Rural residents won’t receive roadside garbage collection and recycling any time soon in the Comox Valley.
In a referendum Saturday, voters in electoral areas A, B and C soundly rejected a proposal for solid waste pickup that would have serviced about 7,500 homes in the Comox Valley Regional District. Denman and Hornby islands, Royston and Mount Washington were to be excluded from the service.
According to unofficial results, 73 per cent of 4,289 voters said no. The turnout percentage was 29 per cent. Several advance votes were held.
Late last year, area directors asked CVRD staff to explore solid waste collection in rural areas because it appeared public interest might be growing for a roadside service. Seventy-five per cent of 150 rural residents who participated in a telephone survey had indicated they would support such a program.
Some residents were angered about not being able to opt out of the service, which would have cost about $150 per household per year. The CVRD board had awarded a three-year service contract to BFI Canada.
The recycling portion of the pickup service was expected to help the CVRD achieve 70 per cent diversion from landfills.
Official results will be posted by Wednesday.
Check www.comoxvalleyrd.ca and www.comoxvalleyrecord.com and Thursday’s Comox Valley Record.
reporter@comoxvalleyrecord.com
