You'll soon need an access card to dump bulk waste in eastern Newfoundland

The old-fashioned clipboard and pen is slowly being replaced at the entrance to waste recovery facilities in eastern Newfoundland, as the board running the sites implements an access card system so it can collect better data on who's using the facilities, and what they're dropping off.

But full implementation of the system has been paused for nine months to allow more time for residents to complete the card application process.

Stephen Tessier, president of the Eastern Regional Service Board, said "we came to realize fairly quickly" that some people, especially those in unincorporated areas and those with limited access to — or knowledge of — the internet, were having trouble applying for the cards.

"They're the ones struggling to get access to the cards," Tessier said on Tuesday during an interview at the bulk drop-off site in Whitbourne.

In order to address some of the confusion and help those struggling with their applications, board members will attend a public meeting in North Harbour on Thursday hosted by Placentia-St. Mary's MHA Sherry Gambin-Walsh.

"We'll bring some applications with us. And if people are struggling, we'll help them fill them out," said Tessier.

The board delivers regional services such as waste management, water and sewer and fire protection to communities that are not able to do it on their own.

The board serves more than 100 communities and 27,000 households east of Clarenville — not including St. John's and its larger neighbours. Each household pays $225 annually for a weekly curbside garbage service, bi-weekly recycling collection, and an annual bulk garbage pick-up.

Separately, the board operates 10 waste recovery facilities where residents can drop off — at no cost — bulk items such as furniture, mattresses, appliances, construction debris such as shingles, tires and tree branches. The sites are located in places such as Clarenville, Old Perlican, Harbour Grace and Bay Bulls, and are open in the morning and afternoon on Saturdays, and in the afternoons from Tuesday to Thursday.

Last year, the sites recorded more than 34,000 visits, with the waste material eventually ending up at the Robin Hood Bay waste management facility in St. John's.

For years, users of these waste recovery facilities would be greeted by an attendant with a clipboard, who would record the user's name and log the type of items being dropped off. That information would then be manually inputted into a computer.

The board announced in late 2024 that it was adopting an access card system — each with a unique QR code — that would be issued to each household, again at no cost. The card is scanned by an attendant before entrance to each site, and all the necessary data is automatically uploaded. The card can be used a maximum of 16 times per year, which is a safeguard against commercial users accessing the sites.

"It gives us some data that allows us then to operate our facilities in a more efficient way because we are not-for-profit," Tessier explained.

"We need to make sure that we're doing the best we can to offer the best services to the residents."