DC Trash Schedule 2023 (Holidays, Bulk Pickup and Instructions)
Washington DC, or the District of Columbia is the capital of the United States of America. Every block of the district has a strict garbage collection and cleaning schedule.
If you are a DC resident and looking for the details about trash schedules in the district, don’t worry we have got you covered. Get to know about the trash pickup timings, schedule by area, eligible items to be thrown in trash and everything else about the Washington DC trash schedule.
DC Trash Pickup Schedule (Calender)
Trash collection occurs on a weekly basis. For wards 3,4,5,7 and some parts of wards 1 and 2, trash collection occurs one time a week.
For residents of wards 6 and some parts of wards 1 and 2, the garbage collection takes place two times a week. These services are provided for single houses or apartment buildings which consist of a maximum of 3 units.
Residents should place the trash before 6 a.m. on the collection day. After the trash has been collected, citizens can again place the trash after 6:30 pm. Emptied trash cans should be taken back after 8 pm to avoid any kind of disturbance.
Contact the DC Department of Public Works
In case of any problem or question, one can choose between the following options to contact the government waste department. Same contact information can be used if you want to schedule a collection.
Contact Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 737-4404
Contact Fax: (202) 671-0642
Contact TTY: (202) 673-6833
Office Hours: Monday to Friday 8:15 am – 4:45 pm
Service Location: 2235 Shannon Place SE, Suite 3040 (GIS Address)
City: Washington
State: DC
Zip: 20020
Public holidays to keep in mind
Following public holidays will affect your trash schedule. No trash collection will take place on these days and the program will continue from the next day. So, it is advised that the citizens remove all their trash on the previous scheduled day or wait for the next day to remove all the waste from their houses. Here are the public holidays:
- New Year’s Day – January 1
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day – January 16
- Washington’s Birthday – February 22
- Emancipation Day – April 16
- Memorial Day – May 30
- Juneteenth – June 19
- Independence Day – July 4
- Labor Day – September 4
- Columbus Day – October 9
- Veterans Day – November 11
- Thanksgiving Day – November 23
- Christmas Day – December 25
Bulk trash pickup
Bulk waste includes items which are too large to fit in a trash container. These include air conditioners (after CFCs have been removed), refrigerators, rugs and carpets, furniture like chairs, sofas and tables, heaters and other stuff like that.
Bulk pickup doesn’t happen regularly and the citizens have to schedule a pickup for such items. To do so, one must call at 311 and schedule the day or visit www.311.dc.gov to do the same thing. One can also throw the items at the nearest landfill.
Things not to throw in bulk waste
Following items should not be placed along with bulk items at any cost or the workers won’t pick up your goods.
- House trash which is to be thrown in the trash cans
- Tires, which should be taken to the landfills
- Dirt, stones and bricks
- Industrial waste like concrete and cement
- Books and other recyclable items
- Household dangerous waste like wet paints
- Tree branches
Recyclable goods
Goods which can be recycled should not be thrown in trash as it is declared unlawful by the DC government now.
Recyclable materials include dry paper products like newspapers, magazines, cardboard boxes or other things made out of cardboard, glass jars, small glass items, plastic bottles, containers, and metal cans.
Plastic bags should also be recycled but instead of throwing them in the container, one must take them to the nearest landfill.
Household dangerous waste
Wet waste like paints which is normally considered safe is actually a hazardous one. Medicines and needles are also not allowed to be thrown in the trash cans as they are considered hazardous for lives. These items should be dropped off properly or if one is to throw them in cans he should dry them out and then cover them in solid boxes so none of them is exposed to the environment. After this, it is permissible to throw such household items in trash.
Get a new can or the previous one repaired
If you need to get your trash container repaired, call at 311 (202-737-4404) and request to repair your trash can.
One can also make a repair request from the government’s 311.dc.gov website. This is usually done free of cost but if you want a new trash can delivered at your place, you’ll have to pay for it. Each sized container has a different price which is mentioned here. Requesting a new trash can can be done from the same website.
- 32 gallon trash can – $45 ($27 for senior citizens who are above 60 years of age)
- 48 gallon recycling can – $50 ($25 for senior citizens)
- 64 gallon recycling can – $55 ($25 for senior citizens)
- 96 gallon supercan – $62.50 ($30 for senior citizens)
Instructions for the residents of Washington DC
People from Washington DC must know the following things.
- Clearly write your address on at least two sides on your trash can which is clearly visible from afar.
- If you want to throw medicines, tightly enclose them in a solid container or mix them with dirt and then put them in the trash can .
- Your trash cans must be placed inside your property at times when your trash won’t get picked up or else you’ll get a solid waste ticket, a fine.
Check Out More Trash Schedules at Mygarbageschedule.com