Photo of Seattle at sunset

These programs help Seattle Public Utilities partner with the community by ensuring environmental justice and service equity, assisting in pollution control, preparing for climate change, and offering waste free grants.

In 2022, SPU began investing in impactful community projects and partners that help SPU manage our city’s waste and water. This impact investment initiative brings utility dollars to projects that have a strategic importance to our business mission and also provide community benefits like: 

  • Environmental sustainability
  • Social equity
  • Economic growth 

In 2023, we invested seed capital into job training and hiring small businesses that will help us manage waste and water and share wealth with people and businesses that have been historically marginalized. This included:

  • Training 10 individuals to clean restaurant grease traps and start their own businesses to offer this service. This will help restaurants keep grease out of our wastewater system in compliance with Seattle Municipal Code.
  • Training 5 formerly incarcerated individuals to deconstruct houses to keep old growth wood out of the landfill, and instead build a supply of salvaged wood and create green, waste-reduction jobs

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) works with partner departments to realize the goals of the City of Seattle's Race and Social Justice Initiative. Our goal is to support SPU in delivering racially inclusive and equitable services.

 

Public Utilities

Andrew Lee, General Manager and CEO
Address: 700 5th Avenue, Suite 4900, Seattle, WA, 98104
Mailing Address: PO Box 34018, Seattle, WA, 98124-5177
Phone: (206) 684-3000
SPUCustomerService@seattle.gov

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Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is comprised of three major direct-service providing utilities: the Water Utility, the Drainage and Wastewater Utility, and the Solid Waste Utility.