Emergency debris pickup from Hurricane Irma is now underway in Central Florida.

  • Orange County planning debris pickup
  • Residents have been cleaning up, dropping off debris
  • Public works has opened 11 debris drop off sites
  • LIST: County-by-county debris pickup list

But there is a lot of debris to take away, and it could be weeks for curbside pickup. That’s why some homeowners are taking debris removal into their own hands.

“I’m tired," Orange County resident James Lychako said. "I’ve never been so tired in my life."  

That’s because Lychako has been cleaning up and dropping off debris from his home on Touraine Avenue in the Conway neighborhood of Orange County for the past week.  

“As the wind stopped, I walked outside and there was nothing but trees in my backyard," Lychako said. "My driveway goes around to the back. I had to cut my trees just to be able to get out of my driveway."  

His main concern now is how to cut up and get rid of a large tree branch that fell on his property during Hurricane Irma.

“We came out of the house and we looked around, and the trees down over the top of my truck and my RV, crushed the screen porch. We were just so happy, just so tickled," Lychako said. "There wasn’t a scratch on my house, there wasn’t a scratch on my truck or the RV. It just came down in the yard, so we’re feeling blessed."

Orange County Public Works is in charge of emergency debris removal, which is different than Orange County Solid Waste Department, which is tasked with weekly garbage and recycling pickup.

Project Manager Frank Yokiel said they’re hoping to have most curbside debris removed from neighborhoods within the next two to three weeks.

“We have started the collection at the residencies," said Frank Yokiel, who serves as Project Manager for Orange County Public Works. "We have the three contractors, and we hope to have a schedule out this week. We’re looking in terms of having the week of time frame, where people would realize that the contractor will be in the area, in their neighborhoods."  

In the interim, public works has opened 11 debris dropoff sites for residents across Orange County.

Lychako said he doesn’t know what he would do without the dropoff location in Cypress Grove Park on Holden Avenue.

“It’s just saving me hours a day that I could spend cutting on that tree. This is extremely convenient," Lychako said.

County leaders said all debris will end up being turned into mulch at the Northwest Water Reclamation Facility in Apopka.