For Immediate Release
March 7, 2023
Contact: Chantal Fuller, Communications Director
202-355-8431
cfuller@dccouncil.gov

Councilmember Henderson Introduces Legislation to Streamline Condominium Trash Collection and Residential Parking

Washington, DC –This month, Councilmember Henderson introduced two bills to improve quality of life by providing better municipal services. The two bills are the Taking Rubbish Away from Small Homes (TRASH) Amendment Act of 2023 and the Residential Permit Parking Program Review Amendment of 2023.

The Department of Public Works (DPW) manages the District’s solid waste program, which includes garbage and recycling collection and disposal. In most cities, all residents who receive solid waste collection and disposal services pay a fee to the jurisdiction for those services. The District is unique among similarly-sized cities in that many residents do not pay for trash and recycling disposal; those services are provided free of charge to single-family homes and residential buildings with three or fewer units. However, residents in buildings that have more than three units must pay a commercial solid waste management company for trash and recycling services; in return, they receive a solid waste tax credit from the District which has not kept pace with actual costs for private hauling services.

The TRASH Act of 2023 would make small condominium buildings with eight or fewer units eligible for residential solid waste management services provided by DPW. It would also require the Chief Financial Officer to study the solid waste tax credit deduction issued to owners of condominium living units or homeowners who pay for commercial solid waste collection services to determine:

• The monetary value of the tax credit deduction issued to each homeowner per year;
• The median cost of commercial solid waste services paid by a homeowner who does not receive solid waste collection services from the District per year;
• An evaluation of the difference in cost between the tax credit deduction received compared to the median cost of commercial solid waste collection services; and
• A proposed revised tax credit deduction value for homeowners who do not receive residential solid waste collection services from the District that is aligned with the median cost for commercial solid waste services.

“The condo trash credit is intended to level the field between homeowners who do and do not receive DPW trash pickup, and the District should ensure that the tax credit is as close as possible to the actual costs that residents pay”, said Councilmember Henderson.

The second bill, the Residential Permit Parking Program Review Act of 2023, would require the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) to undertake a study of the District’s RPP program and submit to the Mayor and Council a report proposing new parking districts definable by bounds based on a number of factors such as the number of on-street parking spaces available. The District has 8 Residential Parking Permit (RPP) zones, which are based on Ward boundaries prior to the 2010 and 2020 redistricting processes. In practice, the RPP program does not always yield reliable on-street parking for residents near their actual residences.

“The moment is right to press forward with decoupling our parking and political boundaries and move toward a more sensible system of truly residential permit parking. I look forward to working with Council colleagues to advance this measure and other needed reforms to help preserve parking for residents who need it, while depoliticizing our parking zones in the future,” remarked Councilmember Henderson.

The Taking Rubbish Away from Small Homes (TRASH) Amendment Act of 2023 was co-introduced by Councilmembers Brianne K. Nadeau, Charles Allen, Janeese Lewis-George, Zachary Parker, and Brooke Pinto.

The Residential Permit Parking Program Review Act of 2023 was co-introduced by Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau.

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