Around 75 trash and recycling听dumpsters听have been tossed听by Capitol Hill businesses for听high-frequency bag pick ups starting last听week. Another 36 dumpsters have been pulled off streets and sidewalks and on听to private property. It鈥檚 part of a city-mandated program to improve safety in Capitol Hill鈥檚 core restaurant and nightlife area by听moving the large metal containers听out of the public right-of-way.
Half of the businesses in the corridor 鈥� roughly bound by Melrose, E John, E Union, and 15th 鈥� were able to keep their dumpsters by storing them on private property. Some of those businesses may still be dragging dumpsters into the street for pickup, but听Seattle Public Utilities听officials say they should not be out for long and certainly not over night.
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely going to make the neighborhood look and feel a lot cleaner,鈥� said SPU spokesperson听Becca Fong. The program is 鈥減ay as you throw鈥� 鈥� pickup fees are paid by how many bags businesses purchase ahead of time. Trash bags cost more than recycling, which officials hope will encourage more recycling. Compost will stay in bins with frequent pickup and broken down cardboard will be picked up free of charge. Bars and other businesses that need to recycle large amounts of glass will be given bins for regular pickup.
The origins of the program stem from an unlikely source 鈥� a recommendation made by听Mayor Ed Murray鈥檚听LGBTQ safety task force last year, which built off听an earlier study by the听Capitol Hill EcoDistrict.
A similar program in Belltown called听Clean Alleyshas largely been seen as a success, though not everyone on Capitol Hill is on board. The bag program operated by听Recology CleanScapes听costs about 15% more than dumpsters and will bring more trucks into the neighborhood.
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