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How to manage waste before and after a hurricane or storm
Summary
Learn how to stay prepared and manage your waste before and after a storm.
As hurricane season approaches, it's essential to be informed and ready. WM is committed to supporting your community with safe, timely, and efficient waste collection services before and after a storm. Here’s how you can help ensure a smooth recovery process.
Before the Storm: Prepare Safely
- Stay Informed
- Sign up for email or text alerts to receive the latest updates on your account and collection schedule. Click here and enroll today.
- Continue Regular Collection
- WM will maintain regular service until sustained winds reach 35 mph or local authorities suspend operations due to safety concerns or landfill closures.
- Secure Your Property
- Pause yard work and hold your waste
- Secure containers
- Tie down loose items
After the Storm: Dispose of Waste Safely
Separate waste types to ensure efficient and safe collection, separate your waste into the following categories:
- Regular household waste: food waste, recyclables and non-storm-related items. These will be collected as soon as it is safe to resume service.
- Storm debris: tree limbs, damaged fencing, soiled carpeting, appliances and other storm-related materials. Place these in separate piles at the curb.
Separating waste properly will allow us to collect household garbage more quickly and safely and help prevent odors and other safety hazards from impacting your surrounding area. Separation is also necessary to allow other firms to collect storm debris in accordance with arrangements made by local municipalities, counties or FEMA.
WM will resume pickups as soon as local authorities confirm it’s safe for trucks to operate, starting with accessible areas and expanding service as more streets are cleared of obstacles.
Staying Informed
Visit Pickup Schedule & ETA to get the most recent information on storm recovery in your area. We appreciate your partnership and patience as we restore your service after a storm.
Information in this article may be inapplicable to customers who receive service pursuant to a WM agreement with a municipality, association or other entity, or where applicable law requires differing terms of service.
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