Litter Be Gone

Participants report for duty before heading into the neighborhood for a two-hour clean-up on Saturday morning.

BCA board member Brian Garback and his daughter join forces with Cory Peterson, director of GU’s Office of Neighborhood Life, and his son.

By Janice Sims with additional information drawn from DC’s Department of Public Works website

Burleith’s semi-annual clean-up on Saturday, June 8, attracted a hearty band of some 15 adults and children. Despite GU’s successful, recently completed move-out drive, Office of Neighborhood Life staff and Burleith residents still found some bulk trash, including a mattress, bed frame, and toilet bowl lid, which GU’s truck collected along with other debris. Participants also picked up a lot of litter. Many thanks to Georgetown University for staff support and to the DC Department of Public Works’s Helping Hand program, which provided rakes, brooms, shovels, and trash bags.

Speaking of litter and DPW, in May, Mayor Muriel Bowser and DPW Director Chris Geldart held a press conference to launch Not in My DC, an anti-littering campaign aimed at curbing littering and illegal dumping in District neighborhoods. The anti-littering campaign includes new litter prevention signs for residential streets and homes along with advertisements featuring notable Washingtonians like Virginia Ali and Andy Shallal. Residents can participate in the campaign by displaying Trash Free DC yard signs, which will be provided to residents at no charge.

The campaign also includes the Great Graffiti Wipeout, now in its fourth year. An eight-week graffiti removal blitz through all eight wards is now underway by DPW’s graffiti abatement team. (Ward 2 is June 10-14.) DPW cleans graffiti from public and private property using paint or non-toxic solutions that are applied and then removed with a high-pressure water spray, known as a power wash. The power wash is not suitable for walls with loose or crumbling masonry. Residents should call 311 to request either of these services. A waiver of liability form will be provided, which must be signed by the property owner and returned to DPW before abatement will occur on private property.