Beautiful with age

[jozl]

I think I read somewhere that these trash receptacles cost $5,000 each. The photo below is from my neighborhood. The pedal at the bottom has been broken for about a year. At the risk of sounding like a grumpy old man, when I see this kind of ridiculous attempt by our fair city I wonder if we will ever get anything right. Why couldn't the city just provide regular waste bins, the ones with steel cages and cylindrical pyramid roofs, instead of these poorly designed lumps? One for garbage and one for recycling, that's all we need.

 

[000]

I also miss the old steel receptacles we had before. It was easy to tell when they were full. And they were rarely vandalized this bad.

 

[RC8]

Because, for better or for worse, this city loves nothing more than things that look 'new' and 'modern'.

There are lasting and cost-efficient ways to improve our public realm, but the sector of Torontonians that could actually do a decent job applying these techniques is more interested in doing 'new' 'artsy' 'high-tech-looking' things. We are then left with the alternative of inept conservative architects and designers going for a faux look that looks cheap and dated the moment it's implemented.

Other cities that historically embraced modernism (such as Caracas and Rio de Janeiro) often have the same problem. The value assigned to 'new' things means we are constantly neglecting simple solutions.

P.S. I think flaps are a great idea. I've run into dozens of rats in the old 'open' bins, and I'm pretty sure that a thriving rodent population in our streets + flies moving from one bin to another are a health hazard. A simple sturdy lever is probably better than a delicate pedal, however.

 

[innsertnamehere]

They have just begun the process of replacing these with new ones that are of higher quality. They have apparently made the stomp on lever much sturdier so that it is almost impossible to break short of running the thing over with a truck.

 

[jaycola]

I see the old stainless 3 compartment units all around the city at shopping malls and strip plazas.
UOIT (Univ of Ont) has them all over the campus as well.
They are still in great condition and still earning an income from advertising.
Maybe we can buy those back?

 

[jozl]

The form of these things are somewhat interesting but the design is fundamentally flawed. Moving parts eventually break down. Form should aide ease of use not hinder it (ie flaps that need to be moved to access openings that are too small to begin with. See the inexpensive solution Paris has implemented below.

 

[nrb]

The form of these things are somewhat interesting but the design is fundamentally flawed. Moving parts eventually break down. Form should aide ease of use not hinder it (ie flaps that need to be moved to access openings that are too small to begin with. See the inexpensive solution Paris has implemented below.

View attachment 10309

That garbage would be a big problem with snowbanks all around it. Garbage bag would have no where to hang. And I don't think there's anything especially "artsy" about our current bins. I don't recall that even being a part of the discussion around them. I dream of an aesthetically pleasing garbage bin.

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

I think I read somewhere that these trash receptacles cost $5,000 each. The photo below is from my neighborhood. The pedal at the bottom has been broken for about a year. At the risk of sounding like a grumpy old man, when I see this kind of ridiculous attempt by our fair city I wonder if we will ever get anything right. Why couldn't the city just provide regular waste bins, the ones with steel cages and cylindrical pyramid roofs, instead of these poorly designed lumps? One for garbage and one for recycling, that's all we need.

I also see these broken all over the place. Further, we only have about 1/3rd coverage with garbage receptacles now compared to what we used to have when the City provided the garbage bins in the past. I'm also seeing a new style of bin where you have to push garbage in again - they are like tall Rubbermaid devices, mostly found in parks and they have springs that are really strong when trying to push trash in.
So along with noting and reporting burnt out streetlights & park lights I now keep notes on my iPhone when I spot damaged or problem garbage receptacles and I report them to 3-1-1 about once a month.

 

[thecharioteer]

1958:

 

[jozl]

I'm not proposing the Paris solution as an appropriate paradigm for Toronto nrb. I posted it as an example of a low tech alternative. I'll try to photograph an example of the cylindrical waste bins I referred to earlier.Great photos thecharioteer.

 

[EVCco]

1958:

Love the classic trash bins charioteer!
Here's a collection of current waste receptacles around the city:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ev1ct0rc/sets/72157624822570274/

 

[jozl]

That's quite a collection EVCco. I didn't know there were so many "styles" throughout the city. It explains the city's push to standardize the form. I attached a few samples of low tech solutions. They would all work in our climate but might not be suitable for parks because they are opened and little critters can get inside. Nevertheless, I prefer any of these to the "Rubbermaid" dysfunctional and expensive trash bins we have now.

 

[yovee]

love this