Fort Myers beautification crews remove 80 tons of litter

FORT MYERS, Fla. —

The Fort Myers beautification crew has been making major progress this year, from side roads, canals and neighborhoods around the city.

"They're out there consistently picking this material all the time, every day of the week, all day long," said Peter Bieniek, director of Public Works.

Bieniek told NBC2 that crews have collected 80 tons of trash since February. Cleaning up streets piece by piece, the most litter is along major roads like Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard and Colonial Boulevard.

"Martin Luther King [Boulevard], we found that a lot of that comes from the trash trucks going out to the incinerator, so we have to hit the high profile areas first, then the side neighborhoods," said Bieniek.

The crews drop all the litter into a 40-yard dumpster at their facility on Arcadia Street. Then, everything gets transferred to a facility in Lehigh Acres, where the materials will burn and then be turned into electricity.

NBC2 spoke to several residents while driving around Fort Myers, and residents told us they are noticing the difference, especially in areas like Dean Park. The area was filled with debris from hurricanes, but now people don't have to worry.

"People stroll their babies and walk their dogs, and it's a walking neighborhood, and it looks very nice," said Lenette Schwab.

"People can see us out there. A lot of residents after a storm are upset. They don't know what's going to happen, but when they see city staff out there working, picking up that we're getting it off the street, it makes a big difference to them because they know that we're there and they're not wondering when we're going to get to them," said Beinick.