Residents of Altona will soon have a convenient new way to dispose of large household items that won’t fit into the regular garbage bin.
Beginning May 1, the Town of Altona is launching a bulky waste pick-up service—a by-appointment curbside collection option designed to help residents without access to trucks or trailers transport large waste items to disposal facilities.
The service allows residents to schedule pick-up of up to 10 large items per visit by purchasing $30 tags at the Altona Civic Centre. Each item must be individually tagged.
Items eligible for this program include furniture, mattresses, appliances, tires, and large tree branches—essentially anything too large for regular curbside collection. However, hazardous materials, renovation waste, e-waste, and items normally accepted through curbside collection are excluded.
Mayor Harv Schroeder said the service was developed in response to resident feedback.
“Council recognized that not everyone has the resources to haul large waste out to the waste diversion or waste disposal site,” he said. “This service is another way we can help support the community.”
Schroeder noted that the program is not a replacement for Altona’s longstanding Spring Clean-Up, which remains free and will continue to run at the Altona-Rhineland Waste Disposal Site in early June. That service, however, requires residents to bring their items to the site themselves. This new bulky waste pick-up fills the gap for those unable to do so.
While the per-item tag does not fully cover the full cost of collection, transportation, and disposal, the Town opted to keep the price accessible to ensure residents who need it most can still take advantage of the service.
The cost applies equally to each item, regardless of size or weight. For example, a chair and a refrigerator would each require a $30 tag to be hauled away.
While the service aims to assist those with limited transport options, residents are still encouraged to explore alternatives before discarding gently used items.
“If something still has life in it, it doesn’t belong in the landfill,” town officials noted. They recommend using the upcoming town-wide garage sale on May 3, participating in the early June giveaway weekend, or donating to local charities to find new home for items that could be used by someone else.
For further details on the new pick-up service, head to altona.ca/p/bulky-waste-pick-up.
