ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — Pinellas County Solid Waste Disposal facility opened up 24/7 ahead of Hurricane Milton.
“We had high hopes that we would be able to get a lot done but we’ve been in line now for an hour and a half and we’re still not halfway through that line,” said Pinellas County resident Kelly Kipnis.
Residents line up to dispose of debris caused by Hurricane Helene just two weeks ago. The wait time to dispose of debris is around 3 to 4 hours.
Kipnis said this will be her and her husband’s only trip to this site today.
The couple came to drop off debris for neighbors after Hurricane Helene left their street in shambles.
“It looks like a warzone honestly. There were houses, house after house after house with debris piled up as high as you can imagine.”
Many people in line including Kipnis were worried they were losing precious time to prepare for Hurricane Milton. And they weren’t the only ones.
“I actually went to the wrong one this morning and had to pay which the next trip I’m going to go to that one because this is definitely too much,” said Sheldon Hodler, an independent contractor.
Many in Pinellas County are now concerned about what they’ll have to face once Milton moves through.
“It’s terrifying to think with this next storm with the wind and the rain with all of that debris so,” said Kipnis.
Solid Waste staff and FHP will continue to screen traffic and direct storm debris haulers to the correct gate- to try and keep the line moving as quickly as possible.
Residents can enter through the 34th Street Gate, and there is no charge for debris disposal. The gate will be open 24/7 until operations are shut down by Hurricane Milton, according to Pinellas County Government.
Household hazardous waste should be taken to the HHW facility located at 2855 109th Avenue North, Saint Petersburg. This includes damaged lithium-ion batteries.
The City of St. Petersburg has more debris sites open. The information they sent to 8 On Your Side is below:
The City opened a new debris management site on Sunday for residents and their private haulers to drop off storm debris at 1953 72nd St. N (across from Azalea Park). Please enter on 72nd St. and exit on 22nd Ave. N. As Milton continues to develop, the City is encouraging everyone to secure as much storm debris as possible.
Operating hours: 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
What you can bring:
– Construction and demolition storm debris
– Vegetative debris – All brush sites are open 7 days a week. 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Please bring brush to brush sites if possible. Locations: 1000 62nd Ave.
NE, 7750 26th Ave. N, 2500 26th Ave. S, 4015 Dr. Martin Luther King St. S,
2453 20th Ave. N
– Hazardous materials will not be accepted. Please store hazardous material in a safe location until after the storm.
What to know before you go:
– Storm debris from St. Pete residents and private haulers hired by St. Pete residents will be accepted at this site.
– Residents should bring their driver’s license or a water bill. If you have hired a private hauler, please fill out this form ahead of time:
https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcms5.revize.com%2Frevize%2Fstpete%2FResidents%2Futility_services%2Ftrash_recycling%2Fdocs%2FBrush%2520site%2520consent%2520form%252006.pdf&data=05%7C02%7CCSparks%40wfla.com%7Ceb804d3933c54a32480208dce6e3f768%7C9e5488e2e83844f6886cc7608242767e%7C0%7C0%7C638639113991619826%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=nsFyE0aU%2Fl83ygn5hElM2GPnY%2Bg92DuVk7FbJmhGn7E%3D&reserved=0
– Separate debris.
– Be prepared to unload the debris yourself. Staff is unable to assist with unloading.
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