Mayor Muriel Bowser and the DC Department of Public Works kicked off Back to Basics Week, signaling the start of the 2024-2025 leaf collection season which runs through February 8, while also promoting the city's Food Waste Reduction initiatives, "DPW’s leaf collection program is one of many ways we work together as a community to keep our streets and neighbors safe throughout the fall and winter," said Bowser, highlighting the collective responsibility to maintain the city, according to a release from dc.gov.
This year, the leaf collection program won’t be mailing a seasonal raking schedule, but instead, residents can stay updated with weekly announcements every Friday through the DPW's leaf tracker online which offers more precise collection schedules; additionally, door hangers will be distributed to alert residents of their upcoming two-week collection window, leaves should be raked to the curbside or tree box in front of your home the Sunday before the scheduled collection week, it's also important residents ensure the leaf piles are free of litter and debris, which could harm the vacuuming equipment, and leaves in plastic bags will be collected as trash and not composted.
Usage of recycling services for leaves is heavily emphasized, and the city reminds residents that any delays in leaf collection could be due to a necessary shift in DPW resources to manage snow and ice on streets, furthermore, the program intends to keep pushing toward the city’s sustainability goals, including the aim of diverting 80 percent of waste from landfills by 2040, "Last year was a game-changer for the leaf collection program, with more resources and fewer weather interruptions, we experienced fewer delays and could notify residents more accurately," DPW Director Timothy Spriggs commented as noted by dc.gov.
Residents are also encouraged to reduce household food waste this holiday season by dropping off their pumpkins, gourds, and other food scraps at local Food Waste Drop-Off sites detailed on the city's website these sites won't accept inorganic matter, so decorated pumpkins are no-go for composting, and for those looking into this program, check out zerowaste.dc.gov for more information on how to handle your food waste responsibly and contribute to the city's environmental initiatives.
