Around 75 trash and recycling dumpsters have been tossed by Capitol Hill businesses for high-frequency bag pick ups starting last week. Another 36 dumpsters have been pulled off streets and sidewalks and on to private property. It’s part of a city-mandated program to improve safety in Capitol Hill’s core restaurant and nightlife area by moving the large metal containers out of the public right-of-way.
Half of the businesses in the corridor — roughly bound by Melrose, E John, E Union, and 15th — 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 Seattle Public Utilities officials say they should not be out for long and certainly not over night.
“It’s definitely going to make the neighborhood look and feel a lot cleaner,” said SPU spokesperson Becca Fong. The program is “pay as you throw” — 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 — a recommendation made by Mayor Ed Murray’s LGBTQ safety task force last year, which built off an earlier study by the Capitol Hill EcoDistrict.
A similar program in Belltown called Clean Alleyshas largely been seen as a success, though not everyone on Capitol Hill is on board. The bag program operated by Recology CleanScapes costs about 15% more than dumpsters and will bring more trucks into the neighborhood.
To read the full story, visit http://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2016/10/100-dumpsters-pulled-off-capitol-hills-streets-and-sidewalks/.