The city is looking to implement a program next spring in the downtown core that would replace dumpsters in alleys with plastic garbage bags, and if successful there, it may be expanded to other neighborhoods, including Fremont.

Mayor Greg Nickels' office and Seattle Public Utilities worked together to create the dumpster-free alley proposal. Under this plan, downtown dumpsters would be replaced with bags that would be picked up more frequently.

Timothy Croll, solid waste director for Seattle Public Utilities, said the idea is to make alleys safer, cleaner and more usable for the public.

Dumpsters are often used to hide prostitution and the selling and using of drugs, among other things, said David Dillman, chief operating officer of the Downtown Seattle Association.

"There is a lot of activity with dumpsters that is not necessarily related to garbage," Dillman said.

The dumpster-free proposal is part of a new waste contract the city is working on for the spring, Dillman said.

Croll said the program would use two waste contractors, Clean Scapes and Waste Management, with each contractor being assigned zones of the city. Clean Scapes will be largely responsible for the downtown core.

Businesses in the dumpster-free area would pay approximately $5 per 33-gallon bag, and the bags would be picked up at least once per day, Croll said, describing the system as "pay as you throw."

The per-bag fee would cover half the cost of the dumpster-free service; the rest would be covered by a rate increase for citywide customers, totaling approximately $1.5 million for 2009, Croll said.

Dillman said there has been concern voiced from businesses worried about the potential cost increase and the possibility the bags won't be picked up on time, and while he can see the benefit of going dumpster-free, those concerns need to be properly worked out.

"We support the concept of dumpster-free alleys," he said. "But, we don't feel the idea has been properly vetted yet."

But if those problems are solved and the dumpster-free program is a success downtown, the city has a list of 14 other interested neighborhoods for possible inclusion in the program, including Fremont, Croll said.

He said Ballard was approached about the program but there wasn't enough interest at the time.

Beth Miller, executive director of the Ballard Chamber of Commerce said she merchants in the neighborhood were largely against the proposal because of the cost and pick-up issues. Miller said a better solution would be to cut down on dumpsters by encouraging businesses to share.

The Ballard Chamber will continue to support the will of local businesses, but Miller said there is a chance the city would expand the dumpster-free service to Ballard in the future, nonetheless.

"I'm afraid there may be a point in the future where we don't have a choice," she said.

Michael Harthorne can be reached at 783-1244 or michaelh@robinsonnews.com.