PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — "I will be glad when it’s all gone," Charlotte County resident James Lilley expressing concerns of debris being in the way, "People are parked on both sides of the road, their narrow roads, no shoulders or sidewalks and you try to drive through there and you have to back up because you can’t get past through peoples trash and their debris."
Lilley, who only lives two miles up the road says his neighborhood has been cleared up, with the exception of the mobile home park near by. On Monday afternoon he was out helping helping his friends who live on Garlin Ln.
If you've driven down Burtnstore Rd after hurricane Ian, you can still see piles of debris on the side of the road and in the interior neighborhoods, they're waiting for those piles to become less and less.
Residents in the area can see just how much debris has been hauled in and out through the Debris Tech Website and as December 1st approaches, Lilley says his community is resilient and knew that clean-up would take time, " They saw it, they got it too, if your neighbors got debris, you’ve got debris and you’re dealing with it, and everybody is going to kick in and help each other out."
A spokesperson with the city of Punta Gorda says, "We anticipate that we will have the majority of vegetative and construction debris, generated by Hurricane Ian, picked up in the City limits of Punta Gorda by December 16th."
Also, regular residential yard waste services will resume on Tuesday, November 29. The following guidelines must be followed for yard waste collection. Before regular residential yard waste resumes, the city wants you to know
Each residential property is limited to a combined total of three (3) for the following items:
Yard waste can
Paper lawn/leaf bags
Bundles
Each can or bag shall not weigh more than thirty-five (35) pounds. Plastic bags are not permitted for yard waste. Each yard waste can must have a lid and handles. We encourage residents to purchase a garbage tote with wheels, a lid, and a metal bar across the front that are compatible with the City refuse trucks from any local hardware store.
Limbs, branches, palm fronds, and similar yard waste must be less than four (4) feet in length and be tied with string or rope into bundles. Loose items that are longer than four (4) feet in length and not bundled will not be collected. Bundles shall not weigh more than 35 pounds.
Large loose yard waste clamshell collection by City Staff is delayed until further notice. Loose yard waste until further notice will be collected by the hurricane debris removal contractors. However to be eligible for collection by the contractors there will need to be at least 10 palm fronds or a comparable amount of other vegetative debris in a pile. Please work with your neighbors to form loose piles that a large enough for mechanized removal by the debris haulers or place bundles.
