Sam's Tavern customers get a whiff of something not on the menu nearly every Sunday morning.
“It’s gross, it smells horrible,” bar manager Heidi Thornson said. “It’s all around not a good situation."
She’s talking about the trash bins just steps from the bar.
“It takes away from the clientele,” Thornson said.
The streets are flooded with trash and parking spaces are blocked by trash containers, according to Capitol Hill business owners. The containers used to be in parking lots. Because of construction the city moved them into already scarce and coveted parking spots, into the streets and next to businesses.
Businesses are not the only ones using the bins.
"It just becomes a feeding ground for homeless people, and people shooting up drugs and peeing everywhere,” Thornson said.
Area residents and business employees said the dumpsters shouldn't block the right-of-ways or overflow into the streets.
Blocking the right-of-way is illegal but not enforced. It's been a problem elsewhere in Seattle and the city does have a possible solution.
A program replacing traditional dumpsters with trash bags collected twice a day started in Pioneer Square in 2009. Officials have a 10,000 economic development grant to pay for receptacles. They have until the end of the year to come up with a plan for spending the money.
The people who pick up trash hope the changes don't make their job harder.
"Sometimes we can't get to them and they have no choice but to put them on the streets,” said John Rush, who works for a recycling company and was collecting trash early Sunday morning.
The people who have to smell it before brunch are desperate for change.
"I would definitely love to see them in an alley at least somewhere,” Thornon said.
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