Washington, DC

(Washington, DC)  The Department of Public Works announced today that it will conduct a citywide blitz to remove all old, unwanted Supercans, 32-gallon trash cans and 32-gallon recycling cans from public space.  Since receiving their new Supercans or 32-gallon trash cans and new recycling cans, District residents have indicated they want the old cans removed. More than 60,000 cans have been collected but there are many thousands more that remain in alleys and along city streets awaiting removal.

“We have had requests to remove thousands of old, unwanted cans and when we go to these addresses, we find two, three and four times the number of cans for which we have requests, and that volume overwhelmed our resources to collect them in a timely manner,” said DPW Director William O. Howland, Jr.  “So, now we are taking all old cans that remain in public space [alleys and curbs] to relieve residents of the cluttered alleys and curbs.”  Director Howland added that residents who want to keep their old cans MUST take them from public space (alleys and curbs) and put the cans on their own property after their collection day, otherwise the cans left on public space will be removed and not returned.

DPW will follow this schedule to collect from Supercan (once-a-week trash collection) neighborhoods. 

Pickup will be made from alleys and curbs on:

DPW will follow this collection schedule to collect from twice-a-week trash collection neighborhoods.

Removals will be made from alleys and curbs on:

DPW appreciates residents’ patience with the slower than anticipated pace of this operation.  We are taking measures to speed up the removal process.