Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, U.S. household waste increases by 25 percent—that’s about 1 million tons per week! You can do your part to cut down on the amount of holiday waste that ends up in the landfill by following these holiday recycling tips: Batteries: All types of batteries are accepted at the recycling […]

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, no garbage, recycling, or food and yard waste will be collected in Seattle on Thursday, Nov. 22. Collections scheduled for Thursday will occur on Friday, and Friday collections will occur on Saturday. Customers should be sure to have their containers out by 7 a.m. to ensure collection. Customers can report […]

In late October, for the first time in eight years, SPU staff observed and filmed a pair of Chinook salmon laying eggs (spawning) in a SPU-restored part of Seattle’s Thornton Creek. SPU’s Thornton Creek Confluence project, completed in 2014 for $8 million, provided flood control in the Meadowbrook neighborhood and resilient creek habitat for salmon. […]

As a community-centered utility, Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) recognizes the vital role community plays in ensuring we deliver our services in efficient, innovative, and equitable ways. SPU’s Community Advisory Committees play a key role in helping shape our work. Committee members are a diverse and dedicated group of volunteers who meet monthly to review and […]

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) plans to update its charges for drainage and wastewater core taps on January 1, 2019. The drainage and wastewater core tap and core tap inspection charges were last updated over 14 years ago. SPU has reviewed and adjusted these charges to reflect the actual costs for SPU to provide these services […]

Rake leaves from drains to prevent flooding and set out for FREE extra yard waste collection during November. Fallen leaves can block storm drains and lead to ponding and localized flooding in your neighborhood. You can help prevent this by raking and composting leaves. Follow these tips leaf-raking tips: • Avoid raked leaves near the […]

Two little fish safely relocated after being retrieved from storm drain Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) successfully rescued a pair of goldfish today who have been living in a storm water catch basin near Stevens Elementary on Capitol Hill. SPU first learned of the goldfish from the Capitol Hill Seattle blog, which reported that the fish […]

Fall has arrived and it’s time to prepare for storm season! Seattle Public Utilities is offering a limited number of FREE filled sandbags to households and business owners in flood-prone areas. If you have experienced flooding in or around your home, you may want to consider using sandbags. While they don’t seal out water, sandbags […]

In 2017 we worked in partnership with the community, City Council, and the Mayor to develop an update to SPU’s Strategic Business Plan (SBP). The Update describes our plans for delivering essential drinking water, drainage and wastewater, and garbage and recycling services for 2018-2023, and our commitment to our community-centered goals: Improving affordability and accountability […]

Seattle Public Utilities’ Sharps Collection Pilot Program provides safe disposal of “sharps” (needles, syringes, and lancets) from public property. Since the program began in August 2016, SPU inspectors have collected more than 10,000 sharps in the public right of way, and more than 100,000 needles have been disposed of in the City’s drop-off boxes since […]