TRENTON - Cathy Wournell is nearing the end of her rope when it comes to her neighbour.
Her neighbour happens to be the Canada Post kiosks on Main Street in the Steeltown. She said she's been complaining for about a year about trash spread across the site and blowing into her adjacent yard. On Monday, she said things still were no better.
"It's a disgrace to the town, it looks like a town dump. I'm frustrated.
It's not fair that I have to live like this."
She said she's gotten no satisfaction from Canada Post or local MP Peter MacKay's office. Wournell said Town of Trenton employees cleaned it up a couple of times.
"It's not their responsibility, they did it out of the goodness of their hearts - it was garbage bags that they took out of there."
A quick visit to the kiosks showed trash strewn across the two kiosks, not just flyers and discarded mail though, there was a liberal sprinkling of McDonalds and Tim Hortons trash too. A Canada Post employee who was there gathered all the junk in a large recycling bag.
Wournell said her next step is reaching out to another government department.
"If something's not done by the end of the week, I'm going to contact the Department of Environment."
Meanwhile, Canada Post has responded to the situation by sending letters to its customers asking them to take unwanted mail with them when it arrives.
Canada Post spokesperson Genevieve Latour said while trash continues to be a problem at the Trenton site, it's ultimately the responsibility of the customer - those receiving the mail - to ensure that it's cleaned up.
"Everyone has compost in this province and everyone has a blue bin," she said.
At this time, there is no one working with Canada Post directly responsible for routine maintenance of the site.
Trenton Mayor Glen MacKinnon said he hadn't heard of any new complaints surrounding the kiosks, but said he would follow up with Canada Post.
When asked, MacKinnon said he would rather come to an arrangement with Canada Post on how to keep the site maintained, rather than see it identified as an unsightly premises within the town.
Talkin trash
Talkin trash
- Published on January 5, 2010
- Published on February 20, 2010
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Staff ~ The News
Littering at postal kiosk continues to vex neighbour
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Comments
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- porkey
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:32:07
Here is the situation as I see it.Canada post invites flyer business, and gets paid to deliver the flyers wither or not you want them. Then Canada post tells the people who obviously do not want the flyers, that it is not their problem if your mail box is stuffed full of rubbish that you do not want. Further it is not their responsibility to clean up the rubbish that they hauled,to the mail boxes, for a fee.
I wonder if any other organization, other than the government could get away with such a hair brained scheme. When ever I venture to the local post office, and look around at the staffs, I can understand where this thinking originates. -
- jason
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:32:06
for the life of me lets put 2m
aybe 3 recycle bins for the junk mail.....or am i making too much sense!!!!! complaining for a couple of garbage cans........the low level dribble on this isue is pathetic....where is the common sense....what they might cost 150.00.....what rubbish....if canadapost won't do it you why vote for a council, what are you elected for?DEAl with it STOP PASSING THE BUCK!!!! -
- derrick
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:32:06
i live by cathy and my yard gets filled wit junk from the mail boxes and i think that it is the canada posts job to have garbge canss there like they use too i dont know why they took them out but it wasnt a good idea i dont blame cathy for writing in and i think something should be done about it i dont like goin out in to my yard and finding flyers abd junk mail in my yard
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- Al
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:32:05
This is a bit of a puzzle -- on the one hand we consumers like to get our shopping information so we can get the good bargains that come up each week --- so how are Companies to get this info out?
If not flyers -- what?
Shoppers rely on them -- widely--
On the other hand it concerns me that writers here are talking about the flyers as garbage --it is not garbage, since we have been recylcing paper for quite a few years now into useful products.
So never a scrap of paper should go into a garbage can to be landfilled.
In light of the fact that this advertizing method consumes vast quantities of forest, we need to think about this perspective.
Is this a good way to use our valuable trees, which are vanishing by the year?
Trees absorb huge quantities of carbon dioxide and thus act in a positive manner in balancing our air quality and climate.
I think this is a far more serious matter than a few papers blowing in the wind -- -
- Marie
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:32:05
I do not understand why companies have the right anyway to litter our mail boxes with flyers and junk mail. Goodness knows if you have a ligitimate piece of mail come through with just a street address they are the first to either send it back or put a big stamp on it stating that you are to use your post office box number and this is your last warning. etc.
So I guess I am wondering why if legitimate mail is such a big deal if the box number is not on it then why are these flyers and junk mail allowed to be placed in our boxes just because they pay a flat fee to invade my right to not want to receive the mail. Just doesn't seem fair to me... isn't that why we get those flyers in our ditches and mud puddles on Thursdays to put in our recycle bags already... Come on most business' should realize by now if you are interested in their flyers you will look them up online. -
- meathead
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:32:01
I just stuff it all back in the outgoing mail slot,and let the posties deal with it
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- martin
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:32:00
People ....look at the missed oppurtunity ....whats a littering ticket cost there?
