‘Bulky’ items soon to be picked up

It will be easier later this year for residents of greater Kelowna to get rid of unwanted bulky items like old sofas, mattresses, and fridges.

A curbside pick-up service, similar to the ones that already exist for garbage, recyclables and yard waste, will be launched by the Central Okanagan regional district.

Homeowners can expect to pay about $40 to have up to three bulky items hauled away, saving themselves a trip to the dump or a recycling depot.

“We plan on rolling the program out across the region this fall,” regional environmental services manager Peter Rotheisler said Wednesday. “We anticipate it’ll be completely self-funding, with no subsidy from taxpayers.”

A bulky item pick-up program that was tested last fall there was strong demand for the service.

About 500 homeowners on various Kelowna, Peachland, and Lake Country streets were eligible to participate in the seven-week-long trial. About 20 per cent did call to have unwanted, bulky items hauled away.

Although the trial service was offered free of charge, those who participated indicated they would have been willing to pay up to $40 to have the unwanted items hauled away. “We had a great response to the trial program, which is why we’re introducing it throughout the regional district,” Rotheisler said.

“And there really wasn’t any negative feedback, like complaints from other people who didn’t like seeing the bulky items put out on the street for collection,” he said.

Items most commonly placed at the curb for pick-up were old furniture, appliances, electronics and bundled lumber. Prohibited items included propane tanks, concrete, and car parts.

What happens to the items after collection will depend both on what they are, and what condition they’re in.

“The idea is to dispose of the material in the most sustainable way possible,” Rotheisler said. “For example, a ratty old couch is likely to go to the landfill. But a couch that has some life left in it could be offered to a thrift store or a group like Habitat for Humanity.”

Other materials, such as electronics and appliances, will be sent to recycling facilities that already exist.

File photo An old sofa bed was set out for curbside pickup by Rennie Wutke of Curlew Road in Kelowna last October. A test of a bulky item collection program proved so successful it’s being introduced across greater Kelowna this fall.