Fewer tourists means less commercial garbage on P.E.I. this year

Fewer tourists has resulted in a drop in commercial waste from places like restaurants, hotels and campgrounds so far this season, says the CEO of Island Waste Management.

Gerry Moore said there has been a decrease of about 25 to 30 per cent this summer.

"Less people is less waste in our business. We have seen from the commercial and institutional side, or any places where tourists might gather, obviously the waste generated at those locations has declined significantly because there just isn't the same amount of people around."

Garbage, including blue bag recycling, is up a bit on the residential side this summer, however.

Moore said it appears more people have been staying at home due to COVID-19 and some have taken on renovation projects, which has resulted in more construction debris.

More from CBC P.E.I.