Fort Walton Beach crews begin removing mattresses and furniture left out after the hurricane
Fort Walton Beach, Florida – Getting a neighborhood cleaned up after a hurricane involves more than hauling away fallen trees and damaged building materials. For residents with old furniture, mattresses and other bulky household items sitting near the curb, a separate cleanup effort is now underway.
The City of Fort Walton Beach is stepping in to handle those items, allowing hurricane debris contractors to concentrate on the storm-related waste they are authorized to remove.
The city’s Solid Waste Division began collecting large household bulk waste items from residential neighborhoods on Thursday, October 22, 2026. The effort is intended to support ongoing hurricane cleanup operations by separating ordinary household waste from the vegetative and construction debris being collected by contractors.
Unlike regular garbage collection, the new bulk waste removal service will not follow a fixed neighborhood schedule. Instead, city drivers will move ahead of the debris contractor’s vehicles, removing household items before the contractor arrives to collect eligible storm debris.
The city explained that federal disaster cleanup rules limit the types of materials its debris contractor can collect. Under Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requirements, the contractor is restricted to vegetative debris, such as branches and other plant material, and construction debris, including fencing, drywall, docks, lumber and flooring.
Household bulk waste falls outside those categories. Items such as mattresses, indoor and outdoor furniture, cardboard boxes and bags must therefore be handled separately.
By assigning city crews to those materials, officials hope to make the remaining hurricane debris collection process more efficient and reduce confusion over which items contractors can remove.
However, residents should be aware of another important distinction. City crews will not collect yard waste while the hurricane debris contractor is still working. Regular municipal yard waste collection will resume only after the contractor has completed all required collection passes and has been released from its cleanup responsibilities.
The city is also asking residents to take several steps to help crews work more efficiently.
Vegetative debris, construction materials and ordinary household bulk items should be placed in separate piles whenever possible. Larger pieces, particularly tree trunks, should be limited to approximately eight feet in length.
Residents should leave debris at the curb while keeping piles away from fire hydrants, mailboxes and other utilities. Vegetative and construction debris must remain loose because the contractor will not collect bagged materials.
Hazardous waste, tires and electronics should not be included in the debris piles.
Different arrangements apply to businesses and multi-family residential properties. According to the city, debris collection from commercial and multi-family residential accounts does not qualify for FEMA reimbursement.
Those customers may contact the Solid Waste Division to schedule debris removal appointments. Charges will depend on the time required to complete the pickup and the associated disposal costs.
Residents and property managers with questions, concerns or requests for scheduled collection can contact the City of Fort Walton Beach Solid Waste Division at 850-833-9655.
With multiple types of waste requiring different collection methods, the city is emphasizing proper separation and curbside placement as the cleanup continues. Those relatively simple preparations can help collection crews move through neighborhoods more efficiently and keep the broader hurricane recovery effort progressing.
