Students at the Okanagan Adventist Academy returned to school ready to work, coming together as a group to exert some elbow grease by tackling illegal dumping off Postill Lake Road.
Thirty Grade 8 to12 students and their teachers hauled furniture, pallets, construction waste and bags and bags of litter out of the bush and loaded it into a huge dumpster donated by 4 Less Disposal.
“A big part of the teaching of our school is to help students find their purpose,” said Adventist Academy teacher Cherri Gerber.
“Taking part in an activity like this helps the students realize that they can make a difference in their own community.”
According to regional waste reduction facilitator Cynthia Coates, said it was great to see the cleanup effort by the students come together and make a difference with the support of 4 Less Disposal.
Coates said 1.2 tonnes of material was hauled out of the area, filling up a 30-yard dumpster.
Illegal dumping has been in the spotlight several times this year as the Waste Reduction Office reminds everyone that the Glenmore landfill is open seven days a week to drop off material while the Westside Residential Waste Disposal and Recycling Centre is open every Friday through Monday.
“There is no reason any of this material should be ending up in the bush. These students are cleaning up after adults, folks that are users of this area and should be stewards of the environment,” Coates said.
“We are always grateful when groups step up and offer to do these cleanups. It’s unfortunate that this happens, though. “
Coates also noted one dedicated user of the Postill Lake area, Garrett Strong, helped the Adventist Academy students. “Garrett was an incredible help for this cleanup, using his truck to haul additional material from further up the road” said Coates.
To report an illegal dump site visit regionaldistrict.com/recycle or call at 250-469-6250.