We know D.C. Get our free newsletter to stay in the know.
For the few D.C. residents who prefer not to ditch their sofas and washing machines in parks or under bridges, there is the Fort Totten Transfer Station. But this week, the District’s only public waste-disposal facility has kept dumpers waiting for as long as three hours. “I’ve never seen it this bad,” says Nick Sundt, 48, who as of Monday had been trying to dump his truck’s load of plaster for three days. Sundt feels neglected by what he sees as an uncaring garbage elite: “The people who come here to dump their trash generally aren’t the most powerful people in the city.” Actually, says Department of Public Works spokesperson Mary Myers, construction on the station’s “tipping floor” is behind the delay. “It’s not nothing that anybody can do about it,” says a 60-year-old artist who goes by Dan, as he waits in line. “And anybody who complains about the service over here can stay home.” John Metcalfe