My trash can brings all the boys to the yard (etc.)

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bbfen

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jass said:
Theyre also on Boylston street, near the Pru, and all around Fenway Park.

They're from a local company, and the city started a trial with them a year or two ago. I guess they liked it, because I see them in more and more places. They have two models, a large green one, and a smaller black one for places like the north end.
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The city of Boston is "encouraging" local businesses, health care instutitions and higher ed to fund the Big Belly's. In my personal opinion, it's a curious arrangement for those who have permits or plans pending city/BRA approval, and the Mayor's office "suggests" they drop $50k to "sponsor" 15 compactors.

The city wins twice: they don't have the initial cost of the unit, and save on labor costs over the long run.

Also, it was the Back Bay hysterics who initially pushed Seahorse to redesign the compactors to better fit into the "neighborhood aesthetic" or some rot.

I personally find the machines revolting. I'll stick trash in my hip bag before I ever touch one of them to throw out a candy wrapper.
 
Re: Commonwealth Avenue Improvement Project

i don't know about revolting, but they could stand to be prettier

solar%20trash%20compactor.jpg


biggest detriment i think, is that most people (especially out of towners) may not necessarily know what they are.
 
Re: Commonwealth Avenue Improvement Project

big-belly-710485.jpg


Here is the more aesthetic version.
 
Re: Commonwealth Avenue Improvement Project

that does look better, but i haven't seen any of those....
 
Re: Commonwealth Avenue Improvement Project

Merper said:
i don't know about revolting, but they could stand to be prettier

solar%20trash%20compactor.jpg
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They could improve this immeasurably by removing the great seal from its side. Pretentious on a utilitarian box, therefore ugly.
 
Re: Commonwealth Avenue Improvement Project

ablarc said:
A utilitarian box, therefore ugly.
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Fixed that for you (and in the process summed up my thoughts on most 70's & 80's corporate architecture!)
 
Re: Commonwealth Avenue Improvement Project

^ OK, "pretentious, therefore outstandingly ugly even for a utilitarian box."

:D
 
Re: Commonwealth Avenue Improvement Project

The TRASH label and universal stick figure (is there anything mr/mrs.stickman can't do?) throwing something away should be enough of a visual cue to out of towners.
 
Re: Commonwealth Avenue Improvement Project

Im looking at their website, and it appears that the larger green unit is no longer offered, just the small black one. Also, it appears they have finally gotten their recycling model out, but of course, Boston has shown no interest in it.

recyclers.gif
 
Re: Commonwealth Avenue Improvement Project

Is the paper only one solar powered? and if so what does it do? break down the paper into pulp? There's regular paper recyclers all over the T and in the most public places already.

^Gotta give the city a break, it takes time to get these things going and ponying up the money for this stuff in tough economic times isnt priority numero uno. How many cities don't even have a single one of these things? Rippin on the city just for the sake of ripping it is really gettin stale.
 
Re: Commonwealth Avenue Improvement Project

People aren't just ripping Boston for the sake of ripping Boston. Boston is filthy. It's been filthy my whole life - 60 years. There was a battle in the South End about 10 years ago to get better barrels in the restaurant area, Tremont St. Of course the city had no money to get better barrels like they had in Cambridge. The compromise was that they would empty those twice a day. So what happens, those barrels got stolen. Who would have an interest in stealing those barrels and only those barrels. My guess is the lazy trash men.

Some of the barrels the city uses are the kind that clip on a light pole, when they get full they snap off and drop every thing on the ground. The reason people love these new barrels besides the capacity is that you cannot put a bag of household trash in them. This is a MAJOR problem in the city. I've even seen people get off a bus or out of their cars and put a bag of their trash in a barrel filling them up.
 
Re: Commonwealth Avenue Improvement Project

Suffolk 83 said:
^Gotta give the city a break, it takes time to get these things going and ponying up the money for this stuff in tough economic times isnt priority numero uno. How many cities don't even have a single one of these things? Rippin on the city just for the sake of ripping it is really gettin stale.
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To be clear, I wasn't exactly ripping on the city for pushing the funding responsibility onto others. I was expressing my opinion on the city using the purchase of these machines as leverage. It's not fair to have approval for, say, window repairs on my property to be implicitly contingent upon me funding the replacement of the city's rubbish barrels.
 
Re: Commonwealth Avenue Improvement Project

The whole compactor discussion should be broken off into its own thread. Given the increased cleanliness of the machines, no loose litter, blown debris, crack-heads, household trash ,rodents, flies, contained odors, etc. these things really are worth the money. Beyond the initial investment and service contract they probably save money in labor costs from less frequent emptying and street/sidewalk (Ha!) cleaning. The recycling machines could be great in public squares or outside of major commuter areas. There's a good market for recycled material and ad space on the machines along the lines of the Wall Corporation could help the city cover the costs.
 
South End on Tremont St now has the black-bombers, and they look absolutely beautiful.

So beautiful that I'm putting all my own household trash into them.

LOL!
 
bbfen said:
I personally find the machines revolting. I'll stick trash in my hip bag before I ever touch one of them to throw out a candy wrapper.
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I didn't know people were so picky about trash cans. Do you only ride in Bentley's and eat at the finest restaurants?

Anyhow, the black ones do look nice and look like a trash can at the same time. Win-win.
 
Re: Commonwealth Avenue Improvement Project

BostonObserver said:
People aren't just ripping Boston for the sake of ripping Boston. Boston is filthy. It's been filthy my whole life...
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It's not the trash cans, it's what isn't in them.

I've lived in Boston my entire life, and have traveled all over the States and Japan. This is by far, the filthiest city I've experienced. Downtown, and out in the neighborhoods, we litter, vandalize, and fail to keep after our property.

The Tenderloin in San Francisco and the South Side of Chicago look like the West Point parade ground compared to an iconic and cherished public space like the Common.

Rant/
 
Corey said:
I didn't know people were so picky about trash cans. Do you only ride in Bentley's and eat at the finest restaurants?

Anyhow, the black ones do look nice and look like a trash can at the same time. Win-win.
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I eat out nearly every night at some good places, and can afford to do so partly because I don't drive!

Anyway, my revulsion is from touching something in order to throw out my waste. My garbage (of course!) is clean, but other people's ... well, it's called garbage for a reason.

Living near and working on two major pedestrian-ways to the ballpark, I feel anything that prevents the problem of overflowing rubbish barrels is a major benefit. Trash on the street encourages more of the same.

So, I love the concept of a machine that is cheaper to maintain in the long run and holds more rubbish. I just wish Seahorse produced a "touchless" model.

(Plus that thing about the city holding business owners hostage grips my ass.)
 
i'm in favor of these trashcans, and yes, the stickman should suffice for instructional purposes, but as mentioned above, i don't think its natural for alot of people to have to 'deposit' their trash. I did have to show my parents (from paraguay) how to do it.
 
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