Curbside to Final Disposal—without violating FEMA rules

This is your end-to-end field playbook for sorting, collecting, hauling, documenting, and disposing of disaster debris while protecting reimbursement. It’s written for County EMAs, Public Works, Debris Monitors, and contractors operating under ICS/NIMS and FEMA Public Assistance (PA) guidance. Always confirm with your State Debris Management Plan and the latest FEMA PA policy before an event.

Executive Snapshot

  • Goal: Keep debris streams separate from curbside to final disposition.
  • Why it matters: Mixing (e.g., HHW with vegetative, or bagged household garbage with C&D) risks de-obligation and environmental violations.
  • How to win: Simple curbside instructions for residents, clear laneing at DMS, disciplined load ticketing, and photo/GPS evidence at every handoff.

The “Seven-Stream” Segregation Model

Use these streams throughout the operation. If you can only stand up three curbside piles on Day 1, start with Vegetative / C&D / White Goods, then expand to the full seven as ops stabilize.

  1. Vegetative (VEG)
    Trees, branches, logs, stumps (qualified), bag-free leaves.
    • Never include: soil, construction debris, plastic bags, HHW, e-waste.
  2. Construction & Demolition (C&D)
    Lumber, drywall, shingles, fencing, carpet, broken furniture/doors/windows.
    • Never include: white goods, HHW, e-waste, putrescible household garbage.
  3. White Goods / Large Appliances
    Refrigerators, freezers, AC units, washers/dryers, water heaters.
    • Special: Remove doors; refrigerant recovery required before final disposition.
  4. Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)
    Paint, solvents, oils, pesticides, pool chemicals, batteries, propane cylinders.
    • Rule: No comingling—ever. Requires trained handling and permitted facility.
  5. Electronic Waste (E-Waste)
    TVs, monitors, computers, printers, tablets, phones.
    • Special: Handle for data/privacy & CRT/mercury components; recycle with certified vendors.
  6. Sand / Soil / Mud (SSM) & Rock
    Deposited sediments from floods/storm surge, rocks, gravel.
    • Note: Separate from vegetative; document public right-of-way origin.
  7. Vehicles / Vessels / Large Items
    Abandoned vehicles, boats, trailers, tanks.
    • Special: Coordination with law enforcement/title authority; environmental drain/plug protocols.

Explicitly ineligible in Cat A: Normal household trash/putrescibles and pre-existing construction debris. Keep them out of your piles and public messaging.

Public Messaging: “Three Things Residents Must Do”

  1. Sort into separate curbside piles (no bags, no mixing).
  2. Place at the right-of-way edge—not in ditches, on sidewalks, or over meters/lines.
  3. Do not stack under power lines and do not block driveways or hydrants.

60-Second Outreach Copy (multi-use)

  • “Place storm debris at the curb in separate piles: Vegetative, C&D, and Appliances. Do not mix chemicals, paint, or electronics—take HHW and e-waste to the marked drop-off sites. Keep piles clear of mailboxes, meters, and hydrants. Questions? Call 311 or see the public map.”

Curbside Signage Kit (colors are suggestions)

  • Vegetative – Green
  • C&D – Orange
  • Appliances – Blue
  • HHW – Red (Drop-off only)
  • E-Waste – Purple (Drop-off only)
  • Sand/Soil/Mud – Brown
  • Vehicles/Vessels – Gray (By appointment)

Include icons, bilingual text, and a short QR to the Public Map + FAQs.

Field Workflow: Curb → Pickup → Haul → DMS → Final Disposition

1) Curbside Setup

  • Mark pickup zones on the map with unique IDs; tie each zone to a crew and monitor.
  • Safety pass: Utilities clear downed lines; no pickup under energized hazards.
  • Photo set (before): 3–4 angles per pile, GPS/time-stamped; include a context shot showing right-of-way.

2) Pickup & Initial Verification

  • Monitor-Driver Handshake (30 seconds):
    • Confirm stream type, location, truck ID, ticket book ready.
    • Inspect for contamination (e.g., paint cans in vegetative). If mixed, tag as mixed and follow mixed-load SOP (usually non-reimbursable or routed to sorting with cost note).
  • Load ticket created before loading (digital or paper with QR/NFC).

