Temporary sites open to accept debris from Hurricane Matthew

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) – The state has opened several temporary sites to accept storm debris related to Hurricane Matthew.

The state environmental department is working with local governments to establish locations where storm debris can be temporarily stored and processed. Temporary debris sites are needed to speed up the cleanup process that would otherwise take much longer if all the debris had to be hauled to a landfill.

“We learned from the damage left by Hurricane Floyd 17 years ago that we had to be better prepared for a storm of this magnitude,” said Donald R. van der Vaart, secretary of the state environmental department. “Knowing that we would need dozens more places to handle storm debris, we were prepared to get these facilities online quickly to speed up the cleaning and rebuilding of these communities.”

As of Tuesday morning, environmental staff had activated 58 temporary debris staging and storage sites throughout the eastern part of the state. Many of those sites have already been accepting waste for several days.

These sites are set up for local government use. While some sites will allow residents to drop off debris, many sites, like the locations in Ocean Isle Beach, only allow contractors to use the staging sites. The best advise is to contact your town to determine where a site near you is open to the public.

Here are staging sites in our area:

Bladen County

• DDS at Aviation Parkway in Elizabethtown

Brunswick County

• Taylor Field on Nash Street in Southport
• Timber Creek Lane in Bald Head Island
• Future Town Hall site Hwy 904 Ocean Isle Beach
• Wastewater Plant Site in Ocean Isle Beach
• Scotch Bonnet Drive Site in Shallotte
• Calabash/Persimmon Rd DDS at 619 Persimmon Rd. in Calabash
• Holden Beach East on Ocean Boulevard East in Holden Beach

Columbus County

• RLR, Inc. TDMS at 799 Grist Rd in Chadbourn
• Columbus Environment Waste Collection on Antioch Church Rd in Whiteville
• Columbus Environment Waste Collection on Hwy 701 & Slippery Log Rd in Whiteville
• Whiteville Mill Street Site at 300 Mill Street in Whiteville

New Hanover County

• Dow Rd. Preliminary Site behind WWTP on Carolina Beach
• NHC Landfill Southern Property on 421 in Wilmington
• Market Street/Military Cutoff 6981 Market St in Wilmington

Approved sites can be used for staging yard waste, land clearing or demolition debris. Some communities will also use wood chippers at the sites to break down trees, branches and other vegetative debris, or devices to safely burn vegetative debris. Debris temporarily stored at the sites must be hauled to a final disposal location or recycled before the site’s six-month activation period expires.

Before a site can be activated, state environmental and cultural officials must approve the location and ensure that any waste will not harm the environment or any historical features. Sites must also comply with other state and federal laws. The management of debris at these sites help local governments in the federal reimbursement process.

In days leading up to the storm, staff with the state environmental agency enhanced their map of the temporary debris storage sites and provided the map to state and local officials. The map is updated as new sites are added.