Georgina doesn’t want your trash, beach-goers

Georgina residents on the hook for litter left the beach

Yorkregion.com
August 20, 2019
Amanda Persico

Take it all in -- the few sunny days we have left, the water crashing against the shore and the sand trickling between your toes.

But don’t trash and dash -- take your garbage with you when you leave.

The issue of litter isn’t new, but it seems to be getting worse as Georgina’s sandy beaches become more popular.

“It’s disgusting,” said Georgina resident and business owner Derek Shank.

Shank is out at De La Salle beach several times a week and it’s the same scene: Scattered water bottles, plastic cups and in some cases a lost shoe strewn about.

“People just don’t care,” Shank said. “They come, pay the $30 to get in and trash the place.”.

The mess created by beach-goers and out-of-towners is left for town staff to clean up and local residents to pick up the tab, turning a day at the local beach into a wasteland.

According to the town, maintenance staff are responsible for collecting garbage and cleaning the beaches on a daily basis, with increased services on weekends, clearing garbage from waterfront beaches at least four times a day.

In some cases, town staff have already checked out for the day and the collection debris is left to be cleaned up the next day.

In 2019, the town budgeted about $184,000 for park garbage collection, which is primarily done in the beaches but also includes other parks around town.

The costs include staff time, collecting and disposing of garbage, materials and vehicle fuel.

And this item number has been steadily increasing over the past few years.

But this does not include taxpayer dollars to pay for bylaw officers to patrol the beach, on the hunt for parking violations, dogs on the beach, smoking, drinking alcohol and littering.

The town could install more garbage bins, but the issue isn’t with overflowing bins, Shank said.

There are a number of garbage bins steps apart at De La Salle Park, near the volleyball courts and playground, near the pavilion, near the washrooms and littered throughout the beach area.

“The town could put more bins out, it shows they’re trying,” Shank said. “The people who live here have more pride.”

But the issue runs deeper than merely garbage.

Discarded trash, overcrowding and lack of parking are all intertwined, Shank said.

“Locals aren’t going to the local beach because of the garbage and the parking,” he added.

The solution might lie with more controlled parking, he added, including mechanical arms at parking lot entrances, an overflow parking area and upping entrance and parking violation fees.

The town is in the early stages of developing its Waterfront Parks Master Plan to help tackle issues of parking and overcrowding and all the garbage that comes with it.

The master plan will be done in three phases, with the first phase delving into several major areas: Willow Beach Park; De La Salle Beach Park; Jackson’s Point Harbour; Holmes Point; and a list of all municipally-owned waterfront assets.