TAMPA, Fla. — After Hurricane Ian made its way through the Tampa Bay region, homeowners have likely noticed their yards full of debris.
As people clean up the storm's mess to keep themselves and others safe, they will need a place to get rid of it.
Luckily, several counties in the local area are reopening debris drop-off sites and landfills beginning as soon as Friday, Sept. 30. There are also some counties that will be resuming their public works crews to pick up the debris near people's homes.
Hillsborough County
As people clean up the mess left behind by the storm, Hillsborough County will have four residential storm yard waste debris drop-off sites open beginning on Friday, Sept. 30, the county's emergency operations center said in a news release.
The locations will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and are located in Seffner, Tampa, and Gibsonton.
People are asked to show valid identification with their Hillsborough County address to receive free disposal. Also, any yard waste is not allowed to be bagged at the drop-off locations.
Below are the addresses of the four debris drop-off sites:
- Hillsborough Heights, 6209 County Rd. 579 - Seffner
- Falkenburg Yard Waste Site, 350 Falkenburg Rd. - Tampa
- Northwest Transfer Station, 8001 W. Linebaugh Ave. - Tampa
- South County Transfer Station, 13000 U.S. Hwy. 41 - Gibsonton
Hillsborough County EOC said the solid waste department will also resume normal operations for curbside trash and recycling pick-up on Friday, Sept. 30.
"Normal curbside residential yard waste collection will resume Monday, Oct. 3., however, yard waste will only be collected in bags or containers limited to the normal 12 bags or containers per household," the county's EOC said in a news release.
For more information, click here.
Manatee County
On Monday, Oct. 3., tipping fees at Lena Road Landfill for storm debris caused by Hurricane Ian will be waived for people in Manatee County.
The landfill will work on extended hours and be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The county says that lines and wait times may be longer than usual.
Garbage and recycling collections will resume the same day that the landfill reopens.
The county says people need to be cautioned about the separate types of debris they bring to the landfill to ensure the removal is properly done by vendors.
Below is how the county requires each type of debris needs to be separated:
- Normal household trash
- Vegetative debris (leaves, branches, logs, plants)
- Construction and demolition debris (building materials, wood fencing, mattresses, carpet, drywall, furniture, lumber)
Pasco County
Public Work crews in Pasco County are beginning to clear debris from roadways, the county said in a news release on Thursday.
To help people get rid of the storm debris left behind by Hurricane Ian, the county said that tipping fees will be waived at sites through Oct. 8., at two locations.
The Spring Hill site opens at 12 p.m. and the Dade City site is now open. Yard debris is limited to three bags per household at the Dade City site.
Below are the locations of the two sites:
- West Pasco Resource Recovery Facility, 14606 Hays Rd. - Spring Hill
- East Pasco Transfer Station, 9626 Handcart Rd. - Dade City
Those who want to get rid of their sandbags must go to the following places:
- Magnolia Valley Golf Course, 7223 Massachusetts Ave. - New Port Richey
- Wesley Chapel District Park, 7727 Boyette Rd. - Wesley Chapel
Pinellas County
The city of St. Petersburg will begin collecting debris from homes on Monday, Oct. 3.
Below are the restrictions people must follow for their yard waste to be picked up.
- Only green vegetation will be collected and people are asked to sort out any normal garbage or other construction materials from the green vegetation
- Vegetation can be left on the edge of your property line but must not block meters or stack vegetation against other items, like trees or garbage cans.
- St. Pete crews will collect debris from all houses and will follow normal sanitation routes.
- People should not call and report the need for a special sanitation pickup
- Debris may not be picked up on the first scheduled trash pickup date but you should expect the process to take time as city crews work the entire city grid
People who want to get rid of their yard waste themselves can do so by going to one of the five brush sites located with St. Pete. They will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. beginning on Friday, Sept. 30., until Sunday, Oct. 8.
The addresses to the brush sites are listed below:
- 1000 62nd Ave. NE.
- 7750 26th Ave. N.
- 2500 26th Ave. S.
- 4015 Dr. Martin Luther King St. S.
- 2453 20th Ave. N.
All debris at the brush sites must not contain metal, plastics or lumber. Also, stumps need to weigh less than 300 pounds and large limbs or logs should be less than five feet long.
To learn more, click here.
People in Gulfport are asked to put all storm debris in the right of way in front of their homes. Customers in the area that are scheduled for regular pick up on Thursday will have their yard waste collected on Friday instead.
The Public Works Department will pick up all storm debris on its second pass, the city said in a news release.
Sarasota County
City of Sarasota officials are working with contractors to create a debris collection schedule. Until then, people can put yard waste in containers or bags as part of the city's regular waste collection. Pickups began on Sept. 3. Unbagged storm debris needs to be placed curbside for contractors to pick up in the future, the city said.
Damage caused by Hurricane Ian appears to be limited in Sarasota after numerous people have reported downed trees and utility lines in the middle of roads.
The recovery phase to assist people in more than 200 locations with some level of damage is underway, the city of Sarasota said in a news release.
There will be two free public drop-off sites for people to dispose their vegetative storm debris in the county on Monday, Oct. 3. They will be open from 8 a.m to 6 p.m.
People must unload storm debris themselves and are required to show proof of Sarasota County residency. The county says commercial debris is not permitted.
Below are the locations of the drop-off sites:
- Rothenbach Park, 8650 Bee Ridge Rd. - Sarasota
- 250 S. Jackson Rd. - Venice
Debris pickup from contractors will begin in Venice on Monday.
There are currently five scheduled truck locations and another two will begin in the middle of the week, the City of Venice said in a news release.
Below is where the trucks will be operating:
- 4 trucks on the island of Venice in Zones 1 and 2
- 1 truck in Zone 3
- 2 more trucks will start later in Zones 3 and 4
The first-pass collection will take about 30 to 40 days.
"The City is working diligently with its debris hauling and monitoring contractors to remove storm debris in the most efficient and effective manner possible and in compliance with the FEMA guidelines," the City of Venice said. "Currently, the City is authorized to collect debris on City owned rights-of-way, public parks, hazardous leaning and hanging trees in public areas and some non-gated, single-family communities."