Seattle, WA Public Utilities Highlights Clean City Accomplishments in 2024 Impact Report

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) collected more than 4.1 million pounds of litter, illegally dumped items, and other waste from public streets and areas throughout Seattle last year, totaling 13.8 million pounds from 2022 to 2024, according to a new community impact report.

In addition, more residents volunteered more hours for SPU’s Adopt a Street program, with donated time growing by 21% last year from 2023. Also, SPU’s new All Hands Neighborhood Cleanup Series in 2024 brought together more than 350 volunteers across 10 cleanup events, totaling 1,600 residents who donated time to help remove more than 250,000 pounds of trash.

These are among key highlights in the Seattle Clean City Community Impact Report for 2024, which SPU issues each year as a report card for the public. “This report underscores the power of our One Seattle values in action that is keeping Seattle clean and vibrant,” said Mayor Bruce Harrell. “From dedicated city employees to community volunteers, the Seattle Clean City initiative represents the spirit of collaboration that defines our city. By removing millions of pounds of waste, engaging residents in cleanup efforts, and fostering innovative programs, we’re creating healthier, safer, and more thriving neighborhoods. I’m proud of the progress we’ve made together and remain committed to building a cleaner, brighter future for all Seattleites.”

SPU General Manager and CEO Andrew Lee said the accomplishments, data, and personal stories in the report show that positive change can be achieved to serve the public. “All of this illustrates Seattle Public Utilities’ deep commitment to the environment and removing trash from public spaces and collaborating with residents,” Lee said. “I’m proud we’re doing this work. Keeping Seattle neighborhoods cleaner helps residents thrive. We welcome more residents and community organizations to join us in supporting Seattle’s diverse communities.”

Among 2024 highlights reported by the SPU Clean City Division:

•          4.1 million pounds of litter, illegally dumped items, and other waste removed citywide across six programs. This is a 12% decrease from 2023, thanks to community engagement and education, enforcement efforts, and collaboration with other City of Seattle departments. From 2022 to 2024, more than 13.8 million pounds of waste was removed.
•          More than 800,000 sharp objects (needles, syringes, and lancets) were safely collected in 23 disposal boxes across the city and properly removed from the community. Clean City staff responded to 99% of sharp object removal requests within 24 hours. From 2022 to 2024, more than 2 million sharp objects were removed.
•          28,865 volunteer hours from Seattle residents for the “Adopt a Street” neighborhood cleanup program, up from 16,103 volunteer hours in 2022. New volunteers, total cleanups, and pounds of waste collected grew by more than 20% from 2023. Volunteer hours in 2024 amounted to $1.1 million in donated time for Washington state, according to the Value of Volunteer Time report. From 2022 to 2024, the program recorded more than 68,800 volunteer hours or more than $2.7 million in donated time.
•          More than 40 Litter Abatement Program (LAP) routes – which use contractor trucks and crews to proactively pick up litter, illegally dumped items, and other waste in neighborhoods especially in underserved areas in South Park, Beacon Hill, and Rainier Beach – collected more than 1.7 million pounds of trash in 2024. When this service started in 2016, there were only 8 routes. Since 2017, the program recorded nearly 10 million pounds of collected trash. Today, some routes have 8 hours of service to keep neighborhoods clean.
•          More community involvement through public use of the “Find It, Fix It” app to report trash for pickup, increasing by 21% in 2024 and resulting in nearly 57,000 service requests filed with Clean City.

Courtesy: www.wasteadvantagemag.com