Where Does Our Storm Debris Go?
My neighborhood is full of piles of wilting branches, neatly stacked beside each mailbox. The morning after Ian, my neighbors and I waved at each other in our respective yards, gathering and dragging limbs toward the curb. It’s a tradition for Floridians. But what happens when the debris is hauled away? Where does it go?
The answer is, it’s hauled to a contractor, where it is ground up. Once that’s done, it will be sold back to us as compost and mulch. Well, it’s not quite that simple. Different types of refuse require different types of treatment. But generally speaking, the limbs that are being carted off now stand a good chance of showing up again in the spring as you work on your flower beds. Crazy, huh?
Some towns don’t have a clear plan for their organic waste yet, opting to make it up as they go. However, most of the debris will be spread across lower lying areas, farm land and even other states. Many counties have assigned huge haulers to be placed across our region where citizens can drop off the debris in central locations. Once the entire stack of stuff is collected by the contractors, cities will pay the bill to have it go away. So, as the pile at the end of your driveway wilts and browns, know that it will disappear soon. But it may be back in the spring.
Source: Axios.com
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