New and Improved Trash Cans Coming to Philly

Is there anything grosser than touching a public trash can? I haven’t exactly done a sweeping study of the issue, but I’d bet that the vast majority of the public is disgusted by the thought of coming into contact with a city can. The number of germs that must be swimming on one of those things… ick! It turns out that the citizens of Philadelphia have similar feedback on the city’s trash receptacles.

The new, improved cans have a nifty foot pedal meant to keep hands away from the lid.

Residents really don’t like the city’s BigBelly trash cans, says Streets Commissioner David Perri. The trash cans were supposed to be a great thing for the city. They are solar-powered, for one thing, and they let the city know when they are full so that they can be emptied expediently. They were intended to save the city money. What’s not to love? The answer, apparently, is “the lids.” Feedback from residents is that the lids are frequently sticky and gross, and the handles used to push open the lids are grimy. This isn’t just fastidious complaining that can be easily dismissed, either – people who think the cans are nasty are less likely to use them, negating the whole point of the cans.

Enter the redesigned BigBelly cans, which have a foot pedal to operate the lid. BigBelly came up with a prototype meant to take into consideration the feedback from residents, and the city says that the prototype cans are working out very well. Unfortunately, it will be quite a while before citizens see the new trash cans everywhere throughout the city – Perri says that the existing trash cans have a 10-year life cycle that must be outlived before they are replaced.