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OFFICE
OF
MARY M. CHEH
COUNCILMEMBER, WARD 3
CHAIR, COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION & THE ENVIRONMENT
FROM:
Mary M. Cheh
Chair, Committee on Transportation and the Environment
DATE:
April 8, 2015
SUBJECT:
A.
Snow and inclement winter weather are common in the District. The winter
of 2013-2014 was one of the snowiest on record, totaling 32 inches.1 And, during the
winter of 2010-2011, when the District was hit by the infamous snowstorm known
as Snowmaggedon, a total of 32.1 inches of snow fell in the month of February
alone, which was nearly seven times the normal monthly snowfall.2 Even this year,
during the winter of 2014-2015, snow blanketed the District just six days into the
New Year, causing traffic backups and delays. Although this winter is not the
snowiest on record, as of April 5, 2015, the District received a total of 18.3 inches of
snow.3 And, as predicted by weather experts during the Committees winter
readiness hearing held on November 14, 2014, the winter was colder than normal
meaning that the snow that did fall was likely to linger longer.
Ian Livingston, The long, white 2013-2014 winter: Bringing snowy back to the D.C. region (season
statistics), WASH. POST, Mar. 27, 2014.
2Megan Mussoline, Anniversary: Two Major Snowstorms Rocked DC, ACCUWEATHER.COM, (Feb. 6,
2013, 10:30 PM), http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/snowmaggedon-snowpocalypse2010/61391
3 This is the total of snowfall at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport as of April 5, 2015 as
recorded by the National Weather Service.
1
facility in Lorton, VA. Although DPW later informed residents that they could hold
on to their recycling if they did not want it commingled with trash, the message was
released after residents were told the materials would be commingled and
apparentlyafter pick-ups had begun.
B.
An examination of the Master Agreement between The American Federation of State, County and
Municipal Employees, District Council 20, AFL-CIO and the Government of the District of Columbia
reveals that there is no explicit language granting an employee the right to refuse to collect.
13
At the roundtable Director Howland cited icy alleys as the reason trash was
not timely collected in February. The Director testified about the willingness of
sanitation collection crews to collect trash and recycling from alleys during
inclement weather. According to the Director, [t]he good crews . . . theyre not just
skipping alleys. They are going to take their time, they are going to do what they
need to do . . . [t]he ones that are not as good will skip their alleys. 14 At the March
20th roundtableand at previous hearingsDirector Howland testified that its
labor agreement allows collectors to make on-the-spot decisions about whether or
not to collect from certain areas based on safety. Although the labor agreement
contains three provisions that may allow an employee to refuse to collect from an
alley due to safety conditions, there is no explicit language granting an employee
the right refuse to collect because of safety concerns.15 Nevertheless, discussions
during the roundtable appear to show that DPW had the authority to require
collectors to collect from alleys in the first place. While discussing alley collection
during the blitz, Councilmember Cheh noted to the Director that [s]ince you were
able to [have employees enter alleys to pick up trash] during the blitz, it seems like
youre able to do thatcontract notwithstandingduring the ordinary course, and
Director Howland responded, I would agree with that comment.16 And in fact,
during the blitz, DPW did send collectors into the alleys to collect all of the missed
trash and recycling, regardless of the terms of the labor agreement or weather
conditions. Moreover, Barney Shapiro, CEO of Tenleytown Trash, testified that
collectors should have been able to walk into the alleys to collect, even if they
believed that trucks could not pass through. According to his decades of experience,
the number of District alleys that are unsafe by both foot and truck traffic is
miniscule. Taking all of this information into consideration, it is clear that the
failure to collect trash and recycling because of icy alleys was not justified.
And the cost of the blitz was significant. In its responses to Committee
questions following the roundtable, DPW acknowledged that the entire blitz cost the
District a total of $288,677. This total included $115,000 for contractors hired to
assist with the blitz and $173,677 in overtime. As with the blitz itself, this cost was
unnecessary and could have been avoided if DPW had required sanitation collection
crews to walk into alleys to collect when trucks were unable to enter or if it required
Once-a-week
recycling collection
D.C.
Prince Georges
County
Montgomery
County
Arlington
County
19
(wards
3,4,5,7,8, and
part of 1)
DPW only collects trash and recycling from single-family homes and residential units with three or
fewer units.
18 Howland Jr., supra note 4.
19 Alley collection makes up less than 1% of Montgomery Countys service stops.
17
Region
Twice-a-week trash
collection
Slides trash and
recycling collection
to next collection day
if missed b/c of snow
Slides trash and
recycling collection
to next day if missed
b/c of snow
ii.
D.C.
Prince Georges
County
Montgomery
County
Arlington
County
20
Again, the March 20th roundtable revealed that the exclusive problem for
Februarys missed collections was a failure to collect in alleys. In an effort to
redress the situation, one suggestion was to have residents bring their trash to the
front of their homes for collection. This method was used during Snowmaggedon
and was offered as an alternative when DPW is unable to collect trash and recycling
from alleys. According to Director Howland, this alternative would be problematic
for residents and particularly difficult for those who live in row houses or have a
disability, because he or she would have to walk a long distance to get the bin to the
front of the home. Additionally, Director Howland noted that this practice could
cause confusion to both residents and collectors.
Although shifting alley collection to street collection during inclement
weather may not be feasible, there are two other alternatives. First, when alleys
are covered in ice and snow, a collector can walk into the alley to collect the cans.
As this was done during the blitz, this should be the practice going forward.
Second, if a collector believes it is appropriate to skip alley collection completely, a
supervisor must specifically approve that action. This will ensure collector safety
and minimize disruption to residents.
E. Conclusion
The February failure to collect trash and recycling in alleys was not justified.
The remedy for the trash pile-upthe blitzwas expensive and unnecessary. As
snow and ice are common in the District, it is vital that DPW have a trash and
recycling collection policy in place that is flexible and minimizes disruption to
District residents during inclement weather. This policy should (1) require
Normally, Arlington County slides collection by one day if collection is missed because of snow;
however, one time during the winter of 2014-2015, collection was missed for two consecutive days
and therefore shifted to the next collection day. According to a representative in their office, that
was the first time that had happened since 2010.
20
collectors to walk into alleys to collect trash and recycling when trucks are unable to
enter; (2) require a supervisor to approve any decision to skip alley collection; and
(3) incorporate a sliding schedule that picks up trash within the same week.