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East Hillsborough: Debris cleanup remains in high gear

With nearly 600 workers removing the brush, county officials are asking residents to remain patient.

They're working as fast as they can.

Even so, Hillsborough officials say it could take up to three weeks before crews get around to removing storm debris from your yard.

"We understand your frustration," said Bob Gordon, the county's public works director. "We are working through the weekend. Be patient with us. We will not forget about you."

Gordon said the county has contracted more than 200 debris crews that have almost 600 workers picking up in the wake of Hurricane Jeanne.

To help accelerate the cleanup, the county set up 23 vegetative storm debris collection sites where residents can drop off their large yard waste. The sites will remain open seven days a week through Oct. 30, with no disposal fees.

"The dropoff sites have become very popular," Gordon said.

The sites only accept vegetation because the waste will be ground into mulch for later use, said Gordon said. Items not allowed at the dropoff sites include plastic bags, pressure-treated lumber and fencing. Those can be placed at the curbside for a contracted crew to pick up.

Hurricane Frances created 110,000 cubic yards of debris, and the county still had about 40,000 cubic yards of trash left to pick up when Jeanne arrived, Gordon said. After Jeanne, Gordon estimated the county had to deal with at least five times more debris., nearly 700,000 cubic yards of storm waste.

James Ransome cq, spokesman for Hillsborough Solid Waste Management, said collection for regular yard waste - grass clippings, leaves, tree trimmings and shrubbery - has been ongoing. Grass clippings and leaves can be placed in plastic bags and left at the curb. Ransome said the excessive amount of smaller debris has caused a backlog along some routes.

Solid waste crews will pick up tree limbs less than 6- inches in diameter and cut into lengths of 4- feet or less. Contractors will handle almost everything else.

"If it's vegetative matter, there's not going to be any questions about whether it's going to be picked up," said Gordon said. "Looks like some of it is a little greener than others, but we're not questioning it. We're just picking it up."

But, Gordon said, this isn't the time for spring cleaning.

"This is not a carte blanche for people to bring out any furniture they don't want," he said.

The county has already determined some of the hardest hit areas from the storm are parts of Brandon, close to and in Valrico. Crews have identified "really heavy spots" where older oak trees were blown down. And, the county has placed drop off containers for residents to drop off in neighborhoods along the Alafia River.

To make garbage collection more effective, heed these suggestions: separate Place household garbage goes in one pile, and large storm debris in another;. Put regular yard waste, such as leaves, into a plastic bag in a separate pile.

Gordon said crews should have at least 80 percent of Hurricane Jeanne's debris picked up by Oct. 24.

- Kevin Graham can be reached at 226-3433 or kgraham@sptimes.com.Where to dump

To find out the nearest vegetative storm debris collection site or ask a question about trash pickup, call the Hillsborough County info line at 272-5900.