(Washington, DC) The DC Department of Public Works announced today how the Department will assist residents who are cleaning up after Hurricane Irene.

1. If hiring a tree specialist or landscaping company to cut up fallen trees and limbs, please have your contractor remove all the debris, limbs and branches.
2. From August 29-September 2 only, the Department of Public Works will remove from the treebox space(s) in front of residents’ homes, branches that are cut into 4' lengths and tied into bundles no more than 2' in diameter. After September 2, these items can be placed where the residents' trash is collected.
3. Please place debris, bagged or loose, in the treebox space, not the gutter or street so the gutters can remain clear and crews can run mechanical sweepers along the curb lanes and gutters. Also, DPW asks residents to resist putting the debris in the street to help prevent flooding in case of rain before the debris is collected. Do not include rocks, stones or concrete.
4. Hurricane season ends in November, so please hold onto your sandbags, just in case. If you cannot keep your sandbags, please mix the sand with the soil in your yard or potted plants to aerate it. Please do not put the sandbags into the trash or empty the sand into the gutters or catch basins.

Media Contacts

• Linda Grant
• (202) 497-1080