A garbage removal service at a Cortes Island dock is being suspended after this summer season due to boaters failing to follow conditions, rising costs and more.

It's been challenging for the Harbour Authority of Cortes Island to keep up with waste removal from the five government docks it operates, manager Jenny Hartwick told CKTZ earlier this summer.

In a recent interview, Hartwick says the authority stopped removing garbage this spring from its docks due to rampant dumping of items such as car parts and furniture. She adds that boaters who reserve births or make inquiries are told they can take their garbage and pay a fee at the Gorge Harbour dock or to Refuge Cove on West Redonda island, or Lund on the mainland.

This spring, Billie Fleming was contracted by the harbour authority to look after garbage at the Gorge Harbour government dock as a pilot project.

Despite signage indicating when she'd be on hand each week and her rates, Fleming feels discouraged by how some vessel owners fail to adhere to conditions for her service. She says a lot of dumping occurs and she's not equipped to deal with large items, some of which is household waste and furniture.

In addition, uptake from boaters for her service has not been enough to make her effort financially viable, and she rarely makes enough money to pay her fuel costs, Fleming added.

As a result, she's decided to discontinue the garbage collection after this summer. But she feels that dealing with boat trash should be an essential service and she hopes the local Strathcona Regional District will be persuaded to help fund future efforts.

CKTZ speaks with Fleming about the issue in the interview below.