Collier has 4 times the debris Hurricane Wilma had

NAPLES, Fla. Piles of debris collecting in front of every house in Collier County.

It’s become a common sight in the Indigo Lakes neighborhood in Naples.

Collier County says they’re dealing with about four times more debris than with Hurricane Wilma.

A little more than two weeks since Hurricane Irma swept through Naples, many residents say it still looks like the day after.

“We’re looking at what we saw after the storm,” Lou Sheets said.

Sheets, and many of his neighbors, have piles of trees, palm fronds and leaves sitting in their front yard waiting for pick up.

“It was green when we put it all down, now it’s all dried out and brown,” Sheets said. “The grass isn’t getting any water or any sun.”

Collier County hired a contractor that is driving through the neighborhoods and picking up debris. The difference with past hurricanes is that this time around, there is too much to collect in one day, or even one week.

“When Hurricane Wilma came through here in 2005, we picked up approximate 1.2 cubic yards of debris,” Margie Hupke of Collier County Public Utilities said. “The estimate that we have from the debris removal contractor is approximately 4 million cubic yards of debris.”

Sheets and his neighbors are frustrated over the delay in pickup.

“It would be nice if we had some kind of timeline, you know when you guys are going to come get this stuff,” Sheets said. “It’s also a potential fire hazard. Anytime you pile up a bunch of dead foliage, it creates heat.”

Here are three debris drop off spots in Collier County:

• Immokalee Transfer Station, 700 Stockade Road, Immokalee 
  Hours of operation: Monday – Saturday at 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
• Naples Airport Site #7, 200 Patriot Way, Naples
  Hours of operation: Monday – Sunday at 7:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.
• Stan’s Parking Lot, 221 Goodland Drive E, Goodland
  Hours of operation: Monday – Sunday at 7:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.