Asheville – SDR Contractors is assisting in the removal of storm debris in heavily impacted areas. Citizens in service areas are requested to place items at the curb and in the right of way. The contractor is not permitted to pick up trash from private property, so a workaround has been established. If only a small amount of trash is in the right of way, the contractor will be able to extend 18 feet into a continuous trash pile in the yard, barring any obstructions.
Debris should not be placed too far into the roadway to avoid obstructing traffic, and it must not come into contact with non-trash items that could be damaged by SDR’s equipment. Items should be categorized as follows: construction materials, appliances, electronics, vegetative material, and household hazardous material. SDR will conduct multiple sweeps in the neighborhoods it services.
For neighborhoods not receiving this service, the city is establishing temporary sites for the collection, grinding, compacting, and landfilling of storm debris. The city is eager to quickly eliminate the health and safety hazards posed by piles of junk.
Given the historical NIMBY aversion to dumping grounds, the city has taken significant steps to manage public relations regarding these sites. In fact, it has posted help-wanted ads for its contractor, Debris Tech. The company is hiring hurricane debris collection monitors who will earn up to $1,000 weekly, with no experience necessary.
The city is also seeking property owners willing to volunteer their land for a short period. This approach will allow neighborhoods to share disruptions for just a few manageable weeks. Property owners with 4-6 acres who are interested in assisting are invited to inquire at jointinformationcenter@ashevillenc.gov.
The city assures residents, “Temporary sites will be diligently monitored for safety and compliance with environmental regulations… We want to have as few impacts on neighborhoods and business areas as possible. Safety will remain at the forefront of every decision, and we remain committed to outreach and information sharing in residential and business neighborhoods near any temporary site.”
The sites will accept the same types of storm debris as SDR is collecting, with the exception of hazardous materials; however, most will have additional limitations on what they can accept. For the initial sites, the city has proposed Enka Commerce Park, 65 Ford Street, and the front nine of the Municipal Golf Course. The latter two sites will require fencing and access routes for heavy machinery before they can open.
At the October 22 Asheville City Council meeting, Councilwoman Kim Roney expressed several concerns. She inquired whether the city was being compensated for setting up collection sites on public lands and mentioned that her constituents had sent her “a lot of requests to publish the contracts.” She noted that she had “learned the Google way” that private entities can apply to the state for permits to collect debris on private land and wanted to know if FEMA had a list of permitted sites.
Mayor Esther Manheimer responded, “Private property owners can’t decide to become a dump.” Dumps require permits from the NC Department of Environmental Quality, which mandates that any private property owner running a temporary dump on their land must “engage with the city.”
Roney stated that people were “using cranes to pile up debris” in her backyard, while the city’s Solid Waste Manager, Jes Foster, said she had not heard anything about that situation. Foster encouraged violators to be reported to her so she could “handle” it.
Manheimer added that individuals are allowed to use heavy machinery to push debris generated on their property to the right of way for collection but may not handle debris from others unless properly permitted. She reiterated that individuals need city engagement for a dump permit and requested that the council proceed without confusing the public before a specific public presentation currently in development is completed.
Roney then asked about incineration at debris sites and was informed that it was not planned because the city had not applied for any necessary air quality permits. She further inquired about containing toxic particulates resulting from grinding concrete and was assured that only vegetative matter would be ground. Furniture and other wooden items would be disassembled, but no concrete grinding would occur. She was also assured that the city would comply with all environmental regulations and that state inspectors would regularly survey temporary dumps.