Dupont Circle Market: Food Waste Drop-off (Sun 8:30a-1:30p) + Batteries

Update on Battery Drop-off: In addition to food waste and food-soiled paper, this Zero Waste Drop-off event will accept single-use (primary) and rechargeable household batteries under 11 lbs from August through December 2026. Batteries and food waste should be kept separate for drop-off.

When visitors arrive at the Zero Waste DC tent at Dupont Circle, they will find a battery drop-off box sitting at the table. There are a total of eight (8) food waste drop-off events citywide that will offer battery drop-off boxes (one location in each ward).

DC residents are encouraged to bring their old small-format batteries to one of these convenient publicly available locations for safe disposal, along with their food waste and food-soiled paper for composting.

See zerowaste.dc.gov/foodwastedropoff for the other seven battery drop-off locations offered at farmers markets.

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Food Waste Drop-off Event at Dupont Circle Farmers Market in DC

Got food scraps? Don’t toss ‘em! Bring them to one of DC DPW's in-person Food Waste Drop-off Events at the Dupont Circle Farmers Market!

The best part? The event happens every Sunday, rain or shine, from 8:30am to 1:30pm at the intersection of Connecticut Ave NW & Hillyer Pl NW (the nearest street address is 1624 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC).

When you arrive, look for the big blue tent that says "Zero Waste DC" on top. At the tent, you will find a spatula, paper towels, and hand sanitizer available to wipe out your food waste container when you're done.

THE BENEFITS

Bringing your food scraps and food-soiled paper for composting is your way to immediately reduce waste, help the environment, and mitigate rodent activity in your neighborhood.

The benefits of composting far outweigh the added step by reducing food waste in alleys, reducing the odors associated with household refuse, and providing the satisfaction of actually making compost (rather than incinerating or landfilling the building blocks of fertile soil).

Plus, when you bring your food waste to a drop-off event, you can do your grocery shopping, too. Fun fact: ALL of DC DPW's food waste drop-off events are co-located with a food source (e.g., a farmers' market or grocer). So don't forget your reusable shopping bags, too!

So bring your food scraps this weekend and meet fellow community members who also care about making a difference. Together, we can turn waste into something awesome through composting.

HOW TO LEARN MORE

For details on how to prepare your food scraps for drop-off and what is and is not accepted, visit https://zerowaste.dc.gov/foodwastedropoff.

Have questions? Email the program team directly at foodwaste.dropoff@dc.gov.

Thank you for composting!

-The DC DPW Office of Waste Diversion