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Boulder Begins Curbside Flood Debris Collection Effort

Debris
Images of the debris removal effort in Boulder on Thursday morning. (credit: CBS)

BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) - Flood debris piled up in Boulder is slowing disappearing.

The city hired a curbside collection company from Denver to help pick-up the soggy mess. They are collecting items like drywall, carpets and other household items damaged in the flood.

Cleanup crews started Thursday morning and estimate it will take three weeks to complete.

Because FEMA is helping to pay for the removal, only flood related debris is being collected.

Ten trucks will travel every city street twice to make sure it's all removed.

"This is great because we couldn't get a dumpster," flood victim Jim Beall told CBS4. "It was really good that they decided to do the citywide cleanup."

"We just really had to get a situation where it was more convenient for residents to get rid of their materials. It was posing a health hazard to have the materials sitting around too long," City of Boulder spokeswoman Kara Mertz said.

Additional Resources

Visit a special page of the city of Boulder's website for more information about the cleanup process.

There are specific guidelines for what can be left on the curb:

- Storm-related debris only
- Debris should NOT be placed in plastic trash bags.
- If debris is already in plastic bags, the bags must be opened to allow those picking up the trash to verify they contain only storm debris.
- Do not place household trash with flood debris.

Colorado Floods: How To Help

The recent floods are impacting families and communities throughout Colorado, so CBS4 has compiled a list of ways you can support the local communities impacted by the floods.

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