Residents welcome pickup of unwanted bulky items
Pilot program to expand curbside collection tested in 3 Central Okanagan neighbourhoods
Homeowners in outlying areas of the Central Okanagan are eager to have unwanted bulky items hauled away for free.
A total of 85 people on three streets have so far asked for things like old sofas, mattresses and appliances to be carted off in a pilot project.
The first collection was Tuesday along Renfrew Road on the south side of Peachland. Pickup starts today on Curlew Road in Kelowna, with collection along Pretty Road in Lake Country next week.
“I think it’s an awesome program, to have such a convenient and easy way to dispose of big things,” said Rennis Wutke, a Curlew Road homeowner, who was setting out an old sofa bed Tuesday afternoon for pickup early today.
About 500 homeowners are eligible to participate in the seven-week trial program, which is designed to test the feasibility of a bulky item pickup service being established throughout the Central Okanagan regional district.
The bulky items now being left out in the selected test areas are being picked up at no charge, but that would change if the collection was introduced region-wide.
“One of the things we’re also trying to find out with this test is how much people would be willing to pay to have bulky items picked up,” said Peter Rotheisler of the regional waste reduction office.
Although his 30-year-old sofa bed was being hauled for free, Wutke said he thought a $25 charge for the curbside collection of bulky items would be reasonable.
Other bulky items that can be set out for pickup in the three selected test areas include renovation materials, clean and painted wood, exercise equipment and water tanks.
Up to three bulky items a week can be placed at the curb for pickup. Unacceptable items include used drywall, propane tanks, concrete and car parts.
When the test period ends in early December, regional staff will prepare a report indicating interest in the program, the type and volume of collected materials, and user charges that might apply if the program is more widely implemented in the future.