SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) — It’s been 37 days since storm debris pick started and the City of Sarasota is hoping to put all that trash from Hurricanes Milton and Helene behind them once and for all.

Starting Monday, contractors hired by the city will begin their final pass for pickup. Residents are being asked to prepare any storm debris they may still have and to follow the guidelines for pick up.

“Making sure that it’s put out in separate piles, if you have vegetative debris, it should be separated from construction debris for example,” Todd Kucharski, Public Works General Manager with the City of Sarasota said. “And it should have proper spacing so it’s not on top of a backflow preventer for example, or a streetlight, or even your tree.”

Abiding by these guidelines helps the city receive funds back from FEMA. That’s why Kucharski said not to look at this final pass as an opportunity to put out trash that does not belong, as improper debris will be left behind.

“It will get tagged and shared with the resident, so they know what to properly put out there,” Kucharski said.

The city hopes to complete this final pick-up phase in time for Christmas. Despite that hopeful goal, some residents have had a tough time dealing with the debris.

“It’s been horrendous. My particular community paid for a service to come in and our area is okay,” homeowner Gail Glickman said.

She hopes that with future storms, she’ll see better preparation for the debris.

“If possible, it would be better in advance if they prepared for debris removal. Maybe have more trucks ready to go,” Glickman said.

However, Sarasota has made major progress in clearing out more than 418,000 tons of storm debris, and that number will grow following this final debris sweep.

Remember not to mix your lawn debris with this storm debris pickup. If you have any questions or need help making arrangements for special pick up you can still call the storm debris hotline at 833-947-7739.