A Message from Tommy Wells, Director, Department of Energy & Environment
blinds,” etc., said Charlotte Dreizen, a former program analyst with DPW’s Office of Waste Diversion and now a sustainability manager for a DC-based trade association. The crews either accept or reject the pile on the tipping room floor. If the load is acceptable, the crew transfers the recyclables into a larger, privately-owned long-haul truck for a 24-mile journey north on Route 95 to a processing facility owned by Waste Management (WM) in Elkridge, MD. “For any given load (of recyclables on the tipping room floor) that has more than 20 percent contamination, the entirety of that load will be moved to the trash pile, as recycling facilities can’t handle an infinite amount of contamination.” said Dreizen. All trash is later placed on another DPW truck for a trip to either one of the city’s landfills or the Covanta waste-to-energy plant (incinerator) on Furnace Road, in Lorton, VA. “Typically, they (DPW employees) see loads that are pretty good, though there are no official agency numbers,” Dreizen said. “A couple of times a day if a load of recycling comes in at 50 percent contamination, the contract with WM dictates that WM can reject it. So rather than taking it to Elkridge and wasting money on time and gas, plus polluting the air with the truck’s emissions, they just throw it in the trash.” To that point, Neil Seldman, director of the Waste to Wealth Initiative for the Washington-based Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) estimates that 20 percent of recyclable loads tipped out on to the floor at Fort Totten are found to be contaminated. DPW was unable to confirm Seldman’s and Dreizen’s statements. However, statistics of recycling can be gleaned from the DC Council’s Committee on Transportation & Environment’s Oversight Committee’s DPW hearings: In particular, the agency res we approach Earth Day 2022, I pause to reflect upon our work over the past five ported the recycling diversion rate for DPW residential collecor six years at the DC Department of Energy & Environment. It is a privilege to tion for the past four fiscal years. The rates were: work with so many smart and dedicated people devoted to restoring and protect• FY 18 – 25.24% ing the natural health of our city. And there have been some surprises along the way. • FY 19 – 25.1% The first is the prediction of a rapidly changing environment due to glob• FY 20 – 25.0% al warming has happened far faster than I could have imagined. Our city is experiencing unprece• FY 21 – 23.9% dented flooding and high heat for longer periods putting many of our residents and Important city The recycling diversion rate is defined as the weight of assets at risk. While I am proud DC is leading the nation in implementing innovative programs to diverted waste (recyclables) divided by the weight of all waste mitigate climate change, there is always a sense that it is not nearly enough. It is clear we must fothen multiplied by 100. So, over the last four fiscal years the cus on adaptation and resilience in the face of major environmental change. The climate has already diversion rate for residential trash pickup has fallen 1.34 perchanged for the world and our city must prepare for what is to come. The team at DOEE has made cent. Not a positive trend. (https://zerowaste.dc.gov/sites/dethis task its primary focus. fault/files/dc/sites/zerowaste/CY%2018%20Diversion%20 The second surprise is found in the results of all the efforts we are making to restore streams, elimReport%20Final%203%2010%2021.pdf ). inate toxic pollution, prevent our sewer systems from overflowing and restore natural habitat throughDPW has not published an Annual Waste Diversion Reout DC. We have seen nature do its part meeting us more than halfway in repairing natural habitats. port since 2018 (see the adjacent table). In that year, DPW Eagles, ravens and other species of birds not seen in nearly 100 years have returned to the city. Beacollected 140,987.45 tons of solid waste from the curbside vers and other wildlife are returning to our rivers as well. This is a miraculous phenomenon to observe and at community drop-off locations. The largest portion of as we restore nature to DC. this, 18.79 percent, were “single stream recyclables.” SingleWe have made substantial progress as a city implementing new green infrastructure, deploying sostream recycling is a system wherein recyclables, including lar energy and cleaning up our waterways. Much of this has been accomplished because of the support newspaper, cardboard, plastic, aluminum, etc., are placed in of our residents and the resources made available through our tax dollars. On this Earth Day we know a single bin for pickup by a truck to be sorted later. we have done much to lead the nation, but we also know there is so much more to be done. At the time of its most recent DC Council perfor-
Much Accomplished, But Much More to Do
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