By Michael P. Walsh
Special to the Voice
Mayor Nancy R. Rossi and acting Public Works Commissioner Lou Esposito said late last week that some residents are putting out bulk trash for pickup despite the city having canceled its August bulk pickup week.
Rossi and Esposito are asking residents who inadvertently put out bulk trash for the suspended bulk pickup week of Aug. 6-10 to immediately remove it from the curb.
Residents who violate the request will receive a $100 fine per daily offense for putting out trash — bulk or otherwise — more than 24 hours before pickup, they said.
Residents will have to wait to put out bulk trash until the city’s next bulk pickup week, which is Oct. 8-12.
Rossi and Esposito said residents who violate the bulk trash limit of 6 cubic yards per collection will also receive a $100 fine per daily offense. The cubic yardage is equal to a pile of trash about 6 feet long, 6 feet wide and 4.5 feet high.
Homeowners are required to rent a dumpster or hire a junk removal service at their expense if trash exceeds 6 cubic yards. Otherwise, trash exceeding 6 cubic yards will be left at the curb, and a fine will be imposed, Esposito said.
To prevent a potential fine, property owners should familiarize themselves with the city’s trash guidelines, which are posted on the Department of Public Works page at www.cityofwesthaven.com.
The August bulk pickup week was recently canceled because the weight of trash collected in the March and June bulk pickups exceeded the maximum weight of trash accepted by the city’s rubbish contractor, making bulk pickup increasingly cost prohibitive, Esposito has said.
Bulk items include couches, chairs, tables, carpeting, padding, fencing and small amounts of bundled lumber, which may not exceed 6 feet in length. No building materials are accepted.
Of special note are two significant changes in bulk pickup, which are effective immediately, Esposito said.
Although mattresses were formerly considered bulk trash, the city will no longer pick up mattresses, he said. Most mattress retailers, however, will remove and recycle mattresses when a new mattress is purchased.
Residents can also drop off mattresses of any amount for free from 7 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays at Park City Green, 459 Iranistan Ave., Bridgeport.
The city will also no longer pick up tires on residents’ curbside collection days because of rising disposal costs, Esposito said. According to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, there are no statutes that require tire retailers to take waste tires, but most will when a new tire is purchased.
For bulk pickup, residents are reminded to separate metals and recyclables from regular trash and to put out trash no more than 24 hours before pickup.
Bulk items must be separated and orderly. Do not place them next to a mailbox or utility pole or close to a fence, Esposito said.
Bulk trash must be generated by the customer at the residential unit where it is collected. Trash will not be collected if it is generated by anyone other than the resident of the home.
Also, do not place bulk items in front of a vacant lot or home — they will not be collected, Esposito said.
For electronic items, including TVs, the next e-waste drop-off day is Aug. 11.
Residents can drop off electronic recyclables — typically anything that contains a circuit board or needs a battery — from 8 a.m.-noon at the city’s highway maintenance garage, 1 Collis St.
Anything that has refrigerant, including air conditioners and dehumidifiers, is not accepted. Those items are considered white goods, and residents are asked to put them out for pickup on their weekly collection days.
The e-waste drop-off is free for residents who have such items as TVs, hand-held video games, computers, monitors, copiers, scanners, microwaves, toaster ovens and other small appliances.