Mountains of household waste line Bridge Avenue, above, and Shrewsbury Avenue, below, as seasonal bulk waste pickups resumed in Red Bank Thursday morning. (Click to enlarge)
Ah, the smell of newly mown grass, fresh flowers and soggy, basement-fermented mattresses.
Yes, if it’s the second Thursday in April, it must be the surest sign of spring in Red Bank: the return of bulk waste pickups.
Spring comes first to the borough’s West Side, ending the annual five-month moratorium on bulk waste cartage. Homes west of Broad Street will hereafter get pickups on the second Thursday of each month through October.
Homes east of Broad Street get their first pickups next Thursday, April 21, and on the third Thursday of each ensuing month.
But with the pickups come rules, and enforcement. First and foremost: YOU MUST CALL TO SCHEDULE A PICKUP. Failure to do so exposes you to a summons and a $50 fine. Call the borough Department of Public Utilities at 732.530.2770 and be prepared to detail exactly what you’ll be leaving at the curb.
There are other limitations, too. Here’s the DPU’s annual newsletter, which includes the regulations, pickup schedules and zone designations: 2011dpunewsletter
Of course, for those hard-to-part with items, you might consider holding onto them for another five-and-a-half months and putting them up for sale at the fourth annual Red Bank Townwide Yard Sale, scheduled for Saturday, October 1.
