| SARASOTA COUNTY – In less than 20 days, Sarasota County Solid Waste contractors have collected over 1 million cubic yards of vegetative storm debris from areas of unincorporated county. The 1,052,879 cubic yards is enough to fill more than 322 Olympic-sized swimming pools of debris removed from public right-of-way. After Hurricane Ian, vegetative debris was estimated to be five times more than the debris from Hurricane Irma. The county began vegetative debris collection on Oct. 6 and in eight days surpassed the 300,000 cubic yards of vegetative debris collected over four months following Hurricane Irma. “We’re grateful to our staff and contractors who continue to operate seven days a week to collect storm debris in unincorporated Sarasota County. Their tremendous efforts and response are unparalleled as we all work together to recover from the impacts of Hurricane Ian,” said Brian Usher, director of the county’s Solid Waste Department. “The community has been incredibly patient and it’s remarkable to see neighbor helping neighbor throughout this recovery. We appreciate the community’s willingness to support this challenging collection process,” added Usher.Debris collection vehicles pick up different types of debris from residences on different days. Check the status of collection zones on the interactive map here. If a zone appears in blue, contractors are still working in that zone, and there is no need to report a missed pickup. If a zone appears in green, it is considered complete for the first pass. There will be a second pass. |
| Two free public drop-off sites remain available for residents to self-haul and self-unload vegetative storm debris from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., daily:Rothenbach Park, 8650 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota.Jackson Road Transfer Station, 250 S. Jackson Road, Venice.Public drop-off sites require proof of residency. |  |
| Assessment teams visited active collection zones in unincorporated county to evaluate the amount of construction and demolition (C&D) debris and household goods that have been placed curbside. Collection for C&D debris and household goods is underway in active zones that were cleared of vegetative storm debris during the first pass. C&D debris includes bricks, lumber, siding, gutters, roof/shingles, screens, drywall, vinyl/wood fences, aluminum and screening. These items should be placed separately from household goods, which include items such as carpets, furniture and other large household items. Hazardous waste items including paints, chemicals, cleaning supplies and batteries will not be collected. These materials should be disposed of at the Bee Ridge Chemical Collection Center, 8750 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, or the Central County Landfill, 4010 Knights Trail Road, Nokomis, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Burning of any storm debris is prohibited by the county code and can adversely impact the community’s air quality with nuisance conditions. For more information call the Sarasota County Contact Center by dialing 3-1-1 or visit scgov.net. |