| Nº | Date/Time | Q1a Used the bins? | “Q1b If yes, where?” | Q2a Bins easy use? | Q2b Please explain. | Q3a coll’n at both ends? | Q4a Comments on position of bins on sidewalk. | Q5a In favour of new bins? | 5b Please explain. | Q6 Additional/general comments. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nº | Date/Time | Q1a Used the bins? | “Q1b If yes, where?” | Q2a Bins easy use? | Q2b Please explain. | Q3a coll’n at both ends? | Q4a Comments on position of bins on sidewalk. | Q5a In favour of new bins? | 5b Please explain. | Q6 Additional/general comments. |
| 1 | 06/21/2005 05:02:33 PM | [Blank] | ||||||||
| 2 | 06/22/2005 10:37:29 AM | [Blank] | ||||||||
| 3 | 06/27/2005 09:37:09 AM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | They are too big and ugly. They look like a cash grab. I have been to many world class cities and I have never seen such ugly things before. | No | “I believe that they are a blight on the urban landscape. There are better ways to deal with the issue of garbage. Between the billboards on the buses and the hideously painted streetcars, it really looks like Toronto is for sale.” | [Blank] |
| 4 | 06/28/2005 08:53:22 AM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | We are already bombarded with advertising! | “Perhaps if they were a little shorter and less “in your face”” | ||
| 5 | 06/28/2005 11:08:27 AM | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | I went to Canada’s Wonderland the other day and I noticed that everywhere you went there were garbage bins but not one recycle bin. Can’t the government or the city do anything about that???? |
| 6 | 06/28/2005 05:31:31 PM | Yes | Lakeshore and Browns Line | Yes | Very simple to understand and at the right height. | Yes | They are perfect. | Yes | The city should look for more and improved ways of getting more revenue. This bins are superior to the current bins. | The city should allow the installation of this bins throughout. They are great. |
| 7 | 06/28/2005 05:33:08 PM | Yes | Lakeshore (Long Branch Go) | Yes | No problems with the bin. | Yes | Perfect. They look great. | Yes | The city need more revenue. | The bins look great. |
| 8 | 06/28/2005 05:34:17 PM | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | They well positioned | Yes | [Blank] | They blend and feel like Toronto. |
| 9 | 06/29/2005 08:02:50 AM | No | [Blank] | Yes | “The newly designed advertising signs are garbage! And , being illuminated, will contribute to light pollution and smog.” | No | “So sucked in by “free”! And, like the current crop of garbage cans – we will be faced with sidewalk clutter and no meaningful revenues. Charge the foreign company $5000/can/yaer and let them sell the advertising – let’s see how fast they back out!” | UGLY! UGLY! Why not sell the side of all govt. buildings while you’re at it. | ||
| 10 | 06/29/2005 08:54:07 AM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “I think they will take up far too much space. Their height could be a danger to pedestrians, blocking the view of traffic and vica versa.” | No | The Toronto Star reported the city would recieve 1 million more than they are making right now off the current bins. That amount of money is in no way worth selling public space to advertisers. | “Beyond being sick of bombarded with advertisements, I think they are inefficient. They are not lablled well and they are much easier to overflow.” |
| 11 | 06/29/2005 09:31:06 AM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | “Please consider ,1 the hygiene will I have to use my hand to open? ,2 the amount of energy used to power the lighted garbage bin” | ||
| 12 | 06/29/2005 10:18:13 AM | No | hmmm soon to be in my face no matter where i go. | No | “well, i tend to avoid advertising, so no, i wouldn’t ever place garbage in these. if anything, i would smear it all over the ads.” | No | “hey! just what i wanted, a gigantic ad that’s bigger than me! right in my face! isn’t the city great?!?!?” | No | no! no! no! there IS more behind this than meets the eye. think for a moment at why a company is willing to provide 3000 bins free of charge and allow all the revenue to go to the city. advertising is distorting everything. we are being subjected to a cruel fantasy world every moment of our lives. the sheer number of ads already in the city is OUTRAGEOUS and this is not going to help. think beyond advertising for money. think hard. | “take them down. i warn you. they will be the most vandalised items in the entire city, right next to those goddamned tv screens you put in the subways. you’re making grave mistakes and inching one step towards being another version of america. commericialization is terrorism. be warned.” |
