Residents in cities and counties across Tampa Bay heeded the call to place storm debris on the curbs of their homes. But now, some are worrying the debris still hasn't been collected.
Across Tampa Bay, government agencies are updating information on debris collection, rescheduled trash pickup and guidelines on how to handle the debris from Hurricane Irma.
Be sure to check what your service provided or local government requires.
CITIES
CLEARWATER:
- Debris should be put by the curb for pick up. Solid Waste will pick it up when they can on people’s regular trash, recycling and yard waste pick-up day. Do not put debris into the roadways or near fire hydrants.
- Normal trash and curbside recycling has resumed.
- For trees downed in city right of ways, citizens should call (727) 562-4800 or email Michele.stewart@myclearwater.com
- For updates or news, visit Clearwater's website.
PINELLAS PARK: The City of Pinellas Park is asking residents to place vegetative debris curbside and debris pickup started on Sept. 18. There will be no need to bundle or tie debris. The city is currently putting together a plan to remove storm-related debris as quickly as possible. Building materials and vegetative debris must be separated. Do not put debris in street or gutters.
- Waste Management Transfer Brush Site is open for vegetative debris drop off – proof of residency required
- City of Pinellas Park opened three brush site locations for residents only this Thurs ( 8 a.m.-8 p.m.), Friday(8 a.m.-8 p.m.), Saturday ( 8 a.m.-8 p.m.) and Sunday ( Noon-6 p.m.) – locations are:
- Broderick Park - 6101 66th Ave N, Pinellas Park, FL 33781
- Pinebrook Park - 7202 118th Ave N, Largo, FL 33773
- 78th Ave and 60th Street (Northwest corner next to courts)
For more information, visit Pinellas Park's Post-Storm Updates.
ST. PETERSBURG: Normal trash pickup resumed Sept. 14. Power has been restored at the private company that processes the recyclable material for the City’s Residential Recycling program. Regular residential collection resumed Sept. 18, in Zone A1.
Here are some guidelines about cleaning up storm debris on your property:
- Place storm related brush in neat manageable piles behind the curb. Do not place material in front of the curb or in/near the alley.
- Please clean up any additional debris in the road in front of your property so that it will not be washed into the Stormwater system and create blockages.
- Please do not place piles too close to the garbage cans, poles, fire hydrants, or gas lines. Piles should be as accessible as possible.
- Do not mix brush with other items. For example, if you have vegetation and pieces of a fence that need to be removed, please keep them in separate piles.
- Leaves should be piled neatly for ease of pickup. They should not be bagged.
- For those that have a small amount of debris or want to get rid of it quickly, the brush sites will be open for extended hours. You can drop off recyclables at the brush sites, but items must be separated and deposited into separated bins, unlike with the residential program. They will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. until Sunday, September 24. After that, the brush sites will resume their normal hours of Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m, and Saturday-Sunday 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- Brush site locations and hours available at stpete.org/brushsites. Extra staff will be on hand to assist citizens, and will be verifying residency information.
For more information, visit St. Petersburg's Sanitation & Debris Collection page.
SARASOTA: Residents are urged to place storm debris at the curb away from mailboxes, fire hydrants, light poles etc. Please do not mix storm debris with other waste. For more information please contact Todd Kucharski, Public Works General Manager: 941-365-2200 ext. 6303.
For more information, visit Sarasota's website page.
TAMPA:
- Residential and Commercial regular garbage collection has resumed.
- Storm specific related debris collection began on Sept. 14, and will continue through Friday, Oct. 13. Debris should be separated by material type (i.e. white goods, construction material, vegetative debris) placed at the curb.
- McKay Bay Disposal Facility is accepting storm debris. As residents and business disposal of added debris, wait times are expected to be longer than usual.
- SWEEP service is currently suspended until further notice.
- For questions about storm debris pickup, call 813-274-8811 or visit Tampa's Hurricane Irma Recovery Information document.
TARPON SPRINGS:
- Residential garbage is now on its regular schedule.
- Storm debris free curbside pick up is a work in progress. Debris should be stacked on the right of way and should not be bundled. Do not place debris in the roadway.
- Yard waste facilities is open, however, regular prices apply for storm debris, should residents not want to wait for curbside collection.
- Commercial garbage pick-up resumed Sept. 13.
For more information, visit Tarpon Springs' Emergency Management Information.
COUNTIES:
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY: Residential garbage, recycling, and yard waste collection services resumed Sept. 13.
Contracted yard debris collection for storm debris started Sept. 18. Residents should have yard waste placed in piles along the right of way for collection. Do not block access to storm water drains, utility boxes, or roadways.
