FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACTS: 
(Garbage &  Trash) Glynn Cavin 389-3158
(Recycling)               Susan Hamilton 389-5194
                                                               

HURRICANE KATRINA AFTERMATH

STORM DEBRIS, GARBAGE, AND RECYCLING COLLECTION

Allied Waste/BFI and the city-parish are working diligently to collect  the enormous amount of storm debris left in Baton Rouge in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.  Over 700 trees and an estimated 300,000 cubic yards of brush  fell in the parish, and it will take over a month to clean up the trees and other storm debris.  Numerous subcontractors as well as DPW will run additional trucks to provide rapid and thorough storm debris collection to the citizens of East Baton Rouge.

Two collection passes will be provided  throughout the city-parish over the next month to complete the clean up.  The first pass is underway now to collect piles of clean brush, limbs, tree trunks, and unbundled brush (clean organic material).  A second pass will collect commingled piles of storm debris.  Bagged yard waste should be placed beside, and not in, unbundled brush piles, and away from garbage.   Please try to keep bagged yard waste and other bulky waste separate from clean brush piles.  Clean brush piles will be collected on the first pass and  recycled by Natural Resource Recovery, Inc., a local company under contract to the city-parish to process wood waste.  Brush piles commingled with bagged yardwaste and other debris will be collected on the second pass.  (A photograph of a correct storm debris set out is attached as a separate document.)

Both collection phases should be completed by mid October.    However, residents are strongly urged  to complete all brush removal and tree cutting as soon as possible, no later than the end of September.  After the second pass is completed, we will end the disaster clean-up program and revert back to our normal trash pick up program.  Under that program, only storm debris generated by property owners will be picked up by Allied Waste/BFI.  Commercial tree and yard services will then be required to dispose of their waste as they did before Hurricane Katrina struck.

All storm debris must be brought to the curb and placed within the right-of-way.  The material should  be placed as close to the street as possible.  Residents should not place the brush near, on, or under fire hydrants, telephone poles, power lines, or ground transformers.

Residential garbage and recycling will be picked up on the normal collection days.  No household hazardous waste (paint, insecticides, pesticides, household cleaners) will be collected curbside.  Please be patient as Allied Waste/BFI is adjusting to the additional population growth and increased garbage and recycling volumes.  The city-parish and Allied Waste/BFI will commit all available resources to insure that Baton Rouge will remain a clean city that we can be proud of.

 East Baton Rouge residents may dump residential materials at no charge at the North Landfill, 16001 Samuels Road, in Zachary.  The Landfill is open from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 7:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. on Saturday.  The Landfill is closed on Sunday.

For more information on storm debris (yard waste, brush, trees) contact Glynn Cavin at 389-3158; for more information on recycling contact Susan Hamilton at 389-5194, or visit our websites at www.brgov.com/dept/dpw <http://www.brgov.com> and www.brgov.com/dept/recycle. <http://www.brgov.com>  To report a missed collection of garbage, please call Citizens Service at 389-3090, and to report a missed recycling pick-up, please call the Recycling Office at 389-5194.