STONE HARBOR — The borough will hold its quarterly bulk trash pickup Sept. 22, but don’t hop in the truck to hunt for discarded goods; it’s illegal in the borough for unauthorized persons to remove things from the curb.
Borough resident Josee Rich asked council to lift the ban on removing bulk trash or come to a compromise so the Heavenly Scavengers can continue its mission. She said tons of quality goods are wasted each year and continue to unnecessarily pack landfills.
“It’s ridiculous to make it illegal to recycle useful things,” said Co-founder Cynthia Sosnowski.
Rich and Sosnowski formed Heavenly Scavengers nine years ago through St. Mary’s Episcopal Church here to rescue sundry household items in good condition from houses slated for demolition on the Seven Mile Island and provide them to people for a useful second life.
Though not their primary means of gaining items, they would like to collect such items on bulk trash days to prevent them from needlessly going to waste.
As the program grew, it established the “St. Mary’s This-N-That Thrift Shop” in Rio Grande which sells used items in working condition at inexpensive prices.
Sosnowski said the group takes furniture, appliances, clothes and linens in decent working condition and distributes them to other humanitarian groups including Coalition Against Rape And Abuse (CARA), Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS), Cape May County Association of Retarded Citizens (ARC) and American Red Cross, who in turn donate the supplies to people who could use them.
Borough Business Administrator Kenneth Hawk said the borough made it illegal to pick through trash because there were several incidents in which personal property including bikes and kayaks were being stolen from resident’s lawns under the guise of being bulk trash, which belongs to the homeowner until it is picked up by Public Works; once removed from the site, trash becomes the property of the borough.
Solicitor Michael Donohue said the borough has prosecuted for offenses of this law and couldn’t allow selective enforcement. He said homeowners could call Heavenly Scavengers beforehand and let the group know they have something to donate, or if the group sees something on the curb in working condition, they could knock on the door and ask permission to take it.
Sosnowski suggests residents bring all unwanted items in decent condition to an empty borough lot on the eve of bulk trash morning for anyone to pick through. Then, she said, all items would be in one place and it would make it easier for Public Works to pickup.
Rich said the group’s trash pickups could save the borough a lot of work. Sosnowski also suggests residents separate useful items to another side of their yard for the group to pickup.
As its Web site states, Heavenly Scavengers is a testament to the adage, “one person’s trash is another’s treasure.”
To volunteer or donate call: 889-6909. For more information visit: www.stmarysstoneharbor.org.
Contact Truluck at (609) 886-8600 ext. 24 or at: ltruluck@cmcherald.com
Wildwood – Why is there only one place to vote in for the city of Wildwood elections and why was only the friends and family of the politicians , working the polls that day ? Smells fishy….
