Communities across Southwest Florida that were impacted by Hurricane Milton are now addressing the debris the storm left behind.
Public drop-off sites have been set up and strict rules about how the debris is to be placed for collection are in place.
LEE COUNTY
Public drop off
Residents who have the ability and desire to self-haul Hurricane Milton debris while waiting for roadside pickup can use four public drop-off sites which will open Monday for vegetative, construction and demolition debris.
Be prepared to show identification and be a resident of unincorporated Lee County. Accepted forms of ID include driver’s license, utility bill, rental or lease agreement, or local business license. You will be asked to complete a waiver confirming the debris came from your property.
Waivers can be found online at https://www.leegov.com/solidwaste/hurricane, or you can receive a form on site.
For residents:
Only storm debris will be accepted, and you must be prepared to unload your trucks yourself. Four locations open Monday with operating hours 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. No more than 5 cubic yards of debris may be dropped off at a time.
- 5031 Pine Island Road, Bokeelia
- 50 South Road, Fort Myers
- 18078 Cypress Point Road, San Carlos Park
- 13801 Orange River Blvd., Buckingham
For businesses:
Lee County commercial businesses are encouraged to take their storm debris to the Waste-to-Energy Facility, 10500 Buckingham Road, and will be charged by weight. It will be open regular hours from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
For landscaping companies:
Landscaping companies hauling vegetative storm debris cleared from residential properties will need a signed declaration from the resident indicating the address where the debris was generated. No debris will be accepted without a signed declaration.
Hazardous Waste:
Residents can drop off household hazardous waste, free of charge, at the Household Chemical Waste and Electronic Recycling Center located at 6441 Topaz Court, Fort Myers.
Regular trash pickup reminder:
Lee County Solid Waste garbage collection will resume Monday, Oct. 14, on the normally scheduled day for all routes in Lee County franchise areas that are accessible to collection trucks. This collection is for household garbage only, which includes everyday trash items and all spoiled food.
The county on Monday also will begin Hurricane Milton storm debris pickup throughout the impacted areas of Lee County. Storm debris is collected separately from household garbage. Residents are urged to set out all Milton debris today for the county’s contractors to collect.
Use the following guidelines so that work crews can quickly and efficiently remove debris:
- Most Important – Please set storm debris at the curb away from your normal weekly garbage service; it will be collected and documented separately.
- Place storm debris at the curb in four separate piles: household garbage, appliances (white goods), yard waste and construction and demolition debris. Federal Emergency Management Agency rules require documentation of the volume and type of debris collected to reimburse the county for storm cleanup, which saves local taxpayer dollars.
- Household garbage must be placed in a 40-gallon can or heavy plastic bag, each weighing no more than 50 pounds. If you have a larger county-provided container for automated garbage collection, you may use that as well.
- Place yard waste in piles that can easily be managed by collection personnel with a claw truck.
- To expedite collection, do not place anything beneath low hanging obstacles like trees or power lines or near anything like fire hydrants or mailboxes.
- Food must be removed from any appliance set at the curb. Inedible food should be placed with your normal weekly garbage.
For private or gated communities: FEMA regulations require that private or gated communities have a current Right of Entry and Indemnification form on file with Lee County before any disaster debris recovery crews are allowed to enter the community. Lee County has an easy, online process for submitting the necessary paperwork.
Forms are available at for communities located within unincorporated Lee County. If you are unsure if your community has a current Right of Entry form on file, have your community association manager or home-owner association president call 239-533-8000.
Boca Grande
Beginning at noon Monday, Oct. 14, contractors will be able to access Boca Grande. Contractors will need to show identification and some type of documentation that shows they are doing Hurricane Milton-related work for residents.
Sanibel
Waste Management will be back on the island Monday, October 14, to resume household trash pickup in accordance with the normal collection schedule. WM will be concentrating efforts on picking up household trash. Recycling will not be picked up this week.
Debris pickup for the City of Sanibel is expected to begin on Wednesday, October 16. Sanibel residents who can safely do so are asked to place any storm-generated debris on the public right-of-way.
