With big public events come a big responsibility for celebrants to clean up after themselves. Take Surrey鈥檚 20th annual .

They say half a million people hit the streets in Newton. Food was enjoyed. Countless paper plates, plastic forks, black garbage bags stuffed with trash, everywhere. You get the picture.

But to the celebrants鈥� credit, within hours after the parade all that garbage was gone, and all that remained on 128th Street to attest to it having hosted that epic Vaisakhi event was dusty pavement where so many feet had trod.

Surrey鈥檚 bylaw manager Jas Rehal said the clean-up went 鈥渧ery well鈥� and City Hall is 鈥渧ery pleased.鈥�

And then, there鈥檚 Vancouver and the last Friday. Sunset Beach Park was where roughly 40,000 marijuana fans showed up to enjoy Mother Nature, at least figuratively speaking. In its wake, news reports indicate the Vancouver Parks Board will require about 10 weeks to repair damage to that park, although the board has since backed off that estimate somewhat.

So, for that time, the park will be closed to everyone.

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• VAISAKHI:

Last year鈥檚 complete tab for Vancouver鈥檚 4/20 events, which included policing and clean-up bills, was reportedly $250,000. A tab picked up by Vancouver ratepayers. Ouch. (This year, 4/20 organizers have pledged to cover all the city costs, aside from policing.)

It should be noted that while the Vaisakhi parade was on pavement, 4/20 took place on 鈥� ahem 鈥� the grass.

Consider it, though. Half a million people attend an event in Surrey, and in its wake things are cleaned up within 10 hours. Forty thousand people attend an event in Vancouver, and they鈥檙e talking 10 weeks to set things straight again.

Makes you wonder, doesn鈥檛 it?

edit@surreynowleader.com
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