When It Comes To Waste, D.C. Is Priceless

Let it never again be said that the District government lacks efficiency.

Andy Chasin's story begins at home, in Woodley Park, with Mom. Or at least a package from Mom, sent in March, with love, from Arizona, via FedEx. The package stayed at home, but somehow the air bill, the sheet of paper that contains Chasin's address, wound up in his pocket, where he discovered it earlier this month while walking on Connecticut Avenue NW.

Having no need for the slip, Chasin tossed it into the trash can on the corner. This would be the crime scene.

Last Friday, Chasin, 28, was in his office at the law firm of Baker & Hostetler, when he received from the District government a Notice of Violation, delivered at a cost of $4.42. The city's Department of Public Works charges Chasin with Improper Use of Public Litter Receptacles. Fine: $35.

The notice is signed by Cecil Herd, Solid Waste Inspector. Attached to the notice is the evidence: the FedEx bill.

"At first, I thought I must have thrown it to the trash can and missed," Chasin says. "Littering. But my co-associates and I broke away from other stimulating legal matters to track down the statute."

They found 24 DCMR 1009.1: "Public wastepaper boxes shall not be used for the disposal of refuse incidental to the conduct of a household, store, or other place of business. . . . "

"Ridiculous," Chasin says. "Obviously this was meant to stop people from taking their entire trash can and throwing it into the public can. I threw out a single piece of paper."

"Folks hate to be caught doing something that maybe they weren't supposed to do." That's Mary Myers, spokeswoman for the city's Department of Public Works. "I understand he's frustrated. But we have an enormous problem of overflowing litter cans due to people putting their home or business trash in the public litter cans."

But Mary, a single sheet of paper?

"Doesn't matter," she says. "The purpose of public litter cans is for simple pedestrian trash -- cups, food wrappers, a gum wrapper, the kind of thing you would have in your pocket."

But Chasin had this paper . . . in his pocket. Would it be a violation if I tossed the tissue now in my pocket?

"No, that's fine."

What's the difference here?