After nearly being cancelled, spring heavy garbage pickup is back for another year in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
The municipality initially didn’t include a spring collection in this year's operating budget because an extra heavy garbage pickup was added after the flood back in the fall.
But people made it clear they wanted it anyway.
"I think it's great. I got lots of stuff to put out, so bring it on," said one resident.
"I think it's awesome. I think it's absolutely awesome," said another.
The municipality found the $250,000 needed to cover it.
"We fully expected that we would have a surplus, and you have to wait until March 31 until those numbers are run, to find out what those numbers are going to be," said Cape Breton Regional Municipality councillor Eldon MacDonald.
It's welcome news for local scrapyards that depend on heavy garbage season to help out with its bottom line.
"It's good for us for the simple reason it gives us extra work,” said scrapyard worker Troy Ginter. “It cleans up the streets, brings material in here, gives people a chance to get rid of their stuff – works for everybody."
Many would argue another benefit to a spring heavy pickup is it cuts down on illegal dumping in problem areas.
"I have illegal dumping in my area,” MacDonald said. “But in particular, the rural communities worry about people dumping at the sides of the roads."
Councillor MacDonald says he has actually noticed a decrease in trash at the curb, and still feels it isn't necessary to have heavy garbage collection every year.
"There (are) a lot of people that look forward to it for the simple fact of collecting and finding a treasure in someone else's garbage, as they say," he said.
The municipality says the trash has to be on the curb by May 1 at 6 a.m.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Ryan MacDonald.
