Trash & Recycling

In D.C. the Department of Public Works (DPW) collects trash from single-family homes and apartment buildings with three or fewer living units. Once-a-week trash collections occur in Ward 5 (which includes the Brookland neighborhood); schedules for other wards are available on the DPW website. Be aware of the trash collection schedule in your neighborhood. When trash is discarded improperly or litter is accumulated, you can be subject to sanitation tickets. To determine your neighborhood trash collection day, please click here.

To avoid sanitation tickets, place trash and recycling containers out for collection no earlier than 6:30 p.m. the night before collection and no later than 6 a.m. on your collection day. Residents are required to remove trash and recycling containers from public space by 8 p.m. on your collection day.

• When a holiday falls on a trash and recycling collection day, collections will “slide” to the next day for the rest of the week after the holiday. For example, if the holiday falls on a Monday, DPW will collect Monday routes on Tuesday and so on through Saturday.
• Keep the public space around your property free of litter.
• Between collections, store trash and recycling containers on your property rather than in the alley or on the sidewalk. Otherwise, you may receive a solid waste ticket.
• Paint your address on your trash and recycling containers and record the number that appears on these containers to help prevent theft or loss.
• When you move in you might find that you are in need of appropriate trash or recycling containers. You can order new or repair existing containers by calling 311 or through the 311 website.