ORLANDO, Fla. — During a demonstration Friday at the John Young Parkway Public Works Facility, Orange County Public Works leaders shared hurricane debris removal tips to assist community cleanup.
Massive mountains of storm debris sat on sidewalks across Orange County for months after Hurricane Ian in 2022 and again after Milton in 2024.
“Yard waste is distinctly different than hurricane debris,” said Orange County Solid Waste Division Manager David Gregory.
He urged residents to take care of their property by trimming trees and putting debris in bags, bundles or cans.
The debris is picked up weekly.
Leaders said that way, if a storm comes and hurricane debris from your home starts stacking up, there’s not as much to do.
“We do a lot of work to learn what kinds of debris are out in our community so we can efficiently respond to the needs of our citizens,” said Ralphetta Aker, Manager of Fiscal and Operational Support.
Public works crews used equipment to show how both types of debris are typically removed.
Aker called the process tedious and asked residents to be patient.
“We start with those areas that have been highly impacted and where there has been a large generation of debris that is outside of the scope of the solid waste components,” said Aker.
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