Residents have been overfilling the bin and then garbage is then exposure to the environment due to activity by birds and dogs. (Submitted photo/Travis Cook)

By Derek Cornet

garbage disposal

Resident frustrated with household waste polluting the environment

May 7, 2025 | 4:11 PM

A La Ronge resident is concerned about the impact household waste from an apartment building is having on the environment.

Travis Cook has been living near Lakeview Apartments for a decade, and during that time, he said he has made many complaints to town officials about a frequently overflowing garbage bin at the complex.

“Basically, they turned me away for years,” Cook explained.

“This spring I decided to go a bit public and post all of my pictures and place my concerns on Tri-Community Talk [Facebook] page because basically the town doesn’t have a specific bylaw that their breaking. All the garbage is just getting blown into the lake all the time. It’s not just an issue of it getting in my yard and cleaning it up, it’s an issue of the environment from all the plastics from the garbage getting blown into the lake. There’s so much in the muskeg beside me already.”

On Tuesday, Cook participated in a meeting which included his mom, town officials, conservation officers and the manager of Lakeview Apartments. He would like to see another garbage bin placed at the property, as well as a containment structure such a fence to prevent the waste from contaminating the neighbourhood and getting into the nearby lake.

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“The meeting didn’t go to well. We were talking [and] basically what was going on is the town and COs were trying to get the manager from Lakeview just do it on his own and admit to it,” Cook said.

“They have been doing a good job at cleaning it in the past couple of months because I brought it to the public’s attention, so of course he has been doing a good job in the last little while, but that’s not the issue. The issue is non-sufficient space for the garbage.”

In an email to larongeNOW, La Ronge chief administrative officer Lyle Hannan stated the meeting was held to discuss Cook’s concerns and specific asks pertaining to the issue. He noted from the town’s perspective, they are always willing to meet with residents to better understand their concerns, explain what the town is currently doing and plans to do, clarify any applicable rules, legislation and policies, and provide options for moving forward.

Hannan adds it is ultimately the property owner’s responsibility for managing their waste and disposing of it, regardless of external factors at play.

“In this case, the property owner has cleaned the property and indicated that they sent out notices to tenants about proper waste handling expectations,” Hannan wrote.

“The owner, their waste removal contractor, and the town will be on enhanced alert to monitor this location to avoid future issues of significance. The owner is also going to explore other tactics to help mitigate the issue in case waste control continues to be a problem for them. This might include additional bins, different bins, relocating bins, securing the bins differently, etc. The town is satisfied that the owner is being cooperative, responsive, and preparing for future concerns.”

Hannan mentioned the municipality is taking efforts to buy animal proof bins, conduct community clean-ups, and enhance staff garbage patrols to make the community cleaner. As part of the focus, staff intend to be doing more enforcement of private properties than in the past, so it is especially important that all residents be proactive and ensure they will not be subjected to ongoing enforcement.

larongeNOW reached out to the manager of Lakeview Apartments for comment, but didn’t receive a response by publishing.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com