Hurricane Debris Cleanup: County Pickup vs. a Hauler

After a hurricane, every yard in Central Florida has the same pile: oak limbs, palm fronds, a section of fence, the pool screen, and half a shed. You have two ways to get rid of it. Wait for the county, or call someone like me. Both are legitimate. Here's how each one works in Polk, Osceola, Lake and Orange counties, what each takes, and how to decide. If you'd rather drive it yourself, the county disposal guides for Polk, Osceola, Lake, Orange and Hillsborough list every landfill and drop-off site with hours, yard-waste fees and what each one refuses.

What does county storm debris pickup actually do?

When a storm is bad enough, counties activate a separate debris collection. Contractors with grapple trucks work the public rights of way, street by street, picking up what's been set out and sorted. It's free to residents. It's also slow, because they're doing every street in the county and they make multiple passes.

Polk County. Polk County Solid Waste tells residents to separate storm debris from normal household garbage so regular collection can restart, then sort the storm debris into categories: vegetative (unbagged leaves, logs, plants and branches), construction and demolition (building materials, carpet, drywall, furniture, lumber, mattresses, plumbing), appliances and white goods, and electronics. Piles go in separate stacks away from power lines and fixed structures so the trucks can reach them. After Hurricane Milton, Polk ran a residential debris hotline. Check the Polk County Solid Waste hurricane page for the current storm's schedule.

Osceola County. Osceola's storm page focuses on the run-up: secure, bundle and tie down loose limbs and building materials before the storm, and don't put vegetative waste at the curb within three days of a hurricane warning. After Milton the county opened a free yard-waste drop-off for residents with ID and asked gated subdivisions to file a right-of-entry form so contractors could come in. Osceola County Solid Waste is the number to call.

Lake County. Lake County Solid Waste has contracted countywide debris pickup after past storms and runs residential convenience centers, including one in Clermont. Details change storm to storm, so check the county's trash and recycling page.

Orange County. Orange County's debris-sorting guide says to keep vegetative debris (branches, logs, leaves) separate from construction and demolition debris (drywall, fencing, shingles, siding, lumber, broken furniture) and both separate from household garbage. Place it curbside on the public right of way, away from hydrants, meter boxes, mailboxes and low wires, and don't mix piles, because mixed piles get skipped. The county also says it may not collect from private or gated communities and that appliances, electronics and hazardous waste are not part of storm pickup.

How should I sort the pile?

FEMA's guidance, which the county programs echo, is six separate piles:

1. Vegetative: branches, leaves, plants. Not in plastic bags.
2. Construction debris: building materials, carpet, furniture, mattresses.
3. Large appliances: fridges, washers, dryers, stoves. Seal or secure the doors.
4. Electronics: TVs, computers, phones.
5. Hazardous waste: oil, batteries, pesticides, paint, cleaning supplies.
6. Household garbage: food, paper, boxes. This goes in your normal can.

Curbside means within about ten feet of the street, away from trees, poles, hydrants and meters, and never blocking the road. A pile that's mixed, bagged, or leaning on a mailbox gets passed over, and then you wait for the next pass.

When does a private hauler make sense?

Four situations, and I see all four after every storm.

• You can't wait. The county's first pass might be a week out, the last pass a month. If the pile is blocking your driveway, your gate or a shared road, a trailer today is worth it.
• You're in a gated community. Some counties don't enter private roads without paperwork. Half of Davenport, ChampionsGate and Four Corners is gated. I drive in.
• The pile is more than yard waste. A shed that came apart, a pool enclosure, a fence, a soaked couch from a flooded room. The county takes some of that in the C&D pile, but a hauler takes all of it in one visit and doesn't care how it's sorted.
• Big lots. Acreage in Polk City, Lake Wales or Frostproof with a dozen oaks down isn't a curbside job. That's a skid steer with a grapple and a trailer, and the county isn't coming down your sand road.

Michele's job wasn't even a hurricane. She was trying to clean up limbs and debris from her mom's backyard and it was too much to do alone. We handled it from the estimate to the payment. Multiply that by every yard in the county after a storm and you see why the county takes weeks.

What does Big Rob's take after a storm?

Everything on the county's list except the hazardous pile. Limbs, trunks, fronds, root balls, fence sections, deck boards, screen enclosures, roofing, ruined furniture, appliances and electronics. Small piles the crew loads by hand. Big ones get the Kubota skid steer with a grapple, which moves a fence line of downed oaks in a few passes.

Paint, fuel, propane, pesticides and batteries still go to the county. Polk County residents can drop household hazardous waste free at the county facility at the North Central Landfill in Winter Haven. Other counties run their own programs.

What does it cost, and is there a storm surcharge?

Same flat-rate model as any other week: $225 for a quarter trailer, $350 for a half, $525 for three-quarters, $700 for a full, all-inclusive. Trunks, root balls and wet lumber are in the number. If a lot needs the skid steer for a day, I quote the machine and the hauling together before I start. No storm surcharge. I'll be straight about the queue, though. After a named storm, calls before noon get worked in fastest, and I group runs to the farther towns.

What Big Rob's does here

The storm debris cleanup page has the full picture, and yard waste and brush removal covers the everyday version. Storm calls come most from Davenport, the acreage around Polk City and Lake Wales, and the ranch neighborhoods of Kissimmee. Clermont is a scheduled run.

Sort the pile, set it out, and if you can't wait for the county, call or text (863) 225-2147.