The snow has fallen in Eastern Norway recently. If it continues, some of the snow piles may now be left behind. The reason is that it is extremely unfriendly to drive the snow away, according to Vestfold and Telemark County Council. They are responsible for the plowing of county roads and along cycle and footpaths. Now they are taking some measures to try to avoid carrying the snow away. – In some cases, this will mean that snow can be plowed into private gardens, says section leader Trond Haugstad. And that is something homeowners have to accept, he believes. Trond Haugstad is section manager for operation and maintenance in Vestfold and Telemark county council. Photo: Hege Therese Holtung / news – This is something we do not want to do, even if it is authorized by law. But there is a more environmentally friendly way of handling the snow than driving it away. It is also necessary for them to reach the climate targets they have set, the county council believes. Concerned about the garden In news’s comment section on Facebook, there are many who react to the environmentally friendly move. Several people write that they do not want rubbish, road salt, snot and dog poo in their garden. “No thanks. When loose sand and gravel arrive, the lawn becomes bad and windows are broken. Bad idea,” writes one. Dag Henrik Bråtane thinks it is a disadvantage that those responsible for plowing will send the snow into private gardens. Photo: Privat Dag Henrik Bråtane is one of those who speak his mind in the comments section. He believes this is a disadvantage for garden owners. He has berry bushes in his garden in Horten, and likes to harvest and take care of them. The Bråtane are afraid that the snow that is plowed into the gardens may break down and break the bushes to pieces. In addition, he thinks about all the gravel that gets on the lawn. – When spring comes, there is a lot of work to remove this. Lack of space Until 2014, much of the snow that had been lying around for a while was dumped into the sea or rivers in Norway. After that, the pollution authorities put their foot down due to environmental damage. But it is also not easy to find other places of your own to dump the snow. Today, the snow is plowed in piles at larger intersections and smaller places near where it is plowed. – But is it better that private individuals pollute snow on their lawns than driving on the lake? – In any case, it is not more polluting to move the snow a few metres. When you get large amounts of concentrated and collected snow from different places, there is probably a greater risk of contaminated snow. But right next to where the snow has gathered together, we consider the snow to be more polluted than where it lay, Haugstad replies. He understands that people may fear for the trees, bushes and fences, but that they must take responsibility if something is destroyed. – But it must withstand the fact that it comes easily, mill snow on it. 10–15 years ago, it was quite common to plow the snow into private gardens, according to Haugstad. – For those who are not so used to it, they can take it easy. We must proceed gently, and we must have a good dialogue with those who think this is too bad.
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Will dump snow in private gardens – and it is actually legal – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
