The family of an Edmonton man who was found dead at a recycling plant is speaking out.
“It’s been a nightmare. We can’t eat. we can’t sleep,” said Mary Jane Mitchell, the victim’s mom, on Wednesday.
Like the rest of her family, she’s hurting.
“I know the pain and anguish I feel in my heart. I don’t wish that on anybody,” Mitchell said.
On July 21, police delivered the devastating news that her son had died.
“I collapsed by the door,” Mitchell recalled.
Richard Unger, 41, was found dead at an Edmonton recycling facility.
Mitchell said she was told his body was discovered on a conveyor belt — crushed.
“Our son’s body was in the recycling bin with cardboard boxes in there and he landed in the recycling plant,” Mitchell explained.
She said her son was dealing with health issues for a number of years, including alcoholism. The last time she spoke with him was July 15.
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He was also experiencing homelessness.
Mitchell said before he was found dead, he had been missing for five days.
“I’m devastated,” Unger’s sister Melissa Fitchett said. “He was a really good brother and he was very kind and loving.”
The family still has many unanswered questions.
“Did somebody put him in there or did he go in himself? We don’t know,” Mitchell said.
According to Boyle Street Community Services, it’s not the first time this has happened in Edmonton.
“It’s unfortunate to hear this has happened again,” program director Aidan Inglis said.
Inglis said the last time he can recall, it was a regular client from the community centre a couple of years ago.
“It especially hit home with a lot of our clients and staff because they knew the individual very well,” Inglis said.
He said these types of incidents need to be taken seriously.
“Sometimes people are seeking shelter in the dumpster. Sometimes they’re obviously looking for something to do to make some sort of income,” he said.
“It’s horrible and I wish we could take stronger measures to avoid that.”
He said protocols should be put in place like checking the bins beforehand and possibly even locking them up.
Mitchell wants people to learn from her painful experience.
“They should look in those bins before they go ahead and dump it — there could be a body in there,” she said.
“It’s not a good thing [to] have to bury your own kid before your time.”
The City of Edmonton said it cannot speak for privately-owned recycling or processing facilities, but added that more than 10 years ago a deceased individual was found in a city recycling depot bin.
“As part of Waste Services standard operating procedures, collectors must check their bins prior to tipping,” a statement from the city read. “Waste Services continually reviews operating practices to prevent these types of incidents from occurring.”
Hopper cameras are also installed on many waste collection trucks, according to the city.
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