This weekend, on Saturday October 17th, the city of Petersburg will be hosting a city wide trash pick-up from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for free. Residents usually have to pay a fee if they request the city to pick up large items from their home.
There are several drop off locations in the city: A.P. Hill Elementary School on Talley Avenue, Pittman Annex parking lot on W. Wythe Street, the School Board Administrative offices on E. South Boulevard, Robert E. Lee Elementary School on Gibbons Avenue, Petersburg High School on Johnson Road, J.E.B. Stuart Elementary School on Pleasants Lane and Peabody Middle School on Lee Avenue.
Citizens are encouraged to participate in the trash pick-up event to keep their properties and neighborhoods junk free. Examples of some of the items dropped off at the locations in the past include old furniture or even appliances.
“Anything they have laying around the yard, around the house, they just feel that it’s been there for a while and they would like to clean up,” says Amanda Phillips, the general manager for the city’s department of operations.
The city has had display boards around town for weeks, but on one block in Petersburg where a large pile of trash was placed out on the curb, some residents said they had no idea the pick-up was being held on Saturday.
“If you don’t tell them, they will not know, so you got to get more word of mouth out. It’s one thing to have an option, but if a lot of people don’t know about it, it’s just an option,” says Crystal Wilkins, a Petersburg resident.
In some circumstances, the city may even fine residents who’ve left too much trash on their curb. Yard waste and bundled brush should not exceed 10 cubic yards, bagged leaves limited to 30 bags should not weigh more than 50 pounds and bulky items which could include furniture or appliances should not exceed the capacity of a one half ton pick-up truck.
If these terms are violated, civil penalties could start at $50 and go into thousands.
There are certain restrictions on what residents are allowed to drop off including major automotive parts, oils, hazardous materials, paints, fertilizers, construction debris larger than a pickup truck, contractors waste materials, anything hot, tree trunks or root ball, equipment tires, and not more than four vehicle tires per citizen.
This pick-up is limited to Petersburg residents. You will need to display a current Petersburg decal in order for your trash to be accepted at the pick-up locations.
If you miss this event, city officials say you are able to schedule a pick-up. In a release, the city wrote “If citizens would like to organize a neighborhood collection, a neighborhood coordinator must be selected, and a pickup location designated in advance, in conjunction with the Street Operations Division (804) 733-2415”.
