Okanagan Forest Task Force cleans up illegal dumping site

The cleanup was one of the ways the Okanagan Forest Task Force is asking the public to stop illegally dumping along backroads in the Central Okanagan.

Members of the Okanagan Forest Task Force are taking matters into their own hands, cleaning up a road that’s been an area of concern in recent years.

The group noticed that the forestry road had become cluttered with junk and over 30 people brought their cleaning supplies and trucks to remove the mess.

Okanagan Forest Task Force Member Reto Gebert says an encampment and tent trailer was set up along the road as well as a large dumpster, which the group ended up using to their advantage, filling it with a wide variety of items.

“From lawnmowers, kitchen sink, stoves, cast-iron stoves — I mean, you name it. There was everything up there,” said Gebert.

Gebert and the rest of the Okanagan Forest Task Force are asking the public to stop illegal dumping and take the trash where it belongs.

“It’s not just in the bush, even in residential or right against adjacent farmlands, I don’t understand. Some put effort into strapping it down, hauling it to a location. I don’t understand — isn’t it just quicker to go to the city dump?” Gebert said.

The group will be teaming up with Rutland Secondary School to clean up the Postill Road Shooting Range on Thursday, June 15th.