All because one man stepped in where the city feared to tread.

Chris Martin is president of CleanScapes, a for-profit trash collection company dedicated to ridding city alleys of dumpsters and the problems they cause.

"It's not really an anti-dumpster campaign," he says. "We're not going after every dumpster everywhere. It's really where they pose a livability and public safety issue."

By contracting with businesses to replace dumpsters with tidy garbage bag pickup, CleanScapes not only removes the trash, it also removes hiding places for some of the city's more odious street activity.

"Things like crack smoking, prostitution, and going to the bathroom," Martin says.

As a result, he's also making these Pioneer Square alleys actually pleasant to walk through.

For More Information:

www.cleanscapes.org