Scavenging Bulk Items OK’d

STONE HARBOR – Stone Harbor Borough Council introduced changes to the municipal code Aug. 6, which will allow individuals to pick up bulk items that have been placed in the public right-of-way for collection. In short, scavenging discarded bulk items is no longer illegal.
In a community with a large number of second homes, property owners, who may be in town sporadically and for limited periods, often may discard “perfectly usable” items because they lack the time to recycle them. The desire to keep useful items from the landfill was central to the council debate that led to the ordinance change.
The borough website lists four days each year when bulk pick-up items can be left curbside for collection. Residents are asked to place items at the curb no earlier than 72 hours before one of the pick-up days.
That 72-hour window is open as well for those members of the public who would like to retrieve items. The ordinance change reminds potential scavengers they may not take items that are not in the public right-of-way.