It's virtually impossible to shrink a city's waste stream to nil, but the new Conlin plan details ways to increase the amount of waste that's recycled and reused in Seattle from 44 percent to 72 percent. Conlin calls zero waste "a philosophical concept" as much as it is a call to action, and has been working with the mayor's office on a blueprint for the city.
The big "but"—for now, at least—is that Conlin's zero-waste plan also includes the proposed Georgetown transfer station, as well as a scaled-back version of it.
Kevin P. Casey
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— Click here to see more photos of Georgetown.
— Click here to read about Mayor Nickels pulling his proposal to build the transfer station.
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Under the latter compromise plan, there would be transfer to trains but no mashing of trash. The move would require larger trucks but fewer trips because those trucks would have to be full before venturing to Georgetown. Conlin has also suggested that the city purchase the Georgetown property but wait to build the transfer station until (or if) it's needed. In the meantime, Conlin says the space could be turned into an industrial park that caters to ecologically friendly businesses. It's a typically Seattle effort to appease every "stakeholder."
But Nyland calls the eco-industrial park idea a "land grab."
She's been working night and day for nearly two years to mobilize the neighborhood against the transfer station proposal. Her efforts culminated in a public hearing earlier this month when 120 residents (nearly 10 percent of the neighborhood's population) put on green "Trash Talk. Yes to zero waste. No to building a third station" T-shirts and rode a chartered bus to City Hall. Not only were the committee members visibly shocked by the sea of green and unusual standing-room-only turnout, they were bombarded by more than two hours of testimony that included visual aids of Styrofoam and plastic bags and an a cappella rendition of "Waste Will Subside," sung to the tune of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive."
Even prior to the packed hearing, the political will to stick it to Georgetown seemed to be wavering.
"I'm not wild about it," says Sally Clark, a member of Conlin's committee. "I like Georgetown a lot. It's one of the only pockets of Seattle that has affordable housing and small businesses coexisting."
Council President Nick Licata says Georgetown is becoming less and less of a place to put the city's undesirables.
"Thanks to the community activists, I think the pattern has been broken. It won't be that way in the future," he says. "I see the council wanting to retain Georgetown, not sacrifice it."
For the record, developer Sabey's against the transfer station because of concerns about what it would mean for the neighborhood's well-being. But Harmon says construction of the waste site and the increased truck traffic it would bring isn't a deal breaker for redevelopment of the brewery building, either.
Harmon says he wants the same thing residents want, but that it's up to them to figure out what that is.
"Georgetown's long been the bastard child, ever since it's been annexed into Seattle," he says. "It's been grossly underappreciated, and not just by the city. I think we're all discovering what it is. The neighborhood has spent so much time and energy fighting what it doesn't want to be. It probably would be helpful for Georgetown and for everyone else if Georgetown comes to grips with what it wants to be. It could use the space, a little elbow room, to do that."
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