D.C. To Pick Up Trash At Shuttered National Parks In City

The D.C. government announced today that it will collect trash at national parks within city limits that have been closed by the federal government shutdown.

Close to 90 percent of D.C.'s parkland is owned and operated by the federal government, which means that technically access to the public has been limited and services are not being provided during the shutdown.

But given the logistical barriers to fully closing off parks ranging in size from Rock Creek Park to neighborhood triangles and circles, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray announced that the Department of Public Works would take the lead in emptying garbage cans that could otherwise remain full until the end of the shutdown.

"The National Park Service parks in the District attract large numbers of visitors—especially during the unseasonably warm weather we have been enjoying lately. It is imperative that someone remove the trash in a timely fashion before garbage piles up and rodents and other vermin are attracted," he said in a statement.

"Because the federal government cannot step up to provide this basic service to District residents and visitors, I have authorized DPW to service the litter cans for the duration of the federal shutdown," he added.

The D.C. government has been operating off of a contingency reserve fund since the shutdown started. Earlier this week the House passed a bill that would fund the city's government through December, but Senate Democrats have said that they don't want to vote on individual appropriations bills.