Originally published Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Portraits
Dan Williams | Talks trash, walks and smashes trash, too
You might call him "trash-collector" or perhaps "garbage-hound." Dan Williams says he feels a little like George Jetson, the Hanna-Barbera cartoon character...
You might call him "trash-collector" or perhaps "garbage-hound." Dan Williams says he feels a little like George Jetson, the Hanna-Barbera cartoon character, because "George was always complaining that his button-finger was overworked." Every day, with buttons and a joystick, Williams jockeys a giant compactor to smash 500 tons of Seattle garbage.
His work area is anything but drab, after 30 years of labor at Seattle's North Transfer Station. The surrounds are all gleanings from other people's trash. "I'm like a crow," he says. "If it glitters I have to check it out."
Co-workers regard him as curator of a "trash museum." Every so often they trot over with an offering rescued from the heap of discards, but the space is limited, and Williams can be choosy. Good finds include a likeness of a Jimi Hendrix album cover, handmade metal sculptures and chunks of iron turned into art.
"This trash hasn't left the waste stream, it's still on city property," he says. "I change the art when it gets grody with bird droppings, dampness and layers of grime. After a while, everything becomes garbage."
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
Picnics in the Pacific Northwest happen rain or shine
Wine Adviser: Rosés enjoy a boom in quality as well as quantity
Plant Life: Chic raised beds help make growing veggies easy
Northwest Living: One small plot serves as home, shop and town stopping spot
Taste: Obamas plant a garden and set the tone for what we eat
Now & Then: Seattle Center attracts a crowd, no matter the weather

Gen. David Petraeus: Iraq and Afghanistan Wars
Watch highlights of General David Petraeus discussing the Iraq and Afghanistan War at the Global Leadership Series sponsored by the World Affairs Council.
Entertainment | Top Video | World | Offbeat Video | Sci-Tech
shopping

events for Friday, Jul. 10th
- IKEA Summer Sale
- Alhambra July Sale
- Pink Ginger First Anniversary Sale
- Click! Design That Fits West Seattle...
editors' picks
More shopping guides- Seattle-area homebuilder losing projects to foreclosure
- Health-plan costs soar for individuals
- Trees vs. houses: Narrow, leafy street is last chance for two Madrona homes waiting to be moved
- World's largest solar plant may be built in Cle Elum
- Driver killed, deputy and prisoner injured in head-on crash near Monroe
- House Democrats likely to alter intel bill
- Drunken man shocks Spain with his generosity
- Movie review | "Brüno" struts his stuff to hilariously expose intolerance
- Chase will no longer sponsor Lake Union fireworks
- Authorities keep investigating Ill. cemetery
- Mass. files lawsuit against federal marriage law
913 - Health-plan costs soar for individuals
523 - Texas Rangers at Seattle Mariners: 07/09 game thread
243 - Seattle Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik again declines to quell Yuniesky Betancourt trade rumors
146 - World's largest solar plant may be built in Cle Elum
126 - Trees vs. houses: Narrow, leafy street is last chance for two Madrona homes waiting to be moved
91 - Wednesday night notes
86 - Pay parking in West Seattle?
76 - Franklin Gutierrez bails Mariners out in a 3-1 win
75 - House Dems want to expand secret briefings
63
- Seattle-area homebuilder losing projects to foreclosure
- Health-plan costs soar for individuals
- World's largest solar plant may be built in Cle Elum
- Trees vs. houses: Narrow, leafy street is last chance for two Madrona homes waiting to be moved
- Grab the kids and hop on Amtrak for a stress-free getaway to Portland
- During financial crisis, the business of college sports is complicated by Title IX
- Local Smith & Hawken garden stores to close
- Green River Valley plans ahead for possible flooding
- Pay parking in West Seattle?
- Jerry Large | Issues of aging affect all



