Could D.C. benefit from getting its very own garbage-eating machine to help clean up the Anacostia River?

Groups must commit to two years of keeping their blocks tidy.

Back in April, we let you know about a new Metropolitan Police Department pilot program which would enable police officers to fine those caught dumping trash on the streets and sidewalks of the department’s Fourth District. Well, the warning period is over.

You don’t often have to go very far in this town to see litter — and we don’t mean just an overflowing trash can. The District’s streets have somewhat of a reputation for serving as a dumping ground for chicken bones, shattered bottles, and all sorts of other disgusting refuse, which can pile up for weeks. The Metropolitan Police Department is now going to do something about it, though: starting May 1, MPD will kick off a pilot littering enforcement program, in which those caught dumping trash on the streets and sidewalks of the department’s Fourth District will be ticketed and fined $75.