The howling of the wind has died down, floodwaters have receded and debris has been collected; what remains are large piles of the collected vegetation and manmade goods.
How much debris? The numbers from Hillsborough County indicate that the accumulated total consisting of vegetation, building materials and personal possessions amounts to an estimated 4.8 million cubic feet, a volume that could fill Raymond James Stadium 11 times, per the county’s calculations.
According to Kim Byer, who administers the county’s public works efforts, finding a place to put all that debris is a major task.
“Following a major debris-generating event such as Hurricane Milton, there can be challenges in finding properly permitted facilities, as there is a large volume of mulch available from the projects across Florida,” she said in an email. “Mulch from debris collection activities resulting from Hurricanes Helene and Milton will be taken to a properly permitted facility that can accept mulch. Uses for this material may include composting, decorative mulch, biofuel, soil amendment and/or alternative daily cover at privately operated landfills.”
Byer added that a lot of knowledge has been acquired about dealing with an unprecedented mess like what the 2024 hurricane season left behind.
“Planners have learned how crucial communication and coordination is amongst the numerous stakeholders involved when there is a significant debris-generating event. There were a number of different departments as well as municipalities that pulled together their resources, expertise and experience to ensure we could carry out a successful debris operation,” said Byer.
Much of the debris has been brought to county properties such as the Sydney Dover Conservation Park, which has been closed because of the debris. Officials have not indicated when those facilities will reopen to the public.
While the large-scale collection operation has ended, residents can still dispose of debris with their appropriate regular trash pickups, adhering to regular pickup requirements, or take the material to a county waste facility. According to the county’s website, vegetative debris can only be disposed of at the South County and Northwest County Waste Disposal facilities, which also accept solid waste. Three other community collection centers, located in Seffner, Plant City and Wimauma, only accept construction and other solid waste material.
You must be logged in to post a comment.