DC Waste Laws

  • Title 21, Chapter 7 of the DC Municipal Regulations - who is responsible for trash services in the District

  • The Sustainable Solid Waste Management Amendment Act - established DC’s 80% waste diversion goal to be achieved by 2032.

  • Sustainable DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2014 - established the expanded polystyrene food service ware ban and requirement for disposable food service ware to be compostable or recyclable

  • 2020 Zero Waste Omnibus Amendment Act includes multiple zero waste requirements – many of which have yet to be implemented – including:

    • Requirements for DC Department of Public Works (DPW) to:

      • Provide recycling infrastructure in public places;

      • Develop a comprehensive organics management plan; 

      • Provide source-separation and collection of glass; 

      • Provide training and guides on source-separation for private collection properties;  

      • Conduct outreach to ensure back-of-house composting for retail stores, colleges and universities, arenas and stadiums, hospitals and nursing homes; 

    • Requirements for the DC Department of Energy & the Environment (DOEE) to:

      • Establish a battery stewardship program (Producer organization created; plan expected January 1, 2023), 

      • Establish a donation and reuse program; 

      • Conduct education, outreach and enforcement of serve-on-request requirements for restaurants & food-ordering platforms, and 

      • Provide grants for reusable food service ware 

  • Material requirements for food service ware which effectively bans expanded polystyrene foam along with straws and stirrers because they do not appear on the Mayor’s List of Recyclables and Compostables