To curb drug use, drug dealings and other crime in alleys, Mayor Greg Nickels is proposing a dumpster-free downtown. Starting in the spring, the downtown area may test a program that will replace trash bins with colored plastic bags for recycling and waste. The plan is to then expand to other neighborhoods such as Fremont. Businesses have concerns that range from cost ($5 a bag) to the mess caused from rodents and birds. Police, on the other hand, tell the Seattle Times that it makes the alleys safer, “from a public perspective, it looks safer. They can see what they’re walking into.” Lt. James M. Fitzgerald says.

A dumpster and assorted trash across from the Rocket.