquids, batteries, recyclable materials, yard waste, etc.

Residents who continue to place garbage out for collection without a tight-fitting lid, which exceeds the maximum number of containers, weight or volume, or contains prohibited materials may receive fines between $100-$250. This action is consistent with Council’s Corporate Strategic Plan objective to educate the public on the values of a healthy natural environment.

District of Sparwood

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