Keith Howard, Director |
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***Please Note: Garbage and debris generated outside of Lee County is not accepted at Lee County facilities.***
FAQs: Hurricane Irma clean up
As residents tackle property clean up, Lee County Solid Waste offers the following guidance to frequently asked questions.
What is the difference between storm-related debris and regular household trash?
Storm debris includes any trees, tree limbs and shrubs that went down in the hurricane. It also includes any fencing, flooring, furniture or wall board, etc. that had to be removed from the home due to flooding or other structural damage. This will be picked up by special debris-collection contractors.
Regular household trash is those things that you would throw away in a typical week. This will be picked up by your regular waste hauler.
When will the storm debris be collected from my curb and what should I do to prepare?
There is no schedule for when storm debris will be collected from your neighborhood. Additional debris collection vehicles arrive daily and are dispatched as soon as they are certified according to FEMA guidelines. This cleanup effort will take months; it will not be concluded until all county neighborhoods are cleared.
You can prepare for the storm debris collection by having everything at the curb in separate piles; vegetation waste should be separate from construction debris, including furniture, appliances. If you have large amounts of leaves and small twigs in plastic bags, set those aside from any brush piles. The brush will be ground into mulch and plastic cannot be in the mulch.
When will my regular household collections resume?
All three types of household collections – garbage, recycling and normal weekly yard waste – will resume on regular collection days the week of Sept. 25.
You can help speed the cleanup by placing yard waste that is in compliance out for weekly collection by your regular hauler. This includes yard waste that is bagged, bundled and tied, or in containers. Each bag, bundle or container needs to weigh less than 50 pounds. Bundles need to be less than six feet. Palm fronds can be stacked in neat piles at the curb.
Commercial and vacant properties are responsible for their own cleanup.
Lee County Solid Waste, a division of the Department of Public Utilities, provides a variety of convenient waste and recycling services to more than 320,000 households in unincorporated Lee County and six municipalities. The Division also owns and operates technologically advanced waste-to-energy and material recycling facilities, supported by a landfill and two transfer stations. In all, the disposal system handles more than 900,000 tons of waste each year.
We invite you to explore our division online, where you may:
Be on the lookout...
Our inspectors are hitting the road with bright new truck graphics reminding everyone to Recycle Smart. Coming soon to a neighborhood near you!
