Georgetown residents push to fix Rose Park trash crisis

The annual Rose Park Winter Market Night will be held Dec. 6, bringing together kids, canines and neighbors to see Santa.

But nearly a month after the community organization Friends of Rose Park urged action at the November Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E meeting, little progress has been made on the park’s ongoing trash crisis. Neighbors are concerned that the popular annual event will add to an already growing problem.

Rose Park is located in northeast Georgetown, between P and M streets, NW, bounded on the east by Rock Creek Parkway. It is one of the area’s busiest public spaces, offering recreation and leisure to both residents and visitors.

As the number of visitors to D.C. grows and construction continues in the triangular area at M Street and 28th Street, the park’s trash cans have become overwhelmed. Neighbors say they are concerned that trash cans attract rats and pose a public health risk.

FRP and Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E are calling on the city government and the National Park Service to increase collection frequency, add more cans and introduce rat-proof trash cans.

According to Destination DC, the official tourism and convention marketing organization for Washington, D.C., 27 million visitors came to the city in 2024. The 2024 Georgetown Retail in Review report found that Georgetown attracted 13.2 million domestic visitors that year, the highest number since the pandemic.

Gail Daubert, president of FPR, said the lack of trash cans along M Street has led pedestrians and construction workers to leave sandwich wrappers and drink containers in the park.

“We frequently pick up litter along that section of park, including lots of cigarette butts around those benches,” she said. “It’s pretty disgusting. And the trash can at 27th Street and Olive Street is always overflowing.”

Daubert said that if the trash situation is not addressed, the natural beauty of Rose Park will deteriorate, and the area will continue to attract rats and other pests. Rats pose a significant public health concern as they carry diseases and create unsanitary conditions for families, children, and all park visitors.

To improve trash management, Daubert said three steps are needed: increase the number and quality of trash cans, improve their placement, and increase collection frequency.

She added that many residents have expressed concern about trash cans with lids that require hand contact, saying they avoid using them. FRP is now fundraising to purchase closed trash cans that open with a foot pedal.

Chair of ANC 2E Gwendolyn Lohse said that Volta Park, located on the east side of Georgetown, is also undergoing renovations. If the new trash cans in Rose Park prove effective, the same type could be installed there.

Because Rose Park includes both city and federal land, Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Daniel Chao said the National Park Service and the Department of Parks and Recreation must cooperate to improve collection. Chao noted that the NPS has been more proactive than DPR in addressing the issue.

With winter events including Winter Market Night and upcoming holiday crowds, Rose Park will face heavier visitor pressure in December. However, the trash problem has seen little progress.

“Sadly, no updates yet on the trash can issue. Other than one trash can was added near M Street in front of Rose Park,” Daubert said in late November.

Daubert did not provide further details on when additional trash cans will be installed.