05 Nov 2020

ICYMI: DPW Sucks… Up Your Leaves, Starting Monday

Look, I’ve been feeling weird all day (starting yesterday) and I’m going to try to get as much mileage out of the sucking joke as I can. In a surprising about-face after a rather surprising announcement earlier in the season, the Department of Public Works will not be requiring District residents to bag all their leaves in order to have a fully contactless leaf collection season. DPW’s latest announcement says that,

The bagged leaf collection program was intended to minimize collection crews’ exposure to COVID-19 and encourage composting. Resuming the vacuum collection program will help simplify composting operations and maximize employment opportunities. To continue to ensure our crews’ safety, they will be required to wear masks, practice social distancing and hand wash and hand sanitize frequently. Vehicles and equipment will be cleaned and sanitized before and after every use.

I think it’s great that DPW cares about the health of their employees and I applaud them for their efforts; however, I think that vehicles and equipment that deals with city refuse should probably already be on a strict cleaning and sanitation schedule if you care about your employees. Anyway, make sure to make the crews’ efforts easier this leaf collection season.

If you haven’t received a brochure from the District government, you should be receiving it soon (click here if you need to see it). I’m pleased to see that it’s a lot less luxuriously printed and far more to the point than in recent years. Here is the information you need:

Awww, Ward 6 is so cute. How much longer do you think we’ll have the Shaw stovepipe though? #Redistricting. Artwork courtesy of the Department of Public Works, via screenshot.

When does it start and end?

Monday, November 9 through Saturday, January 30.

That’s fine, but that’s a really long window. When will *I* get my leaves picked up?

First of all, there will be two passes: One in November through December and the second one in late December through January. The schedule moves through Ward 6 in a counterclockwise series of blocks. (For other wards, click here).

  • Block A: If you live north of East Capitol Street and west of 4th Street NE, you should be getting your leaves ready for collection from November 9-14 and again on December 21-26, but there will be NO collection on Christmas Day.
  • Block B: If you live south of Florida Avenue and north of East Capitol Street but between 4th and 14th Streets NE, you should expect your first pickup to happen November 16-21 and again on January 4-9.
  • Block C: If you live south of Benning Road and north of the river, between 11th and 19th Streets, you’ll get your leaves picked up November 23-28 but there will be NO collection on Thanksgiving day. The second pass will be January 11-16.
  • Block D: If you live between South Capitol Street and 11th Street, south of East Capitol Street, your leaves will get picked up November 30-December 5 and again on January 18-23.
  • Block E: If you live west of South Capitol Street and south of Independence Avenue SW, your leaves will be picked up December 7-12 and then on January 25-30, 2021.

I don’t do well with maps or with approximate directions. Help me!

For the people who don’t do well figuring out their position relative to main thoroughfares, you can always enter your address here and know when your leaves will be collected. And if you really enjoy following the shenanigans of our local Department of Public Works — or you just need to be reminded of street sweeping when it resumes in March so you don’t get ticketed– you can download the My DPW app at the Apple Store or Google Play.


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