Dial-A-Dump Calls to be Taken Next Month

Trash haulers routinely pick up household garbage, but not large items such as furniture and appliances.

Residents have the option to take their over-sized junk to the dump themselves or to make arrangements with the Public Works Department once a year to participate in its Dial-A-Dump program.

Every year, town trucks drive out on chilly November days to make curbside pick ups of large bulky items through the Dial-A-Dump program — but first arrangements must be made.

Reservations may be made by calling the Public Works Department from Sept. 15 to Oct. 29. The phone number is 203-452-2814 and reservations can be made from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday.

"This is a wonderful program and it's free to residents," said Linda Picheco, developmental services coordinator for Public Works. "We get around 1,000 reservations a year, and the program does run smoothly as long as residents follow the rules."

While some towns pick up items year-round, Monroe's program is held once a year for residents who call in advance.

Items are not picked up on a first-call-first-served basis, according to Picheco, so residents do not have to run to their phones on Sept. 15, when the reservation period begins.

Once close to 30 reservations are in, the Public Works Department will plan routes and schedule pick ups. Homeowners will be notified of their date.

"We ask that residents do not put any items out at the curb until they receive the letter giving them the date of their pick up," Picheco said.

If there is a snowstorm and items have already been brought to the curb, Picheco said the town may not be able to haul it away on that day. But she added it will be picked up as soon as possible after the storm has passed.

Dial-A-Dump is for unwanted appliances, including refrigerators (doors and food must be removed); carpets no longer than six feet; doors, countertops and cabinets (no longer than six feet); miscellaneous household and yard junk furniture (metal sofa bed frames must be taken apart and separated); mattresses, box springs, bed frames, tires, flattened cardboard, books, magazines (each item bundled separately), empty propane tanks, lawn mowers (fuel and oil tanks empty), air conditioners, dehumidifiers, basketball hoops, swing sets (taken apart), and bicycles.

Items must be separated at the curb. Mixed piles will not be accepted, according to the Public Works Department.

Unacceptable items include: garbage, recyclables, clothes, wood (2x4s, deck materials, plywood, ect.), any items over six feet long, fuels, paint cans, hazardous waste, oil tanks, oxygen tanks, logs, brush, leaves and demolition materials (concrete, dimensional lumber, plywood, sheetrock, shingles, bags of dry cement, ceramic tile, bricks ect.).