1 cop+ 1 ticket book= town revenue -
- willis
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:31:59
Why in the world would canada post think that when they put something in my box that doesn't have my name on it,Belong to ME?
I always thought that to work for any government agency,that one needed to know how to read==simply put,no name/address,do not put in my box,i only ask for MY mail,NOT some company who i have never dealt with,nor intend to.
So,get it strait Canada Post,If it doesn't have a box number and a name,then DO NOT put it in MY box!!!!!!!!!!
Simple Solution -
- cody
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:31:59
do like i did i pay all my bills on line.and send out and recieve greeting cards online.now i dont have to go for the junk mail.yes a great idea push the junk mail back in on the floor and the ones working there has free junk mail.all my store flyers are at the touch of my key board.we dont need a post office anymore. it is old fashioned.
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- Jack
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:31:59
You don't see Tim Hortons sending out teams to clean paper cups of the roads and streets. The problem is simply littering! Everyone has an option to opt out from receiving unaddressed admail. Just fill in the form and present it to your local Post Office. It seems that some of the customers at this site just don't care about the enviroment, I guess they are just to busy to care. Why would Canada Post continually clean-up the site? When the real change has to start with the receiver of the mail.
Jack -
- Stephanie
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:31:57
I go to the Kiosk almost everyday to check my mail. And everyday I take my mail out of the box and take it home with me, then I sort it and put the unwanted paper into my recycling bag...this is not rocket science people. It is just ignorance. I have even on occasion picked up littered paper there and put it in a bag an taken it home and put it in the blue bag, I have also seen Post Office employees and the Mayor cleaning it up. For the amount of effort it takes to carry the unwanted mail to your car there should be no litter anywhere!
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- MR
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:31:50
lets get rid of those kiosks. I live in Trenton and would rather have my mail delivered right to my door. But there was no mess when there use to be garbage cans there.
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- Town Res
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:31:49
Canada Post took the garbage cans out thinking that would solve the problem.... what they should have done was pay their employees alittle more to empty the trash cans everyday. What would happen if people started pushing the flyers back into the mailboxes on the floor of the kiosks....no more trash outside. Why does Canada Post get special treatment...if that was anyone else's property in the town...they would be made to clean it up. Why are we get'n flyers in our mailboxes anyway...when they come at the end of the your driveway every week. I am sure if Canada Post wanted to pay..there would be someone willing to clean up this mess everyday.
Great way to start the year off right...Happy New Year everyone :D -
- faraway
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:31:47
Why does Canada Post not give people the right to block delivery of junk mail? Just give people a form to fill out to have the unwanted mail not delivered. The delivery people would just have to look at a red tag inside the door at sorting time and not put unwanted mail in. I guess you could call it a spam gaurd. This might be too simple for the genisus who work at the top positions of Canada Post. This would be an easy solution. Happy New Year all.
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- lalala
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:31:46
way to go cathy .it's pretty bad it had to come to this for people to listen .do they have a garbag can there for the papers .i know in my town the do .well good luck with it i hope they r cleaning up after them selves now that it has been in the news .once again way to go .
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- bikermom
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:31:45
So people are lazy and can't take their trash with them ummmmmmmm why not just put a garbage can in there?
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- AJ
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:31:45
Speaking of lazy......
If anyone here had bothered to take 5 seconds to go to google, and type Unaddressed Admail Canada Post
And see section 1.5 - Consumers Choice
or click - http://www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/customerguides/cgunaadm-e.asp#1386682
I'm sure the previous no-brain comments could have been done without.
A little effort pays off folks, try being proactive in problems and look for solutions instead of driving any good discussion away with down trodden, sorrowful laments about how it is always someone else's problem.
So, to all that do not want unaddressed mail, write a note ( preferably polite) stating that you do not wish to receive these items.
Thats one less thing on the ground, one less to pick up, and hopefully one less for your letter carrier to lug around.
Seems pretty simple. I'm pretty sure you could pose the same problem to a 5/6 year old and that would be the solution they would choose. -
- P
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:31:45
My Aunt taught me an amazing way to get back at those that send Junk Mail while making you feel good as well.
Any company that sends you something and encloses a pre paid envelope to send it back, well simply take the paper, form or whatever it is and put it back in the envelope with other stuff to weigh it down. Send them your junk, old magnets, other paper, pictures from magazines etc. nothing dangerous though.
These companies are billed by the weight of the envelope when it is sent back by Canada Post!
There you have it, you get rid of your junk mail, they get junk mail and its fun! Just imagine the faces of the people opening up the envelopes, what a great break it would be in their day of opening mail. -
- Bill
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:31:44
IF U Don't like looking at it clean it up
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- recycle
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:31:42
Trenton works must have an old garbage can kicking around.
