SARASOTA, Fla. — For residents of Sarasota, Monday will begin the final pass for storm debris from Hurricanes Helene and Milton – a process that's expected to last into December.
The city of Sarasota urged residents to take the weekend to "prepare any remaining storm debris for collection." City contractors will do a final sweep of the city starting on Monday. The debris left out for pickup must be hurricane-related.
"Residents will need to call the Solid Waste Division for special pickup of non-hurricane-related items," Todd Kucharski, the general manager of the public works department, said in a statement.
Sarasota officials said that more than 291,300 cubic yards, or 407,834 tons, of storm debris had been collected throughout the city as of Friday afternoon.
"This figure is more than eight times the amount of debris collected in the same amount of time following Hurricane Irma in 2017," the city said.
More than 8,700 truckloads of debris have been collected.
Residents preparing debris for the final day of pickup should follow these guidelines:
- Separate debris into piles for vegetative debris, construction/demolition debris, bulk items and white goods (appliances).
- Do not place any storm debris in plastic bags.
- Ensure debris piles are at least 6 feet away from obstructions including utility poles, mailboxes, backflow preventers, water meters, trees and vehicles.
Any green vegetative waste, or waste that was recently cut or newly fallen, such as lawn clippings, leaves or tree limbs, will not be collected by debris contractors. This waste should be properly prepared as regular yard waste.
For special pickup of non-hurricane-related items, call the Solid Waste Division at 941-263-6170.
To view a storm debris collection map, tap or click here. Questions about storm debris pickup can be directed to the Storm Debris Hotline at 833-947-7739.