More than 10 million cubic yards of debris was collected across Tampa Bay after hurricanes Helene and Milton. In Hillsborough County alone, nearly 5 million cubic yards of debris was collected, enough to fill more than 1,400 Olympic swimming pools. For months, people patiently waited for mounds of vegetative debris to be removed from their street corners. But now, some may be buying that exact debris back. Bill Gaston's business is turning your vegetative garbage into agricultural gold. "We take what used to be a liability and turn it into something for beneficial use, and it is rewarding!" Gaston said. "Millions of tons of years we manage to turn from a liability to an asset." Gaston's Tree Service LLC is one of the largest vegetative management companies in the state. After hurricanes Helene and Milton, it was contracted by Hillsborough County to grind its mountains of hurricane debris in a process that is more environmentally friendly than burning or burying debris. Gaston said they've been known to make "the daily grind" look easy. "The debris comes into our site and we process that into a mulch for beneficial use. It doesn't get more complicated than that. We just pick up a lot of sticks!" Gaston joked. Gaston said their mulch could be "land banked," to make soil healthier, used as renewable energy, or make its way to your local hardware store or nursery. For the latter use, he said the hurricane debris could literally be helping to plant the roots of Florida's future. "Then the neighborhood goes and buys their mulch from a big box store, takes it out and puts it around their flowers or puts it around their trees," he explained. After more than four months of 10-12 hour days, seven days a week, Gaston said they're roughly three weeks away from being done at their Wimauma site, with the final phase of hurricane debris processing. MORE: https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/hillsboroughcounty/hurricane-debris-becomes-mulch-compost-recycle/67-4a1c6813-8f62-4ca9-bbbe-a9b0a93fdc89