SeaTac highlights volunteer litter program, names Adopt-a-Street winners

Good evening, council. My name is Mason. I'm a public works programs coordinator here at the city. And we're gonna be I'm gonna adopt a street, program, the litter program, and the SeaTac scrub down, the presentation began.

The SeaTac City Council heard a year-end review of the city’s litter programs Tuesday, with Public Works Programs Coordinator Mason Gimm reporting staff and volunteers together logged hundreds of hours and removed thousands of pounds of trash across the city in 2024.

Gimm told the council the city received a Department of Ecology grant in February 2024 to clean highway on- and off-ramps; that staff effort accounted for 274.5 staff hours and an estimated 490 pounds of litter collected along about 10 miles of ramps. He said city litter crews recorded 597.5 staff hours, roughly 3,046 bags and an estimated 47,000 pounds of litter collected during the year.

The Adopt-a-Street volunteer program, Gimm said, involved 13 volunteer groups that cleaned on 71 separate days; he recognized Daniel and Megan Hammer for volunteering a steep, high‑litter stretch of South 30th Avenue South far more often than required. The Great SeaTac Scrub Down drew 52 volunteers (including Foster High School students), who collected about 65 bags and an estimated 1,000 pounds of trash across five neighborhoods; the event also included a lake cleanup with 10 volunteer divers.

Looking ahead to 2025, Gimm said the city plans new, larger signs for the litter programs, 20 additional street-side litter cans under the new solid-waste contract and an on-line survey (QR code) to collect public suggestions for can placement. He asked council for placement ideas and said the Department of Ecology grant remains active for another year.

Council members praised volunteers and asked for additional program detail. Council Member Kwan asked the staff to better note community-led cleanups run by churches and neighborhood groups; Gimm answered that he would include those efforts in next year’s outreach. Councilor Vinson asked whether bulky-item pickups and illegal-dump responses were included in the program metrics; staff said illegal-dump pickups are recorded as part of the overall litter work.

Gimm said most program funding comes from the city’s solid-waste revenue (the city’s Recology contract) and confirmed the Ecology grant and solid-waste funds are expected to continue supporting the programs.

The council encouraged broader promotion of Adopt-a-Street and thanked staff and volunteers for the work.

The presentation closed with Gimm asking for placement suggestions for the new cans and inviting more residents to participate in next year’s SeaTac Scrub Down.