Chasidy Hobbs of Emerald Coastkeepers has been working on how people can dispose of the tarballs that they may pick up. She got this reply from DEP:
Good morning, Chasidy. Two solutions to this have been developed. First off, we are not encouraging private citizens to clean up shorelines. This is what BP has trained their workers for and we must ensure that they are out there doing that job – safely and responsibly. Having said that. Should a homeowner have oil soaked materials, there are two options:
· Have the homeowners contact 1-866-448-5816 and someone will be sent out to retrieve the oiled materials.
· ECUA will provide several 55 gallon (+/-) cans at certain walk crossovers on Pensacola Beach. They will be marked for oil debris only. BP/ Waste Management will be responsible for all collection and disposal. ECUA has provided the containers at no charge to help with the response. They will be placed next week.
Darryl Boudreau, Assistant Director,
Northwest District DEP