It’s time to open the garage, look under the stairs in the basement, or in the closest that hasn’t been opened in years and own up to the mess you’ve created.
The annual Spring Clean-up in Drumheller is slated for April 30 to May 10. During this time, town crews will be combing the back alleys in every neighbourhood in the valley and picking up unwanted trash and other items needing to be discarded.
This could range from yard clippings to appliances. In order for the program to run smoothly, safely and efficiently, Tammi operations manager of the Drumheller and District Regional landfill said it is important to sort the items you wish to dispose of.
“That is our biggest problem, we’ll have guys sticking their hands in a pile and get burned by battery acid. So we want everything separated and sorted properly,” said Tammi. “All these items need to be sorted into separate piles so when these guys come along they can quickly pick it all up safely put it in the truck and take it away.”
This means e-waste (televisions, computers and computer components should be separated out. So should items like appliances, paint, tires or propane tanks.
The Town will pick up Freon appliances such as fridges and freezers however there is a $10 disposal fee, which must be paid in advance at Town Hall two days prior to scheduled pick up.
Items that will not be picked up include hazardous materials, demolition materials; trade wastes and used motor oil. Used motor oil, containers and filters can be dropped off at the Drumheller landfill at no charge.
During the annual clean-up the Drumheller and District landfill is also holding its Toxic Waste Round-up. The town is not able to pick up toxic wastes, but will accept it at the Drumheller and District landfill at no charge. This includes household chemicals, yard chemicals and fertilizers.
“Toxic waste is always free to drop off,” said Tammi. “We do collect year round, but this is kind of our focus, we want people to get out in the garage and get rid of all that old paint, solvent and fertilizers.”
During this period the Drumheller and District Land fill is also allowing residents to use its facility free of charge. They allow free drop off and disposal of any non-demolition related material from April 30 to May 11 during regular business hours.
One more key to make the Spring Clean-up go smoothly and not to disappoint is make sure you keep property you want to keep clear of the items you intend on disposing.
“Please don’t put anything you want to keep near your spring clean-up pile. That has happened in the past where the guys have picked something up the resident didn’t want to throw away,” said Tammi.