3) Haul & En-Route Controls

  • Secure load (tarping where required).
  • GPS breadcrumb on truck; ETA to assigned DMS or facility.
  • Photo set (after curbside): A quick “pile cleared” photo with GPS/time stamp.

4) Debris Management Site (DMS) Intake

  • Streamed lanes: Dedicated inbound scales/portals per stream; no-mix intersections.
  • Inbound monitor check: Ticket scanned, % fill estimated (or scale weight), photo of inbound load.
  • Spot contamination: If minor, divert to sorting pad; if major, classify/load code as mixed.

5) Processing at DMS

  • Vegetative: Grind/mulch; optional air-curtain incineration (permits/conditions apply); ash management.
  • C&D: Sort for metal/concrete/asphalt/wood; crush/recycle where markets exist; landfill residues.
  • White Goods: Refrigerant & oil recovery; metals to recycler.
  • HHW: Stabilize, bulk/segregate, ship under manifest to permitted TSD facility.
  • E-Waste: Palletize; certified e-cycler chain-of-custody.
  • SSM: Test if required; beneficial use vs landfill based on contamination.
  • Vehicles/Vessels: Drain fluids, title/abandonment processing, auction/scrap pathways per law.

6) Final Disposition & Closeout

  • Outbound ticket with destination, scale weight/volumetric conversion, and signatures.
  • Daily reconciliation: Inbound vs outbound by stream, by carrier, and by site.
  • Site restoration plan (post-ops): grade, reseed, leachate capture, stormwater controls removed per permit.

Chain-of-Custody: What Must Be on Every Load Ticket

Unique Ticket ID • Incident & jurisdiction • Pickup location (address/GPS) • Stream type
Truck ID & certified capacity (if volumetric) • % fill (at load & at DMS) or scale weights
Date/time stamps (load, depart, arrive, out) • Driver + Monitor signatures
Photo links (before, loaded, inbound, offload) • Destination/DMS cell • Notes (contamination, diversions)

Tip: Use QR-coded digital tickets in Ceres Command to attach photos, GPS, signatures, and scale data automatically. Lock records after QA.

Debris Management Site (DMS) Design: Fast Layout That Prevents Mixing

Minimum pads (separate, signed, bermed): Vegetative • C&D • Metals/White Goods • HHW cage • E-waste cage • SSM stockpile • Sorting pad (for minor contamination) • Reuse/recycling staging • Residual to landfill.

Environmental controls:

  • Run-on/run-off control, silt fence, stormwater plan.
  • Leachate capture where needed; no HHW on bare ground.
  • Dust & vector controls (water truck, cover protocols).
  • Fire safety (breaks in mulch piles, temperature checks).
  • Air Curtain Incinerator: Only with proper permits and ash handling plan.
  • Spill kits and secondary containment for fluids.
  • Public separation (no unauthorized access/scavenging).

Traffic engineering:

  • One-way loop; separate inbound scales per stream if possible.
  • Reject bay to avoid backing up the mainline when contamination occurs.
  • High-vis signage matching curbside colors.

Crew SOPs (Pocket Card)

Do:

  • Verify stream before loading.
  • Take geo-time-stamped photos before & after.
  • Use the correct ticket for the stream.
  • Call a monitor if contamination is suspected.

Don’t:

  • Load bagged household garbage or mix HHW/e-waste into other streams.
  • Enter private property without authority/ROE.
  • Remove stumps unless they meet eligibility criteria and hazards are documented (leaners/hangers, root-ball size, etc.).
  • Haul to unapproved facilities.

Monitors’ 10-Point Checklist

  1. Ticket created before load starts.
  2. Right-of-way location verified (public vs private).
  3. Stream confirmed; no-mix observed.
  4. Truck ID/capacity certified (if using volumetric).
  5. Photos attached (before, loaded, after).
  6. % fill recorded or scale weight captured.
  7. Driver & monitor signatures captured.
  8. DMS destination correct for the stream.
  9. If contamination: diversion/reclassification documented.
  10. Daily reconciliation completed; anomalies flagged.

