Tacoma to see 120 new public trash cans after community push for cleaner streets
Tacoma is getting more trash cans.
The city announced Tuesday that 120 new public trash cans will be installed throughout Tacoma as part of its Tidy-Up Tacoma program.
The new trash cans will help improve cleanliness, curb littering and illegal dumping and create more welcoming business and commercial districts, the city said. With the expansion of the program, Tacoma will now have 360 city-maintained trash cans.
The announcement comes after community feedback.
“Residents and businesses told us they want cleaner, better-maintained public spaces,” said Lewis Griffith, manager of the city’s Solid Waste division, in a news release. “This expansion is a direct response to what we heard, and a practical step toward making it easier for everyone to help keep Tacoma clean.”
The new trash cans will be placed in Tacoma’s business districts and other dense commercial areas, according to the city. The exact locations are based on litter hotspot data, Tacoma 311 service requests, foot-traffic patterns and equity considerations.
How many trash cans is each business district getting?
South Tacoma: 13
McKinley: 11
Dome District: 16
Downtown: 8
Pacific Avenue: 14
Fern Hill: 9
McKinley: 11
Portland Ave: 6
Hilltop: 4
Oakland: 3
Lincoln District: 5
Central: 2
Hosmer: 8
Outside of the business districts, five trash cans will be put at trail crossings and a handful of trash cans will be installed along South 56th Street, South 23rd Street, South 19th Street and East 72nd Street.
The city installed 54 of the new trash cans this month and will continue to install new ones throughout the year, according to Maria Lee, spokesperson for the city of Tacoma. All 120 new trash cans are expected to be installed by December 2026.
As part of the expansion, the city has assigned two full-time solid waste employees to trash-can installation, maintenance, repair and graffiti removal.
The initiative won’t bring new rates or fees, the city said, since the program is funded through the city’s existing excise tax on solid waste services.
If residents want additional public trash cans, they can make requests through Tacoma FIRST 311.
