Our City
REPORT ILLEGAL DUMPING
Report the illegal dumping of garbage in your neighborhood and help your area be a clean, healthy, safe place to live and work. Seattle Public Utilities will send an illegal dumping field inspector to investigate the problem and get it cleaned up according to City of Seattle ordinances. Report Illegal Dumping
GRAFFITI REMOVAL
Taking prompt, proactive steps to report and remove graffiti is the best way to prevent it from occurring in your community. The city’s Graffiti Nuisance Ordinance requires property owners to remove graffiti in a timely manner. Graffiti Removal
REPORT POLLUTION
Help protect Seattle's water and wildlife by reporting surface water pollution. Seattle Public Utilities will send a surface water quality field inspector to investigate the problem. Use Surface Water Pollution Online Report Form or call the Surface Water Pollution Report Line at (206) 684-7587. Report Pollution
ADOPT-A-DRAIN
Join volunteers across the city to maintain storm drains, a critical part of our utility infrastructure. Participants commit to removing leaves from their local storm drain. Adopt-A-Drain
ADOPT-A-STREET
Join more than 700 active volunteer groups who clean up nearly 200 miles of city streets. The mission of the Adopt-a-Street program is to promote civic responsibility and community pride as well as to enhance Seattle's quality of life through clean streets and beautiful neighborhoods. This program was launched in the late 1980’s and has gained national prominence as one of the most effective and efficient grassroots litter-removal initiatives. Adopt-a-Street
PUBLIC GARBAGE CANS
Seattle has a goal to recycle 70% of our solid waste by 2022. To support this effort and help keep our city clean, SPU places garbage and recycling cans along streets in mixed-use business areas with high pedestrian traffic. Public Garbage Cans
SPRING CLEAN
Spring Clean—held each year in April and May—is Seattle's premier clean up event. Spring Clean provides opportunities for citizens to clean up Seattle's public open spaces of their choice with city support, including gloves, safety vests, disposal bags, transfer station passes, and waste disposal.
Typical volunteer projects include litter pickups, invasive plant removal, storm drain stenciling, graffiti removal, and general area beautification. Spring Clean
BICYCLE SAFETY
Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is working closely with the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) to replace older storm drain covers in an effort to improve roadway conditions for bicycling throughout the City. Bicycle Safety
GRANT PROGRAMS
Seattle Public Utilities provides grants and other funding opportunities to promote collaboration between the City and the community to help meet Seattle’s environmental and conservation goals. Current grants include: Trees for Neighborhoods, school recycling, and waste prevention. Grant Programs
REDUCE, REUSE & RECYCLE
Despite our city’s recycling efforts, Seattle still throws away a lot. Our landfills contain paper that’s only used on one side, food that could be composted, doors and windows that could be re-used, and extra packaging. Learn how to reduce garbage, stop junk mail and phone books, and more. Reduce, Reuse & Recycle
BUILDING SALVAGE
Many opportunities exist to reuse and recycle building materials that come from both demolition and new building projects.
- Send less waste to the landfill
- Give usable items another life
- Reduce natural resource use
- Save money
- Cut greenhouse gas emissions
- Support the local material reuse and recycling industry
- Earn green building rating system points (e.g., Built Green™, LEED™)