Cleanup continues
Contract prices, logistics complicate post-Irma efforts
A month after Hurricane Irma retreated and garbage service resumed, branches still lie heaped on lawns going yellow.
“There is close to 600,000 tons of tree debris on the streets,” said Nathan Rafaelov, a manager with the West Park-based Superior Recycling and Waste Management Inc.
Landfill turnaround time is one reason clean up is taking so long. The other is the shortage of haulers. Recently, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi put increased pressure on haulers who aren’t moving fast enough to pick up debris.
Since Hurricane Irma flattened trees in much of Florida’s 67 counties, haulers can seemingly cherry-pick jobs.
Some are leaving prices set in pre-hurricane contracts, a reason Lighthouse Point City Administrator John Lavisky said he doesn’t have subcontractors spread through the city.
“There is close to 600,000 tons of tree debris on the streets.” — Nathan Rafaelov, manager with the West Park-based Superior Recycling and Waste Management Inc.
“This storm is estimated to have produced 100 million cubic yards across the state,” Lavisky said.
In Lighthouse Point, residents are being asked to separate debris into four categories: household trash/recycling, vegetative debris, construction/demolition, and appliances. Bulk pickup in the city began on Oct. 2.
Pompano Beach meanwhile has established a temporary staging area near the Isle Casino.
Lighthouse Point has been posting neardaily updates on the city’s website.
The city’s Mayor Glenn Troast recently pointed out that “debris must be trucked to U.S. 441 south of I-595.”
Lavisky explained, “That was part of the constraint we were dealing with. … We were taking all that debris to the Wheelabrator disposal site.
“If we start renegotiating contracts, FEMA is not going to reimburse 87.5 percent of our costs,” Lavisky added. “One million to $1.5 million by the time we are done.”