Originally published Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 12:00 AM
E-mail article
Print viewPortraits
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...
PREV
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
E-mail article
Print view
Digg
Newsvine
The local, public face of Chase, Phyllis Campbell is trading on trust
Wine Adviser: 'Pocket Wine Book' slips into sloppy
Northwest Living: A Whidbey Island château would suit hobbits, too
Destinations: Sikkim offers an otherworldly experience to trekkers
Plant Life: Hedgerows offer variety and shelter to urban gardens
Ken Auletta talks about "Googled"
Ken Auletta talks about Google with Brier Dudley at the Seattle Central Library.
Medal of Honor
Pelosi answers questions at Swedish Medical Center
Pelosi speaks at Swedish Medical Center
"Pistol" Pete Ryan
Mourners gather at KeyArena for slain officer's memorial
Procession for slain SPD officer
Election Night: Approve R-71
Election Night: Reject R-71
Election Night: Joe Mallahan
nwjobs
Post a comment
Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
How to tell your office you're gravely ill
Post a comment
nwautos
Choosing a new sedan? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
Open Houses | Find this weekend's open house listings.  Or search by location: |
- 'Missing' SeaTac man found with new name, in new state
- Police: DNA from officer's slaying matches suspect
- Prosecutors consider charges against suspect in police shooting
- Three more fires ignite in Greenwood
- Steve Kelley | Hasselbeck gives Seahawks' sagging season a stay of execution
- Plans call for Triangle to become West Seattle gateway
- McGinn next Seattle mayor; Mallahan concedes as vote gap widens
- Trucker dies as big-rig plummets off SF bridge
- Lt. governor's son shot by co-worker in Kent; gunman then shot self
- Bill Clinton meets with Senate Dems on health care
- House health bill unacceptable to many in Senate
258 - Prosecutors prepare charges against suspect in police shooting 258
- Pelosi tours Seattle's Swedish after health-care vote 185
- Prosecutors prepare charges against suspect in police shooting 144
- Alleged shooter tied to mosque of 9/11 hijackers 137
- Resolute Fort Hood soldiers ready for return 121
- McGinn more than doubles his lead over Mallahan 111
- Josh Smith picks UCLA 77
- Cutaia says replay handled properly on Austin TD 69
- 'Missing' SeaTac man found with new name, in new state 67
- For 80-year-old Maple Valley man, hoops aren't just a dream
- Plans call for Triangle to become West Seattle gateway
- Three more fires ignite in Greenwood
- 'Missing' SeaTac man found with new name, in new state
- Silver Lake restaurant destroyed by fire
- Pakistani-American cafe, bar owner on verge of being Granite Falls mayor
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tours Seattle's Swedish after health-care vote
- Taste | Ruth Reichl still reigns as queen of America's culinary scene
- All You Can Eat | Fruit flies: thrill to the kill
- Police: DNA from officer's slaying matches suspect
