The Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD) provides residential solid waste (household garbage, recycling and yard waste) collection service for approximately 200,000 residential customers in unincorporated Hillsborough County. In the event of a disaster, normal solid waste collection service may be suspended for a period of time. The information below will help prepare you to better manage your solid waste before and after a disaster.

Disaster can happen quickly, without warning, anytime and anywhere. It can force residents to evacuate their neighborhoods or confine them to their homes.

After a disaster, if solid waste collection service is cut off, restoration of service will not happen right away. Therefore, you should be prepared just in case normal solid waste (household garbage, recycling and yard waste) collection service is interrupted. We will also provide some helpful tips in putting together a disaster kit.

It is also possible that kitchen sink garbage disposal units may be useless for awhile. You may want to buy a compost bin to set out in your yard. You can dump your organic food waste (except animal products) into your bin to use later as compost for your garden or plants, etc. Your remaining solid waste should be stored in heavy plastic garbage bags until normal collection service has been restored.

Be sure to never put food waste in bags outside, as they will attract dogs, disease-carrying rodents, other animals and a variety of wildlife. Rodents, in particular, can be a major health threat where garbage accumulates, so make sure you have enough sturdy, lidded containers to hold the solid waste that you generate for at least a two-week period.

Be prepared to keep your yard clean if other people’s solid waste finds its way to your property. Be sure to store paper and other flammables away from any heat sources or open flames. If your solid waste begins to build up, consider burying your garbage bags in pits, and use lime to cut down the smell and contamination.

As soon as possible following a disaster, the SWMD will notify you about debris removal activities, regulations and the schedule for resuming normal solid waste collection services. Until then, you should separate any debris materials, broken tree limbs and other yard waste resulting from the disaster into different piles.