N.S. transfer station makes changes due to vandalism, theft

A transfer station in the Municipality of Cumberland has reopened after temporarily closing following weeks of theft and vandalism, according to a media release from the municipality.

Greg Herrett, the municipality's chief administrative officer, said most of the incidents at the Pugwash site on Irishtown Road had to do with theft of scrap metal for resale.

"In December alone there were 22 occasions of vandalism," Herrett said in an interview. "It just became an everyday occurrence. They would cut the lock. We would reinstate the chain and lock and they would cut it the next night."

The facility reopened this week after being closed in December. While it used to accept scrap metal, it will now only accept construction and demolition waste, and brush.

Herrett said a total cleanup had to be done while the facility was closed. It had to be done several times last summer, but not to the same extent.

"I'm told that that level of vandalism wasn't experienced before I came," he said, "but just imagine if that were your own property and someone damaged it 22 times."

The press release also noted there was also a problem with illegal dumping of unsorted residential garbage in and around the area of the organics dumpster and the facility's gate.

The organics bin has been removed from the property. The municipality is looking for a new location to take organic waste.

Other locations available for scrap metal

Scrap metal and goods like fridges and freezers can be taken to the Mount Pleasant construction and demolition site, to the Little Forks central landfill, and to Nova 4 Enviro in Amherst.

"We certainly recognize that the vast majority of the residents and users of that facility respected the rules," Herrett said. He said there were no issues this week.

"Unfortunately the actions of a few necessitated an action," he said.

Attempts to reach the RCMP for comment Friday were not successful.