Rising spring temperatures in Vancouver have led to the unpleasant rise of odours from waste placed in dumpsters and garbage cans across the city. If not managed properly, waste can lead to further issues, including incidents caused by local wildlife.
One Vancouver resident says he has witnessed the effects of a local restaurant's poorly-managed waste firsthand and filed a complaint with the City of Vancouver over it.
"I moved into the low-rise townhouse units at the corner of Nanaimo and Franklin last July," Brian Lorraine tells V.I.A. over email. "In the span of less than a year, there have been several occasions when the garbage bin behind Sushi Nanaimo has been overloaded with trash for a period of days. Due to the disposal of fish and other restaurant food waste in this manner, the situation quickly becomes quite grim."
He says that when the trash is piled up too high, the garbage bin lid is left propped open and crows immediately descend onto the heap "and begin ripping the garbage bags open to eat the thrown-out fish."
The birds will leave the trash strewn in the back alley behind the restaurant, further exposing it to direct sun.
Lorraine took to Twitter to express his distaste for the scene and ask if there is a meaningful solution that could be reached between the business and the City of Vancouver.
"During warm and sunny weather, the smell of rotting fish permeates the area in short order. When left unattended, the stench clouds the air for about a half block in either direction from the alley. Even when dealt with in a timely manner, there is always excess grease and liquid waste that leaks onto the alley and runs in a stream to the nearest drain. This cesspool creates a constant but more localized odour," he says.
What are the rules around waste smells in Vancouver?
Waste-related complaints, such as smelly dumpsters, are investigated by a Street Use Inspector who attends the site and determines the nature of the issue, according to a City of Vancouver spokesperson.
"The response is specific to the individual case, but the inspector will work with the businesses and/or hauler to have any bylaw infractions rectified in a timely manner," they explain.
In general, waste management is the responsibility of both the business and the hauler. If the container is located on private property the City’s Solid Waste Bylaw applies and if the container is on City property (i.e. a laneway) then the hauler will have a Waste Container Licence Agreement (CLA) that will apply along with the City’s bylaws.
As for enforcement, the spokesperson says that the City’s Solid Waste team prefers to seek compliance through outreach and education rather than through fines and punishment so the vast majority of issues are resolved in a timely manner without needing to issue a ticket.
The bylaws state that waste containers must be kept in a condition that is not noxious or offensive and the City of Vancouver has been in contact with Sushi Nanaimo's operators, who say they have taken action regarding the state of their dumpster.
"We contacted the garbage company to pick up immediately and make sure to clean the area," a representative for the restaurant tells V.I.A. The restaurant pledges to maintain the garbage area's cleanliness, offering an apology: "Sorry for making an unpleasant situation."
What is being done to prepare for garbage smells during the heatwave?
There is a distinct possibility that more people will be filing smell complaints surrounding dumpsters in the coming days and the City says they are taking measures to prepare.
"Our Street Use Inspectors proactively patrol looking for by-law infractions, in addition to responding to complaints," says the spokesperson. "They will be aware of locations that are potentially more troublesome with increased heat."
Those locations will be monitored to assure compliance and any complaints will be investigated and responded to quickly, they promise.
For instance, on May 3, another Vancouver man tweeted a complaint about a truck they suspected was filled with crabs parked outside a business and Property Use Inspectors were onsite within a matter of days. The City responded that "while there [were] flies around it, they confirmed there [was] no odour."
The resident disagreed but inspectors are reportedly reaching out to the property owner to clean up the site.
How can Vancouverites report bad smells?
Smell Vancouver is an app designed to track reports of odours throughout the region. Developed as part of a UBC research project, all reports are anonymous and will be publicly viewable on the map.
The UBC study team also possesses a mobile air quality monitoring unit that can measure a wide range of air pollutants, including some that can cause offensive odours so the team will lean on reports from the app to identify areas where these mobile measurements might be needed.
In addition, smell complaints to the City of Vancouver or Metro Vancouver can trigger air quality investigations and staff have been known to consult the Smell Vancouver app when trying to track down the offending odours.
With files from Megan Lalonde
