A Tip from Councilmember Mary Cheh on Dealing with Dead Animals

Photo by Thomas S. Mann

Recently, neighbors have come across dead birds in the neighborhood.  Please do not touch them.  The proper course of action is to contact the citywide call center by dialing 311.  The operator will either take the report and give you a confirmation number, or connect you with Solid Waste Collection and someone there will take the report.  Either way you should be given a confirmation number.  

The city does not collect dead animals from private property. 

See a dead animal, call 311.

Leah Singleton, Community Outreach Director & Scheduler

Councilmember Mary Cheh, Ward 3

Council of the District of Columbia

202-724-8062

http://www.marycheh.com

Emancipation Day Observed Mon, Apr 16: No on Trash Pickup, Yes on Reversible Lanes

With this Monday, April 16 designated an official DC holiday, Emancipation Day (and it's the 150th anniversary, no less!), we are passing along two important reminders about the schedule for the day.


First, please note that all DC offices will be closed, including the DMV and the Fort Totten trash transfer station.


Second, DPW has announced that trash collection will "slide" to the next day.


Third, in recognition of the fact that Emancipation Day is not a holiday for federally or privately employed workers, rush hour lane reversals and rush hour parking enforcement will stick to the normal weekday patterns.


The full text of DPW's announcement is below.


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DPW To Observe Emancipation Day, Monday, April 16

DPW will enforce rush hour restrictions; sanitation services will be suspended for the day.

The DC Department of Public Works will observe Emancipation Day, Monday, April 16; however, rush-hour parking restrictions will be enforced. Vehicles violating these restrictions will be ticketed and towed. 


Please note: Other parking regulations, including expired meters, residential parking and street sweeping, will be suspended for the holiday.

Additionally, the Nationals will play Sunday, April 15 and Monday, April 16, so parking enforcement will occur both days in the Nationals Park neighborhood.

Sanitation services will be suspended for the holiday and will resume Tuesday, April 17.

• In once-a-week trash and recycling collection neighborhoods collections will "slide" to the next day, so Monday's collections will be made Tuesday, Tuesday's collections will be made Wednesday and so on.
• In twice-a-week collection neighborhoods, Monday and Thursday collections will "slide" to Tuesday and Friday, and Tuesday and Friday collections will be made Wednesday and Saturday.
• Street sweeping will be suspended Monday and resume Tuesday, April 17.

The  Fort Totten Transfer Station will be closed Monday, April 16 and reopen Tuesday, April 17 to residents between 1 pm and 5 pm.

DPW's Hazardous Waste and E-Cycling Drop-off Is Saturday, March 3

It's that time of the month: The Department of Public Works is reminding us that this Saturday at its Fort Totten Facility, you can get rid of your hazardous waste and documents to be shredded. Here are all the details:

DPW's monthly Household Hazardous Waste/E-Cycling/Personal Document Shredding drop-off is Saturday, March 3, between 8 am and 3 pm at the Ft. Totten Transfer Station. You can also find directions to Fort Totten on that web page.

District residents may bring toxic items, such as pesticides, batteries and cleaning fluids to Ft. Totten, along with computers, televisions and other unwanted electronic equipment. Personal document shredding also is available and residents may bring up to five boxes of materials to be shredded. No business or commercial material will be accepted.

To accommodate residents whose religious beliefs prohibit them from using the Saturday drop-off, DPW will accept household hazardous waste and e-cyclables the Thursday before the first Saturday of the month (March 1, from 1 pm to 5 pm). While DPW normally offers personal document shredding the first Saturday, they cannot accept items for shredding on Thursdays because these documents cannot be protected until the shredding contractor arrives the first Saturday.

For a list of all household hazardous waste and e-cyclables accepted by DPW, please click on the HHW link at www.dpw.dc.gov.

Presidents Day "Trash Slide" and Other Holiday Service Changes

We always welcome reminders from DPW about Service Suspensions and Changes for minor, sometimes forgettable holidays:

DPW To Observe Presidents Day

Monday, February 20: 

Sanitation And Parking Enforcement Services To Be Suspended

The DC Department of Public Works announced today how services will be affected Presidents Day, Monday, February 20, 2012, when the District observes the holiday. Trash and recycling collections and parking enforcement will be suspended. All services will resume Tuesday, February 21, 2012.

