Residents take advantage of free disposal as storm cleanup efforts continue

LEXINGTON, KY (WTVQ)- The City of Lexington opened up two landfill sites Wednesday in an effort to help residents get rid of debris following last weekend’s storms.

ABC 36 was there as steady streams of trucks and trailers entered the Old Frankfort Pike location, bringing truck loads of branches, tree trunks and other storm-related debris.

“At my sister’s house, there’s trees limbs everywhere all over the neighborhood,” says Stacey Altwies, who has been spending the week cleaning up following the storms. She says her power has since been restored, but there is still a lot of work to do.

Altwies and her dad made multiple trips to the landfill Wednesday, but weren’t finished yet.

“I dont know what else we would do with it.”

The city helped ease the load for the community who had no place to take their debris by opening up multiple locations free of charge. The former Old Frankfort Pike landfill, located at 1631 Old Frankfort Pike, is open to the public 8AM to 5PM open through Friday.

Meanwhile, the Haley Pike Waste Management Facility will accept storm debris, limbs and foliage, at no charge from Fayette County residents during normal operating days and hours through Friday, July 14.

The free offer provides some relief for Lexington resident Wes Alford.

“We’re fortunate. Some of our big limbs fell over on the property next door. We’re Taking care of those, too. We were fortunate all things considered,” says Alford.

Alford says the storms could have been much worse, despite losing power for nearly thirty hours.

“We lost a lot of large branches. We were fortunate compared to our neighbors across the street. They had a huge tree fall through the ceiling of their bedroom, the roof. You could see daylight through the hole,” says Alford

Still, he says he’s grateful he doesn’t have to drive too far.

”This one (landfill) is like ten minutes (away) so it’s great.”

Communities continuing the clean up- one limb at a time.

“I feel like it’s a mess right now, but it’s doable just throwing these limbs on getting it all cleaned up. And we’re lucky,” says Altwies.

If you’re not able to get your trees and yard waste to one of those locations, it can be left by your curb for collection.

The city says limbs should be stacked neatly- and cut to four feet.