County yard waste facilities are operating Monday through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Residents must show a valid Florida driver's license to receive free yard waste disposal. Yard waste facilities open are:
- Falkenburg Road - 346 N. Falkenburg Road, Tampa 33619
- Northwest County - 8001 W. Linebaugh Ave, Tampa 33625
- South County - 13000 U.S. Highway 41, Gibsonton 33534
Visit Hillsborough County's Residential Yard Debris Collection page for more information.
MANATEE COUNTY: Debris contractors began storm debris collection on Sept. 19 for residents in unincorporated Manatee County. Over the next several weeks debris contractors will be working from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. with several crews throughout the collection area (debris collection only). Please know that these are very large trucks and may slow traffic down on streets during the collection process. Take care and watch carefully for workers in these areas.
Household garbage (trash, cups, food scraps, etc.) should be disposed of as usual. Garbage is being collected by haulers on a normal schedule as of Sept. 18.
Visit Manatee County's Debris Collection page for more information. If you have any questions, call (941) 792-8811.
PASCO COUNTY: Debris removal started the week of Sept. 18.
Residents must have all debris materials brought to the curb or roadside for pickup. Do not bag debris, refrigerators should be empty with doors secured or removed. Do not to block fire hydrants, mailboxes, electrical boxes or any other structures. Contractor generated debris will not be picked up. Requests for debris pickup must be submitted to Pasco County Customer Service Center by emailing customerservice@pascocountyfl.net,providing the address where the debris is located. Residents can also call customer service at 727.847.2411.
Debris must be separated into the following categories:
- Furniture including mattresses, couches, sofas, chairs, dressers, lumber (if NOT pressure treated), particle board, laminated flooring, dry insulation (if wet, pile with construction), carpet & padding.
- Construction including drywall, plaster board, ceramic tile, concrete, lumber (pressure treated), wet insulation
- Vegetation, tree cuttings no more than 5 feet long and all branches must be bundled.
- White Goods, appliances, metal furniture, metal shelving, bicycles, items that are more than 75 percent metal.
- Hazardous Waste – Delayed Pick-Up of any household chemicals, oil, gas, flammables, lawn & garden chemicals, televisions, computer monitors, computer towers (CPU’s) .
PINELLAS COUNTY: Debris contractors began neighborhood debris collection from the rights of way on Sept. 18. Residents should place their debris in sorted piles at the public right-of-way for curbside collection and do not block fire hydrants, storm drains or stack against poles or trees. Sort debris by item type into separate piles.
Additional zones in unincorporated Pinellas County will be added on Saturday.
- Construction and demolition debris including building material including roof shingles and siding, drywall, lumber, carpet, furniture, plumbing.
- Vegetation Debris including tree branches and logs
- Uncertain if you're in unincorporated Pinellas or within a municipality, visit www.pinellascounty.org/resident/unincorporated_areas.htm.
- Monitor debris pickup progress at this link.
POLK COUNTY: Polk County’s hauling contractor, Crowder-Gulf Inc., has begun the lengthy and detailed process to comply with FEMA reimbursement guidelines, and should begin storm debris removal from public and private roads soon. These debris-removal crews will be assigned collection priorities within unincorporated Polk County based upon highest impacted areas as determined by county officials. City liaisons will direct collection crews based upon municipal priorities.
The City of Lakeland will collect and manage those efforts within their city limits with city resources.
For more information, visit Polk County's Emergency Home Page.
SARASOTA COUNTY:
- Normal collection days resumed Sept. 13, in unincorporated areas.
- The Sarasota County Landfill is open for trash and yard waste Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. All fees are waived through Sept. 23 for vegetative storm debris residents bring in.
- Storm related debris pickup: Storm debris is not required to be bagged or bundled. Debris removal operations for larger debris placed near the right of way should have started by Sept. 18, and will continue until complete. Debris pickup may not occur on your normal collection day.
For more information, visit Sarasota County's Irma Storm Debris / Trash Services page, or call 855-866-5654
HERNANDO COUNTY:
Hernando County Emergency Management has coordinated with the Solid Waste Department to handle collecting debris caused from Hurricane Irma starting Sept. 18.
It could take a few weeks for the county to get all debris, but officials say two sweeps will be performed throughout the county.
Residents must separate debris such as tree limbs and brush from other construction/demolition debris. It should be placed in front of their property along the roadway. Do not place debris in the roadway.
For people who choose to dispose of your storm debris before Monday, they are asked to NOT take it to the convenience centers. Convenience Centers cannot accommodate the weight and size of large storm debris and it will not be accepted. Instead, dispose of it at the Northwest Solid Waste Facility (Main Landfill) located at 14450 Landfill Road in Brooksville.
Call (352) 754-4112 for more information. The main landfill location is open Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