Trash/recycling collections: Trash and recycling collections in once-a-week collection neighborhoods will "slide" to the next day for the remainder of the week. In neighborhoods with twice-weekly trash collections, Monday and Thursday collections will be made Tuesday and Friday, and Tuesday and Friday collections will be made Wednesday and Saturday.

Fort Totten: Ft. Totten Transfer Station, located at 4900 John F. McCormack Road, NE, will be closed to the public February 20. It will reopen Tuesday, February 21. Residents may bring trash and bulk items between 1 pm and 5 pm. The next Saturday household hazardous waste/e-cycling/document shredding drop-off day is March 3, 8 am to 3 pm, (these services are available the first Saturday of the month, except holidays).

To accommodate residents whose religious beliefs prohibit them from using the Saturday drop-off, DPW is accepting only household hazardous waste and e-cyclables the Thursday before the first Saturday of the month (March 1, from 1 pm to 5 pm). DPW will not accept personal documents for shredding on Thursdays because they cannot be secured until the contractor arrives on Saturday.

Directions to Fort Totten: Travel east on Irving Street, NW, turn left on Michigan Avenue, turn left on John F. McCormack Road, NE and continue to the end of the street.

Parking Enforcement: DPW will suspend enforcement of parking meters, residential parking, and rush hour lane restrictions on Presidents Day. DPW also will suspend towing abandoned vehicles. Enforcement resumes Tuesday, February 21.

Remember the Trash Slide and Other MLK Holiday Occurrances

Monday, January 16 is the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.  Here are some reminders from DPW about the holiday schedule:

Trash/recycling collections: Trash and recycling collections in once-a-week collection neighborhoods will “slide” to the next day for the remainder of the week. In neighborhoods with twice-weekly trash collections, Monday and Thursday collections will be made Tuesday and Friday, and Tuesday and Friday collections will be made Wednesday and Saturday.

The Ft. Totten Transfer Station at 4900 John F. McCormack Road, NE will be closed Monday, January 16. Residents may resume bringing bulk trash and recyclables on Tuesday, January 17, between 1 pm and 5 pm.

The next Saturday household hazardous waste/e-cycling/document shredding drop-off day is February 4, from 8am to 3pm.  (These services are available the first Saturday of the month, except holidays). To accommodate residents whose religious beliefs prohibit them from using the Saturday drop-off, DPW is accepting only household hazardous waste and e-cyclables the Thursday before the first Saturday of the month (February 2, from 1 pm to 5 pm). DPW will not accept personal documents for shredding on Thursdays as there is no way to secure these items until the contractor arrives on Saturday.

Holiday Tree Collections: Residents disposing of holiday trees and other greenery should strip them of all ornaments and tinsel, and place these items where their trash and recycling are collected. The trees and greenery will be collected with the trash as truck capacity permits.

To ask questions about these services, please call 311 or go to www.dpw.dc.gov.

Thanksgiving "Slide" Reminder from DPW

What would a holiday be without a cheery note from DPW? You'll be thankful for this reminder to hold off a day on putting your trash out if your normal pickup day is Thursday or Friday.

DPW To Observe Thanksgiving Day, November 24; Trash, Recycling Not Collected 

The Department of Public Works announced today how services will be affected in observance of Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 24.

Trash and Recycling Collections: There will be no trash and recycling collections. These collections will “slide” to the next day. Thursday’s collections will be made Friday, and Friday’s collections will be made Saturday. This applies to both once-a-week and twice-a-week collection neighborhoods. Trash and recycling containers should be put out for collection no earlier than 6:30 pm the night before collection and removed from public space by 8 pm on the collection day.

Parking Enforcement: Parking meters will not be in effect. Residential parking and rush hour lane restrictions will not be enforced. Also, DPW will not tow abandoned vehicles. Parking enforcement will resume Friday, November 25.

Fort Totten: The Ft. Totten Transfer Station, located at 4900 John F. McCormack Road, NE, will be closed Thursday, November 24. It will be open Friday, November 25, 1 pm to 5 pm, for residents to bring bulk trash. Residents also may bring bulk trash only on Saturday, 8 am to 3 pm. The next Saturday Household Hazardous Waste/E-cycling/Document Shredding drop-off day is December 3, 8 am to 3 pm. There is a Thursday collection on December 1, 1-7pm, but it does not include shredding

Directions to Ft. Totten: Travel east on Irving Street, NW, turn left on Michigan Avenue, turn left on John F. McCormack Road, NE and continue to the end of the street.

