DPW Collections, Recycling, & Tree Plantings

City Offices Closed for President's Day Holiday

All City offices are closed on Monday, February 21, 2022 for President’s Day. Refuse and recycling will be collected one day later than usual and special collections will only occur on Friday, February 25.

Electronics Drop Off Location

City of College Park residents can bring electronics for recycling to the drop off box near the entrance of the front doors to Davis Hall. No more than 3 items can be disposed of at no cost.

• Acceptable: TVs, monitors, mouse pointers, keyboards, microwaves, gaming systems, computers, hard drives, cell phones, printers, laptops, surge protectors, copiers, fax machines, telephone systems, cable, circuit boards, and toner cartridges. • Unacceptable: Light bulbs (CFL or Tubes) or batteries of any kind.

Food Scrap Drop Off

Collecting food scraps and food soiled paper products is easy. When preparing meals, separate food scraps from other garbage to divert this organic material from regular household trash that is disposed at the landfill. Food scraps diverted from the solid waste stream are taken to the Prince George’s County Organics Compost facility for processing into a product that can be used for gardening projects. Acceptable items: fruit and vegetable scraps; coffee grounds and tea leaves; dry goods – breads, pasta, nuts, rice and grains; dairy products, eggs and eggshells; meat, fish, poultry and bones – cooked or uncooked; paper plates (only uncoated or compostable), food soiled paper products or packaging – napkins, paper towels, coffee filters, and tea bags. Please DO NOT include plastic products of any kind, pet or human waste, diapers, clam or oyster shells, grease or fats, raw dough, or ash from wood or charcoal.

Curbside Leaf Collection is Over for the Season

All leaves must be prepared correctly for collection. Use paper yard waste bags, the beige yard waste cart, or a personal reusable container with a yellow city yard waste sticker on it; stickers are available for free in the lobby of Davis Hall.

Click here for more information about Soft and Woody Yard Waste.

Recycled Textiles

Tree Planting Programs

Trees provide many benefits such as reduction of cooling and heating costs, interception of rainwater, increasing property values and improving air quality. The City offers a few ways to help. More information is available at www.collegeparkmd.gov/trees.

  • Earth Day Free Tree Giveaway: See the previous page for details
  • REQUESTS FOR STREET TREES: The City has a program that provides for street tree planting in the right-of-way area, which includes the grass strip between the curb and sidewalk. College Park residents interested in requesting a tree can contact Brenda Alexander at 240-487-3590 or balexander@collegeparkmd.gov. The location will be inspected to determine if it is suitable.
  • TREE CANOPY ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM (TCEP): City of College Park property owners can apply for reimbursement of up to $150.00 annually, for approved tree(s) planted on their residential lot. The completed application should be sent to balexander@collegeparkmd.gov review and approval. Visit www.collegeparkmd.gov/trees for a link to the guidelines and application.

TREE MAINTENANCE The City is responsible for tree maintenance in the rights-of-way, City maintained buildings and parks, and on public property. Trees on private property are the responsibility of the property owner.

Bulk Trash Collection

For a single-family, owner-occupied residence: Up to four (4) bulky trash collections per calendar year, with a maximum total of 20 bulky refuse items per year, will be free of charge to the resident.

For a single-family rental property that pays for City trash services: Up to four (4) bulky trash collections per calendar year, with a maximum total of 29 bulky refuse items per year, will be free of charge.

For quantities and/or frequency more than stated above, a $20 collection fee per item over the allowable number of items will be imposed. A waiver may be available for a major extenuating circumstance on a limited basis.

Bulky trash includes items such as furniture, carpet, lumber, fencing, mattresses, etc. All bulky trash collections must be scheduled in advance and the caller must identify the quantity and type of items when scheduling a collection.

Bulky refuse items must be set out neatly for collection and separated by type.

Other Special Collections

The City collects special trash by appointment on Thursdays and Fridays. Different trucks are assigned to each category, and material must be source separated for collection.

• Appliances & Metals: Appliances include but are not limited to stoves, air conditioners, refrigerators, washers, dryers, dishwashers, radiators, hot water heaters and ovens and have a $20 fee per item for collection. Other metals such as bikes, file cabinets, and miscellaneous metal items do not incur a fee. • Electronics for Recycling: computers, printers, keyboards, modems, gaming consoles, etc. Please note that TVs, monitors, and microwaves have a $20 fee per item. Residents have the option of bringing these items to the electronics drop off box at Public Works for free. • Brush, Branches, and Logs: All woody material must be bundled and tied in bunches no longer than four (4) feet in length, up to two (2) feet in diameter and no more than 50 lbs. Material can also be placed in personal containers or paper yard waste bags. Individual branches cannot be wider than four (4) inches in diameter while logs must be cut into 12 inch lengths that are no more than 12 inches in diameter (a maximum of 25 logs will be collected per pickup).