Widespread destruction caused by back-to-back hurricanes has left unprecedented amounts of debris in the City of Tampa. Clean up efforts began immediately, with the Solid Waste Department stepping up to this challenge with ambitious goals. It is an enormous job, given the enormous amounts of both residential and storm debris that hurricanes Helene and Milton left, but the Solid Waste Department is raising its payment rate to hire additional haulers and increase its bandwidth.
With 32 Solid Waste trucks and 23 contracted trucks actively collecting storm debris across the city, on average, 3,750 cubic yards of storm debris and residential debris have been collected per day since Hurricane Helene. This is equivalent to 18 football fields. Department leaders estimate the total amount of debris caused by both hurricanes Helene and Milton to be approximately 1,000,000 cubic yards, or 10,000 football fields. Back in 2017, a total of 175,000 cubic yards was collected after Hurricane Irma.
A map of the City of Tampa, outlining the storm debris collection areas, has been produced to keep the community informed of where crews have completed debris collection and which areas crews will be working in next. This map is updated daily. To avoid long trips to the McKay Bay Waste-to-Energy Plant, where all City of Tampa waste is burned to create energy, the haulers are dropping off debris at five different stations located in different areas the city.
Speed and efficiency remain the priority to help neighborhoods recover from two major hurricanes. But regional competition for hauling services and higher rates are challenges the Solid Waste Department is facing. Nevertheless, the City of Tampa is doing everything possible to get the job done within 90 days.
“Just like it takes, on average, homeowners about three weeks to remove all the debris from their flooded homes, removing storm debris from our entire city takes time,” said Mayor Jane Castor. “We want residents to remain assured we are stretching our current resources and working through the challenges in order to clean up our communities as quickly as they deserve. Though patience is wearing thin and everyone wants the debris out of sight, we will get through this soon.”
The City of Tampa’s two authorized debris collection contractors are hiring subcontractors. Interested companies should contact either Ashbritt at [email protected] or Phillips and Jordan Environmental at [email protected].
Alternatively, residents who want debris removed faster can take their debris to the McKay Bay Transfer Station, located at 114 S 34th Street, at no charge. Privately-hired companies are charged $95 per ton.
Residents are reminded to not bag storm debris and instead leave it in a pile outside next to the roadway.