Service appointments were booked by 1,722 residents for the quarterly event, in which each household can discard one large item at no charge.

"There are a lot of instances in which people have items that won’t fit into their trash cans and they also can't haul these items themselves for disposal," said Ken Ryan, District Manager of Waste Management in Carlsbad and Oceanside. "We hope that by providing regular, scheduled opportunities for the retrieval of these items, we can dispose of them safely and completely, and avoid any concerns about illegal dumping in the community."

The next bulky item pick-up event will be held on Jan. 28, 2006. To schedule an appointment for the one-day event, Waste Management customers in Carlsbad need to call customer service between Jan. 3 and Jan. 11 at (760) 929-9400. For items that are gently used or need minor repairs, Waste Management encourages residents to consider donating them to a local charity for continued use.

In addition to the free quarterly events, Waste Management is able to pick up bulky items by request during the rest of the year. For an appointment, call (760) 929-9400 – pick up is $35 for the first item and $5 for each additional item.

For information about acceptable items for the bulky item pick-up, please visit the City of Carlsbad’s Web site at http://www.ci.carlsbad.ca.us/waste/bulky.html.

Waste Management, Inc. is the leading provider of comprehensive waste and environmental services in North America. For more information about recycling, log onto www.wm.com.

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