After moved to the right-of-way, debris is collected depending on type: vegetation; hazardous trees, limbs, and stumps; construction and demolition (shown here); white goods; hazardous commercial; hazardous household; soil, mud and sand; vehicles and vessels; utility poles and transformers; and putrescent debris (animal carcasses and “other fleshy organic matter”).
Removal contractors are pre-qualified via normal procurement procedures and responsible for obtaining all permits as well as opening, operating, and closing temporary debris staging and reduction sites (TDSRS). Of the 15 sites Manatee County preauthorized for the 2017 hurricane season, three were used for Hurricane Irma cleanup.
Debris removal contractors decided how to lay out the sites but must manage them according to Florida Department of Environmental Protection rules. A separate pre-qualified contractor, SCS Engineers, confirmed how much debris each site ultimately received.
Most of the 564,866 cubic yards of vegetation that was collected was taken to a dairy farm that’s permitted to use it for composting.
The county’s landfill accepts CD&D, but the 9,000 cubic yards generated by Hurricane Irma went to two privately owned landfills closer to where the debris was temporarily stored. SCS Engineers helped the primary collection contractor, AshBritt Environmental, get permits to use the facilities.