Wendy Hicks and Ashley Mickler of the St. Johns County Solid Waste Division were the guests at the Ponte Vedra Beaches Coalition meeting on July 26.
The primary talking points focused on emergency debris and limb pickup during hurricane season.
According to Mickler, it is important to get the word out and inform the public what they can to help expedite the pickup process following a storm.
“We’ve been experiencing some delay in yard waste collection,” Mickler said.
The delays are due to the national workforce shortage and an inability to find people willing to work.
However, Mickler assured that St. Johns County is working closely with Republic Services to find solutions to combat the problem.
“We understand that a lot of people are frustrated, and we are doing everything we can to figure out the best ways to handle it moving forward,” Mickler said.
Republic Services handles trash, recycle and debris pickup for 86,000 residential units in the north end of the county.
Part of making sure debris pickup is the most efficient it can be after a storm is often the steps taken prior to the storm hitting the area.
The following are guidelines for residents before a storm:
■ Secure all garbage and recycling containers and place them in a secure location away from open spaces.
■ Stop all yard maintenance and tree trimming activities.
■ Bundle and tie down all loose trash including tree limbs, wood planks, and building and roof tiles. Place these materials in a location where they cannot become hazardous in the event of high winds.
■ Advanced Disposal & Republic Services will continue to collect household garbage, recycling, and yard waste until sustained winds reach 35 miles per hour or local authorities instruct St. Johns County to suspend service.
“Make sure anything that could fly away is tied down, so that it won’t become a hazard for neighbors,” Mickler said.
Debris pickup will be suspended if sustained winds reach 35 mph.
The first major storm of the year to impact the state was Hurricane Elsa, which fortunately did not stress the debris pickup process very much.
“We were ecstatic not to be affected at all,”
Mickler said. “All our departments are fully prepared no matter what. Our communications plans are done way ahead of time.”
Part of those plans include the solid waste division working closely with the St. Johns County emergency management team.
The following are emergency storm debris guidelines:
■ Place storm debris in piles along the curbside.
■ Pile storm-related debris un-bagged at the curb. (No leaves or small items)
■ Place storm debris at least three feet from utility boxes, mailboxes, poles, fire hydrants and other obstacles.
■ Separate vegetation from all other storm-related debris.
■ Normal household garbage, recycling, and bagged debris of any kind will not be picked up with storm debris. Please continue to follow your normal garbage removal schedule.
■ No chemicals or hazardous waste will be collected curbside. All hazardous waste may be brought to Tillman Ridge or Stratton Road Transfer Stations for disposal during operating hours
“Storm debris is one of the first things people ask about after a storm,” Mickler said. “They want to know when their debris is getting picked up and when are their lights coming back on.”
According to Mickler, the meeting seemed to go great and members of the Beaches Coalition in attendance seemed to appreciate all that they had to say.
“At the end, a lot of them had good things to say and were very positive,” Mickler said.
