New York City Litter Baskets to Be Updated

The iconic wire-mesh litter baskets that dot the streets of New York City are long overdue for an update. At least that’s what the NYC Department of Sanitation thinks. Eager to make the city’s streets a little cleaner and brighter, the Department of Sanitation recently teamed up with the Van Alen Institute to launch the BetterBin Design Competition.

The BetterBin competition is open to the public and calls for craftsmen, engineers, architects, artists, metalworkers, students and anyone else with an eye for design and functionality to “create a practical and efficient litter basket for New York City that reduces litter and better serves both Sanitation Workers and the public.”

Submissions will be accepted until September 20, 2018, and there are two stages that applicants must advance through. Stage One involves providing technical drawings and information about the planned design along with a team bio and several references. If lucky enough to advance to Stage Two, $40,000 will be provided by the city towards the production of prototype litter baskets that will be tested in various New York City neighborhoods.

Before jumping into the design process, the NYC Department of Sanitation and Van Alen Institute are inviting those interested in competing to the BetterBin Open House, an opportunity to interact with and examine past and present litter bins. Not only that, but competitors will also be able to talk to Sanitation Workers at the event, getting the inside scoop from the workers who deal with these litters bins every day.

There are a number of factors that will be taken into consideration by the judging panel. Aesthetics, encouragement of proper use, accessibility, sustainability, serviceability, cost, durability, and security will all be taken into account when advancing designs into Stage Two and when choosing an ultimate winner. Once a winner is chosen, the almost 24,000 litter baskets that currently line the city streets will be replaced with the new design.