ECUA Extends Customer Service Phone Hours
In order to alleviate the demand on its overloaded telephone system, ECUA is extending customer service telephone hours beginning today. Customer service telephone lines will remain open until 7 p.m. on weekdays, and will also be open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20 and 27. The ECUA telephone system began being overloaded late last week with the dramatic increase in calls from residents of north Santa Rosa County calling in to sign up for solid waste service before the end of the year. An automated message saying that the number, (850) 476-0480, is out of service is incorrect, and ECUA is working with the telephone company to rectify this matter.
Residents who would like curbside service should contact ECUA by Dec. 26 to ensure there is no interruption in their service:
ECUA Customer Service: (850) 476-0480
Monday – Friday, 8a.m. to 7p.m.
To avoid potentially long wait times on the phone, customers may obtain information regarding services at http://www.ecua.fl.gov/santa-rosa. To sign-up, residents may email customer.service@ecua.fl.gov to request any of the solid waste services, or go to http://www.ecua.fl.gov/santa-rosa/contact to sign up for service online.
When making a request for service, customers are asked to include their name, service address and a daytime telephone number. When applying for a new account, customers should be prepared to present some form of identification such as a driver’s license, military ID, Florida ID or student ID card.
The new north end Santa Rosa ECUA services are $51.27 per quarter and include (additional information available at www.ecua.fl.gov/santa-rosa):
- Garbage pickup: twice a week in a wheeled, 95-gallon container
- Recycling pickup: on request by resident once a week in a wheeled, 95-gallon container, residents should request recycling service when signing up for service
- Yard debris pickup: every two weeks
- Bulky waste pickup: service on request via phone call from resident
- Side door collection service for the disabled at no extra charge, Non-handicapped side door collection service, additional containers or bear-resistant containers at an additional cost.
ECUA will deliver new garbage and recycling containers to Santa Rosa customers. It is important that residents do not use the new containers until after their last scheduled pickup date with their outgoing provider, either Dec. 29, 30 or 31; as ECUA will not start service routes until January. Please leave your old empty containers at the curbside for pickup by the previous provider.
Citizens utilizing residential curbside collection in the north end of the county that DO NOT live the city of Milton, town of Jay or NAS Whiting Field, will now have one solid waste provider assigned to their area. The franchise agreement does not impact business or commercial dumpster accounts or residents living south of the Yellow River. Residents in the Holley, Navarre, Midway or the city of Gulf Breeze will have NO change in solid waste providers.
The residential curbside solid waste service is not mandatory. Individuals who do not signup for service will be responsible for transporting their household waste, recyclables, yard debris and bulk waste items to the Central Landfill in Milton or the Jay Residential Drop Off Station in Jay. Additionally, the commission chose to grandfather in the small providers. Residents may choose a provider that is currently permitted and utilizes trucks that weigh 15,000 lbs. or less.
For more information, visit www.ecua.fl.gov/santa-rosa or http://santarosa.fl.gov/bocc/solidwaste.cfm.
