Tampa Republic

Widespread destruction from consecutive hurricanes has resulted in a significant accumulation of debris in Tampa. The city's Solid Waste Department has responded swiftly, aiming to address the challenge by increasing its payment rate to hire more haulers and enhance its capacity.

Currently, 32 Solid Waste trucks and 23 contracted trucks are actively engaged in collecting storm debris across Tampa. On average, they have been gathering about 3,750 cubic yards of debris daily since Hurricane Helene, equating to 18 football fields. Department leaders estimate that the total debris from Hurricanes Helene and Milton is approximately 1,000,000 cubic yards or about 10,000 football fields. For context, after Hurricane Irma in 2017, a total of 175,000 cubic yards was collected.

A map outlining storm debris collection areas has been made available to inform residents about completed and upcoming cleanup zones. This map is updated daily. To streamline operations and reduce travel time to the McKay Bay Waste-to-Energy Plant where waste is incinerated for energy production, haulers are depositing debris at five stations across the city.

The department's focus remains on speed and efficiency to aid neighborhoods' recovery efforts. However, competition for hauling services and rising rates pose challenges. Despite these obstacles, Tampa aims to complete the cleanup within 90 days.

Mayor Jane Castor emphasized patience: “Just like it takes homeowners about three weeks to remove all the debris from their flooded homes, removing storm debris from our entire city takes time,” she stated. “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.”

Tampa's two authorized contractors for debris collection are seeking subcontractors. Interested parties can contact Ashbritt at lcosta@ashbritt.com or Phillips and Jordan Environmental at bsmallwood@pandjenv.com.

Residents desiring faster removal can take their debris directly to the McKay Bay Transfer Station at no charge. Privately-hired companies incur a fee of $95 per ton.

Residents are advised not to bag storm debris but instead leave it piled next to roadways for collection.