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Get Public Works Gift Certificates for Your Gardener Friend or Loved One

Please contact the Department for further information.

[City of College Park]

Leaf Pickup Schedule – November 18 to December 2, 2022

The Public Works recently updated the leaf pickup schedule. Please see the updated schedule below. The key dates for our area are:
  • Rhode Island Ave East: November 23 and 28
  • Rhode Island Ave West: November 29 and 30
For more information, please see City’s webpage on the curbside leaf collection here: https://www.collegeparkmd.gov/203/Special-Collections#curbsideleaf

Reminder: TOMORROW: First October Cleanup and Shredding Event

  • Our first October Cleanup Saturday is from 7:30 am-12 pm at our Dept. of Public Works.
  • You can drop off bulky trash, white goods, brush, and more! These items don’t count against the bulk trash limits
  • You can get up to 5-cubic yards of wood mulch per cleanup day for FREE!
  • Tomorrow only – Document Shredding from 8 am-12 pm for City residents!
Please see below for details. More here.

SMARTLEAF® Compost and Wood Mulch are available!

MARTLEAF® Compost and Wood Mulch are available again at the Public Works facility.

  • Compost is $28.00 per cubic yard, and wood mulch is $12.00 per cubic yard.
  • Material may be picked up at Public Works on Mon.-Fri. between 8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m or during Public Work’s clean-up days on October 8 and October 22, 2022 between 7:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
  • You do not need to be a resident to purchase.
  • Delivery is available through October and can be arranged for an additional fee – visit www.collegeparkmd.gov/CompostMulchDelivery to place an order. For further questions, please call 240-487-3593.

Council Approves Curbside Food Scrap Composting Program

At last week’s meeting., the Council awarded a contract for the new Curbside Food Scrap Collection Program.

The goal of the program was to begin the process of diverting food waste from the landfill, which comprises of approximately 25% of discarded municipal solid waste, and to gauge the number of participants for possible expansion of the program. Food waste mixed with other trash disposed of at the landfill releases methane, a greenhouse gas, and takes up precious space at our landfill.

DPW has been managing several drop off locations and over the last three years, residents have dropped off and diverted over 75 tons of food scraps from the landfill. Diverting food scrap saves in tipping fees and provides the material for composting, which is a natural aerobic decomposition of organic matter into nutrient rich soil.

The City issued an RFP to advertise for the Curbside Food Scrap Collection Program. Staff recommends the award of this contract to Agricity for the new Curbside Food Scrap Collection Program

Curbside Food Scrap Collection Coming Soon!

The City of College Park is rolling out a new curbside food scrap collection program this fall!

If your household currently receives curbside trash and recycling collection within the City of College Park, then you are eligible to participate; residential collections only.

Households can register by filling out the online form here. Public Works staff will follow up with you when the containers are ready to pick up, they will also let you know when the program will start and provide educational information.

  • Voluntary program – residents must opt-in.
  • Food scrap collection will become a component of weekly curbside service for those that sign up.
  • The program start date and collection day are to be determined, but it will be weekly.
  • No fee for collection, but residents must contribute 50% of the collection container cost – all material must be placed in a cost-share container. Choose from a 12-gallon wheeled cart ($13.00), or a 5-gallon bucket ($9.00). Participants can also choose to purchase a small kitchen pail ($5.00) to store food scraps inside their homes.
  • All material must be placed in compostable bags.
  • Participants of the drop-off program can continue to use the city-supplied 5-gallon buckets; no personal containers are allowed
  • Updates will be emailed to registered participants.
  • For a full list of what is accepted, visit City’s Food Scraps page.

How Do I Sign Up?
Residents can sign up online and choose container(s). Participants are required to select either a 12-gallon wheeled cart ($13.00), or a 5-gallon bucket ($9.00). Participants can also choose to purchase a small kitchen pail ($5.00) to store food scraps inside their homes. Sign up for the service online here or visit collegeparkmd.gov/CurbsideCollectionApp.

For more information, call 240-487-3590 or visit www.collegeparkmd.gov/foodscraps.

[City of College Park]

Learn How to Keep Mosquitoes Away, and More..

Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Mosquito Control Program

From late May through September, the City cooperates with the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) to identify and control mosquito populations with spraying and larviciding.

