Resume spring cleanup: Saint John councillor

A Saint John city councillor is calling for the resurrection of the city's spring cleanup program after an apartment building fire this week forced three families from their homes.

The fire, which officials say started on or near a couch left behind the three-storey building on Victoria Street in the city's north end, shows that abandoned junk can threaten a neighbourhood, said Patty Higgins.

"It's a very dangerous situation," she said. "A lot of these homes are very close together. It just takes one spark to cause a big disaster."

The city's deputy fire chief agrees illegal dumping is a growing and dangerous problem.

But another city councillor contends the new bulky item pickup program is as good, if not better than the old spring cleanup.

The city stopped the costly spring cleanup program five years ago.

The one-day annual program allowed residents to easily dispose of unwanted — and potentially flammable — household goods, such as old couches and mattresses, by putting them out for curbside pick up. The items would then be hauled away to the local landfill at no cost.

"I would think this was sort of an experiment to see if we could get by without the yearly city cleanup and I don't think we can," said Higgins. "It's not working."

[B]Increased illegal dumping[/B]

Residents who either don't have a vehicle to transport unwanted items to the landfill, or don't want to pay the tipping fees, which range from $2 for a mattress to $12 for a refrigerator, are dumping the items illegally.

And the increasing number of discarded flammable items since the program ended is creating a safety risk, said Deputy Fire Chief Peter Saab.

"Even myself…I've got things I'd love to get rid of, but now I'm faced with the possibility I'm going to have to dispose of these myself, hauling them to the local public landfill," he said.

"A lot of people don't have that opportunity to do so themselves…They have to pay people to do so. And as a result, you do see this type of thing with the garbage and couches and mattresses piled around the buildings."

Tuesday's blaze could have been prevented if the couch hasn't been left outside, Saab said. By the time fire crews arrived, the flames had spread to the back of the building.

[B]Pick up service still offered[/B]

Coun. Gary Sullivan, however, called CBC to point out that the city still offers a bulky items pick up — not just once a year, but twice.

Under the program, households that currently receive residential garbage collection can arrange for special pick up of up to three bulky items, he said.

Multi-units can get up to six items picked up twice a year.

And it's still free, said Sullivan. All citizens have to do is call to pre-register.

The city also offers a free white goods drop off program four times a year for unwanted stoves, washers, refrigerators, freezers and hot water tanks.

Restoring the cleanup program could cost the cash-strapped city hundreds of thousands of dollars, but it's "completely necessary," according to Higgins.

"I think we're going to have to afford it," she said. "When you look at the health and safety issues, I think it's well, well worth it."

The city could offer the program in one ward per year on a rotating basis, Higgins suggested, estimating it would cost about $100,000 annually.