Earth Month 2018

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This summarizes the Department of Public Works's April 10 bulletin re: its 2018 Earth Month activities. Click to read the entire bulletin.

Food Waste Drop-Offs. In honor of Earth Month, DPW announces the reopening of food waste drop-off’s at designated farmers markets—including the Glover Park-Burleith Farmers Market—in all eight city wards. The following items are accepted: fruit and vegetable scraps; breads, grains, cereals, rice and pasta; coffee grounds, coffee filters and tea bags; egg shells; household flowers; and nutshells. Dairy, meat and fish items are not accepted. The collected food waste is composted at District community composting sites and at the Prince George’s County Organics Compost facility.

Free Compost and Seeds. DPW provides DC residents with up to five 32-gallon bags (bring your own bags) of free compost weekdays (1–5 pm) and Saturdays (8 am–3 pm) at the Fort Totten Transfer Station (4900 John F. McCormack Drive NE). On Friday morning, April 20, staff from the Department of Energy and Environment will be giving out pollinator plant seeds at Metro stations across DC. The seeds—perfect for a backyard or balcony garden—support pollinators that are necessary for healthy and diverse plant life in the District.

DPW Launches “What Goes Where?” App. To help answer residents’ questions about how to properly dispose of materials, DPW has launched a new search tool on the Zero Waste DC website. Using the app, residents can type in almost any item they can think of, after which they will be provided with information on how that item should be disposed of, recycled, reused, or composted in the District. The app includes instructions on how to safely and legally dispose of household hazardous waste items and e-cycle electronic items. (Also check out this YouTube video on how to prepare your recycling.)

Neighborhood Clean-ups. Residents interested in organizing a Saturday clean-up in their neighborhood can do so with the support of DPW’s Helping Hand Program, which lends rakes and brooms, shovels, and trash bags and collects bagged trash afterwards. Free compost can also be delivered for neighborhood beautification projects. Burleith's spring clean-up will be held on Saturday, May 12, from 9–11 am, with supplies provided by Helping Hands and trash trucks provided by Georgetown University.

2018 Sustainability Awards. Join Mayor Bowser and DOEE Director Tommy Wells for the 2018 Sustainability Awards on Wednesday, April 18, 5:30 pm at Eastern Market’s North Hall. Winners include local nonprofit and educational organizations, private sector businesses, and a "People's Choice" award. The honorees support the goals of the District’s sustainability plan, Sustainable DC, in areas such as energy and water conservation, renewable energy production, healthy food access, stormwater management, green jobs development, and sustainable waste management. Click to RSVP.