In March the City of Sherbrooke changed the way that it deals with large garbage pickup, moving from a system where oversized or unusual garbage items like furniture could be placed curbside for collection on select days of the year to one where people can register online for a pickup day specific to them. Despite the shift in operations, however the city is currently full of piles of old mattresses and couches left over from the July 1 moving day, raising the question of how well have people have truly adopted the new system.
According to Nancy Corriveau, of the City’s communications department, much of what can be seen on the side of the road at the moment is properly registered, although she noted that the “green patrol” is out to double check that people are making proper use of the new system. Households found to have made a curbside pile of large garbage without registering it may be issued a warning explaining the issue
“There is still space for next week,” Corriveau said, pointing out that registration process is free and anyone can do it, even if they are not the ones who made the pile.
Information on large garbage collection, including the registration form, is available in English on the city’s website at https://www.sherbrooke.ca/en/services-to-citizens/waste-collection/special-collections.
Asked about what happens if new renters receive a warning about a garbage pile they did not make, Corriveau suggested that renters contact their landlords or the previous renters. Also, since not all items are accepted for curbside pickup, she said it may fall to owners or new renters to ensure their properties are tided and materials are transported to one of the city’s ecocentres,
The city’s registration system warns that a failure to register everything that has been put out for collection can earn one a fine, and the program only allows a specific list of materials to be collected. For garbage to be considered “large-item,” its dimensions must be too large to fit in a roll-out bin.
In May Mayor Steve Lussier issued a public statement asking people to be mindful of the change to the system and not just pile up garbage along the side of the road whenever they feel like it.
