What We Do and Why We Do It

The Street and Alley Cleaning Division staff surveys the cleanliness of District commercial and residential neighborhoods to determine the array of services that need to be provided. These services include manual and mechanical street and alley cleaning, litter can placement, cutback of alley vegetation, graffiti removal, leaf and holiday tree collection, mowing public space along major streets, such as New York Avenue, NE and 16th Street, NW, and support for special events, parades, inaugurations, and other community events. These personnel are critical to keeping the District clean.

Alley Cleaning

Alley cleaning is a scheduled service during spring, summer and fall; in winter it is provided as needed. The cleaning frequency is based on a neighborhood’s need. Residents may call 311 to request alley cleaning services.

Fall Leaf Collection/Holiday Tree Collection

Each fall, DPW collects leaves from residential neighborhoods to reduce potential accidents and injuries resulting from slipping on wet leaves. By collecting these leaves, we prevent catch basins (storm drains) from clogging and causing street flooding during heavy rains. DPW collects between 8,000 and 10,000 tons of leaves between November and January each year. Most of the leaves collected by vacuum trailers are composted and recycled. Residents may call 311, the Mayor’s Citywide Call Center, between March and October to request compost. Also, compost can be obtained between March and October from the Fort Totten Trash Transfer Station at 4900 John F. McCormack Road, NE, weekdays from 1 pm to 5 pm and Saturdays from 8 am to 3 pm. The transfer station is closed on holidays. DPW mails the annual leaf collection schedule to residents who receive trash and recycling services from the Department.
DPW's Leaf Collection Brochure* provides updated information regarding the collection cycles. Check the status of collections in your neighborhood, on the Leaf Collection Status page.

Holiday tree collection is a two-week service offered during the first two weeks of January. Residents should strip their trees of all lights and ornaments then place the trees at the curb for pick-up. Please do not enclose the trees in plastic or cloth bags. Trees are chipped and reused in various landscaping projects. 

Residential and Arterial Street Sweeping

• Oil and grease are removed at a rate of 10 pounds per mile swept on average.
• Nitrogen and phosphorus are removed at a rate of 3 pounds per mile swept.

For this reason, parking on some residential streets is restricted for several hours twice weekly to allow effective street sweeping. Scheduled, signed, mechanical street sweeping in residential neighborhoods occurs during spring, summer and fall in densely-populated neighborhoods with high-volume pedestrian traffic. It is suspended during the winter months for public safety concerns. Sweepers emit a fine spray of water to keep dust down as they sweep; but when the temperature is at freezing or below, sweeping is discontinued to prevent freezing and accidents to pedestrians and vehicles.

To become part of this program, DPW requires 80 percent of the people who live on a minimum of three consecutive blocks on a street, to sign a petition stating they agree to move their vehicles during street sweeping hours. Parking Control Officers have enforced street sweeping restrictions for years. Recently, DPW introduced “Sweepercam,” the newest application of license plate recognition technology to improve street sweeping effectiveness. The technology consists of cameras mounted on street sweepers to photograph vehicles illegally parked in the curb lane of residential and commercial streets during day and night sweeping hours. The sweeper operator switches on the camera, which photographs the vehicle’s license tag, the vehicle and the vehicle’s position on the street. The registered owner will receive a ticket in the mail that will include these photographs.

Overnight scheduled sweeping of the District’s major roadways, such as Pennsylvania, Georgia, Constitution, and Independence Avenues, occurs all winter, weather conditions permitting. Motorists are urged to obey the signs when parking in these areas during the posted overnight sweeping hours.

How You Can Help

• Place recyclables and bagged trash in their proper containers that have tight-fitting lids and no holes.
  
• Prevention will reduce the need for street and alley cleaning. Put trash and recyclables out for collection no sooner than 6:30 pm the day before your collection or no later than 6 am of the collection day. Bring your containers in from public space by 8 pm of your collection day.
  
• Pick up the litter and trash in your alley and around your property, rather than sweeping these items into the gutter to eventually end up in one of the District’s rivers. Residential property owners
  are responsible for maintaining the sidewalks and tree box spaces around their property. Commercial property owners are responsible for the public space around their property up to 18 inches from the curb into the street.
  
• Use the street litter and recycling cans as you walk along the District’s commercial streets. The litter cans are for pedestrian trash only, not household trash.
  
• Avoid a street sweeping ticket by obeying the parking restriction (No Parking Street Cleaning) signs along residential and commercial streets.
  
• Follow the leaf and holiday tree collection schedules in the brochure mailed to your home.
  
• Please do not sweep or rake leaves into the gutter. You can cause flooding and clog the storm drain.
  
• Call 311 to obtain street and alley cleaning services.