Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is stepping up the fight against illegal dumping. After a year of promising results from our Illegal Dumping Camera Pilot, we’re expanding the program in 2025 to Phase 2, adding four new cameras in areas where dumping is most common.
Why This Matters
Illegal dumping isn’t just unsightly; it can create health and safety hazards, harm the environment, and increase cleanup costs for everyone. In 2024 alone, the City of Seattle spent over $1.9 million cleaning up more than 500,000 pounds of dumped waste.
Phase 1: Signs of Progress
The pilot launched in 2022 with motion-activated cameras installed in illegal dumping hotspots. These cameras:
- Play a verbal warning when motion is detected
- Capture images if the motion continues, to help with investigations
During Phase 1, we saw less dumping in the areas around the cameras, a strong sign that the pilot is working.
Phase 2: More Data, More Impact
In 2025, we’ll add four more cameras in Georgetown and South Seattle. These locations were chosen using heatmaps and community reports to target the areas with the highest dumping rates. The first camera on South Barton Street in South Seattle went live on August 18, with the remaining cameras scheduled to go live later in 2025.
Upcoming camera locations:
- Dead-end of S Barton St off 45th Ave S (South Seattle)
- Stanley Ave S & S Hardy St (Georgetown)
- S Rose St & Wabash Ave S (South Seattle)
- 36th Ave S & S Adams St (South Seattle)
When possible, cameras are placed on City-owned property. If that’s not an option, we may work with nearby property owners to get permission for placement.
Your Privacy Matters
SPU follows strict privacy guidelines:
- Photos not related to illegal dumping are deleted
- People not involved are blurred out
- The pilot has been reviewed in a Privacy Impact Assessment by Seattle Information Technology. You can view the full assessment (PDF)
How You Can Help
Stopping illegal dumping is a community effort. You can:
- Report illegal dumping with the Find It, Fix It app
- Call 206-684-7587 to report dumping on public property
- For language help, call 206-684-3000
By expanding this program, we’re working toward cleaner, safer neighborhoods, and we need your help to make it a success. Read more about the pilot program and explore our FAQ!