Thanks to what Vashon business owners call a true community effort, it’s now a little easier to throw trash away in downtown Vashon. Two garbage cans, purchased by the Vashon Merchants’ Association, have been in-stalled in the town core.

Since the Merchants’ Association formed three years ago, said Vashon Bookshop co-owner Nancy Katica, the business owners have shared concerns about the lack of trash cans in town. People often came into shops looking for a place to toss empty coffee cups and food wrappers, she said, and littering had also been a problem.

“We really thought (garbage cans) might be a nice addition to uptown,” she said.

Bettie Edwards, owner of The Little Shop, said that several organizations over the past few years have thought of tackling the garbage can problem, but their efforts never came to fruition.

“Everybody has talked about garbage cans, but nobody has done it,” Edwards said.

In an endeavor headed by Heron’s Nest manager George Wright, the Merchants’ Association secured two used garbage cans at a second-hand store in Seattle. The $350 price tag was covered by proceeds from “Keep Vashon Weird” bumper stickers and mugs sold at various retailers.

Katica, who transported the heavy concrete cans in her truck, said one now sits outside U.S. Bank and the other by the Vashon Pharmacy. Already, she said, pedestrians are using the new receptacles.

“We’ve noticed less people asking to use our facilities,” Katica said.

For now, Learn2Earn students will empty the cans twice a week, putting the trash in U.S. Bank’s Dumpster.

“I think anything we do to make the town more welcoming and easy to wander through for off-Island and on-Island people is great,” Katica said.