The program consists of:
LARVICIDING STANDING WATER: Treatments are made monthly by MDA personnel to known areas of standing water to control mosquito larva that will prevent development into adult moquitoes.
SPRAYING TO CONTROL ADULT MOSQUITOES: MDA has designated Wednesday night for adult mosquito spraying the city (when thresholds are met). Spraying will only begin after dark and may continue until midnight or later. If you see a truck in your community spraying during the day, please note that it is not from the State of Maryland. As a precaution, MDA advises residents to bring in pets, stay inside their homes and close their windows while the spray truck is in the vicinity. Please remain in your home for at least 30 minutes after the truck has left. If there are people outside when the truck passes by, MDA will not spray and will not return that night. Spray applications are made by truck-mounted ultra-low volume (ULV) sprayers. The spray schedule shifts, and the frequency will be determined by surveillance data collected and complaints received. This means that your neighborhood may or may not be sprayed.

In order for MDA personnel to spray, they will first survey the area of concern using traps and landing rate counts, (they may also request access to your property to place a trap for their survey). If mosquito count thresholds are met, they may make a control spray application in the neighborhood, but please be aware that they do not spray individual properties.

Request for Exemption from Adult Mosquito Control Services

Residents can request exclusion from the adult spray program by completing an exemption form annually and return it to:

Program Supervisor, Mosquito Control Section
50 Harry S. Truman Parkway
Annapolis, MD 21401

If you don’t have a printer, the local office for MDA Mosquito Control in College Park has offered to send residents a form via DocuSign. To request the form be sent to you via email, please send an email to skeetermd1.mda@maryland.gov.

West Nile and Zika virus are both transmitted by mosquitoes. To help control the mosquito population in your community, remember to tip anything that holds water on a weekly basis (birdbaths, old tires, plastic children’s toys, tarps, pet dishes etc.)

For permanent areas of standing water (ponds, rain barrels, etc.), mosquito “torpedoes” slowly and continuously release an insect growth regulator into the water that prevents adult mosquito development for up to 2 months. The City offers mosquito torpedoes for residents – more information can be found on our website www.collegeparkmd.gov/mosquitoes.

Moving Out? Don’t Sump. Donate!

Pitch in while you move out! Help others and keep reusable goods out of the landfill.
To get rid of waste, you can drop off, schedule pickups (if available), or recycle. For more information, please Click Here.
Don’t forget, Saturday, May 21 is the final Spring Saturday Cleanup! This is the last opportunity to dispose of items without incurring a collection fee for bulk items. The Department of Public Works facility will be open for residents and off-campus student rentals to drop off bulky trash, white goods, electronics recycling, brush, and yard trim. Visit this link for details.

[City of College Park]

City May Start Curbside Food Scrap Collection Program

In the FY23 City budget, Public Works made a funding request for $85,000 to start up a Curbside Food Scrap Collection program. The funding will cover the cost for the first year of a cooperative collection contract and necessary materials. At the budget meeting, I asked the DPW to make a presentation to present the details of the program.

The goal of the program was to begin the process of diverting food waste from the landfill, which comprises approximately 25% of discarded municipal solid waste, and to gauge the number of participants for possible expansion of the program. Food waste mixed with other trash disposed of at the landfill releases methane, a greenhouse gas and takes up precious space at our landfill.

Currently, DPW has been managing several drop off locations and over the last three years, residents have dropped off and diverted over 75 tons of food scraps from the landfill. Diverting food scrap saves in tipping fees and provides the material for composting which is a natural aerobic decomposition of organic matter into nutrient rich soil.

As part of the proposed food scrap collection program, the city will partner and contract with a local vendor to provide the curbside collections and DPW coordinate delivery of carts to residents that sign up for the service.

Based on research and from other jurisdictional data, we expect an initial 30-day startup participation of approximately 5% (200-250) household participants to sign up prior to the start and the forecast growth to 13% (600) households by the end of year one with over 107 tons of food scrap diverted from the landfill. The cost per household is approximately $14.50 for the first 250 households and as subscribers grow, a gradual decrease in cost per subscriber as volume discounts are reached. We would estimate the program start date of September 1, 2022.

The food scrap carts available would be a 12-Gallon cart with wheels at approximately $35.00 each and an 8-gallon bucket with lid at approximately $20.00 each. Compostable liner bags are also required for each receptacle.

The Council can also decide to incentivize the purchase of the cart by absorbing a portion of the cost for those residents that sign up for the program by a certain date. At tomorrow’s meeting, the Council will discuss the program.

Compost and Wood Mulch are Now Available at Public Works

Compost and wood mulch: click here to schedule a delivery. Material is available year-round for pick up, Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Bring a shovel and containers and be prepared to dig.

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