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- Albert
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:31:41
Sir:
As an ex-mailman I'm disappointed but not surprised that the Canada Post kiosks on Trenton's Main Street have become a garbage dump as described by ngnews.ca on 2010.01.04. The problem goes back to good old Brian the envelope please Mulroney who reprioritized Canada Post's mandate to first of all make a profit. So who voted for Mulroney and is now complaining about higher costs and lower services?
First of all as pictured in the photo by ngnews.ca, we have what is called a Health and Safety problem. Somebody could slip and fall and cause themselves serious and/or permanent injury. That means paperwork and somebody being responsible for fitting together Mulroney's profit dictate and Canada Post's rights and RESPONSIBILITIES (Art 2), due diligence and competent supervision (Art 33) to its unionized employees. And double ditto that to the members of the paying public.
In the manufacturing of profits Canada Post has chipped time values everywhere it could. There are for example no time values for postal employees for cleaning out kiosks, or any mailroom or lobby area anywhere Canada Posts delivers. Or dumps. In the Trenton kiosk it would appear that a possible pitbull-of-a-legal problem will eventually get the problem resolved.
Some years ago postal workers complained that access to SMBs. CMBs and RBs after snowstorms constituted a hazard to them and their customers. Whose's responsible for that? Eventually Canada Post developed a (secret) 1-800 number to alert sub-contracted snow clearers to do their job more precisely with better supervision and less of just following the contract. Why not ask Canada Post for the (secret) 1-800 number and avoid getting a snow job in the Trenton kiosk. And come to think of it, why not ask Canada Post about its famous Slips and Falls program which was supposed to reduce preventable accidents where ever Canada Post operates?
C.W. said she's received no satisfaction from Canada Post or local MP Peter MacKay's office . Perhaps MacKay, whose father served with Mulroney, and his high powered military-industrial complex are too busy with the manufacturing politics, profits and peace in Afghanistan to be bothered about Health and Safety in a tiny, tiny Canada Post kiosk in Trenton. May I suggest naming the kiosk the Mulroney, MacKay, Keddy 'No Good Ba$tard' Making a Profit Kiosk
The struggle continues.
Albert Veldpaus
Kitchener, Ontario.
REF:
http://www.ngnews.ca/photos/NewglasgowNews/stories/trenton%20post%20kiosk.jpg
http://www.ngnews.ca/index.cfm?sid=315485&sc=49 -
- Don
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:31:40
This is wht happens when we get junk in the mail and they don't give a place to put it. I have asked not to get junk but still do from time to time....
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- justsayin
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:31:40
to fix the problem it's very simple if the people are too lazy and toss thier papers on the floor: invest in a motion actived cameras fine every person 200.00 bucks, Trenton can always use the money, the criers who can't afford to pay ...they clean up the town everybody wins!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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- P
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:31:39
This boils down to one thing, lazy people. You want this solved, you hand out fines for littering! All the Police need to do is keep an eye on people when they pass by, or look at the address on the junk mail thrown on the ground and send a fine in the mail to the person and see it stop! I realize not all the junk mail has an address, but this would be an easy start.
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- KG
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:31:37
It is no more than people being lazy, ignorant and disrespectful..no more no less. I live in a mobile home park with over 1000 homes and we have one community mailbox area for everyone. There is never garbage on the ground, I guess we have more respect for our neighborhood than those in Trenton. As someone else suggested,perhaps it is time for an officer to start issuing littering violiations, perhaps that would make people take home their mail and disperse of there as they choose. Simple fixes but no doubt too hard for the litterers to comprehend.
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- Mic
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:31:37
Do you actually think that people who throw garbage on he ground as shown in the picture above would actually use a garbage or recycle can?
This is a lack of respect issue and nothing more - these people are just too lazy and irresponsible to care about their town.
So sad! -
- just lovely
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:31:36
Isn't this lovely! Looks like the tipping fees are cheaper here than the dump. Come on people don't be so lazy!
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- Trenton Girl
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:31:36
What a mess! Terrible that grown adults can not put their own garbage in the trash! I have had a conversation with the head Post Master from our region who said there are some things they are required to put in mailboxes, and even if it is someone else's name with your mailing address, they are required to put it in the box anyway. However, something I was also told was that I can ask not to have the flyers, coupons, etc in there and they will put a note on the inside indicating this. Also, I was told that if I receive something that isn't mine, to push it back inside the box and let it fall tot he floo and the staff will know not to put it in there. I'm not sure how the kiosk boxes are set up- can everything be shoved back inside that isn't wanted? Seems to me, if the junk mail is on the inside floor, then it will definitely be up to Canada Post to clean it up. Just a thought....
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- Katie
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:31:35
....maybe they should put the trash cans back, and have the canadian post employees who put all this crap in our boxes, change the bags every few days, couldnt really be all that difficul for them to do.
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- AJ
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:31:34
To faraway - read my comment
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- County
- - February 22, 2010 at 14:31:34
I think we may be missing the short term job creation possibilities here.
