Changes coming to fall waste pickup on Prince Edward Island

That barbecue that bit the dust, the old lawn furniture, or that dirty foam cooler you've been waiting to get rid of will be picked up curbside on a different schedule on Prince Edward Island this fall. 

Island Waste Management Corporation is changing its fall cleanup process and will now pick up excess waste on regular black cart curbside collection days during November. 

"Whenever you put your waste cart out during the month of November, you also put your fall cleanup items out at that same time," says Heather Myers, IWMC's disposal manager. 

"The collection driver will come around and he will pick up the fall cleanup waste items with the cart material."

In past years, excess household waste was picked up curbside in the fall the same week residents put out their green carts for compost collection. But IWMC drivers were then required to make two trips, and Myers said the small amount of fall cleanup waste wasn't worth the extra trip.  

"We were finding there was not a lot of waste being put curbside, so it was a lot of driving for the collection contractors to go out and do all their routes a second time only to pick up a very little bit of material," she said. "So we thought it would make more sense not to have the trucks make that wasted trip around the Island." 

The change means Islanders will have two separate weeks in November to get their waste to the curb instead of just one week, as used to be the case. There will still be two weeks to get excess yard debris out next to the green compost bins. 

IWMC's website says excess waste for fall pickup should be put out curbside by 7 a.m. on regular waste cart collection days, either in clear plastic bags or rigid containers, or bundled together. IWMC will not accept solid-colour bags or blue bags.

The excess-waste limit of two containers or items is waived for waste collection during fall cleanup, but trash items must weigh less than 50 pounds and measure under four feet in any dimension. Larger material can be cut, bundled and tied.

Myers also issued a plea regarding yard debris like leaves and branches: Don't fill up your green cart with it. 

"When the carts are all full like that, it's a challenge for the collection driver to complete their route during that day cause they have that extra volume they're collecting," she said.  

Instead, put excess yard debris in separate containers beside your green compost bin so that IWMC can keep it separate and gradually add it into their compost "recipe" at their facility in Brookfield. 

"Because it's just yard debris, we can dump it outside in the yard on the asphalt pad and store it there, and then just use it little by little through the composting process as it's needed," Myers explained.