Federal Way man cleans up Enchanted Parkway | Citizen of the Month

Published 9:00 am Wednesday, May 4, 2016

A stretch of road along Enchanted Parkway between the Wild Waves theme park and the Shari’s restaurant at the corner of South 348th Street is a little bit cleaner thanks to Karl Sutterlin, a Federal Way resident, who has walked the 2.3 miles each day for the past 13 years to stave off diabetes and high cholesterol.

“I was told by two doctors to walk,” said Sutterlin, 68, who is the Mirror’s Citizen of the Month. “I haven’t lost any weight, but I haven’t gained any weight. My diabetes and cholesterol numbers have come down quite a bit over the past several years.”

Almost as soon as Sutterlin started walking, he decided it was only right to pick up trash while he was getting his exercise.

“I just saw the trash there, and I thought, ‘Why not pick it up?'” he said. “It’s sad that people throw it on the street.”

One of the first things Sutterlin picked up was a wallet that held $140.

“It had a driver’s license,” he said. “I traced it to a man in an apartment in Auburn. I also found a manila envelope full of Social Security Numbers. I tried to track the woman down but was unsuccessful. I put it in the shredder. I found another wallet with $80 and no driver’s license. I made $80 that day.”

In the 13 years Sutterlin has walked, he said he has rarely missed a day. In 2015, for example, he only missed three days for medical reasons. So far this year he’s walked every day.

He starts his morning with a hearty breakfast at Denny’s and then begins his walk at his home around 8 or 8:30. Sutterlin estimates he’s walked 4,700 days for a total of 14,000 miles and said he’s collected 19,000 pounds of trash, 9,000 car wheel weights and about 28,000 aluminum cans.

“I recycle the cans and take that money to purchase food for the Edgewood Food Bank,” Sutterlin said, adding that it comes out to $50-$60 worth of food each year.

When Sutterlin started picking up trash along his walk, he quickly garnered attention. People along the way have come to his aid, giving him a large bag to hold the trash, a pronged tool to pick it up, and a vest with reflective stripes. People have given him cash. A woman once brought him a cup of coffee, which he accepted graciously.

“I think a lot of people see me pick up cans and think I’m homeless,” he said.

Others have asked him if he’s being ordered to do community service, or if the cities of Federal Way, Edgewood or Milton are paying him to pick up trash.

Sutterlin said he’s simply doing it out of the kindness of his heart. He thinks, “Why not?”

“I’m doing it mainly for my health, and it’s doing something for the country,” he said.

Ryan Thomas, a surface water maintenance supervisor with the city of Federal Way’s Public Works Department, said Sutterlin’s dedication is commendable.

“Karl is contributing to the city by creating a cleaner image for those that enter the city by way of Enchanted Parkway,” Thomas said. “Karl is also helping our Street Department by removing the garbage so the city mower does not hit it, creating a mess of shredded garbage. Karl is also helping the city save money by reducing the need for the city to pay its landscape contractor to clean up this garbage.”

And Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell said, “The City of Federal Way is very fortunate to have residents and volunteer groups that take pride in their community and devote significant time and energy to keep this beautiful city clean.”

Sutterlin, for his part, said he plans to keep walking.

“I’m pretty conscientious about it,” he said.