Seattle Clean City 2025: Big Impact, Stronger Partnerships, and a Cleaner City for All

SEATTLE, WA (April 14^th, 2026) — Seattle is preparing to welcome the world in 2026, and our city is already hard at work making sure our streets and public spaces reflect the pride and care of the communities that call Seattle home.

The newly released Seattle Clean City 2025 Community Impact Report showcases a year marked by major milestones, stronger partnerships, and a remarkable scale of work across neighborhoods. At the center of this progress is a simple commitment: a cleaner, healthier, and more welcoming Seattle for everyone.

Big Numbers, Big Impact

In 2025, Seattle Clean City and its partners delivered measurable results across the city:

• 5.3 million pounds of waste collected and removed from the right-of-way, equal to the weight of about 530 orca whales

• 661,105 sharps safely collected and disposed of, helping keep public spaces safe for everyone

• 31,938 volunteer hours contributed through Adopt a Street, valued at $1,286,463 of community support

• 34,700 service requests responded to across Clean City programs

“Seattle’s strength has always been its people,” said Seattle Council President Joy Hollingsworth. “This work shows what’s possible when neighbors, community groups, and the City come together with shared responsibility and pride for our neighborhoods.”

“As we look ahead to welcoming the world for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, this work reflects our commitment to our community,” said SPU General Manager and CEO Andrew Lee. “We’re focused on building clean and healthy neighborhoods and making sure our city looks its best for our residents, businesses, and visitors every day.”

A Citywide Effort Rooted in Community

Seattle’s cleanup efforts are successful because they are shared efforts. Community members, volunteers, neighborhood groups, small businesses, nonprofit partners, and multiple city departments all play a role.

Programs like Adopt a Street, which now includes more than 2,000 active volunteers, demonstrated how localized stewardship strengthens neighborhoods block by block. Meanwhile, the Public Place Litter & Recycling program kept more than 1,145 litter and recycling cans serviced across the city, including upgrades that significantly reduced overflow, vandalism, and illegal dumping.

Data‑Driven Solutions for a Cleaner Seattle

Behind every cleanup, route, and program expansion is a strategic commitment to using data to guide decisions and improve outcomes.

In 2025, Clean City:

• Expanded its Illegal Dumping Camera Pilot, reducing incidents at some hotspots from dozens per year to zero.

• Improved data quality, enabling more accurate tracking of dumping tonnage and service response times.

• Used service requests, over 34,700 across five programs, to model hotspots and optimize proactive routes.

• Prepared for global events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup, forecasting increased debris loads and coordinating citywide cleaning strategies with partner agencies.

From route efficiency to community engagement, data continues to drive faster, more effective, and more equitable service delivery across Seattle.

Building Toward 2026 and Beyond

With more than 750,000 visitors expected during the 2026 World Cup, Seattle Clean City is leading the interdepartmental effort to ensure our streets and public spaces are ready for a moment of worldwide attention. The groundwork laid in 2025, refined routes, strengthened partnerships, expanded pilots, and improved technology position the city for a clean, welcoming, and vibrant summer.

Be Part of the Work

Seattle is cleaner because residents and partners choose to participate. You can, too.

• Download the Find It, Fix It app to report illegal dumping, sharps, and other issues.

• Join Adopt a Street and help keep your neighborhood looking its best.

Read the full Clean City 2025 Community Impact Report to see the complete story of the city’s progress, and where we’re headed next.

Learn about Seattle Clean City.