Welcome to Meanwhile in Seattle. In this series I post images and write about anything related to what's going on in Seattle, Washington and the surrounding area. It's a chance for you to catch a glimpse of the daily life out here. Sometimes these posts will be general to all of the area and sometimes it may be more personal, like what I did on a weekend out here. Either way, I hope you enjoy seeing a different perspective on this area that I call home.
Put simply, Fly Tipping is another term for illegal dumping and it's very common in cities. In Seattle, it's pretty easy to find things people have fly tipped by just taking a drive through any neighborhood. Capitol Hill is especially popular for fly tipping as is the neighborhoods around the University of Washington. As you might guess, college students dump old furniture when they move out, but there are also folks who dump in these areas thinking their items will go to good use by a student. Obviously there are mixed opinions on the matter, but make no mistake it's illegal. The city of Seattle does have special collection where they will come to your home and pick up large items for an extra fee. When this is done, the items must be placed outside on the customer's property. Which makes it pretty easy to identify something that's been fly tipped.
If it's not on someone's private property, and instead is on public property like a sidewalk, roadsides or alley it's illegal. Often these illegal items have a 'free' sign on them, as if that makes it okay to dump. If you think you are being 'green' or environmentally conscious by fly tipping you are wrong. If you want to do the green thing, bring your items to a thrift store to donate. If they don't accept your items because they're worn or in poor condition the next thing is to either pay for it to be recycled, bring it to the dump or pay to have it picked up and brought to the dump.
I myself have paid to have an old mattress recycled. It costs extra money, and I had to deliver it to a specific drop off point. It's not as easy as just leaving out to be someone else's problem, but if you want to do it right you have to do some work and pay a bit.
So, if you see someone fly tipping, report them. They're treating your neighborhood like a dump. They're not being 'green' they're being lazy.
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