Our cans runneth over: Early start to spring has led to overwhelmed city garbage pails

Have you noticed overflowing garbage cans in your local park lately? It could be a symptom of unseasonably warm weather, the city says.

After the Easter long weekend, some residents reported garbage cans stuffed to the brim with fast-food bags, dog poop and grocery bags of trash, particularly in parks like Gage and Corktown.

Staff routinely" empty them, the city says, but can't always get to them before they fill up, especially when sunshine and a holiday coincide.

With the nice weather we have seen an increase in litter and the beginning of the week means extra work to empty overflowing cans," Kara Bunn, the city's manager of parks and cemeteries, said in an email.

Typically, garbage cans in Hamilton's parks and parkettes are emptied three times a week from May to October and twice a week the rest of the year. Ground litter is removed as part of regular park maintenance. Illegal dumping, vandalism, broken glass and overflowing cans are dealt with on an as-required basis."

Staff don't work long weekends during the winter, from November to April, but some are now working overtime to address hot spots" like Bayfront Park, the city says.

There are also fewer cans in green spaces as some are removed from inaccessible or low-use areas in the winter.

About 670 of the 2,017 cans are removed from places like baseball diamonds, soccer fields and properties that are little used in the winter. The city says it starts to return them the last week of April.

The number of cans around the city has increased over the years, but can vary as they may be moved around to best meet needs. The city estimates it has added about 100 new cans since 2018.

Trash receptacles are distributed to strategic locations throughout our parks to encourage litter control," she said.

She said the city is intentional" about placement of cans, which have to be accessible for emptying, chained down to prevent them from being stolen or moved by people or wind, and reasonably located" to support public spaces.

The city spends about $1.6 million each year on waste removal in parks, and about $10,000 a year on new garbage cans. Approximately 300 cans are replaced or repainted each year, and about 150 chain locks replaced due to vandalism."

Kate McCullough is an education reporter at The Spectator. kmccullough@thespec.com