News Release

National Park Service removes thousands of tires from Anacostia Park

National Capital Parks - East maintenance personnel removed more than 3,000 tires from under the I-295 overpass on Anacostia Park the morning of Jan. 17. The illegal commercial tire dump was discovered by park partner Ward 8 Woods on Dec. 23, 2022.

NPS Photo by Sean P. McGinty

News Release Date: February 10, 2023

Contact: Sean P. McGinty, [phone]

WASHINGTON - On the cold, wet morning of January 17, 2023, National Capital Parks – East (NACE) maintenance crews from Washington D.C. and Maryland gathered at Anacostia Park to clean up an illegal dumping site under the overpass of I-295. 

On December 23, 2022, Ward 8 Woods, a local partner organization of NACE, notified the NPS of the illegally dumped pile of more than 3,000 tires. Due to the sheer scale of the site, the NPS and Park Police believe this was an act of commercial, illegal dumping. The location of the tires below the freeway overpass suggests they were dumped from the overpass onto the park below. 

The maintenance crews braved rainy weather and near-freezing temperatures to aid in the removal, making their tenacity apparent as they loaded multiple trucks full of tires bound for a recycling facility in Baltimore, Md. 

“We have 25 maintenance personnel, two heavy loaders and all the trucks we could muster to clean up these tires today,” said Stephen Feagans, a maintenance supervisor for the park. “Even still, it’s probably going to take us all week to get all the tires out.” 

Although the recent tire dump is especially egregious, commercial dumping on public lands in the D.C. Metropolitan Area remains a constant issue. 

Dumping trash or debris at any location besides a specified transfer station is illegal. Park visitors or nearby residents are encouraged to call 911 if they see an act of illegal dumping take place. 

“If anyone has any information on the commercial dumping, I encourage them to call our tip-line at [phone],” said Sergeant Thomas Twiname, U.S. Park Police Public Information Officer. “The portion of the 295 where this dumping took place is a high-traffic area and if anyone saw it take place their information could be crucial in identify the suspect.”