It seems to work for the spotless Tokyo subway system, but in grimy New York? A pilot program that removed trash cans in select NYC subway stations resulted in decreased trash hauls (duh) and cleaner stations (huh). Now it's being expanded.
Matt Flegenheimer reports on the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (MTA) counter-intuitive plan to clean up its subway stations by removing trash receptacles. "Officials have described the logic of the program simply: If there is
nowhere to discard trash, riders will take it with them - often outside
of a station."
"Some riders, though, have expressed reservations about the plan," notes Flegenheimer. "Less
trash, they argue, does not imply a more hygienic subway experience."
"'I don't know what to do with this,' Christopher DiScipio, 22, said on
Thursday clutching a nearly-finished apple at the Eighth Street station."
"Nearby, in a narrow alcove between a pay phone kiosk and a vertical
beam, riders appeared to have fashioned a rogue receptacle. Detritus
piled about three feet high - a mélange of crushed energy drink cans;
bottles of water and, in at least one case, vodka; mounds of wrappers
and paper cups; and what appeared to have once been a white T-shirt."
FULL STORY: M.T.A. Expands an Effort to Decrease Subway Trash
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