Disappearing trash cans?

Wallyhood tipster Alan may have figured out why there are no garbage cans at Meridian Park. From the Seattle Times:

The Parks Department has been removing garbage cans since 2001, halting trash pickup entirely at 25 of the city’s more than 400 parks. The idea is to get park visitors to pack out their dirty diapers, sandwich bags, empty beverage bottles, orange rinds and other trash. The city wants that stuff to go into home garbage cans – or, when appropriate, to be recycled. Last year alone, the city removed about 350 garbage cans from its parks and “no one even noticed,” parks spokeswoman Dewey Potter said.

But that’s because most were removed gradually from little-used and small neighborhood parks.

[…]

The city also is experimenting with a $4,000 trash can that uses solar power to compact trash. The cans don’t have to be emptied as often, so they may reduce costs

$4,000 trash cans? We’ll take two!

Well, that would explain the lack of trash cans, although he notes “it doesn’t explain the lack of lawn mowing. Maybe the Parks Department could spend a little of the money they are saving to post signs to let people know that they need to pack out.”