CHESTER - In an effort to make life easier for its residents the Chester municipality placed recycling bins at a number of its carpool exits among other places.

 In turn, the residents are making life difficult for the municipality.

 "Well, it seems that people are using the recycling bins as dump sites," said Deputy Warden Floyd Shatford. "It's just making for extra work for our staff who have to pick up and separate the garbage."

 At any given time you can find numerous black garbage bags or blue bags at the base of the recycling bins.

 "This was not the intent when the bins were put there," said Bruce Forest, municipal director of solid waste.

 "The intent was to offer a convenience to those who are maybe waiting around to be picked up at the exit and choose to have something to eat or drink and give them somewhere to put their trash," he said.

 Instead, some residents, mostly cottage dwellers, according to Mr. Forest, have been dumping their bags of garbage, causing a greater mess.

 "I don't think what they're doing is malicious," he said. "But you have to turn a blind eye to the fact there are holes in the recycling bins for sorting garbage. Simply put, garbage is the most abused service offered by the municipality."

 Indeed it is becoming quite time-consuming for staff to do the extra work in picking up the garbage. And of course there are animals that like to tear open garbage bags to find food, making even more of a mess.

 What exactly is going to be done about it is unknown at this time.

 "I will have to report to council the successes and failures of the program and they will have to make a decision," Mr. Forest said.

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 He added he didn't know what that decision would be, but confirmed it could possibly include the removal of the bins.

posted on 09/07/10