Section 10-A1309. IN-3 SOLID WASTE

 

1309.1The District generates roughly 650,000 tons of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) per year, which is collected and processed by both public and private facilities. Municipal Solid Waste consists of everyday items such as product packaging, food waste, furniture and other household items, clothing, and larger bulk items such as household appliances. The District Department of Public Works (DPW) Solid Waste Management Administration is responsible for waste collection services from all government entities and approximately 110,000 single-family homes and residential buildings with up to three living units. Private haulers handle trash from commercial and multi-family residential establishments, including condominium and apartment buildings with more than three units. Approximately 70 percent of the annual solid waste in the District is from commercial sources and multi-family residences, while 30 percent is generated from other residential uses and the government sector. 1309.1

 

1309.2In addition to waste collection, the DPW collects 5,000 tons of bulk trash and provides recycling service, household hazardous waste collection, leaf and yard waste collection, and dead animal removal. The DPW is also responsible for street and alley cleaning and solid waste education and enforcement. The DPW Office of Recycling is responsible for education, technical assistance, outreach, and enforcement. District recyclables are sorted at the Eagle Recovery Facility on North Capitol Street for sales and remanufacturing. The text box on the next page describes DC recycling regulations. 1309.2

 

See the Environmental Protection Element for information and policies on recycling and reducing the solid waste stream.

 

1309.3Many new landfills collect potentially harmful landfill gas emissions and convert the gas into energy. The EPA’s Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) promotes the use of landfill gas as a renewable, green energy source. Landfill gas is primarily carbon dioxide and methane, both by-products of the decomposition of solid waste. While there are currently no landfill gas-to-energy (LFGE) projects or candidate landfills in the District, both Maryland and Virginia encourage and support such projects at landfills within those states. 1309.3

 

1309.4DC Recycling Regulations

 

The District’s residential and commercial recycling programs are managed by DPW. Residential recycling is voluntary and includes a pickup on the same day as trash pick-up. Commercial recycling is required by law. Any premise not authorized to receive municipal trash and recycling collection services, or containing a unit used for non-residential purposes, is considered a business or commercial establishment.

 

Under DC law, all businesses located in the District must submit a bi-annual recycling plan to the Department of Public Works Office of Recycling and implement an ongoing recycling program.

 

This program must include:

 

•Separation of recyclables from other solid waste;

 

•Adequate number of containers for separated recyclables; and

 

•Hiring a licensed, registered recycling hauler to regularly pick up recyclables (or, in certain circumstances, establishing a system where an entity may haul away its recyclables on its own).

 

notation

The provisions of Title 10, Part A of the DCMR accessible through this web interface are codification of the District Elements of the Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital. As such, they do not represent the organic provisions adopted by the Council of the District of Columbia. The official version of the District Elements only appears as a hard copy volume of Title 10, Part A published pursuant to section 9a of the District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1994, effective April 10, 1984 (D.C. Law 5-76; D.C. Official Code § 1 -301.66)) . In the event of any inconsistency between the provisions accessible through this site and the provisions contained in the published version of Title 10, Part A, the provisions contained in the published version govern. A copy of the published District Elements is available www.planning.dc.gov.