City of Donalsonville putting a lid on trash and debris piles

When the hurricane debris pick up plan ended earlier in the year the City of Donalsonville resumed its normal solid waste collection program, that same garbage and debris pickup program that existed before the storm. Specifics of that program, along with set rules and additional information can be found below.

With the normal garbage and debris pick up schedule back in operation major cleanup issues of improper or illegally dumped items continue to blight neighborhoods all over town. “We have run into situations where persons are claiming debris is not theirs if it apparently has been placed on adjoining or in proximity to their property,” commented Donalsonville City Manager Steve Hicks.  The city has no recourse but to hold property owners responsible for the cleanup of their property, even if someone else put the debris on the property.

Dumping on another citizen’s property is illegal. If a property owner declares that the debris is not placed there by the property owner or resident, the city will ask the property owner if it is known who did the illegal dumping.  If it is known, the city will attempt to contact the party who placed the debris on the property and provide the opportunity to remove the materials or pay the bill if the city has already removed the debris.  If the party refuses to take action, the party will be subject to legal actions up to and including court.

If the property owner or resident does not know who placed the debris on the property, the city will require that a police report be filed and the city will suspend any billings to the property owner or resident until the investigation is complete.  If it is determined who placed the debris at the location, the city will give the person the opportunity to remove the materials or pay the city if the debris has already been removed by the City before any legal action is taken.  “If we are unable to determine who placed the property on the premises, the owner will be deemed to be responsible for the cleanup under city nuisance ordinance provisions,” added Hicks.

CITY OF DONALSONVILLE SANITATION DEPARTMENT SOLID WASTE COLLECTION RULES & INFORMATION

HOUSEHOLD GARBAGE

Place all bags, cans, bottles, food wastes and other household waste in your

city provided roll-can at curbside on your pickup day for proper disposal.

If you occasionally, have more household garbage than will fit into the roll-can,

please place it on top of the roll-can in a securely tied bag. Frequent additional bags

will require an additional collection and disposal fee.

ORGANIC YARD WASTE

Small Limbs, Trimmings, Grass Clippings, Leaves and other organic yard

waste must be placed at curbside in a pile containing no other type material. Limbs

are to be cut into 6’ lengths and should be no more than 4” in diameter. Larger

limbs, large shrubbery, tree trunks and sections of trees are owner responsibility and

will not be handled by city crews. All organic materials generated by a contractor or

by someone other than the owner of the property where the waste is generated is the

responsibility of the contractor or owner. This will not be removed by city crews.

Compost generated from organic yard waste collected by the City will be

made available at no cost to any individual, farm, or business at the City’s disposal

site by appointment. Any remaining compost at the site will be removed and

redistributed by the City annually.

ROOFING, C & D, & TIRES

Roofing materials, Construction & Demolition Materials (C&D), metals,

appliances, and tires ARE NOT the responsibility of the city’s Sanitation Department

and city crews will not pick up and haul these items. These items are customer or

contractor responsibility. To dispose of these items, the customer or contractor must

haul them to the Seminole County Transfer Station and pay the proper fee for their

disposal.

RECYCLING

The City supports Recycling wherever possible, and urges your support for it

also. Corregated cardboard can be disposed of by placing it in the bin located at the

public works department on W. Crawford Street anytime between 8:00 A.M. and

5:00 P.M. Monday through Friday. Cardboard should be clean and not contain any

foam, plastic or other packing material.

Thank you for your attention to and compliance with these simple rules and

regulations. Let’s all help to make Donalsonville a clean and beautiful place to live.

If you have questions or suggestions about this notice, or any waste handling issues,

please call City Hall at (229) 524-2118.