WATCH ABOVE: As you begin your annual spring cleaning, the city wants you to be mindful of where you’re dumping your belonging. Jessica Kent explains.
EDMONTON — Spring is here and with the season comes an annual cleaning frenzy for many. But with the annual purge of old belongings comes a lot of extra junk being dumped where it doesn’t belong.
City Waste Management crews regularly scour recycling bins for illegal items and you might be surprised by what they find.
“Ovens, washer/dryers, TVs, mattresses,” said Laura Henderson, with the City of Edmonton’s Waste Management Services. “It is a problem that we face every single year.
“That can pose a problem for our staff because they might have to get into the bins to get at some of that illegal dumping and that can cause some safety issues.”
If caught, illegal dumping comes with a $250 fine but there are a couple of ways to avoid it. Henderson suggests dropping off larger items at one of the four ECO Stations in the city or waiting for a big bin event, where items can be dropped off free of charge.
WATCH: What can and can’t be taken to the ECO station?
Charity organizations that rely on community donations to stay afloat say they too fall victim to people looking to unload old items this time of year.
“What we see is things that come in that are broken, junky things,” said Alyssa Kruysse with the Mustard Seed, “It can be frustrating because then we have to send it off or it’ll go in the garbage and we know that’s going to go to the dump here too and that puts stress on them.”
While they’re grateful for the donations, Kruysse just asks people to stop and think before dropping things off.
“Our saying basically is, ‘If you wouldn’t wear it or someone else wouldn’t wear it, we’re not going to keep those items.”
The city’s next big bin event is May 2 at Commonwealth Stadium. For more information about the city’s ECO stations, visit the City of Edmonton’s website.
Comments