The public right-of-way is the area of residential property that extends from the street to the sidewalk, ditch, utility pole or easement. Residents are urged to separate the debris as follows:
- VEGETATIVE DEBRIS (whole trees, tree stumps, tree branches, tree trunks and other leafy material)
- CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION DEBRIS (damaged components of buildings and structures such lumber and wood, wall board, glass, metal, roofing materials, tile, furnishings, and fixtures)
- APPLIANCES/ WHITE GOODS (refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, heat pumps, ovens, ranges, washing machines, clothes dryers and water heaters)
- ELECTRONIC WASTE (computers, televisions, office electronic equipment, etc.)
- HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE (materials that are ignitable, reactive, toxic or corrosive such as paints, cleaners, pesticides, etc.)
Only loose debris will be collected. Bagged debris should not be placed on the public right-of-way.
Make every attempt to avoid stacking debris below low-hanging power or utility lines, and do not place debris within four feet of:
- MAILBOXES
- WATER METERS
- FIRE HYDRANTS
- ANY OTHER ABOVE GROUND UTILITY
Only debris placed on the public right-of-way will be eligible for collection until further notice. If all debris is not picked up during the initial pass, please continue to push remaining debris to the right-of-way for collection on subsequent passes.
As debris is cleared, it is likely nails and screws will be repeatedly dropped in the roadway. To prevent flat tires, residents are asked to collect and dispose of any nails and screws found in front of residences.
Commercial properties, including condominiums, are not allowed to place storm debris in the public right-of-way. Commercial properties are required to keep debris on their property for their private contractors to haul away.
Fort Myers Beach
Town of Fort Myers Beach, FL – The Town is mobilizing our disaster recovery provider, Crowder Gulf, and FEMA monitor, Tetra Tech, for Hurricane Milton Debris pickup! This team will be collecting four types of storm debris. Each type needs to be in a separate pile in order to be collected.
The four types include:
- Electronic Waste
- Construction Debris (Construction & Demolition)
- Vegetation
- Appliances
How to put debris out:
- Electronic waste such as computers, printers, copiers, scanners and televisions should be placed in a separate pile.
- Construction and demolition debris includes carpet, furniture, shingles, fencing and other debris resulting from storm damage to homes and structures. This debris will be collected from the curb on multiple passes.
- Vegetative debris includes tree branches, logs and plants. This debris should not be bagged and can be left at the curb. This debris will be collected on multiple passes.
- Appliances can be left at the curb with all food removed. This debris will be picked up on multiple passes.
Collection will begin on Monday, October 14, 2024. Please begin placing your storm debris at the curb throughout the week to ensure you have ample time to have it removed.
Bonita Springs
The City of Bonita Springs has initiated the recovery process following Hurricane Milton. Debris pickup is underway. City residents who can safely do so are asked to place any storm-generated debris on the public right-of-way. The public right-of-way is the area of residential property that extends from the street to the sidewalk, ditch, utility pole or easement. Only loose debris will be collected, bagged debris should not be placed on the public right-of-way. Make every attempt to avoid stacking debris below low hanging power or utility lines.
Do not place debris within four feet of:
- Mailboxes
- Water Meters
- Fire Hydrants
- Any other above-ground utility
Only debris placed on the public right-of-way will be eligible for collection until further notice. If all debris is not picked up during the initial pass, please continue to push the remaining debris to the right-of-way for collection on subsequent passes.
Lee County Trash Collections: Regular service will resume Monday, October 14th, 2024, following the regular schedule for all accessible routes within the county’s franchise areas. Only put out trash. Recycling and yard waste collections are delayed until October 21st, 2024.
Collier County
Place Milton debris by the curbside, at least three feet apart, in separate piles of: yard waste, construction and demolition (furniture, carpet), household hazardous waste, electronic waste and appliances.
Do not mix waste piles.
Debris will be collected by a separate hauler than the usual garbage hauler.
When placing curbside, avoid blocking the road, driveways, sidewalks, mailboxes and fire hydrants.
