The town of New Tecumseth's waste management system has had a large item collection and disposal component since 1997 (11 years). Council voted at the Aug. 13 committee meeting to end this valuable service in 2008 and replace it with a voucher system whereby citizens are provided with a voucher to cover disposal costs at the landfill but you're on your own on how to get your large items to the landfill.

Council will ratify its committee decisions at the council meeting on Aug. 27.

While there were problems with the collection of large items in 2007, council needs to demand that the county do its job properly and not eliminate the service altogether.

Withdrawing large item pick-up is a backward step that will have the following consequences: increased costs (and hardship for some) to the individuals who have large items for disposal, elimination of the informal goods exchange which carries on during the large item pick-up time span, more vehicles on the road resulting in the use of more gasoline and more pollution, more pressure on roadside ditches and a less tidy town.

I urge citizens to contact the mayor, deputy mayor and all the councillors to demand large item pick-up be continued, but with needed improvements.