Residents and businesses are reminded that they must obtain a voucher before bringing flood debris to a Pierce County transfer station for free disposal. Without the voucher, regular solid waste disposal fees will apply.

To obtain a voucher, residents and businesses must first report damages by Fri., Jan. 16 to the Department of Emergency Management’s Damage Assessment Center at 1-866-798-6363 (toll-free) between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. It is only necessary to call once to establish eligibility for debris disposal assistance.

An inspector will visit the residence or business to verify the flood damage and issue a voucher. This may take five to seven days. The voucher entitles the bearer to dispose of flood damaged household goods free of charge. In addition to the transfer station disposal sites, the Solid Waste Division and local private waste collection companies are placing collection containers in neighborhoods that have a high concentration of debris.

The Damage Assessment Center has received 293 calls to date. Ten inspectors are dedicated to performing the site visits.

For more information, contact the Pierce County Solid Waste Division at 253-798-2179, e-mail pcsolidwaste@co.pierce.wa.us, visit http://www.piercecountywa.org/solidwaste , or call the recorded information line at (253) 798-4115.