County Ready To Help Clean Up Roadside Messes

    The side of the road isn’t really the place for old furniture to sit for the rest of forever, and Lake County this week is reminding citizens it’s bulk waste unit is ready to pick up abandoned furniture - as long as it knows about them.
    Mary Hamilton, interim assistant county manager on Monday said the county is ready to respond to the growing problem of roadside furniture, as it is a service provided as part of the property owners’ tax system.
    “If you are paying the assessment, it’s part of the service,” Hamilton said.
    The county’s waste haulers pick up the garbage with a claw truck, with residents asked to call ahead by a few days and then place the items out with their regular garbage.
    Hamilton asked residents call 352-343-3776, which is the county’s waste collection department. From there, the county can make contact with the hauler and will have a record of the call to make sure the item is picked up.
    However, some items are simply next to the road and not appearing to be near an address. The county can help with that too, depending on the area. As an example, several abandoned pieces of furniture along SR 19 in the Altoona area would fall under state oversight.
    “If they aren’t tied to homes, that will be the FDOT,” Hamilton said. The county can pick up items that are simply sitting next to the road in their service areas only. But that doesn’t mean they won’t contact the agencies, be it the state or municipal providers, to pass on information.
    “If they call us, we can pass on the information,” she said.
    So if you are on area roads and see abandoned furniture that appears to have taken up permanent residence, Lake County is willing to help improve the curb appeal of your area.