I love taking pictures of recycling and trash bins throughout the U.S. and the world to highlight the extreme variety in bin design and labeling around the globe. No wonder there are contamination issues considering the lack of standardization. I hope that the designs of bins will become more standardized so that it's easier for people to understand how to use them and so that participation is increased and contamination is decreased. In New York City alone there are at least (at least!) 4 different design schemes. In the Ten Tips For Designing Public Space Recycling Programs published in 2013 by Keep America Beautiful they recommend, among other tips, to be consistent, that the cans should be different colors, that blue is most commonly used for recycling, and that a wide-mouth recycling bin invites contamination especially if it is distant from a trash receptacle. The picture in this post is of the sorting bins in the beautiful and peaceful High Line park in New York City. I don't recall seeing this design scheme elsewhere in NYC so perhaps it is unique to the High Line? I think the design of the receptacles and the signage could be improved. NYC especially needs to have signage that functions independent of language to accommodate our multi-lingual citizenry and tourists. More bin posts to follow!
