After a hurricane, what happens to all the debris?

[XemaSab]

Is it thrown in dumpsters, pushed out to sea, recycled, chipped, burned?

Looking at the destroyed remains of thousands of houses... tons of wood, boats, furniture... it looks like just removing the debris could take years. :(

[Syrinx]

1. people get paid a lot of money to haul it away

I knew a man that died recently. He wasn't a bad man, really, but he got excited when there was a hurricane, because it meant a lot of money was coming his way. I don't know specifically what they did with the debris, but I would assume most of it ended up in landfills.

[lapfog_1]

2. Mostly it goes to landfill

but some locations now will haul the wood products to be recycled (as wood pulp). However, it's a bit dicey, chemicals used to the treat some wood can make an entire batch of un-usable.

As for the rest of it... pipes and wiring and such are recycled (in fact, I wouldn't be at all surprised to hear of scavengers picking over the destroyed houses looking for copper piping and wires already). As for the rest... landfill.

Yet another issue that we as a civilization must face someday (soon). The cat box is getting full and stinky... and we spend 24x7 in the damn thing.

[greguganus]

3. Ebay. n/t

[Edweird]

4. The trees get chipped into mulch, the other stuff goes to a landfill.

Here we have a landfill just for hurricane debris and it's owned by AshBritt (which, if I'm not mistaken, has ties to Cheney).

[madokie]

9. interesting,

http://www.ashbritt.com/sub_conract.shtml

AshBritt maintains a database of qualified subcontractors throughout the United States whose experience and expertise can be utilized to assist our own forces in conducting recovery operations. The companies employed have received favorable evaluations during prior projects and are required to meet AshBritt’s Subcontracting guidelines prior to commencement of work at each new project. A brief summary of the guidelines are as follows:



• Agreement to a specific scope of work and language binding the contractor to compliance with federal, state and local regulations

• 500k to 1mil liability insurance (depending on scope of work)

• 500k to 1mil automobile insurance (depending on scope of work)

• Compliance with all applicable Federal, State, and Local taxes, unemployment compensation, and worker compensation laws

• A hold harmless agreement granting indemnification to the Client and AshBritt

• Compliance with all safety policies as mandated by the Client, AshBritt,
and OSHA

• Safety inspection of all deployed equipment


AshBritt will identify and offer contracts to qualified local and minority firms in each community where AshBritt is deployed. If AshBritt is selected as the Emergency Services contractor for Your Municipality, AshBritt will contact local chamber of commerce, trade associations, licensing bureaus, and the Small Business Administration to obtain a list of contractors from the following disciplines: heavy equipment operation, laborers, arborists, tree trimmers, and hazardous material separation and containment. Interested parties who meet our subcontracting guidelines and can offer solid references will be invited to negotiate for participation in any potential tasking by our clients.
AshBritt Subcontracting Goals:

[Edweird]

10. AshBritt, a Florida-based firm, has close ties with

Florida governor and presidential brother Jeb Bush.

(13) Local debris-removal firms in Mississippi have said AshBritt’s cozy relationship with Washington essentially precluded competition for Katrina contracts.

http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=14008

I also recall the name Ashhbritt is a combination of two daughters names....

[Nambe]

5. Cannon fodder! Put it in a big cannon and shoot at Osama.

He can be where ever we say he is.

[ngant17]

6. landfills are used round-the-clock

During the active hurricane season in Florida about 3/4 years ago, the county landfill opened up to almost continuous traffic and the fees were waived, so you basically drove in with your trailer-full of debris and went straight thru to the dump sites. NO waiting in the lines.

Picked up 5 nails in one tire from the roofing debris. The cost of the replacement tire didn't much cover my costs to haul the trash.

Roofing material is heavy, and I burned out a clutch in the process, too.

[glowing]

7. The metal debris is worth a lot of money... AND the govt pays contractors

to haul away the debris per load.. As the trees get brown though, the debris is worth less and the hurricane haulers leave the area and a lot of debris still sitting around.

[malaise]

8. Very good question

Ike also obliterated a lumber house down in the Galveston area so add tons more wood to the debris.
People often pick up the zinc and wood for reuse but think about the thousands of household stuff - refrigerators, TVs, freezers, furniture, not to mention the thousands of useless vehicles. Of course some of those cars will show up on used cars lots in other states, so I recommend that buyers beware.