Announcements
Columbus Day is not a City Holiday
Vacation Premise Checks
End of Season Compost Sale
In-Service Snow Training Day
UMD Game-Day Text Alerts
Food Scrap Drop-Off Program
Slow Down to Get Around
Bulk & Special Trash Collections
Want to Plant a Tree?
Items Available for Purchase at DPW
Columbus Day is not a City holiday
The City is open for business on Columbus Day, October 14, 2019. Refuse, recycling, and yard waste collections will be collected on schedule.
Special trash, electronic recycling, and brush collections are collected on Thursday and Friday by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, please call 240-487-3590 or email publicworks@collegeparkmd.gov before putting your items at the curb.
Vacation Premise Check Request
Going on vacation? Request a vacation premise check by Prince George's County Police!
City residents can make the request by filling out this form, and submitting it to publicservices@collegeparkmd.gov.
End of Season Compost Sale! Smartleaf Compost 25% off! Through October 31, 2019 or while supplies last. Valid for pickup orders only.
For a limited time only, get your screened SMARTLEAF compost for only $21/cubic yard when you pick up at our facility. This 25% savings won't last long - promotion ends on October 31, 2019 or while supplies last. Residency is not required.
Pick up your compost at:
City of College Park
Department of Public Works
9217 51st Avenue
College Park, MD 20740
For more information, visit collegeparkmd.gov/compost or call 240.487.3590.
IN-SERVICE SNOW TRAINING - THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2019
The Department of Public Works is closed to the public. On that day, no collections, deliveries, or loading of compost, or wood mulch will occur. We are sorry for any inconvenience.
The purpose of this training is to prepare DPW employees for snow clearing duties which include proper handling of materials, and proper maintenance and operation of equipment. Knowing the route is also essential. The In-Service Snow Training is a classroom session of training and a “Dry Run” of the routes which is a valuable safety practice that must be executed properly. Dry run means driving the entire Heavy & Light Plow route assigned to each driver in non-snow and ice conditions to become aware of features that may impact snow plowing and spreading materials. Take note of what has changed since last winter. This pre-storm run is for drivers to inspect and observe landmarks and the locations of possible hazards (School locations, guardrails, curbs, tight streets, etc.) which may cause difficulty or be hidden by falling or plowed snow. Remember, all streets must be serviced, and it is our responsibility to complete this task!
UMD Game-Day Text Alerts
If you would like to receive game day information text alerts regarding incidents, traffic problems, notifications about the start and end of incoming and outgoing traffic pertaining to sporting events, send a text message from your mobile device to 888777 with keyword: TerpsGameDay.
Food Scrap Drop-Off Program
Five-gallon food scrap buckets are available at the Department of Public Works during regular business hours. The buckets are useful to transport collected food scraps to the drop off location. Free compostable bags are available at the Department.
Over six tons of food scraps have been diverted from the landfill since April 1. 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 that are collected separately 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 egg shells; meat, fish, poultry and bones – cooked or uncooked; food soiled paper products – 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, or ash from wood or charcoal.
Bring your food scraps to the Department of Public Works any time – 24/7, transfer into our designated yellow food scrap cart located in the public parking area. Empty contents loosely into the cart, or you can deposit the compostable bag full of food scraps. No plastic bags.
You can also drop off your scraps at the Downtown and Hollywood Farmers Markets (through early November; 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and Sundays 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. respectively). Free compostable bags are available at the location at DPW.
For more information about how to collect or drop-off food scraps, please visit collegeparkmd.gov/foodscraps.
Slow Down to Get Around
It can be frustrating to encounter unexpected delays during your day, whether it is because you are behind a refuse truck, a school or Metro bus. However, it is important to remember that there are people in and around these vehicles who expect to arrive home safely at the end of the day. City employees have been injured as a result of distracted drivers. Remember to slow down to get around these vehicles, and that aggressive driving could kill or injure another person.
Last year, Governor Hogan signed into law HB531, SB445: Slow Down to Get Around/Move Over legislation, which now includes any solid waste vehicle collecting solid waste. Anyone not slowing down or involved in an accident with a trash truck will be fined double the normal fine.
Bulk and Special Trash Collections
The City collects four different types of special or bulk trash on Thursdays and Fridays by appointment.
- Bulk trash (furniture, mattresses wrapped in plastic, large bulky items, etc.)
- White goods & metals (washers, dryers, mowers, bikes, metal file cabinets, etc.)
- Electronics for recycling (TVs, computers, printers, etc.)
- Brush and Logs
See a truck on your street that didn't pickup your collection? The trucks pick up one type of item at a time, so make sure that your special trash is separated by source/type.
Don’t place items at the curb until you have scheduled an appointment. Call or email the Department of Public Works at 240-487-3590 or publicworks@collegeparkmd.gov to schedule. Have your items at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on your scheduled day.
Want to Plant a Tree?
Trees provide many benefits such as reduction of cooling and heating costs, interception of rain water, increasing property values and improving air quality. The City offers a few ways to help you plant trees in your surrounding area.
- 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. 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 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 for review and approval. Click here 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.
Items Available for Purchase at the Department of Public Works
Rain Barrels $72.00
Rain barrels are a great way to keep runoff from leaving your home. Outdoor watering accounts for a large percentage of water consumption. By having a rain barrel and storing rainfall, you’ll have water for outdoor irrigation. Size is 50-gallon.
Once installed, Prince George’s County residents can apply for a Rain Check Rebate, off-setting most of the cost!
Rain barrels come with lid, overflow cap, pre-installed screen and ring, flex overflow hose, ball valve - spigot, re-usable zip ties, hose clamp and rubber washer. Diverter kit is not included.
Backyard Compost Bin $20 City residents/$40 non-residents
Composting is a great way to dispose of your household food waste and yard waste diverting them from the landfill.
Size: 33” high x 31” wide, large capacity – 11 cubic feet with convenient 12”x16” offset, front access door.
Yard Waste Carts $25 for City residents
The beige yard waste cart can be used for either “soft yard waste” or “woody yard waste.” The two products are collected on separate days and processed into different products.
This sturdy cart has wheels and a lift-bar for easy collection. Using the yard waste cart can save time and money – single use paper lawn bags become expensive over time and can tear or fall apart when wet.
SMARTLEAF® Compost & Wood Mulch
SMARTLEAF® compost is $28.00 per cubic yard, and wood mulch is $12.00 per cubic yard. Delivery is available for a fee. Material may also be picked up at the Department of Public Works.
Bring your open-bed pickup truck or trailer and material can be loaded in your vehicle for you. Trucks with a 4’ bed can hold ½ a cubic yard, a 6’ bed can hold 1 cubic yard, and an 8’ bed can hold 2 cubic yards.
Don't have a truck? Bring a shovel and your own containers (bins, buckets, bags, etc.) and be prepared to load your containers yourself. We sell in 1/4 cubic yard increments.
- ½ cubic yard is approximately 20 five-gallon buckets
- ¼ cubic yard is approximately 10 five-gallon buckets; or 3 paper yard waste bags filled half full
For more information click here to visit our web page, or call us at 240-487-3590 or email publicworks@collegeparkmd.gov.