Heavy garbage date TBA
Heavy garbage collection now a matter of when, not if
SYDNEY — Until the province-mandated COVID-19 pandemic lockdown is lifted, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality says it will take several weeks before a heavy garbage collection date can be confirmed.
“The tender is out right now,” solid waste manager Francis Campbell said in a recent interview. “But we'll have to play it by ear and follow any updates from Public Health and OH&S (Occupational Health and Safety) as they become available.”
As the request for tender stands now, according to a May 4 official submission to the Service Nova Scotia and Internal Services – Procurement website, “CBRM's annual Residential Heavy Garbage Collection will begin on (at this time an undetermined Monday) on/or after Monday, May 24.”
ADVISING PATIENCE
Mayor Amanda McDougall says she is well aware of the constant inquiries over heavy garbage pickup — “even my mother called me about it this morning,” she said – but is advising residents to be patient.
“So here is the lowdown,” she said. “The tender closes on the 20th of May. Once that has concluded, the contract is awarded and we will be able to set a date. However, it is important to keep in mind that we are unable to hold (a) heavy garbage (pickup) until after the lockdowns in place have been lifted.
“I say that with sternness because I, too, am one of those people who love to look around and see what people have out for heavy garbage. I get that: it's a bit of a social event as well as a necessary service.
“But we cannot do something like a heavy garbage collection and be able to protect our staff, protect those who are being contacted for the service, and also protect our communities who like to do the drive-around to see what people have.
“As soon as the lockdown is lifted,” she added, “we will set a date.”
‘RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN ASKING’
Up until the pandemic arrived last year, the municipality scheduled heavy garbage collection for mid-spring to ensure people could have such items taken away before the summer months and the onset of tourist season. When the province declared a state of emergency in March 2020, that forced the postponement of heavy garbage pickup until the fall.
Prior to unanimously approving the municipality's operating budget late last month, a number of councillors expressed some anxiety as they fielded numerous constituent requests. “Residents have been asking when that date will occur,” District 12 Coun. Lorne Green said at the time. “The public is aware it's going to occur and we instil it in the budget. Yet I question why the debate always comes up every year.”
But as Wayne MacDonald, CBRM's director of engineering and public works, made clear during the discussions, “in normal years, we have heavy garbage identified that we try to complete it before cruise season starts. Typically, the difficulty has been with relation to the pandemic.
“For next spring, assuming everything goes back to kind of a normal situation and we do have cruise ships (back in operation), we'd want to have heavy garbage completed in early 2022, prior to tourist travel.”