SEATTLE (AP) — Striving to reduce the trash it sends to landfills, some Seattle city officials are weighing whether to stop picking up garbage from homes every week.
Officials say switching to every-other-week garbage collection would save the city about $6 million a year. They say it will also reduce neighborhood truck traffic and potentially keeping 1,400 tons of waste out of the landfill.
The city council is deciding whether to test the concept in about 800 single-family homes in four areas this summer; and if the pilot project is successful, the idea could be rolled out citywide. A council committee vote is scheduled in May.
Portland, Ore., began less-frequent garbage collection last fall. Smaller cities in Washington state, such as Renton and Olympia, made the switch years ago.
