Hurricane Season — What to Do With Your Trash Bins Before and After a Storm

Most hurricane checklists cover water, batteries, shutters and the car. The trash bin gets one line at most, usually "bring it inside", and then nothing about the week after — which is when the bin actually becomes a problem.

A storm hits a bin twice. First the wind, which treats an empty cart as something to throw. Then the aftermath, when the power goes out, the fridge turns, collection pauses and the bin sits full in the heat for days. Here is what to do on both sides.

When should I bring my bins in before a hurricane?

As soon as a watch is issued for your area and your last collection before the storm has happened — not the night the wind starts.

An empty cart weighs very little and has a lid built like a sail. In strong wind it will roll, tip and travel, and it does not much care whether the thing it hits is your car, a window or a neighbour's fence. Once the outer bands arrive, walking out to fetch it is not a job you want.

Bring it into the garage if you have room. If you do not, lay it on its side against the most sheltered wall of the house, lid facing the wall, or strap it to something fixed — a fence post or a secured gate — with a ratchet strap or rope through the handle. A bungee cord across the lid helps keep it shut but will not hold the cart in place on its own.

Should I put my trash out if collection is still running?

Only if your city has confirmed that collection is running on that day, and only if you can bring the cart back in straight after pickup.

Cities and their haulers often change the schedule around a storm — moving collection earlier, suspending it, or running it and then pausing afterwards. Follow the announcements from your own city or county rather than your usual routine. If collection is cancelled, keep the bin in, keep the lid closed, and bag everything tightly so it is not sitting loose in the heat.

Can I weigh the bin down with water?

We would not. It works against the wind, but it creates a new problem.

Water in the base of a bin mixes with whatever residue is already there. Leave it for a few days after the storm and you have a tub of warm, dirty water with a lid on it — which is exactly where mosquitoes breed, and exactly the kind of soup that makes a bin smell for weeks. If you do use water, empty it the day the storm passes, away from any storm drain.

What should I do with the bin once the storm has passed?

Check it, drain it, and hold off filling it until you know when collection is coming back.

1. 01Look for damage. A cracked body, a broken lid or a missing wheel is worth reporting to whoever issued the cart — in many South Florida cities that is the city or its hauler, not you.
2. 02Tip out any standing water. Rain gets into closed bins too. Drain it before it has a chance to sit.
3. 03Find out when pickup restarts. Your city will announce it. Until then, anything that goes in the bin is going to wait there.
4. 04Keep storm debris out of the cart. Branches, fencing and building materials usually go out separately, under your city's own debris rules. Stuffing them into the cart can leave it too heavy to lift, and the truck may leave it behind.

What about all the food from the fridge?

This is the part that ruins bins. Handle it carefully and it does not have to.

If the power has been off long enough for food to spoil, it has to go — but a week's worth of meat, dairy and leftovers thrown loose into a bin in September heat is the fastest route to maggots we know of. Flies find it within hours, and the liquid that comes out of spoiled food runs down into the base and bonds there.

Double-bag it, squeeze the air out, and tie each bag tightly. Keep it as close to collection day as you reasonably can, and keep the lid fully closed. If you have a large amount, split it across bags so none of them tears when it is lifted. When the fridge itself is cleaned out, pour the melt water down a drain in the house rather than into the bin.

Does a bin need cleaning after a flood?

Yes, if floodwater got into it or over it.

Floodwater is not rainwater. It can carry sewage, fuel and chemicals picked up along the way, and it leaves a film on everything it touches. A bin that sat in it will hold that film on the walls and in the base, and a rinse with a garden hose will not lift it — cold water at hose pressure mostly moves residue around. What removes it is heated water at pressure, followed by a sanitizing treatment, which is how a professional trash bin cleaning is done.

The same is true of a bin that held spoiled fridge food for a week, even with no flooding. It may look fine once it is empty. It will not smell fine the next time the sun is on it.

When is the right time to book a cleaning after a storm?

The day after your first normal collection, once the spoiled food is gone.

Cleaning a bin before it has been emptied of the storm waste just means doing it twice. Wait until the truck has taken the worst of it, then reset it. If you are not on a schedule, a one-time clean is $60 for two bins, with no subscription attached. If you are already on a plan, a storm is a good reason to move your next visit forward rather than wait for the usual date.

The short version

Before the storm: bin in the garage or strapped down, lid shut, nothing put out unless your city has confirmed pickup. After the storm: drain it, report damage, keep debris out of it, and double-bag the spoiled food. Once the first normal collection has taken the worst away, get it properly cleaned — before the heat turns a hurricane into a second, smaller disaster living by your driveway.

Book a cleaning, or call (754) 707-1774, once collection is back on your street.