Inside St. Pete's efforts to remove debris from Hurricanes Helene, Milton

Inside look at how storm debris is processed

FOX 13 Photojournalist Mike Hughes shows how St. Pete achieved important milestones in its debris removal efforts after Hurricanes Helene and Milton devastated the Tampa Bay area and Gulf Coast regions.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The City of St. Petersburg achieved an important milestone in its debris removal efforts after the Tampa Bay area and Gulf Coast regions were devastated by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

The city is nearing the removal of one million cubic tons of debris — a volume unlike anything the area has ever seen. Over the past 40 days, more than 1.2 million cubic yards of debris have been cleared, equating to 22,000 truckloads.

The task isn't just about hauling debris, though. It's about sorting, processing and recycling what was left behind from the hurricanes to help with a sustainable recovery.

Debris being unloaded by debris cleanup teams in Pinellas County

READ: Visit St. Pete-Clearwater aiming to bring tourism back to Pinellas after hurricanes

"One of the important things for us to remember is that this is not just trash — this was not something people wanted to throw away," said Reid Loper with Crowder Gulf Debris Removal. "Much of this debris comes from people’s homes, items they may have worked their entire lives to save up for and acquire. Now, it’s sitting out in front of their houses. So, it’s really important for that debris to be disposed of and taken away as quickly as possible to let the recovery process start for those people."

Hurricane debris built up in Pinellas County.

Once collected, the debris is taken to designated sites where it is sorted into various streams, including flood-damaged household items, hazardous waste and wind-driven materials like tree limbs. It's all then processed into usable products such as mulch or compost.

Officials emphasize that if your debris hasn't been picked up, be patient because the company will be doing multiple passes through each neighborhood.

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