Once a pedicab driver shuttling Mariners and Seahawks fans to games on SoDo streets, Tom Burkley now pedals a litter buggy to pick up trash in downtown Kent.
“I enjoy it. I do, especially on days like this when it’s not raining,” Burkley, a longtime Kent resident, said while lifting debris off the sun-splashed sidewalks of Meeker Street on Tuesday, not far from home. “I’ve gathered so much positive response.”
For 20 years, Burkley and his legs taxied Seattle pro sports fans to and from games, but knee trouble and time have persuaded him to do something different with the pedicab he bought out of China.
He now rolls out his pedicab five days a week, an effort supported by donations. The city of Kent has provided him with a gripper, gloves and garbage bags. The Kent Downtown Partnership has allowed him to use its dumpster.
Burkley has established a website, kentcleanstreets.com, to attract donations and financial backing. He plans to apply for grants.
People say he’s making a difference.
“I can do a street, and a couple of days later, come back to it and pick up more garbage,” he said. “People are happy when they see me coming.”
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