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SDOT Greens-Up its Day-to-Day Work

In honor of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day this coming Thursday, April 22, we thought you might like to know that SDOT is constantly looking for ways to lessen its impact on the environment. Not only are we transforming the transportation system into one that makes it easier to walk, bike and take transit in Seattle, but SDOT is regularly reviewing and revising all that it does to “green up” its way of doing the department’s day-to-day work.

Here are just a few examples of green steps we have implemented:

We use “eco pans” at our construction work sites. These pans catch the concrete wash-off from our equipment. The Eco Pan vender picks up the tray, puts a lid on it and takes it to be recycled. When the concrete hardens, the lid is removed from the pan and the waste concrete is then popped out of the flexible pan much like an ice-cube from an ice cube tray. The concrete is then recycled into eco blocks (aka jersey barriers) that are used to divert traffic around construction sites.   

The Signs and Markings department has been steadily replacing all the old cedar street sign posts with Telespar posts. Telespar is made from 30% recycled material, lasts up to 40 years versus the typical ten-year life of cedar wood posts, reduces the demand on natural resources, and is less prone to vandalism and theft.                                                                                            

SDOT ‘s paint trucks are specifically designed to disperse waterborne paint. The faster-drying paint, that is both environmentally-friendly and cost-effective generates no hazardous waste. Left-over paint is either returned to the vendor or passed on to another municipality for use.

We continue to look for and implement greener techniques to keep Seattle moving.