DC Mayor Muriel Bowser Kicks Off Annual Leaf Collection Season

Launching the Leaf Collection Season

• 🍁 Mayor Muriel Bowser officially kicked off the annual leaf collection season in Washington, D.C., thanking DPW crews and community partners.
• 🗓️ Leaf collection begins Monday, November 3rd, following Halloween weekend, with crews covering all eight wards.

Resident Guidelines for Leaf Collection

• 💻 Residents should visit dpw.dc.gov to find their leaf collection zone and estimated schedule, which is updated weekly.
• 📱 Signing up for the DPW newsletter or downloading the My DPW app will provide reminders and updates.
• 🍂 Leaves should be raked into the tree box or curb; paper bags are acceptable, but leaves in plastic bags will not be collected.

Expanding Composting Programs

• ♻️ The city encourages residents to utilize the curbside composting program and 31 food waste drop-off bins available 24/7 across all wards.
• 📈 This year, D.C. plans to expand composting by increasing to 50 bins citywide and adding 3,000 more households to the curbside program.
• 🌳 Collected leaves, combined with holiday trees and greenery, are turned into mulch provided free to residents.

Operational Improvements and Staffing

• 🚚 New this season are two one-armed vacuum trucks to improve efficiency on smaller streets and response times.
• 🧑‍💼 While the number of seasonal employees remains the same, more have commercial driver's licenses, enabling them to operate trucks and vacuums simultaneously for smoother operations.

Addressing Off-Topic Concerns

• 🏛️ Mayor Bowser emphasized the critical need for Congress to reopen the government to ensure federal employees receive pay and critical programs continue.
• ❓ Regarding SNAP benefits during a federal shutdown, the Mayor stated she could not comment further, expressing hope for a federal solution.
• 🗳️ On her future as mayor, Bowser stated her decision-making process is consistent: she will inform voters when she knows and is ready to announce.