Leaf Collections: Leaf collections will be made from most “Area B” neighborhoods between Monday, November 21, and Saturday, December 3 (including Thanksgiving Day). DPW is following the collection schedule published in the leaf collection brochure mailed to households that receive DPW trash/recycling collections. Area B residents should rake their leaves into their treebox by Sunday, November 20 to ensure their leaves are ready when the crews come to collect between November 21 and December 3.

Residents can use DPW’s Web site to view the 2011-2012 leaf collection schedule by selecting Leaf Collection. To check the status of leaf collection, click on “Check Leaf Collection Status in Your Neighborhood” (http://leaf.dcgis.dc.gov/) and enter your address.

Veterans Day Reminders from DPW

Veteran's Day 2011 is set on the anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I, the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month and this year it's also the eleventh year of the century. Even on such a historic anniversary, we must take care of the mundane scheduling details and practical aspects of the occasion. So here is what you need to know from DPW.


Trash and Recycling Collections: There will be no trash and recycling collections. These collections will “slide” to the next day.  Friday’s collections will be made Saturday. This applies to both once-a-week and twice-a-week collection neighborhoods. Trash and recycling containers should be put out for collection no earlier than 6:30 pm the night before collection and removed from public space by 8 pm on the collection day. 


Parking Enforcement:  Parking meters, residential parking, and rush hour lane restrictions will not be in effect. DPW also will not tow abandoned vehicles. Parking enforcement will resume Saturday, November 12.


Ft. Totten Hazardous Waste/E-Cycling: Fort Totten Transfer Station, located at 4900 John F. McCormack Road, NE, will be closed Friday, November 11. It will reopen Saturday at 1 pm for residents to bring bulk trash. The next Saturday Household Hazardous Waste/E-cycling/Document Shredding drop-off day is December 3, from 8 am to 3 pm.  


Leaf Collections:  Between Monday, November 7 and Friday, November 19 (including Veterans Day), DPW will collect leaves from “Area A” neighborhoods as designated in the leaf collection brochure mailed to households that receive DPW trash/recycling collections. Residents can use DPW's web site to view the 2011-2012 leaf collection schedule by selecting Leaf Collection and clicking on “Check Leaf Collection Status in Your Neighborhood”-- then enter the address.

All You Need to Know About DC Leaf Collection

The leaf vacuum trucks will be out in DC starting this week. You should have received a flyer in the mail about leaf collection from DPW, but if you lost it or don't think you ever received it in the first place, here's what you need to know:

Residents are asked to place bagged or loose leaves into the treebox on the weekend before their collection cycles.

Leaf collection season runs through January 14, 2012, and every neighborhood in the District will have its leaves collected. To find out when your block will have its leaves collected, go to http://leaf.dcgis.dc.gov/.

Here are some tips from DPW about the leaf collection program:

*  Rake leaves into the treebox or the area adjacent to the curb on the weekend before your street's collection cycles, or place bagged leaves where you put your trash/recycling. This year DPW will compost bagged leaves as well as the loose leaves vacuumed from the treebox.

*  Leaves only! Tree limbs, bricks, dirt, rocks, etc., will damage the equipment and delay collections.

*  Prevent fires, parking problems and possible flooding by placing leaves in the treebox, not in the street! When it rains, leaves will block the storm drains and cause flooding. Please remove any leaves you see blocking the storm drains.

*  If you choose to bag your leaves, please use paper bags. Plastic bags will be accepted but paper bags are preferred. You may place bagged leaves in the treebox or next to the trash/recycling container(s).

*  Please remember to drive slowly and carefully around the leaf collection crews, or change your route and avoid them altogether.

Leaf collection season coincides with the beginning of snow season. When snow and/or ice are predicted, DPW stops collecting leaves to convert the leaf equipment to snow plows. No leaves are collected until after the snow event ends.

You can find more detailed information in the 2011-2012 Leaf Collection Brochure.

Remember the "Trash Slide" This Week

Monday, October 10,  is Columbus Day, one of those holidays that you may completely forget about, if you are not one of the lucky ones who get that day off from work. So it's easy to forget the "trash slide" and put your trash and recycling out on the wrong day.

