MIAMI (AP) — Those piles of debris left from Hurricane Irma's path through Florida may stick around even longer if residents ignore warnings from city officials to separate regular trash and bulk items from the decaying foliage.

The Miami Herald reports the debris pickup process is being slowed down in some cases because crews hired to pick up mounds of tree branches have to separate these items from regular junk litter being tossed on the unsightly piles.

The problem, city officials say, is that regular bulk pickup isn't resuming in some areas until the hurricane debris is picked up. That's because items such as mattresses, chairs and bookshelves can't go through the chippers that grind the yard waste into mulch.

Hurricane Irma raced across much of the Florida peninsula on Sept. 10.