The San Luis Obispo County Office of Emergency Services has made available collection bins for residents to drop off storm-related trash.
Douglas Romayne is sorting through remnants of the recent storms.
“Fortunately, it did not flood in our house. Our garage flooded and our property as well, so what I brought today was mostly carpets, things that were in the garage, and things around the house that are beyond repair,” said Romayne, who lives in Santa Margarita.
Santa Margarita is one of the storm-related debris collection sites that San Luis Obispo County opened up on Monday.
“Now it’s cleaning stuff up, throwing stuff out like this, and I’m just grateful that this is here because I’ve been thinking as I’ve been piling stuff, this isn’t going to fit in our trash bin,” Romayne added.
There are four sites open between 8 a.m. and noon through Saturday.
“Dumpsters are in high demand, so we are able to offer those services this week only,” explained San Luis Obispo County Emergency Services Coordinator Rachel Dion.
The bins can be found at the following locations:
- Oceano County Airport parking lot: 561 Air Park Dr., Oceano
- Santa Margarita Community Hall parking lot: 22501 I St., Santa Margarita
- Creston Rodeo Grounds: 6180 Webster Rd., Creston
- Nipomo Community Services District: 148 S. Wilson St., Nipomo
“Every location is staffed with a county employee who will assist you in sorting your debris,” Dion said. “Due to state and federal regulations, it has to be sorted. ”
If you are dropping off debris, come prepared.
“You’re responsible for loading and unloading your debris, so make sure you wear proper footwear, that you have gloves, that you have eye protection,” Dion recommended. “We want to make sure everyone is safe. ”
So what’s allowed?
“It can be yard waste like trees or pieces of fences. It can be furniture,” Dion said.
There are some exceptions, though.
“Make sure no household hazardous waste, no e-waste and no soil,” Dion said.
There is no specific service for people without a truck to haul debris but here is what the county recommends:
“We do have a page on our RecoverSLO.org website dedicated to debris removal, so there’s information there if you can’t get to one of our sites,” Dion said.
You can also try asking a neighbor or friend with a truck to help you load up all that storm debris to drop it off at a collection site.
For more information on additional sites and more examples of debris that is allowed for drop-off, click here.
