Whitehorse tries to stop illegal dumping, with an app

The City of Whitehorse is asking peopletouse their smartphonestohelp put a dent in the amount of garbage being dumped in the bush.

The city now has an app that allows people to easily report illegal dumpingand sendpictures.

Illegal dumping isa persistent problem around Whitehorse, the self-proclaimed "Wilderness City".People unload their trash in out-of-the-way spotsto avoid paying tipping fees at the landfill.

• Whitehorse looks to crack down on illegal dumping

• Stop dumping trash here, says Yukon's Kwanlin Dn First Nation

"It becomes a little more visible in the spring, summer and fall, than in the winter," said Jackie Taylor, the city's environmental coordinator.

"It's an inappropriate behaviour that we just want people to keep an eye out forand just to let the city know if they see anything.And we'll do our best to try to track down the people that put it there."

Users of the free Whitehorse Waste app are asked where they found trash, what it was and whether they witnessedthe dumping. They can also upload pictures.

Some city residents have expressed concern that the problem will grow now that the city has lost two "re-use stores"and the Salvation Army thrift store.

Taylor says, so far, there doesn't seem to be an impact.

"For the most part, people using the re-use stores were trying to do the right thing with their waste.So I don't imagine those are the people that will be illegal dumping," she said.

The city also installed signs, last year, in problem areas, with a phone number to call to report dumping.