Rothesay — Change has reared its ugly head again in Saint John’s suburban neighbour town of Rothesay, N.B. Effective May 6, 2019, the town’s garbage day will be changing for most residents, according to a recent release on the town’s website.
Rothesay residents, absolutely thrown off by this monumental change in the town’s service delivery model, are gearing up for some push-back.
“As far back as I can remember, pickup day has been on Fridays,” said one Rothesay resident, speaking to The Manatee. “Now, it’s moving to Mondays! My garbage is going to sit and stink all weekend long in my house! I’m obviously not happy about this.”
According to officials, the changes weren’t actually required at all. Instead, the town, tired of its long-standing image of a community that dislikes change, sought to “test” its residents with the most subtle of changes possible.
Attempting to determine the pulse of those outside of Rothesay, a Manatee reporter sought comments from residents of surrounding municipalities.
“Those Rothesay folks, always up in arms about something,” said Quispamsis resident Marten Burr. “I can’t believe they’re upset about their garbage day changing. You want to be upset about something — try turning left onto the Gondola Point Arterial during the morning commute! Now THAT’s something worth getting your knickers in a knot over!”
Saint Johner Arbage Clay was equally unimpressed.
“They should keep quiet, those Rothesay buggers. They boast some of the lowest property taxes going; they ought to be happy with what they’ve got! At least they have curbside pickup in the first place! Lord knows we’re hauling cardboard and plastic all over creation to stuff them into perpetually full blue bins! Sheesh, a pickup day change. Give me a break already!”
Grand Bay-Westfield dweller Greensward Or offered a somewhat different perspective.
“Well, here in Grand Bay, we don’t have those types of problems — at all. We just take our bags to the dump! A buck a bag, easy-peasy! Which I happen to do myself every Friday. Now I suppose if some government official told me that I’d have to go on Mondays instead of Fridays, well then, I wouldn’t be too happy ‘bout that, at all.”
Town of Rothesay officials indicated that the changes would proceed as planned, despite the community outcry.