Spring cleaning, reimagined: City of Stanwood hosts annual Clean Sweep event

The City of Stanwood hosted its annual Clean Sweep event Saturday, May 16, at the Stanwood-Camano Community Fairgrounds.

The event officially started at 9 a.m., but cars were already lined up at the fairgrounds entrance by 7:30 a.m.

Reserved for utility customers residing in Stanwood, the event has been happening yearly for more than a decade. Before this year, it was held downtown.

Offering the event at the fairgrounds, an area with much more open space, helped reduce traffic on main roads, according to organizers.

Waste Management, or WM, provided the city with 13 30-gallon dumpsters meant for everything from typical garbage to scrap metal and yard waste.

City Communications Director Niki Strachila said Clean Sweep is meant to support Stanwood residents with a free opportunity to dispose of large-scale waste while keeping the city clean.

"It's really impressive," Strachila said of the operation, expressing appreciation for the partnership with WM.

On Saturday morning, dumpsters were labeled accordingly, and residents were directed based on what they had to dispose of.

Stanwood Public Works Supervisor Leigh Danielson said some residents save trash throughout the year to specifically bring to the event.

"It's crazy how much people look forward to this," Public Works Director Kevin Hushagen said. Hushagen has been with the city for more than 40 years.

With sporadic rainfall throughout the morning, Danielson and Hushagen helped direct cars to the appropriate dumpsters and assisted with unloading as needed.

Some came with truck beds full of large scrap metal, requiring the assistance of multiple city staff members. Many residents showed up with children who offered a helping hand.

Some items required an excavator's assistance to get into the dumpsters. The machine also helped to partially condense materials and make room for more. By 10 a.m., multiple dumpsters were on the brink of overflowing.

Down the road at Stanwood Middle School, the Stanwood-Camano Kiwanis club was hosting an e-cycle event where residents could drop off electronic devices.

The club hosts regular e-cycle events on Saturdays.

Kiwanis club members Jordan Henderson and Hunter Telfore were stationed at the Clean Sweep, ready to send anyone with electronic recycling to the e-cycle.

Similarly, Kiwanis club volunteer Erika Sigmon came to the Clean Sweep from the e-cycle, dropping off personal garbage and trash gleaned from the Kiwanis event.

All materials gathered at the Clean Sweep will be picked up by WM between Monday, May 18, and Wednesday, May 20.

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