Today New York City will literally and metaphorically roll out a new trash containerization plan. Nearly 500,000 new city-authorized plastic bins purchased by building owners will be hitting the streets today.
In case you haven’t heard, NYC has a big trash problem. Unsightly mounds of trash on the curbs are not only hampering the public realm, but encouraging a bad rat problem.
To address the issue, New York has required that all buildings with one to nine housing units start putting household trash for pickup in large bins. While these bins will keep out the rats, they’re also going to clutter sidewalks and give the city an untended look. (Remember how I wrote about the widely publicized fist fight involving former NY Governor David Patterson, which played out in front of a wall of trash bins?)
Does it have to be this way? Clare Mifflin, Executive Director of the Center for Zero Waste Design (CfZWD), believes that better design can not only help the city take out the trash, but improve working conditions for sanitation workers and ensure the streetscape isn’t marred by bins. See the Center’s illustration below of how on-street shared containers would free up sidewalk space.
After reading the Center’s report On Containerization, I wanted to find out more about Clare, her proposals for the city, and why taking out the trash is still such a tough issue for not just New York, but cities around the country. A short clip from the discussion is at top, the full video is below the paywall for upgraded subscribers.
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