CBRM starts annual heavy garbage collection

What has become an annual tradition started Monday with the pickup of heavy garbage in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, but not everything that is hauled away from the curb will end up in the landfill.

All this week, items too large or bulky for regular garbage pickup will be collected.

Rochelle Clarke, education coordinator with the solid waste department, says this has become a very important week.

"The importance of heavy garbage is it allows people that may have larger, bulky items that they wish to get rid of and taken out of their homes to have the opportunity to place it curbside," she said.

It's also a good week for residents who want to see what gems may be left at the curb.

Attilio Mollica is one of many people who have been checking out some of the things left for pickup. He says it's not all garbage.

"I'm finding a lot of good things and that's why I'm checking here and there what I pick up you know," he said. "I picked up three nice stools the other day and I pick up a few things that I like."

Mollica says he looks forward to heavy garbage day because it's important for people to have a way to get rid of bigger items that can't be used anymore.

Clarke says it's going to take about two weeks for their crews to pick everything up. She says items like furniture and metals collected will be sorted at their waste facility.

There are other items that often end up at the curb for pickup that can't be included in heavy garbage, things like tires and electronics.

She says tires can be returned to tire manufacturers or some local garages for recycling while electronics can be dropped off at electronic recycling depots.

Despite all their efforts to educate the public, Clarke says they always end up with a few unique items that have to be rejected.

"Pianos would be one that we had questions on at times," she said.

"We had a chicken coop at one point which we do not take. Chicken coops, they would have to disassemble that themselves and bring it into our site. I think that's probably the strangest things."