Tropical Storm Isaac Debris Pickup Begins

By Mia Freneaux

    The process has begun!  Last week bulldozers began compiling the stacks of debris left over from Tropical Storm Isaac.  This week, Byrd Brothers, LLC,  a company headquartered in Wilson, NC, who won the bid to collect the debris, is sending out their double trailer trucks armed with mechanical claws to retrieve the stacks.  David Barrow, Chief Administrative Officer, estimated that the job was about 50% completed as of this past Monday. The task involves trucks subcontracted from several states, all of which bear a placard with Byrd Brothers' name.  The entire project should take approximately two weeks to complete.  According to Karl Dix, project manager for Byrd Brothers, 5 trucks have been put on the road to handle the task.  Once the debris has been collected, it is hauled over to Dennis Stewart Equipment Rental.  FEMA has representatives onsite who check each truck in and measure how many cubic yards they are holding.  This is to both protect Central's government and make sure that the contractors are being fairly paid.  Mr. Stewart, a Central business owner, won the bid to dispose of the debris. Using his heavy equipment, he is taking the debris and recycling it into mulch and potting soil.  "It's a process that takes months," Mr. Stewart shared.  The debris is first sent through a giant chipper, which reduces it to small pieces.  Large diameter logs must first be cut down to a manageable size using a splitter.  The huge piles of chips are then kept moist and turned regularly, using the power of composting to turn the raw wood chips into dark potting soil.  Mr. Stewart said that when they turn the piles, the heat from the composting is so intense the pile actually smokes.  Other piles of chips will be turned into hardwood mulch, red mulch, and in the future, black and brown mulch.  "We plan to sell it both wholesale and retail," stated Treshur Jones, manager at Dennis Stewart, "Folks can either drive up to our location and have the mulch loaded, or if they call in advance, we will deliver 15 cubic yards and up to their location."  Please be patient as the trucks stop to pick up the debris, and use caution as you drive around them.  Remember that debris piles that contain anything except tree debris will not be picked up.  It is good to know first of all that all that debris will soon be just a memory, and secondly that it will be put to use instead of being burned or filling up a landfill.  Good news indeed for our great city!