HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Green waste, large appliances, construction and demolition debris as well as metals will be picked up by the Army Corps of Engineers as part of Typhoon Mawar debris cleanup in villages throughout the island.
The Joint Information Center announced residential pick-up of debris will begin in Sånta Rita-Sumai, Humåtak and Yigo on Monday, followed by Dededo on Aug. 1 and Inalåhan on Aug. 4. Other villages will follow.
“Residents in these villages are encouraged to separate debris by type and place it within the right of way within 10 feet of the curb prior to the start of pick-up,” the JIC release said.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency fact sheet provided about the Army Corps of Engineers debris mission, not all storm or household debris is eligible for pick up.
“Certain types of debris, like daily household trash, tires, vehicles, boats, porcelain (toilets and tubs) electronics, and household hazardous waste (oil, batteries, pesticides, paint, cleaning supplies) are not eligible for removal. Hazardous waste materials can be taken to the Harmon transfer station for disposal at no cost,” the FEMA fact sheet stated.
It’s the responsibility of residents to dispose of ineligible debris. According to FEMA, the project isn’t designed to handle these types of debris.
“Guam officials continue to stress the importance of disposing of disaster debris properly, as illegal dumping can result in fines of up to $1,000 per day per violation along with the cleanup cost associated with the violation,” FEMA stated.
To speed the process of collection of eligible debris, residents are asked to properly sort the debris by type prior to the arrival of contractors.
The four categories are:
Vegetative debris.
Large appliances.
Construction and demolition debris.
Metal.
Improper placement of debris or unsorted debris could result in it not being collected.
“To make the process quick and efficient, there will be separate trucks for each category of eligible debris. These trucks may arrive at different times in the cleanup process,” the JIC release said.
Residents are reminded not to block the roadway, fire hydrants, power lines, utilities or transformer boxes with the debris.
During the first phase of the project, a debris refinement team will visit villages to ensure that each home has disaster-related debris properly sorted.
According to FEMA, there is no need to contact the Army Corps of Engineers, village mayors or any other organization to avail of the service.
A large pile of white goods and metal has collected along Route 2 Sunday, July 23, 2023, in Hagåt.
