Hurricane Irma clean up continues
Fort Myers, FL, Sept. 15, 2017–Lee County Solid Waste will work to clear hurricane debris starting with the hardest - hit areas. Regular household collections are underway – please be sure to have spoiled food securely tied in plastic bags and at your curb on your regularly scheduled collection day.
For storm debris, please use the following guidelines to ensure debris can be removed from your residential property in the most timely and efficient manner. Businesses need to contact their insurer regarding property damage and clean up.
· Most Important - Storm debris will be collected separately from your normal household trash and recycling so please keep it in separate piles.
· Place debris at the curb in separate piles: garbage, yard waste, building debris, appliances, and other wastes. The Federal Emergency Management Agency requires documentation of the volume and type of debris collected to reimburse the county for storm clean up.
· Do not set household chemicals at the curb – those need to be taken to the Topaz Court Solid Waste Annex at 6441 Topaz Court, Fort Myers, FL 33966. Mixing chemicals with your other debris creates a fire hazard.
· For the safety of the collection crews, do not place anything beneath low hanging obstacles like trees or power lines or near anything like water meters, fire hydrants, or mail boxes.
· Yard waste from this storm event does not need to be bundled. Place it in piles that can easily be managed by collection personnel with a claw truck.
· Only debris generated by the storm event on maintained residential property is eligible for collection. Land clearing debris from unimproved or unmaintained land is not eligible for collection and is the responsibility of the property owner.
· If you live in a gated community, please leave your storm debris at your curb. Debris that has been moved to a common area (a clubhouse, for example) is not eligible for pickup under FEMA guidelines.
· Food must be removed from any appliance set at the curb. Inedible food should be properly placed in containers or bagged and placed with the garbage.
· The Solid Waste Division’s storm debris crews may require several passes to collect all debris depending on the severity of the impact in your area. Please monitor the news and the Solid Waste website at leegov.com/solidwaste for detailed collection information for your specific area.
The Lee County Solid Waste Division is a nationally recognized enterprise system providing residents and businesses safe, affordable waste disposal and recycling services. The system utilizes an energy - from - waste combustion process to create clean, renewable energy and single-stream recycling for material recovery. For more information visit our website at leegov.com/solidwaste or call 239-533-8000.