Machines sifting debris from sand left behind after Hurricanes Helene, Milton

Sand sifting machines work to clean Bay Area beaches

Lloyd Sowers reports

NORTH REDINGTON BEACH, Fla. - A fleet of machines is sifting through mountains of sand that were left behind after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Their primary job is to sift out all kinds of things that were buried in the sand during the storms.

These machines are like giant flour sifters, but they are screening for trash and debris, so the sand can be returned to Tampa Bay area beaches once it's cleaned.

"Once you crank it up and get it running, then it's up to the loader operator to keep feeding it material," said Michael Phillips of MMP Site Work.

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He brought his crew from North Carolina and recently acquired a new $500,000 sand sifting machine from a local dealer, Powerscreen of Florida. The machine is powered by a diesel engine.

As the loader operator pours dirty sand into the hopper, it sinks into a vibrating set of screens that are sized to capture larger material like rocks, clumps and sticks. That debris comes out on one side of the machine to be disposed of. The clean sand comes out the other side to be returned to the beach.

Phillips said they find all kinds of debris mixed into the dirty sand.

"Underground broken PVC pipe, rocks, papers, vegetation and all kinds of things," said Phillips.

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He said the machine will sift 100 tons of sand in an hour.

The county doesn't accept any sand that has staining or other signs of contamination.

Phillips' machine is sifting at a condominium building in North Redington Beach. Pinellas County has a large sifting operation on Sunset Beach, one of the areas hit the hardest by the hurricanes.

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