Photo: Contributed

Residents living in Kelowna's Kettle Valley neighbourhood are complaining about illegal dumping.

A resident who lives near the Cedar Creek Community Centre tells Castanet the area has become a dumping ground for those who are too lazy to take their garbage and recycling to the Glenmore Landfill.

Daryl, who requested his last name not be published, says he's witnessed a number of people dropping off their "so-called donations and charitable items at the front door of the community centre where it can be rained on and animals can urinate on them."

While some people are doing what they can to drop off their garbage next to the dumpster, Daryl believes the city needs to come around more often to deal with the mess, stating that the large dumpster is usually locked shut, and is only cleaned up every few months.

"All they do is move the stuff out of the way, dump the dumpster, and put it back down and then leave," said Daryl.

"This is an actual licensed city, sponsored daycare, and these children are going to get hurt from metal shards, broken glass syringes. I’m not sure what it will take for people to stop dumping illegally."

The City of Kelowna says they are aware of the issue.

"There are donation bins located here for Diabetes Canada and Kids Camp. It was evident on previous occasions that items that did not fit in the bins were simply left lying on the ground in the vicinity," said a statement from bylaw services. "We did respond and have roadways pick these items up."

The statement says a city bylaw officer lives in the neighbourhood and passes by the location regularly. That unnamed bylaw officer said it is "not an ongoing problem; I’m aware of one previous incident."

People can drop off their garbage at the Glenmore Landfill, currently taking truck loads for $12.