Visit Hurricane Preparedness | Collier County, FL (colliercountyfl.gov) for instructions on setting out yard waste and hurricane debris at the curb. For more information, call Customer Service at 239-252-2380.
Sarasota County/City
Regular recycling pickup for City of Sarasota residents will resume Thursday, Oct. 17 following prior delays due to a power outage at the recycling processing plant.
Regular garbage collection has also resumed, with yard waste pickup remaining suspended until storm debris pickup begins. Once storm debris pickup is underway, yard waste can be included in vegetative debris piles.
The City has activated all three of its emergency storm debris pickup contracts to help expedite recovery. Pickup dates will be announced in the coming days. To ensure timely pickup, the following guidelines should be followed:
- Do not use plastic bags
- Storm debris should be separated into four piles:
- Construction debris – fencing, carpeting, dry wall and other flood-impacted construction materials
- White goods - appliances including refrigerators, ranges, washing machines, dryers, air conditioning units and water heaters
- Bulk items – furniture and accessories, mattresses and other items affected by flood water within a home or structure
- Vegetative debris – downed tree branches, limbs and vegetative material resulting from Hurricane Helene
Following these guidelines is important as it allows the City to be reimbursed by FEMA for the costs of debris collection.
For more information, contact the Solid Waste Division at 941-263-6170.
Residents can also dispose of storm debris directly at the Sarasota County landfill at 4000 Knights Trail Road. More information about County landfill guidelines and hours can be found here.
Public Drop-Off Sites for Vegetative Storm Debris:
Sarasota County is establishing public drop-off sites for vegetative storm debris that will be available for free to all county residents including both unincorporated and municipal residents. We expect to provide the locations, dates, and times of operation by mid-week.
Storm Debris Collection:
On Monday, Oct. 14, debris vendors will resume collection of both construction and vegetative debris in unincorporated Sarasota County. The vendors will begin collection on the barrier islands and other areas in the Level A evacuation level. In the coming weeks, all unincorporated areas of Sarasota County will have collection by these vendors.
Regular Collection:
Garbage, recycling and yard waste collections for residents in unincorporated Sarasota County have resumed regular collection schedules for roadways that are accessible to collection vehicles. Properly prepared yard waste (no plastic bags) will be collected as part of normal collection. Remember to place recycling carts separately from other materials so that collection vehicles can access them. This collection will continue on Monday. If your pick-up day is Monday, then you’re scheduled to receive service Monday.
Residents may experience delays in collection services due to an increase in the amount of garbage and yard waste placed curbside over the upcoming weeks. Please leave materials curbside if they are not collected on your regularly scheduled day.
Central County Landfill:
The landfill, located at 4000 Knights Trail Road, will be open for normal operations on Monday.
Manatee County
Starting Monday, Manatee County debris removal efforts will be augmented with additional contractors to ramp up roadside debris removal operations. Removal teams will transport the roadside debris to temporary drop locations strategically placed throughout the county to ensure efficient removal of debris from our neighborhoods. Permanent removal of storm related debris from the temporary sites will be determined later.
As a reminder, county crews and contractors cannot go onto private property to collect debris. However, if that debris is piled in the right of way, debris haulers will collect it. If you see haulers in your area and they don’t pick up your debris, don’t worry—they will be making multiple passes. Debris collection is scheduled to proceed for several weeks with no exact timeline for completion. Debris will be collected until the job is done. For curbside pickup, please separate debris from regular garbage and separate the debris into the following three categories:
- Vegetative (e.g., tree branches)
- Construction/Demolition (e.g., building materials, fencing, furniture, mattresses)
- Appliances/White Goods
Do not place debris in bags; instead, create piles at your curb. Debris should be placed at least 3 feet away from structures such as mailboxes, vehicles, and backflow prevention assemblies. Avoid placing debris near low-lying or downed power lines.
Trash and recycling collections will return to their normal schedule this week. The Lena Rd. Landfill (3333 Lena Rd., Bradenton) will reopen Monday, October 14 with extended hours of operation: 6 a.m. to midnight, daily, until further notice. Tipping fees have been waived for Manatee County residents.
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