Here are some reminders from DPW about the holiday schedule:

The Ft. Totten Transfer Station  at 4900 John F. McCormack Road, NE will be closed Monday, October 11, to residential customers and will reopen Tuesday, October 11.  The next monthly household hazardous waste/e-cycling/shredding drop-off day is Saturday, November 5, from 8 am to 3 pm. This service is provided the first Saturday of the month, except holidays. Residents may bring unwanted toxic items, such as pesticides, batteries and motor oil. Electronics, including televisions, computers and cell phones, also will be accepted. Residents may bring up to five boxes of personal paper documents and credit cards to be shredded for free. For a complete list of items, go to http://www.dpw.dc.gov/ and click on Household Hazardous Waste / E-Cycling / Shredding. Compost also is available to residents on Saturdays only.

Parking enforcement, including ticket writing for residential parking, expired meters, street sweeping and rush-hour violations, will be suspended. DPW will enforce parking restrictions at bus stops near Metro stations where WMATA is performing track work. DPW also will suspend towing abandoned vehicles. Enforcement will resume Tuesday, October 11.

Other services suspended for Columbus Day include scheduled street and alley cleaning and nuisance abatement. All services will resume Tuesday, October 11.

DPW to Post "TicPix" Online

We saw a press release from DPW on Thursday announcing that in some cases images of parking tickets would be posted on DPW's web site within 72 hours after the ticket has been written. DPW is also letting motorists register their email addresses so that they will receive email alerts if they've received a ticket on
a car they've registered.

This is uncomfortably close to the April Fool's joke we posted on the Cleveland Park Listserv on April 1, 2009: "DC to Get First in the Nation Paperless Parking System"

The "uncomfortable" part is that recently on the listserv we've had a number of complaints from people who never received a paper ticket but were notified about an unpaid fine, which included penalties for non-payment. (List members can read the messages in the thread "Visitor Parking Pass Missing Ticket Again" on September 27 and 28.) The April Fool's column was about a DPW plan to make you check the web site
periodically to see if there were any tickets you had to pay.

No, DPW is not going paperless, but they do expect you to pay up, whether you got the initial paper or not. They'd like you to sign up for email alerts so that whenever there is a paper ticket written, it will arrive in your inbox electronically, even if you never saw it on your car. And as proof that it was
really there, you'll be able to see a photo online.

But do take note of the long, long list of exceptions to the photo imaging.

An excerpt of DPW's announcement is below. DPW issued 1.5 million parking tickets last year.

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DPW Announces Parking "Ticpix" Now Available On Web Site

Go to dpw.dc.gov  and click on TicPix to see images of the parking ticket and violation. [The direct link to this page is http://bit.ly/qmsCSd.]

Thursday, Oct. 6: Another Chance to E-Cycle and Drop Off Hazardous Waste

You've got to hand it to the people of DPW when it comes to religious accommodation: As soon it was brought to their attention that the Saturday-only drop-off date did not work for observant Jews who also wanted to rid themselves of their hazardous waste and e-cycling, a Thursday drop-off date was scheduled once a month.

But in just the second month of the program, DPW again ran up against another date conflict for observant Jews: That Thursday just happens to be Rosh Hashanah, one of the most important dates in the Jewish calendar, and so a new date of September 22nd was announced. And then for some reason that date did not work out, and now the new date is Thursday, October 6. So mark your calendars and hope this date sticks! And thanks, DPW, for keeping us posted!

Thursday HHW/E-Cycling Drop-Off To Take Place on October 6, 2011 

In August, DPW announced that in addition to monthly household hazardous waste/e-cycling collection events scheduled on the first Saturday of each month, DPW would be accepting household hazardous waste and electronic items on the Thursday before the first Saturday of the month. It was brought to our attention that one of the dates would conflict with a religious holiday. Initially, we announced that the drop-off had been changed to Thursday, September 22. Because of a scheduling conflict, the HHW/E-Cycling drop-off will take place on Thursday, October 6, from 1 – 7pm, at the Fort Totten Transfer Station. While our web site indicates that the collection date is October 6, we wanted to make you aware of the change as well. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Kevin B. Twine
Staff Assistant
Department of Public Works
202-671-2593
kevin.twine @ dc.gov

Good Morning: Snow Again

Snow's a comin'. How much exactly will we see today? From the Capital Weather Gang's Friday forecast: "A few spots in the D.C. metro region could get a dusting."  From DC DPW: "Snow is predicted to begin falling early Friday. The DC Snow Team will deploy 170 trucks on their routes by 3 am Friday, January 7....The forecast is for light snow showers developing after 2 am Friday and continuing until about 10 am to noon with accumulation of a coating to a half inch."

