Dive Brief:

• On Monday, the District of Columbia Department of Public Works (DC DPW) hosted a Waste & Recycling Haulers Forum to discuss the Sustainable Solid Waste Amendment Act of 2014, and to receive inputs on various innovations, programs, and communication methods between the city and the haulers.

• The Forum brought in 20 representatives from 13 private companies, both local and national. The haulers' services ranged from traditional waste and recycling collections, to collections of one specific waste such as compost or C&D debris, according to Annie White, manager of the DPW's Office of Waste Diversion. 
• This was the first Waste & Recycling Haulers Forum hosted under Christopher Shorter, the DPW's newest director who was appointed in September 2015. The DPW will host another forum on May 18 to discuss how to reduce and recover organic waste. This summit will be intended for DC employees and community leaders.

Dive Insight:

"The District and the Department of Works are committed to providing a transparent government and creating an environment where both residents and businesses can succeed. These private haulers are a group of stakeholders that we interface with on a daily basis so I think it's great to have a chance to have an exchange and have a dialogue of how we can improve and enhance the relationship," said White to Waste Dive.

As a part of the Sustainable Solid Waste Amendment Act, there will be new private hauler reporting and registration requirements that will take place in 2017. White explained that the Forum helped the city get ideas on the design of those requirements, and on many other topics such as commercial recycling laws, outreach and education, and litter management.

White said that the Forum was a good success, and explained that it is helpful for communities to talk with stakeholders that they work with on a regular basis—even if it's just to check in.

"I think it likely will be something we'll do again in the future and we have also identified other ways of communication that would be useful to [the haulers], whether it's e-newsletters or other types of things to enhance communications through other formats," she told Waste Dive.