Sedro Woolley Residents Fed Up with Trash on Trails

Sedro Woolley, WA: Residents who happen to live around popular trails that lead down to the banks of the Skagit River are fed up with the trash that is being left behind by people partying on the river banks.

I drove out to the area of Utopia Road,  off of Hoehn Road, just East of Sedro Woolley. This road is a typical country road, lined with houses, a couple  farms and fields with cows grazing them.

While driving out to Utopia Road, on Hoen Road just prior to turning on Utopia,  there is an abandoned boat that has been discarded along the roadway, filled with trash.  This of course was dumped by a lazy person and not necessarily a party-goer at the beach, but it adds to the garbage and problems in the area.

 

 

Residents in the area say they are tired of the trash left behind and  recently spent quite a bit of time picking up an entire truckload of 10 large trash bags full of discarded items.  Even today, just days after they spent hours picking up trash in the area, you can see beer bottles and trash littering the sides of the roadway near the same area where vehicles park to go down to the beach. Local residents  animals are grazing in those same fields.

 

To combat the problems, the residents in the area  recently hauled in giant, cement filled metal poles  to block 4-Wheel drive trucks from accessing the banks of the Skagit River.

 

 

While the workers  were still on site installing the barriers several 4-wheel drive trucks approached them and told them they would not stop accessing the beach and instead the drivers of the rigs told the workers  that they would cut down trees around the barriers and simply go around them.

After installing one of the barriers the crew had to use a large piece of machinery to move it to allow a 4-wheel drive vehicle that was out on the beach  to get back off the beach.

Since the barriers were installed, at least one 4-Wheel drive vehicle has went around the barriers and made their own path, down to the river bank.

The residents said that they are not trying to limit the fun people are having, they instead are upset that the people using these areas are not treating them with the respect they should be.

An old timer, who has lived in the area for his entire life said, “This isn’t anything new. There is car after car of people down here, but for some reason a good portion of them are leaving all their trash behind.  If people came down here and used this area with respect and didn’t leave trash everywhere, we would be a little more accepting of the additional traffic and noise. Unfortunately, these people are coming down here, tearing up the beach with their big trucks, having bonfires and leaving their trash all over the place.”

One resident, who asked that we not use his name, compared the issue to hikers.  He said, “If you hike into the woods, true hikers know, that you pack out what you brought in. The banks of the Skagit River should be no different. If you bring something in, you need to take it out with you.” I don’t see any of these folks taking their trash with them or even coming back to do something to help clean up the mess. ”

The area is known for underage drinking, 4-wheeling and parties. The Skagit County Sheriff’s Office responds to complaints in the area when they receive them.

Sterling Road Trash Problem: 

 

Another area I visited today was Sterling Road. We’ve received several submitted photos in the last couple months of large household items dumped in the area of Sterling Road. Neighbors in the area are fed up with this as well.

 

I talked to two guys named OB and Dave who visit the Sterling Road area everyday to let their  dog roam around. They said trash in the area has been increasing. As I snapped some photos of the couch and chair, they said, those have been here for about a month. Someone pushed them over the edge so they didn’t have to be looked at everyday.  OB also said “some of the trash is there now because we see a couple homeless people living in the woods in the area The sleep right along the edge of the road, over the bank.”

OB Said: ” I think some people come down here to dump their trash because they can’t afford to take it anywhere else.  It isn’t right,  but  If dumping the trash at the dump was free, then maybe people would do it.”

Ob also said ” Some of the trash is from Fisherman who visit the area. They leave their shrimp cups behind. It’s just sad”

Until people hold themselves accountable for hauling their own trash, we will have to continue to deal with this issue.  Below are some costs associated with getting rid of trash in Skagit County.

Here are the costs for General Waste at the Skagit County Recycling and Transfer Station;

• $89/ton + State Refuse Tax ($10/min)
  
• Recycle Free
  
• Household Hazardous Waste (Free to Skagit County Residents)
  
• Small Quantity Generator (Business waste) – call (360) 424-9532
  

SAUK TRANSFER SITE:

• $89/ton + State Refuse Tax
  
• Recycle Free

CLEAR LAKE RECYCLING AND COMPACTOR SITE:

• Household Garbage $6.00 per 32 gallon container or its equivalency
  
• Recycle Free

TIRES:

• Skagit County Recycling & Transfer Station (Max. of 4 at regular rate)
  

APPLIANCES: (No microwaves, TVs, exercise equipment)

• Appliances with refrigerant $25.00 each (refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners)
  
• Appliances without refrigerant $10.00 each (clothes washers and dryers, hot water heaters, ranges, etc.

Also Note that Goodwill in Mount Vernon will Recycle old TV’s and Computer Items Free of Charge. 

A photo Gallery from all three dump sites: