Islip Town officials: Sandy debris cleanup reaches $1.1M

 The Town of Islip has collected nearly 21,000 tons of debris resulting from superstorm Sandy at a cost of $1.1 million, town officials said.

The town, which suspended all storm-related debris collection fees through the end of last year, expects to recoup the funds through a Federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursement request, officials said.

“The impact of this storm certainly outweighed that of Irene because of the number of homes impacted by the tidal surge and the loss of household contents,” said Eric Hofmeister, commissioner of the town’s Department of Environmental Control.

The town-operated composting facility, which sits on 40 acres along the northern perimeter of Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma, processed the bulk of the storm debris — 18,403 tons of yard waste with a $920,157 price tag — including leaves, trees and brush.

The MacArthur Waste to Energy Facility on Veterans Memorial Highway adjacent to the airport processed 1,641 tons of household debris ranging from furniture to clothing, officials said.

The town’s construction and demolition landfill in Hauppauge collected 930 tons, officials said.

The town was billed for the cleanup by the Islip Resource Recovery Agency, which manages the town’s solid waste.

SEE PHOTOSSandy's impact on Long Island

The town’s Department of Public Works hired 24 contractors, who helped collect the debris curbside using payloaders, skid steers and dump trucks. They also cleared streets.

In addition to supervising the private contractors, DPW deployed 38 trucks, nine payloaders and 60 workers for the cleanup effort.