Overflowing garbage in Fort Erie parks due to staffing, town says

It’s not uncommon to see overflowing garbage cans at local parks this time of year, the Town of Fort Erie admits.

In recent days, going back to late last week, Fort Erie Radio noticed receptacles at Waverly and Albert Street parks filled to the brim and beyond with a considerable amount of items laying on the ground nearby.

Fort Erie Radio reached out to the municipality to ask why.

The town’s collection truck runs twice weekly at this time of year, and staff try to “prioritize the hot spots,” such as at Waverly and Waterfront Park in Crystal Breach, reads a statement from the town.

Parks also include recycling containers collected by the Region’s contractor once per week.

“The recycling containers often overflow with garbage due to the long gap between collection and the fact that people dump their waste in the closest receptacle, even if it’s only for recyclables,” the town said in its statement.

There aren’t enough people on staff to keep up at the moment.

“During the winter months, the parks department is short-staffed,” the town said.

Once this year’s summer students are hired, there will be a noticeable difference.

“The town only has one park employee in winter compared to the nearly 50 employees in summer,” the town said.

Stay Informed

Events, offers, contests, and breaking news, all delivered straight to your inbox.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Subscribe