Illegal dumping fines can be costly, Halifax warns

The Halifax Regional Municipality is warning residents they can be fined thousands of dollars for dumping garbage illegally after a pile of household waste was found on a popular walking trail.

Speakers, a weed whacker, pans and car seats were among the items found Tuesday morning along the Frog Pond Trail off Purcells Cove Road.

"There are fairly substantial fines for these sorts of things so if it does go to court and it's proven that someone has illegally dumped somewhere, if it's a business it's up to a $100,000 fine," said Jennifer Stairs, a spokeswoman with the Halifax Regional Municipality.

"For individuals it can be up to as much as $10,000 under the Environment Act."

It took city workers three hours and two truckloads to clean up the household garbage at Frog Pond on Tuesday.

Workers have to clean up many sites after each weekend Stairs said the municipality got 199 reports of illegal dumping last year.

"So far this year we've had 42 calls. That wouldn't include any calls that went to Halifax Regional Police either, that would just be to our own enforcement officers," she said.

It's unclear how many cases of illegal dumping have been prosecuted. The Halifax Regional Municipality and the provincial Environment Department said the cases are difficult to prove and rarely go to court.

The Halifax Regional Municipality is holding a mobile drop-off this Saturday for household trash that isn't accepted in curbside collection, including paint, batteries and gas canisters.

The depot will be at the Metro X Park and Ride at 21 Inspiration Dr. in Porters Lake between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.