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Committee raises concerns about overflowing mooring‑field trash, recycling contamination and contractor debris
Summary
Members asked staff to address overflowing garbage cans near the mooring field, to improve concealment required by the town code, and to coordinate with Waste Management and contractors to reduce construction debris on public streets.
Fort Myers Beach — Anchorage Advisory Committee members pressed staff on Sept. 22 to fix recurring garbage and recycling problems around the mooring field and on island side streets, and discussed potential enforcement and containment strategies.
Jennifer Rusk gave the committee a photo showing overflowing garbage and recycling bins near the mooring field and urged staff action. Committee members and staff discussed whether town crews or private waste contractors are responsible for pickups in the mooring field area; Curtis said town employees normally pick up the mooring‑field cans and that the pictured overflow occurred on a holiday weekend.
Why it matters: overflowing public trash poses a risk of debris entering waterways, attracts wildlife and rodents, and can make public facilities less usable for boaters and residents.
Key points
- Code and containment: Jennifer said the town’s land development code requires garbage to be concealed; she urged staff to find a permanent, concealed storage solution (enclosure, screened area or dumpster) so cans and bags are not visible and cannot wash into the waterway. Curtis said staff will examine options and coordinate with other departments.
- Pickup responsibility: Curtis and others confirmed town staff pick up mooring‑field receptacles; the overflow photo was taken on a holiday when services were delayed. Committee members suggested a dumpster with a locking lid or an enclosed screened area as a longer‑term solution.
- Recycling contamination: Members reported that placing recyclables inside plastic bags prevents recycling processors from accepting the material and effectively sends it to the landfill. The committee asked staff to raise the issue with Waste Management and consider additional signage.
- Construction debris: Committee members reported more street‑side construction debris since post‑storm rebuilding. Jennifer urged that contractors be required to keep small refuse (food waste, bottles, cigarette butts) contained on site and suggested that permitting or enforcement require an on‑site trash receptacle.
Quotations and attributions
Jennifer Rusk: committee member, said the overflow photo showed cans and bags that could be washed into the water and noted “it is in our land development code that all garbage needs to be concealed.”
Curtis (staff member) explained that town employees generally pick up mooring‑field trash and that the pictured overflow was related to holiday pickup timing; he said staff will look at alternatives for containment and coordinate with other departments.
Ending
Staff agreed to examine containment options, to discuss the recycling‑in‑plastic‑bag issue with Waste Management, and to consider whether a dumpster or screened enclosure is feasible for the mooring‑field trash cans. No enforcement action was taken at the meeting; members asked staff to return with proposed solutions.
