Gander struggling to take out the trash

The town of Gander is struggling to get its garbage out to the new so-called "super dump" in Norris Arm.

The dump opened on Feb. 6, and takes in garbage from all over central Newfoundland.

Gander's garbage trucks are old and not big enough to make two two-hour round trips a day to Norris Arm.

The town is paying its workers overtime to keep its trucks patched up. And it's paying overtime to workers who are still picking up garbage after dark.

Gander Coun. Rob Anstey says a temporary solution is to swap one of their trucks for a larger one.

"Central Waste does have one truck out there so we're going to try that next week, to get that truck from them," Anstey said.

"It is a dual axle, and we will use that next week to pick up the garbage, and that should mean we make one trip a day to Norris Arm and that's it."

Anstey says the town may buy new trucks, but that will take four or five months.

Central Waste Management also has a proposal in to the province to buy garbage trucks, but they won't be in place before the fall.