It’s time for spring cleaning, and the Municipality of Jasper is once again offering to help out by hauling away most items that can’t be recycled on May 10 and 11. 

Janet Cooper, environmental stewardship co-ordinator for the municipality, said the program has been going for years, and offers help to residents who don’t have a truck or any other way to get large items out of their yard and to the transfer station. 

This year, the municipality is asking for a bit more co-operation from those who are using the service to help make the job easier. 

“We just are asking residents if they can take a minute and just sort their own waste,” Cooper said. 

In previous clean-ups, large piles of unsorted waste has been left for the municipal employees to pick through, but this year the workers will not be picking up any piles that are not sorted. 

“It’s not really fair for the workers,” Cooper said. The workers have reported having to “pitchfork” leaves and grass clippings into the trucks.

To help out, Cooper is asking that residents bag or at least put clippings and other organic matter into a bin that is easy to get from the ground to the truck. 

“We’re going to be very strict this year,” Cooper said. 

That means that residents who don’t properly sort their items destined for the landfill will not have their garbage taken away. 

“If every person does a little extra with their own waste it makes it easier for everyone,” Cooper said. 

To help notify residents, workers will be scouting out the piles ahead of time and giving notice to homeowners if they need to do a little sorting, so that their piles aren’t left out. 

Cooper said the service has been offered to not only help residents clear their spring cleaning items, but to keep items such as yard waste out of garbage bins.

“It’s a huge waste of money for organic matter that shouldn’t be going to the landfill,” she said. The municipality is charged by the pound at the transfer station, and yard waste can significantly raise the weight of a load. 

Another problem that is being addressed this year, is piles that get missed because it isn’t clear they need to be taken away. Cooper said it’s important that residents bring their garbage right to the end of their driveways in the alley.

“Put it out right at the end of the alley, so that it’s really obvious that it needs to be taken away,” she said. Sometimes workers are unsure if a pile is meant to be taken away or not if it’s left too close to the house. 

The only items not being accepted are those that can be taken to the municipality’s recycling bins, or construction waste. Anyone with questions on what to leave in their piles, or on the new sorting rules, can contact Cooper at 780-852-1563. See the ad in this week’s Fitzhugh for additional details.