Street Cleaning

Street Sweeping & Cleaning

The Street Cleaning program is responsible for street sweeping and cleaning throughout the City. The crews sweep approximately 30,000 lane miles each year. The Street Cleaning program is also responsible for annual collection of leaves through the Annual Leaf Collection. All these programs keeps Alexandria’s street aesthetically pleasing as well as safe.

For more information or concerns about street cleaning, please call 703-746-4410 (Please Note the New Number).

Ornamental Litter Can Program

The Street Cleaning program is responsible for maintaining all ornamental litter collection containers throughout the City. The crews maintain approximately 800 litter collection containers throughout the City.

For more information about the program, please call 703-746-4410 (Please Note the New Number).

Adopt-a-Block Litter Program

The City of Alexandria City Council approved the Adopt-A-Block Litter Program to promote partnerships between the City and Alexandria residents to maintain litter free neighborhoods and streets. The City’s Adopt-A-Block program is modeled after the Virginia Adopt-A-Block Highway Program introduced in 1988 by the Virginia Department of Transportation to “Keep Virginia Beautiful”.

Why Do People Litter?

According to research conducted by Keep America Beautiful, Inc, it was found that people litter because they:

Feel no sense of ownership for the property or land
Believe someone else will pick up after them
See litter has already accumulated at a site.

How can I help to change people’s attitudes about litter?

Participating in the Adopt-a-Block program can help affect people’s attitudes about waste and its handling, which will lead to a reduction in litter and dumping.

By removing litter, graffiti and cleaning up an area will make it less likely to attract more waste.
Involving people helps them to appreciate the environment more and learn that their actions matter.

Adopt-a-Block Participants Responsibilities

Review the Adopt-a-Block Agreement. - *Participating groups must be a permanently established business, government entity, or community or public organization. Participants must be at least 8 years of age, and anyone under the age of 17 must have adult supervision (at least one adult for every three children).
Adopt a four-block section, at a minimum, of roadway for a period of two years (one block includes both sides of the street.)
Sign and support the terms and conditions of the litter program.
Collect litter a minimum of four times per year, or more often if necessary to keep area reasonably clean. Please report any sidewalk issues, street lamp outages, etc.

City Solid Waste Division Adopt-a-Block Responsibilities

Installation of an Adopt-a-Block sign with group name or organization
Provide vests, trash bags, and gloves to each Group Leader
Coordinate publicity efforts with the group to solicit local media coverage, as requested
Remove filled bags and large heavy or hazardous items found or reported from the adopted area following clean-ups

To Adopt-a-Block, contact the Solid Waste Division at 703-746-4410 (Please Note the New Number).

Current Adopt-a-Block Participants: