For Immediate Release, Tuesday, December 19, 2005
 

DEBRIS HOTLINE ESTABLISHED
 

            Parish officials have established a Debris Hotline for citizens to report remaining debris piles that need to be removed.

            Effective immediately, residents with debris concerns can call 985-898-2323, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call takers will record information about the types of debris remaining and the locations of debris piles. That information will be forwarded daily to the Shaw Group, which is coordinating debris pickup in St. Tammany. Parish work crews are not collecting debris, but forward information to Shaw, which then contacts its sub-contractors with the information.

            Debris must be placed on the parish right-of-way but must not block a drainage ditch or traffic. Contractors can only collect within 30 feet of the roadway’s center line, so it is important that debris be placed at the property line. Debris must also be separated into discrete piles of vegetative debris and construction/demolition debris.

            Debris along state highways is collected by state agencies. State Highways are numbered roadways such as Hwy. 11, Hwy. 190, Hwy. 1085, Hwy. 3228, etc; some state highways also have names. Citizens who reside on these streets should contact the state Department of Transportation and Development at 985-375-0100.

Debris inside city limits is collected by contractors in each municipality. Residents inside municipal boundaries who have debris concerns should contact their local city hall.

            Refrigerators and other appliances, called “white goods,” are collected by the Environmental Protection Agency and should be reported to EPA no later than Jan. 2, 2006, at 1-800-401-1327.

            No date has yet been established for final debris pickup on parish roadways, but residents should move it to property lines as soon as possible.

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