The D.C. Department of Public works will host a live online chat to discuss neighborhood street cleaning starting at noon tomorrow, Thursday, March 28. Continue reading
D.C. resumes residential street sweeping
March 1 brings the return of D.C.’s annual residential street-sweeping program. We review the basics of how to avoid a ticket on those streets with posted parking restrictions. (Fun fact: Enforcement won’t begin March 1.) Continue reading
D.C police chief rejects ‘zero tolerance’ approach to minor offenses
Chief Cathy Lanier says taking a “zero tolerance” approach to minor offenses in D.C. is counter-productive. So does the chief still support the litter enforcement pilot project? Continue reading
Solar-powered ‘passive house’ completed in Northeast
Innovative design of the Empowerhouse duplex strives for “net zero,” which means producing all of the energy it needs.
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Hurricane Sandy brings early end to D.C.’s annual street-sweeping program
City crews are diverted to cleanup of storm debris. Continue reading
Cousteau headlines seventh annual trash summit
Jean-Michel Cousteau, the son of famed underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau, will speak next month at the 7th Annual Potomac Watershed Trash Summit in Silver Spring. Continue reading
D.C. police expand litter enforcement pilot project
A 16-month-old pilot project to enforce the District of Columbia’s anti-littering law against pedestrians has been expanded to include a second police district. Continue reading
East of the River: August shuttle service links National Mall, Anacostia cultural sites
A temporary shuttle-bus service from the National Mall makes August an ideal time to visit the Anacostia Community Museum and the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site.
D.C.’s anti-litter crackdown reveals gaps in law
More than three years after the D.C. City Council enacted ground-breaking anti-litter legislation, an initial burst of enforcement activity has slowed. Police are ticketing fewer motorists, and a pilot project expanding the crackdown to pedestrians appears stalled.
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‘Truck Touch’ event highlights big rigs that clean cityscape
D.C.’s annual “Truck Touch” event gives residents a chance to get up close and personal with the mobile equipment that keeps our municipal infrastructure in working order. At this year’s event, we talked with folks who clean our storm drains and streets. Continue reading
On-line chat to discuss illegal dumping, vacant lots
The D.C. Department of Public Works and the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs will hold a live on-line chat this Wednesday, June 27, to discuss illegal dumping and vacant lots. This is your chance to ask questions about problems in your neighborhood. Continue reading
Bald eagle sighted in Takoma D.C. neighborhood
An apparent bald eagle was sighted briefly on Saturday in the Takoma D.C. neighborhood. We’ve got the photos! Continue reading
D.C.’s community gardens: where trend and tradition meet
Spread across the city on public parkland, 36 community gardens in Washington, D.C., give urban residents a chance to grow their own food while fostering a sense of community. Continue reading
“Kojo Nnamdi Show” to discuss bottled water
The first segment of today’s “Kojo Nnamdi Show” on WAMU radio (88.5 FM) will discuss the issue of bottled water on college campuses. The segment, titled “Ban the Bottle,” begins at 12:06 p.m. E.D.T. If you head to the show’s website (http://thekojonnamdishow.org/), also check out the audio archive of an earlier segment, from Aug. 15, 2007, titled “Bottled Water Controversies.” Continue reading
D.C.’s residential street sweeping set to resume Thursday, March 1
Here at the litter blog, we’re always looking for the first sign of spring in the District of Columbia. No, not robins or daffodils! We mean the Department of Public Works’ residential street sweeping, which is suspended over the winter months. Continue reading
The beverage container deposit: an idea worth recycling
As curbside recycling programs proliferated across the United States in the late 1990s, overall recycling rates for beverage containers actually dropped. Addressing this paradox, which contributes to the litter problem, requires a renewed push for container deposit laws. Continue reading
Potomac sewage spill warning failed to reach D.C., Northern Virginia
Utilities that draw drinking water from the Potomac River for Washington, D.C., and much of Northern Virginia received no official warning in mid-December as 3.5 million gallons of raw sewage spilled into the Monocacy River, a major Potomac tributary. Continue reading
Industry groups revamp effort to ‘defend’ plastic bags
Are disposable plastic bags “progressive”? The plastics industry thinks so and recently announced a revamped effort to “defend” plastic bags against the sort of bag fees adopted by the District of Columbia and Montgomery County.