An Endless Trash Haul

Although its common to pass large trash containers in the City, I never took much notice of how massive they were until this course. On my way to Penn Station, I was passing a trash container filled to the rim with waste from tenants on 33rd street. Although I initially walked passed the bin unbothered, I stopped and backtracked to understand the crate’s implications. Primarily, the container took up half the size of our classroom; its depth was just as worrisome. Yet although the crate was so large, the container still seemed to be overflowing with waste. The container also seemed problematic to me when I realized that the crate wasn’t the only one on the block. There were two other crates for the block, and the crates only covered the area on 33rd street between 6th and 7th avenue. Additionally, the smell traveled down the block, keeping in mind that this photo was taken on a brisk afternoon. Picturing the commute in the summer time, I could not imagine how much worse the stench could become. Although far less important, I also thought about the street’s presentation. Considering the area surrounding Penn Station is densely populated with tourists, I considered their opinion on New York City when coming across this huge pile of waste as one of their first impressions of the City. A constant reminder of New York’s problematic waste management, this photo should signal New Yorkers to change the way they consume and produce waste in such large amounts.

This entry was posted in NYC Gallery, Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *