Although my commute to work offers little time for exploring the city, the transportation itself alludes to NYC’s larger issue with waste. Considering New York’s finite space and high real estate prices, forming alleyways for garbage collection seemed like a complete waste of lucrative space. However, the trash build-up on New York City’s streets only contributes to the city’s countless sanitation issues. I took the picture attached below on my commute to work this week. As we were entering the tunnel, I noticed several pieces of trash left under the seats as commuters traveled in and out of the train. Although the issue seems quite minuscule, the trash left behind reminded me of the city’s inability to properly discard waste and to allocate certain types of waste in the appropriate area. Most city streets are covered in waste, and a lot of the waste is either inappropriately discarded or may even be recycled. This photo is a great reminder of the focus we need to place on cleanliness, properly discarding waste, recycling when necessary, and even composting.
Your photo reminded me of an action taken by the MTA about two years ago.
https://nypost.com/2017/02/14/removing-subway-trash-cans-has-resulted-in-more-track-fires-litter-dinapoli/
In an effort to reduce the amount of litter within our subway stations, the MTA decided to engage in a sort of bizarre Pavlovian conditioning of New Yorkers. Essentially, transit system officials figured that if people who brought trash into a subway system realized that there were no trash receptacles underground, New Yorkers would eventually stop associating subway stations with a place where trash can be disposed of, and would make note to throw away any potential trash before descending the subway stairs. This motion led to the removal of all trash cans from more than 40 subway stations, at stations such as Eighth Street on the R line in Manhattan, Flushing-Main Street on the No. 7 line in Queens and all of the J, M and Z stops that are above ground in Brooklyn and Queens.
So, what came of this? Turns out, removing easy-to-access trash cans massively exacerbates preexisting litter problems. State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said in a statement: “Removing trash cans appears to have resulted in more track fires and garbage at a number of stations.” Riders interviewed for articles about the results of the tactic have complained that the removal of trash cans has not only not reduced the amount of trash or number of rats seen in stations, but has in fact had the opposite effect, and turned several stations into “pigsties.” People who bring cups of coffee, breakfast sandwiches, tissues, or bottles of water onto the subway realize they have to choose between littering or toting their trash all day, and it’s not exactly surprising which option appeals more to tired morning commuters. From your photo, it seems the transit system still has some work to do to come up with a way to reduce litter on the trains, subways, and buses we all share.