NOTE from APTAWEB: The following article was published on the Oyster Radio Web Site.

March 23, 2009

Franklin County commissioners have approved a new schedule for roadside debris pickup in the county. The county solid waste department provides the service of picking up yard trash and some other items from area right of ways, but county solid waste director Van Johnson said last Tuesday that due to a staff shortage at the landfill the pickups will now adhere to a strict schedule.

The schedule will have solid waste workers in Alligator Point, St. James and Lanark Village during the first week of the month, in Carrabelle the second week, Eastpoint and St. George Island during the third week of the month and Apalachicola during the fourth week.

Johnson said the new schedule will save the county on fuel costs, labor and equipment expenses. It will also give residents a clear idea of when the pickups are so they may be less inclined to leave piles of yard trash on the roadside for weeks at a time.

There are limits to what the county will pick up.

The policy is any pile of yard trash measuring more than 6 cubic yards should be hauled to the landfill by the landowner. The county will pick up furniture, fences and broken lumber, but will not pick up construction debris, demolition debris or land clearing debris. The county will also pick up household goods like old mattresses and even appliances like refrigerators and washing machines but will not take hazardous waste like paint or pesticide, or special waste like used tires and abandoned vehicles.