Street Smarts reader Fabian Borowiecki, of Everett, wonders what happens after the street sweepers move through. Where does all that stuff go? And is the collected material considered toxic, with the car fluids and whatnot they probably pick up along the way?
In Snohomish County, much of what’s swept up ultimately heads to a landfill.
Snohomish County Public Works crews take the material to the county’s Solid Waste Cathcart facility, road maintenance director Steve Flude said. “Once there, much of the moisture from the collected material is allowed to evaporate. Once it is dry enough the material is considered nontoxic and is transferred into a container and sent to the Roosevelt Regional Landfill in Klickitat County along with the other waste the county collects.”
In Everett, what’s swept from the streets first goes to the city’s solid waste handling site for sorting.
“They are segregated to their own stockpile located by the type of material — everything from typical stuff on the street, to fall leaves and earth, to a car accident sweeping,” Maintenance Superintendent Mark Sadler said.
Materials known to have contaminants go to the county’s transfer station or Cemex treatment site. The rest is processed to remove garbage (which goes to the transfer station), then undergoes testing.
If testing shows the material is contaminated, it goes to a permitted disposal facility. If not — and if it meets Snohomish County Health District and state Department of Ecology standards — it is further processed for “selective reuse.”
That reuse includes composting and mulching.
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