Irma, now a tropical depression, left quite a mess in DeKalb County after coming through on Monday, but officials have announced a plan to clean it up.
Once the storm cleared and the sun rose, it became evident Tuesday morning that the storm hadn't harmed any DeKalb residents but left more than 160,000 of them serviced by Georgia Power without electricity and 80 roads impassable, many due to fallen trees.
Trash pick-up service will return to normal Wednesday, the county said in a Tuesday news release, along with a modified schedule for picking up all the debris left by Irma.
There’s a schedule a bit farther down, but that won’t matter if you don’t follow the rules the county has set for picking up your storm debris like leaves, twigs, branches and limbs.
Grappler trucks will come by to collect large items, but here’s what you need to do to get your Irma debris picked up:
• Branches and limbs must be trimmed and cut to a maximum of four feet, “stacked neatly at the curb or placed in an approved receptacle.”
• Trees must be cut “as small as possible” and each piece must weigh less than 50 pounds.
• If you’ve had a professional cut the limbs, DeKalb asks that they take the debris with them to make less work for county workers.
• All yard trimmings must be in “approved 20- to 40-gallon receptacles.”
• According to the county, that means “durable metal and plastic containers, durable biodegradable paper bags and must have two durable handles.” Sounds like it needs to be durable.
• With paper bags, fold them at the top to minimize getting them wet.
• The county won’t pick up yard trimmings in plastic bags.
For residents, the county will pick up your storm debris two days after your regularly scheduled trash day.
So if you usually get your trash taken away on Monday, the county will get your storm debris on Wednesday. If your regular trash day is Thursday, the county will get your debris Saturday.
It’s different for commercial customers.
For commercial customers: If your regular pickup days are Monday or Tuesday, the county will get your debris Wednesday. If your usual trash days are Wednesday or Thursday, the county will get your storm debris Thursday. The county will pick up storm debris with your trash Friday and Saturday.
The county hasn’t announced any schedule changes beyond those days.
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