How SPU Connects with Community for a Positive Impact in Seattle

Yongkang Zhou, who works for the Chinatown-International District Business Improvement Area (CIDBIA), stood in an alley that can easily be overlooked in the multi-ethnic neighborhood, just blocks from Lumen Field and T-Mobile Park.

“Some visitors just come here to park and go to the stadiums or head to a train station or bus stops,” Yongkang, who goes by “YK,” said. “But I hope they take a chance to truly stop by the CID and learn about the community. There are a lot of amazing people who live and work here.”

With the FIFA World Cup bringing scores of visitors to Seattle, YK took a moment to highlight the importance of keeping this diverse neighborhood of restaurants, small businesses, nonprofits, community organizations, and families as clean as possible – all the time – so it can thrive.

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) supports this goal through consistent proactive litter abatement routes and by providing community resources, especially through the Adopt a Street program.

The community program provides free cleanup supplies and waste bag pick-up for individuals and groups who want to help remove litter in Seattle. On May 30, SPU’s Adopt a Street program will partner with the CIDBIA on its 25th Annual CID Spring Clean event – one of the largest annual volunteer events in the CID community.

“SPU plays a pivotal role in all of this,” YK said, calling the Utility a trusted partner. “Before I started this work, I, like many others, just saw SPU as a traditional utility department. However, after working in my current position with the CIDBIA, I realized that SPU is more than that.”

YK is the Clean and Green Program Manager for the CIDBIA. He estimates that more than 200 volunteers will help walk neighborhood streets and spaces on May 30, including in Japantown and Little Saigon, to help clean and beautify the community.

They’ll use Adopt a Street supplies, such as the iconic bright yellow trash bags, gloves, litter grabbers, and safety vests for visibility.

“Neighborhood cleanliness plays a vital role in maintaining Seattle’s health, beauty, and a sense of civic pride,” said Jenny Frankl, who leads the Adopt a Street program.

“Litter along our streets and in public spaces distracts from our landscape and distracts from the experience we want residents and visitors to have.”

While SPU delivers essential services to 1.6 million people in the region, it also provides Seattle residents with community programs and opportunities to support better health and the environment.

In 2025, Adopt a Street worked with more than 21,800 volunteers on litter removal projects across Seattle neighborhoods. Those volunteers helped remove more than 293,300 pounds of litter and debris from Seattle streets and sidewalks.

Adopt a Street’s community impact continues to grow every year, with the number of its volunteers soaring by 500% since 2021. Jenny said she sees volunteers taking action, connecting with one another, developing friendships, and getting to know their neighbors.

“People want to feel there is purpose in their day, that they are making a positive difference,” she said. “It really seems like more and more people are looking for ways to connect with community and environment. Adopt a Street is a perfect way to do that.”

All of this work is in addition to the regular garbage, recycling, and food and yard waste removal services that SPU and contractors provide to Seattle residents.

As this year’s CID Spring Clean event approaches, YK points to data showing that volunteers helped remove over 9,000 pounds of garbage from the neighborhood in 2025. The CIDBIA hopes that additional education, awareness campaigns, and continued communication between SPU and neighborhood businesses and multi-family properties will help drive even further progress.

On this afternoon in the CID, YK had made his way to Hing Hay Park, a central location for residents, workers, and visitors and where CID Spring Clean volunteers will meet. Elderly residents stop on the sidewalks and greet one another in Cantonese Chinese.

YK grew up in the CID, and his family still works in its restaurant industry. He knows events in the CID can attract tens of thousands of visitors and that FIFA World Cup matches will bring even more people this summer.

“From the community level, we’re working to take a step forward,” he said. “We’ll be here every day before FIFA, during FIFA, and most certainly, after FIFA.”

Get Involved: Join an SPU Adopt a Street event near you (you also can sign up for Adopt a Street and plan your own cleanup). Read more about the CIDBIA’s annual CID Spring Clean event, which has reached capacity for volunteers. Read more information about Adopt a Street, SPU’s work to “Keep Seattle Clean and Green,” and the CIDBIA.