How Does St. Pete Collect Hurricane Debris? Here’s the Answer

On Friday, 10 Tampa Bay got an exclusive look at the debris clean-up process with CrowderGulf, one of the area’s largest debris-hauling contractors. CrowderGulf Disaster Recovery & Debris Management is handling debris collection in several locations, including St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Oldsmar, Dunedin, Tarpon Springs, and parts of Hillsborough County. According to CrowderGulf Senior VP Reid…

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November 23, 2024

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According to CrowderGulf Senior VP Reid Loper, the teams are working tirelessly from sunrise to sunset to clear debris throughout the region. Loper explained, “Here in St. Petersburg, the hurricane debris collected from Hurricane Milton is more than the last three storms combined.”

READ: This Tampa Bay City’s Debris Cleanup Cost an Incredible $4.3M, but Officials Hopeful FEMA Will Cover the Expense

In the past 40 days, CrowderGulf has collected over 1.2 million cubic yards of debris in St. Pete alone—enough to fill more than 360 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

The company operates based on “priority zones” determined by the cities they serve. In St. Pete, priority has been given to the areas hardest hit by the hurricanes. “We do a full pass of the city, and after we’re complete with that, we come through and do a second pass and even a third pass,” said Loper.

On Friday, the 10 Tampa Bay team followed a hauler in the Historic Kenwood neighborhood. Addressing several large piles of vegetative debris, it took 40 minutes to clear just five properties, filling the giant haulers before returning to the debris sorting field.

READ: Pinellas County Posts Storm Debris Collection Update

Loper explained that debris is taken to management sites where it is offloaded, processed, and ultimately hauled to final disposal locations. With its 84 trucks, CrowderGulf is managing over 700 loads daily.

“It is a process, and we are going to get to every citizen. Everyone just needs to keep in mind that we’re covering every road in the city and it is a monumental task,” said Loper.

CrowderGulf expects to complete its first pass of St. Petersburg by December 16.

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(Image credit: WFLA)