My bet's with the Capital Weather Gang. The snow may be pretty at times, but it won't amount to much. Today's high will be in the upper 30's -- not nearly cold enough for the light snow to stick around long.

On this day in 1927 the first commercial transatlantic telephone service began. It used radio; service was between London and New York City.

Trash, Recycling, and Parking Rules for the Next Two Weeks

In any week with a legal holiday, trash collections and other city pick-up service usually "slide" to the next day. With the both Christmas and New Year's Day on Saturdays this year, the disruption is minimized.

Here's how Department of Public Works (DPW) will handle all collections for Christmas Day and New Year's Day: DPW crews will follow the normal collections schedule and pick up trash and recycling Friday, December 24, and Friday, December 31. This applies to both once-a-week and twice-a-week collection neighborhoods. Trash and recycling containers should be put out for collection no earlier than 6:30 pm the night before collection and removed from public space by 8 pm on the collection day.

The Leaf Collection Schedule Is Out: Get Your Rakes Ready

DPW has mailed its brochures out with the leaf collection schedule for all parts of the city.  Here's when the leaves will be picked up in Cleveland Park and vicinity (shown as "Area B" on the DPW brochure for Ward 3):

Rake leaves out by Sunday for collection sometime between Monday - Friday.

November 22 to December 4
December 20 to January 1
January 10 to 15

If you don't see a leaf vacuum truck on the streets of your neighborhood during these times, you can call 311 to request the service or go to 311.dc.gov and fill out a "request service" form.

To view the entire DPW brochure online, click here to view it in PDF format.

DPW Shooting: Trash, Recycling Suspended Today, Wednesday

There's no trash or recycling pickup today, Wednesday, because of a shooting at the DC Department of Public Works. One of the two shooting victims, DPW employee Larry Hutchings, 51, has died, according to DCist. The other victim is in critical condition. The shooting occurred at 6:15am Wednesday morning at DPW's facility at 1241 W Street, NE, the Washington Post reports.

The motivation and identity of the shooter remain unknown. Many DPW employees get their jobs soon after being released from prison, and it is not known at this time if the shooting is related to prison activity.

Here is the announcement from the Department of Public Works, which only mentions "police activity," and not a shooting:

The DC Department of Public Works announced today that trash/recycling collection will be suspended today due to police activity and restricted access in the vicinity of the collections yard at W Street, NE. This includes trash, recycling, bulk and dead animal collection. Trash and recycling collection days will continue to slide to the next day due to the Columbus Day holiday and will take place through Saturday. Those with once a week trash/recycling collections that would have taken place today (normally on Tuesday) are asked to hold their trash/recycling until their regularly scheduled day next week. Bulk collections scheduled for today will be rescheduled and those residents will be notified accordingly.

Good Morning: Summer's Back

Iceland's Blue Lagoon

One day I'll write about the weather, "it was good while it lasted." But that day isn't today. It will get up to the mid-80's on Columbus Day, with hardly a cloud in the sky.

Oh, and since it's a holiday, trash and recycling pickup slide a day. So if your trash usually gets picked up on Monday, this week it's picked up on Tuesday, and so on down the line.

It is inevitable that something alien and unwelcome is going to come to the weather, and that something is called winter. Thoughts of Iceland's Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa, become stronger when winter enter our collective consciousness. You may not need the Blue Lagoon (about a 45 minute drive from Reykjavik) this week, but save your frequent flyer miles for when winter approaches. The Blue Lagoon is an artificial creation, powered by a nearby geothermal plant. Maybe somebody can invent one for Washington, DC.

Hazardous Waste Service Cut to Once a Month

Today the Department of Public Works -- DPW for short, a/k/a the Trash Folks -- sent out a brief, bland announcement:

Starting Saturday, October 2, once a month, residents may bring these items to the Ft. Totten Transfer Station, 4900 John F. McCormack Road, NE, the first Saturday of the month, except holidays, between 8 am and 3 pm.  The new schedule reflects a reduction in the Department's budget for FY 2011, which begins October 1.