Eligibility Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)

  • Mixed loads → segregate or classify as mixed (often not reimbursable).
  • Private property debris without authority (ROE/ordinance) → ineligible; secure legal basis first.
  • Household trash (putrescibles) in Cat A → ineligible.
  • Stumps & hazard trees without hazard documentation (diameter/lean, root ball, immediate threat) → risk of denial.
  • Piggybacked or T&M contracts outside emergency allowances → shift to unit price or lump sum promptly and document procurement.
  • No environmental controls at DMS → violations and cost risk.
  • Missing photos/GPS/signatures → weak chain-of-custody; fix via QA sweeps.

QA/QC & Reconciliation Rhythm

  • Hourly: Ticket issuance vs loads observed (monitor spot checks).
  • Daily: Zone-level inbound vs outbound balance by stream; exception report.
  • Every 72 hrs: Evidence audit—random 5–10% tickets (photos, GPS, signatures, weights).
  • Weekly: Cost-to-date vs production (by stream & contractor); contamination trend report; corrective actions.

KPIs to Watch

  • % Mixed Loads (target <3%)
  • Loads per crew per shift (by stream)
  • Vegetative grind ratio (yd³→tons) & ash yield
  • HHW captured vs expected (from community profile)
  • Ticket completeness score (target 100%)

Communications & Equity

  • Multilingual micro-bursts for curbside rules; include pictograms and short videos.
  • AFN considerations: Door-to-door reminders in high-SVI tracts; large-print versions; TTY/relay info.
  • Scam alerts: “We do not charge to pick up storm debris at the curb.”
  • Public Map: Show what to sort, where to place, drop-off sites, and live progress (streets cleared, zones complete).

Contracting & Finance Guardrails (Quick Notes)

  • Emergency period: Time-and-Materials (T&M) only if justified and limited; move quickly to unit price or lump sum.
  • Independent monitoring: Separate from haulers; no conflict of interest.
  • Unit pricing by stream: Differentiate vegetative vs C&D vs HHW vs white goods to align with markets and effort.
  • Force account logs: Labor, equipment, materials—every shift.
  • Documentation: Declarations, procurement memos, rate schedules, load tickets, DMS permits, recycling certificates, manifests.

One-Page Resident Handout (text you can paste)

Storm Debris: Do Not Mix
Place at the curb in separate piles:

  • Green: Tree limbs & logs (no bags)
  • Orange: Construction debris (drywall, lumber, flooring)
  • Blue: Appliances (fridges—remove doors)
  • Red: No curbside HHW (paint, chemicals, propane)—take to the posted drop-off site
  • Purple: No curbside electronics—take to e-waste drop-off
  • Brown: Sand/soil/mud separate
    Keep piles clear of mailboxes, hydrants, and meters. Don’t block sidewalks or traffic. Questions? 311 or scan the QR.

Ready-to-Use Checklists

Debris Ops Launch (Day 1)

  • Jurisdictional authority confirmed; right-of-way defined
  • DMS permitted/sited; pads staked and signed by stream
  • Monitor corps trained & deployed (separate from haulers)
  • Ticketing system live (digital preferred)
  • Public messaging (web, social, flyer) posted
  • Utilities hazard clearance protocol in place
  • Photo/GPS SOP briefed to all crews
  • Daily reconciliation process assigned

DMS Daily Open/Close

  • Pre-trip safety & spill kits
  • Scale checks / volumetric boards verified
  • Run-on/run-off clear; dust and fire controls set
  • HHW & e-waste cages locked/inspected
  • Pile temperatures (veg) logged
  • Outbound manifests filed; recycling certs archived
  • Site perimeter secure; public kept out
  • Daily environmental log completed

How Ceres Makes It Easy (Operational Hooks)

  • Color-coded mission threads per stream (VEG, C&D, HHW, E-Waste, White Goods, SSM, Vehicles).
  • Smart tickets with QR/Barcodes, GPS, timestamp, driver/monitor signatures, and photo bundles.
  • DMS board with lane assignments, contamination alerts, scale integration, and daily reconciliation.
  • Public Map module for resident instructions and live progress (zones cleared, next pickup dates).
  • QA engine that flags missing evidence and mixed-load anomalies in near-real-time.

Wrap Up

Debris segregation isn’t fancy—it’s disciplined repetition. Keep streams separate from curb to closeout, document every handoff with photos/GPS/signatures, and run your DMS like a secure warehouse with environmental guardrails. Do that, and you’ll restore faster and keep your reimbursement safe.