UPDATE: 11 tornadoes now confirmed to have touched down Memorial Day
When phone service was restored to the Harrison Twp. Government Center on Wednesday, the calls poured in with one question: What to do with the tree limbs and building material littering entire neighborhoods?
“If you put your (natural) debris out to the curb, not on the street, we will get it,” said Kris McClintick, Harrison Twp. administrator. “We can’t tell you when we’ll be able to do that, but we’re going to get it for you.”
A three-phase debris management plan is being coordinated through the Montgomery County Solid Waste District, Wooten said.
In the meantime, the county is offering free yard waste drop-off for residents and charging $36 a ton for contractors hauling yard waste to the Solid Waste District, 1001 Encrete Lane in Moraine.
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The first phase of the plan will be getting debris to the curb. Residents can do it now, but Wooten said volunteers and organizations might have a role as the plan is firmed up.
“We are trying to partner with people to coordinate that,” she said. “It is in the very early stages, but we are working on it.”
Safety is the first priority when moving debris, Wooten said.
Montgomery County communities with extensive damage include Brookville, Butler Twp., Dayton, Harrison Twp., Riverside and Vandalia.
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Moving material from curbs to the county’s waste transfer station will be the second phase, followed in the last stage by getting material to the landfill. Both are expected to be conducted by the county. The process is expected to last up to five weeks, Wooten said.
“This will definitely test their operations,” she said. “We’re going to have to be a more 24/7 operation for the foreseeable future.”
Debris disposal in Beavercreek
Beavercreek residents can take natural debris such as yard waste including tree limbs free of charge to the Greene County Environmental Services Recycling Complex at 2145 Greene Way Blvd., Xenia, Ohio.
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Beavercreek will collect yard debris from the affected areas in and around Kemp and Grange Hall roads within the next few weeks, according to the city. The city will collect natural storm debris left at the curb off the traveled portion of roads. Branches and other debris should be cut down to six-foot lengths. Residents are asked not to use plastic trash bags, nor include construction debris such as shingles and windows.
For a fee, Beavercreek residents can take construction and demolition debris to Xenia Demolition and Landfill at 588 Dayton-Xenia Road in Xenia. The landfill will not take household goods or items such as clothing, mattresses, stuffed furniture and appliances. The fee is based on cubic yards and begins at $20.80, roughly a small pickup load.
Owner’s responsibility
Some people — especially in the Northridge area of Harrison Twp. — don’t have space on the curb for the amount of debris, McClintick said.
“It’s so densely populated and the lots are so small,” he said. “It’s old trees. If you had a half acre lot and you had some trees down, you would have room on your front yard. They don’t have any room there.”
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The township is working to set up drop off points where Northridge residents also can take yard debris before township or county crews make it to their streets. One is available now at the dead end of Ontario Drive.
But local governments won’t be cutting up downed trees on private property, McClintick said.
“That’s up to the property owners to work with their insurance or whatever they need to do with that,” he said.
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