Help Trash Your Trash

The City of Pensacola is urging business owners, developers and building contractors to lend a helping hand to prevent careless trash disposal and to aid in cleaning up "stormwater." Stormwater, the rainfall that does not seep into the ground, picks up pesticides, herbicides, oil and other contaminants before washing them into storm drains. Most storm drains empty into Bayou Texar, Bayou Chico, Pensacola Bay or Escambia Bay. Over the years stormwater has contributed to the deterioration of these bodies of water. City Council has committed to spending more than $4 million in 2001 on stormwater prevention, including educating the community about abiding by city ordinances, proper disposal of trash, special trash services and the results of not following the Florida Litter Law. With your help, we can clean up stormwater, clean up our city and save our waters from more permanent damage.

Ordinances That Affect You

• Storing of Refuse (Sec. 4-3-60) Businesses shall not place any refuse in any street, alley or public place unless the refuse is in a proper container for collec- tion or throw any refuse in any stream or other body of water. No business shall cast, place, sweep or deposit anywhere within the city any refuse in such a manner that it may be carried or deposited upon any street, sidewalk, alley, sewer, parkway or other public place.
• Building construction wastes (Sec. 4-3-65) Contractors are compelled to remove all waste from construction sites, including, but not limited to trees, stumps, dirt, old buildings and structures. Inspection will follow within 72 hours of the works completion. Any person issued a building permit is also responsi- ble for inspecting the site and removing all materials previously buried, stored or left to remain on the site.
• Tree surgeons, fence companies, landscape contractors, swimming pool contractors (Sec. 4-3-66) It is the responsibility of all fence companies, tree sur- geons, nurseries, landscape contractors and swimming pool contractors or any individual or company doing work on private property to remove from the premises all residue and rubbish resulting from their work.
• Monitoring of temporary stormwater control devices (Sec. 12-9-8) Building officials shall monitor installation of temporary stormwater control devices during con- struction. At construction's completion, the city engineer shall be notified to inspect and assure permanent stormwater control devices are installed.

Who me? - Consequences of uncooperative behavior

Anything that goes into our city streets and drainage system ends up in oFishingur bays and bayous. According to the Florida Litter Law, any person who dumps litter in an amount not exceeding 15 pounds, is guilty of a non-penalty infraction, punishable by a civil penalty of $50. Any person who dumps litter in an amount exceeding 15 pounds, but not exceeding 500 pounds, is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree. Any person who dumps litter in an amount exceeding 500 pounds, is guilty of a felony of the third degree. In any of these cases, the violator may be required to pick up litter or perform other labor commensurate with the offense committed.

Have questions?

By not putting anything into your drains you would not drink or handle in an unprotected manner you help make your business and city a cleaner, better place to live. If you have any questions, please contact City of Pensacola Sanitation Services Code Enforcement by calling 436-5500 Monday-Friday from 6 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. or Inspection Services at 436-5600 Monday-Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Please call 435-1890 for more information.
Office hours are Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
A program sponsored by the City of Pensacola.