Waste Bin Removal Test in New York Ends After Five Years

In an attempt to decrease garbage littered in its underground train system, New York took away its waste bins and watched citizens react. Instead of people discarding their garbage elsewhere, however, the volume of litter in the stations increased with the absence of the waste bins, causing the city to scrap the idea.

The experiment began in 2011, implemented in only two stations at first. By 2014, the number had grown to thirty-nine, but the test came to a close in 2016 after a surplus of waste and track fires were detected. With over 450 underground train stations in the city, excess litter quickly became a health and safety hazard that could not be tolerated.

The test’s organizers admit that their hope for not only littered waste, but waste in general, to decrease was somewhat unrealistic. The major American city is looking into better options to clean up litter on the tracks and prevent it from getting there at all.

Although the original test had adverse effects, it was a valiant effort nonetheless.