Fort Walton Beach — Let's Talk Trash Newsletter - April 2019

S a n i t a t i o n N e w s le t t e r City of F o r t W al t o n B e a c h 2ND QRT 2019 Let’s Talk Trash COMMERCIAL FRONT LOADER INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Commercial 1 Holiday Schedule 1 Extra Yard Waste 1 Request for Services 1 Commercial garbage is Commercial yard waste and Upcoming Holiday Schedule: scheduled per the custom- miscellaneous collections er’s needs and the fee is are charged by weight and Our offices will be closed April Ordinance Changes 2 based on the frequency and scheduled on Fridays. 19 for a Spring Holiday and container size. Commercial customers are May 27 for Memorial Day. All garbage generated at a also invited to participate in Hurricane 3 business should be placed our Commercial Recycling Residential and Commercial in the refuse container. Program. Service will be provided. Lock bars are available to Please call the Solid Waste commercial customers for Division at 833-9655 to dis- There will be no yard waste an additional $10.00 per cuss potential cost savings collection on holidays. If your month. for your business and learn pick up day falls on a holiday, how you can help preserve your service will resume on We can provided bear lids to your next collection day. those businesses that need our environment. assistance. YARD WASTE COLLECTION City of Fort Walton Beach picks up a maximum limit of 4 cubic yards of yard waste per week, per household. We`re on the Web! OUR MISSION Items Accepted for Yard Waste Collection Include: • Leaves Fwb.org/sanitation The City of Fort Walton • Grass Beach Sanitation Division is committed to providing ser- • Shrub clippings vices of the highest quality, • Garden residue Requests for service and delivered with pride and • Twigs special needs applications professionalism while main- • Branches and small limbs are super easy with our taining a sanitary environ- (Not more than 4 inches in quick online form! You can ment with the regular collec- diameter and no longer than 4 feet in length) now request information and tion of residential and com- services from our sanitation mercial solid waste. If you have more than the maximum limit there are two op- office from your home com- tions available for pick up of the remaining yard debris. puter or mobile phone. One option is to wait for your next scheduled pick up day to Just go to 14 Robinwood Dr. S.W. have another 4 cubic yards removed. The other option is to http://fwb.org/sanitation/ and Ft Walton Beach, FL 32547 call for a special Friday yard waste pick up. There is a click on “Request for Ser- charge for this service. The Solid Waste Supervisor will esti- vice,” where you can choose Phone: 833—9655 mate the cost on site, confirm the cost with you and that cost from a variety of quick sub- will be reflected on your utility statement. mission assistance options. Please note the following changes to our Solid Waste Ordinances: Ordinance 10.80.01 redefines Bulk/Household waste as follows: Bulk/Household Waste (Also known at Residential or Commercial Pickup) a large item that is discarded by a Customer on their Residential or Commercial Property, as a result of normal housekeeping activities, which can- not be placed in a Garbage Container because of its size, shape and weight. This includes items such as appliances, electronics, furniture and mattresses, etc. The ordinance makes additional changes to the following Solid Waste Collection Condi- tions in 10.80.05: (5) Yard waste shall not be placed on top of and shall not cover sprinkler system heads and water meters. The city shall not be responsible for damage to sprinkler systems, sprinkler heads, water meters, utility combina- tion boxes, or the like, and other objects including fences, gates, hedges, plants, and trees damaged due to yard trash or green waste being placed over or piled on or against such items for collection. Place all yard debris 4—6 foot away from any obstruction to prevent damage and ensure safe pickup. (6) Bulk/Household Waste will be collected on a call-in basis, once per week per active residential property. The volume of bulk/household waste shall be limited to 4 cubic yards per month. Amounts exceeding 4 cubic yards are subject to charge in accordance with the Comprehensive Fee Schedule. If no request is made for collection of bulk items placed curbside, such items will be collected by the city at its convenience, without notification, and the property owner or occupant shall be billed for non scheduled bulk waste collection in ac- cordance with the Comprehensive Fee Schedule. Billing shall be to the existing utility account or the individu- al property owner or occupant where no city account has been established. The minimum charge for extra bulk waste removal is $30.00. Changes to Special Conditions 10.80.06 are as follows: No resident, contractor or business shall cut, trim or remove trees once the City of Fort Walton Beach has been placed under a Tropical Storm Watch or Hurricane Watch/Warning. It is the responsibility of the resident, contractor or business or receive authorization from the Solid Waste Divi- sion prior to cutting or trimming or trees at this time. Violations of this ordinance may be deemed detrimental to public health, safety, or welfare of the community. Residents, contractors, or businesses found in violation of this ordinance are subject to citation as prescribed in the Comprehensive Fee Schedule. Please trim, cut or remove any trees before hurricane season begins.  H U R R I C A N E P R E PA R E D N E S S To ensure your collection, IS YOUR YARD READY FOR HURRICANE SEASON? place you cans at the REGARDING THE CUTTING OF VEGETATION, GARBAGE AND STORM curb no later than 7:00 DEBRIS THERE ARE STEPS THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN BEFORE, DURING PM the night before your scheduled pick up day! AND AFTER A STORM. PLEASE SAVE THIS INFORMATION SO THAT YOU CAN BE PREPARED. PRE-HURRICANE MAINTENANCE • Cut back all trees and weak branches that make contact with your home. • Thin your foliage so wind can flow freely through branches, decreasing the chance that trees/plants will be uprooted. • Place tree trimmings at curb side on your regular scheduled collection day and follow the 6/40 rule (i.e., each piece cannot not exceed 6 feet in length or 40 lbs. in weight) and must be clear of any obstructions. • Containerize your tree trimmings such as pine needles, leaves, twigs, etc. in plas- tic bags. • Clean your yard of any items that could become missiles in a storm such as bro- ken lawn furniture, etc. and call FWB Solid Waste Division for a special pick up on Fridays. ONCE THE STORM HAS BEEN NAMED Before You Recycle • Do not cut down trees or do any major yard work per Ordinance 10.80.06. • Do not begin construction projects that produce debris. Remember to follow these • Once a Hurricane Watch or Warning is issued, do not trim vegetation of any kind. simple steps: Mass cutting places a tremendous burden on the normal collection process and there is not enough equipment or manpower to collect the additional material once RINSE food residue off all the storm makes landfall. recyclables. • Do not place materials at the curb or take materials to the landfill or transfer facility during a Watch or Warning period. Services may be suspended and facilities DRY paper before placing in closed early to prepare for the storm. your cart • For information on the status of our facilities, residents should consult the website at FWB.org, official city social media pages, or monitor local radio and/or television CRUSH recyclables like stations for service updates. cans, plastic jugs and bot- tles. AFTER THE STORM HAS PASSED FLATTEN boxboard and • Please keep all household garbage, recycling, vegetation and storm debris sepa- cardboard. rate. This is extremely important! • Securely containerize all household garbage in plastic bags or City issued 90 gal- REMOVE any thin plastic lon automated can and place at the curb on your scheduled collection day. wrap from recyclables. • Please be patient! Following a storm, our #1 priority is the collection of household garbage. Uncollected garbage attracts pests and contributes to the spread of dis- ease. Garbage should never be mixed with vegetation or storm debris, which can wait for pick up.