Town develops residential reimbursement program for hauling storm debris

Southern Pines was one of the communities in the Carolinas that was hardest hit in January’s ice storm, in terms of both power outages and the number of trees that were damaged. Since that time, the Town’s solid waste vendor, GFL Environmental, has collected nearly 1,200 tons of yard debris, including nearly 700 tons in February alone; the normal monthly average is 300 tons. To facilitate this volume of debris, GFL has doubled the number of trucks collecting yard debris, currently operating four trucks instead of the two that normally run.

Southern Pines Town Manager, Reagan Parsons, notes, “We know the community is tired of seeing these debris piles and that it appears as if the effort to remove them is proceeding slowly. While we’ve removed closed to 1,200 tons of debris since the storm, using four different routes, it is a massive clean-up effort. It is not uncommon for a truck to be filled after collecting debris from a single street, requiring a trip to the landfill, which is timely and impacts the number of areas that can be visited each day. The problem is compounded by the fact that, with the nicer early spring weather, residents are working in their yards and adding to the piles.”

In addition to working with GFL to double the number of routes collecting the debris, the Town has developed a reimbursement program for those residents who are physically able and interested in hauling debris to the landfill in lieu of waiting for collection by the Town. Details are as follows:

Town residents may choose to haul their yard debris, including tree limbs and branches to the Moore County Landfill at 456 Turning Leaf Way in Aberdeen. The landfill is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Saturday from 7:00 am to noon, and closed on Sunday. Please contact the landfill at (910) 295-4202 to confirm other details;

Residents will be charged a fee at the landfill based on the tonnage of debris. The fee is $29/ton, with a minimum of $5 per visit. For the average-sized pickup truck, the fee will likely be $5-$10, which will be reimbursed by the Town under certain conditions;

The Town will only reimburse fees for yard debris, which does not include trash such as plastics, paper, and cardboard or larger items like logs;

The Town will reimburse fees paid through April 30, 2022 provided the receipts are submitted to the Town by May 31, 2022. The Town is only able to reimburse fees paid to the Moore County Landfill.

The reimbursement program is only for residents within the corporate boundaries of Southern Pines. The Town will not reimburse any commercial businesses, landscape contractors, and similar. The easiest way to confirm residency is to check the Town of Southern Pines utility bill for your home to see if you are charged for residential trash service. Or, feel free to call (910) 692-1983 to confirm your address. The Town will reimburse either residential property owners or tenants.

The Town will reimburse a maximum of two receipts per residence, via a credit to the resident’s utility bill. The Town recognizes that some community members may assist neighbors and others in need by hauling debris on their behalf and will reimburse these fees if they are submitted by the property owner/tenant.

To submit a request for reimbursement, please provide a copy of the landfill receipt(s) – maximum of two receipts – along with proof of the residential address (utility bill, driver’s license, etc.), via any of the following:

Mail or drop off to:
Town of Southern Pines
Attn: Debra Fisher
801 SE Service Road
Southern Pines, NC 28387

E-mail to Debra Fisher at [email protected]

“We love our trees in Southern Pines and are proud to be a community with a thick canopy, but we see the challenges this brings during storm events like this. We greatly appreciate everyone’s patience and promise that we will not slow down our efforts until the job is complete. We hope this new program is helpful to those residents who are able to haul their debris and would like an alternative to speed up the collection,” adds Assistant Town Manager, Jessica Roth.

For those residents who would like to use the Town’s yard debris pick up service, the following are some suggestions to help facilitate these clean-up efforts and ensure your debris is picked up:

The Town’s yard debris collection service includes tree limbs/branches that are 4 feet or less in length and 4 inches or less in diameter. The Town is unable to collect debris that has not been trimmed to these sizes or larger debris, such as logs, which should be taken to the Moore County Landfill at 456 Turning Leaf Way in Aberdeen;

Place yard debris at the curb for collection, as we are unable to collect debris that remains in the yard and has not been piled at the curb. Take care to ensure the pile does not extend into roadways and travel lanes, sidewalks, gutters, catch basins, and drainage ditches;

If you use a landscape contractor, request that they haul any debris they generate, rather than adding it to the piles of storm debris. Otherwise, this could lead to additional delays as the piles grow larger;

Piles of yard debris may only include leaves, limbs, and yard clippings. If trash, such as plastics, paper, and cardboard, are added to the pile, or if the pile includes logs and very large/long branches, the Town will be unable to collect any of the pile. In this case, the pile will be tagged by the hauler, indicating it is the resident’s responsibility to remove.

For questions or concerns regarding these clean-up efforts, the reimbursement program, or the Town’s sanitation services, please contact Assistant Public Works Director Cory Albers at (910) 692-1983 or [email protected].

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