Someone else’s junk is mostly still junk
C’mon people! Did you really think that somebody out there just couldn’t wait to get their hands on your discarded children’s car seats, even after they had been sitting on the ground for a couple weeks? After they’ve been rained on for days? After animals marked them? Really? Do you think their appeal has increased with age? Did you quickly dump them under the cover of darkness because you didn’t want anyone to see you? C’mon!
It’s very discouraging for your neighbours to see your garbage every time we go to pick up our mail. Car seats, chairs, flyers, couches, toys, dressers, clothing. If you don’t want these items anymore, there are more responsible ways to deal with them. Give them to someone who could really use them. Drop them off at the Salvation Army or Women in Need. Sell them or offer them for free on Facebook Marketplace or Used Cowichan. How about this, instead of dumping your discards on the side of the road, don’t be a lazy, cheap, lousy neighbour…dump them at the dump!
Granted, sometimes dumped items have value and they disappear quickly. We picked up a terrific cabinet that I restored that was sitting on the side of the road. If you’re going to dump something on the roadside may I suggest that you check in on your stash now and then, and if it hasn’t disappeared in a day or two, take them away before they become toilets for dogs, rats or raccoons. Especially your mattresses, sofas or your Lazyboy, lazy boy. C’mon!
You have some wonderful, community-minded neighbours out there who regularly pick up the garbage you tossed onto the side of the road, because they care about your neighbourhood. Fellow Shawniganites volunteer to tend to the flower boxes in the Village on your behalf, some clean up and have created a pollinator garden in the parking lot at Mason’s. These caring citizens give us hope that there is a gradual movement building, a movement of respect and good stewardship for our Shawnigan Lake paradise. The least you can do is just this one thing…take ownership of your own garbage, and not dump it on everyone else who shares this beautiful part of the world with you.
C’mon people, we all live here; play a little part in the effort to keep it beautiful. We all have garbage to deal with, you take care of yours, and I promise to take care of mine.
Paul Jolicoeur
Shawnigan Lake