| 13 | 06/29/2005 11:08:00 AM | Yes | Intersection of Bathurst and College St. | No | “The bin was not practical and was poorly labelled. The hole for the recycling was terribly small while the garbage bin was near its capacity and about to overflow. The garbage bin is unnecessarily tall and was much less convenient than a simple, ordinary trash can.” | No | “These bins are an absolute nusance to pedestrains and I personally saw several people’s handbags get caught at the edges of the garbage bin. Nobody uses the side facing the street and therefore the side facing the sidewalk is almost always full to the brim. Unlike regular trash bins, these new garbage/recycling bins are hard to use and create an obtacle on the sidewalk.” | No | “I am totally against installing these large, awkward bins on our already crowded streets. It is a prime example of how our city cares more about advertising revenues than the convenience of its taxpaying citizens. Along with other Torontonians, I resent the commercialization of our public spaces and truly hope that this government is not corrupt enough that it will listen to private advertising agencies rather than the voices of the people.” | “My only suggestion is that the City of Toronto listen to the taxpayers and remove these awkward, ugly, and inconvenient garbage bins off the street. They are a nusance to pedestrians and make the surrounding area look terrible to the eye. They are not aesthtically pleasing and the only reason they are so big is so that our already beggardly and stooping government can beg for some more money through advertising revenues. The cigarette holder, garbage/recycling holes are badly labelled and too small to deal with so much garbage. The fact that more attention has been spent on the advertising side of the bin is proof of the real motive behind this project. Listen to the citizens and do us all a favour; let Toronto return to the non-corrupt and clean city that it once was.” |
| 14 | 06/29/2005 11:47:35 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | Too BIG! | Yes | “1. Not enough financial return from the ads for the city.2. There is enough advertising clutter on city streets. Get rid of the advertising and make our city clean and beautiful!” | They’re ugly. |
| 15 | 06/29/2005 12:00:43 PM | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | ||
| 16 | 06/29/2005 01:24:27 PM | Yes | “Lake Shore Blvd. W. near the Long Branch GO station” | No | I did not see any recyclable slots. Its also hard to tell that its a garbage can as it appears to be nothing more than a large billboard. | No | “These are way too big for the sidewalks. We need normal sized garbage containers that take up no more space than they have to, not billboards with little garbage containers hidden inside.” | No | These are nothing more than billboards. The city should spend the necessary money to keep our public spaces free of giant billboards. | Get rid of them. They are intrusive and overbearing. |
| 17 | 06/29/2005 02:12:19 PM | Yes | Lakeshore and 30th St. | No | “No, the top two hole in particular are not labelled well enough.” | Yes | They are positioned in a manner that make it difficult to access one side of the bin. | No | “These bins are an eyesore. They are a danger to pedestrians and motorists because they block vital sightlines. I would not want to be turning a corner and hit a shorter child because I had not seen them approaching an intersection, or if they were to dart out from behind a sign to J-walk. They are unatractive items that take away from the streetscape and are a disturbing sign of the times that put corporate wishes ahead of public needs. We already have too much advertising on our streets in our newspapers, on tv and radio, in magazines, etc..... I’d rather the city use un-intrusive, practical bins made of recyled materials. If any info is to be posted on them, it should be public awareness messages or maps of the area. The bins must blend into the surroundings and be easy to empty and maintain, and they should not block any sightlines that would interfere with pedestrian/bicycle traffic. The city is holding a symposium this week on Urban design, so listen to them and don’t make this mistake. Think about whether or not you would like to stare at one of these 7 foot monsters.” | [Blank] |
| 18 | 06/29/2005 02:41:17 PM | Yes | Not sure close to lakeshore Go station | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | I like them I think that the argument that more waste will be produced because of the bigger bins is insaine and I don’t understand the rationale behind it. | Yes | “I have no problem with the advertising, as long as the city uses that money to better Toronto for the public (maybe for use in outdoor programs) as opposed to just filling pockets” | “Not really other than these bins are already in use across North America and in Europe so why not in Toronto, Montreal seems happy with theirs.” |
| 19 | 06/29/2005 04:01:27 PM | No | [Blank] | No | poorly set up.....Not good if your short...also...needs better desigaton signs | Yes | I hate it....why are you selling more public space...its sick | No | They are ugly.....maybe if they were bulit into bus shelters that would be a verygood idea; not the way they are now | [Blank] |
| 20 | 06/29/2005 04:15:58 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “They are way too big and overpowering for the street corners. It obvious what the purpose is here for the bins and its not to collect garbage. Why not get Eucan to fix the bins they already own which are broken and dirty. These bins restrict views of cars, impede pededstrian traffic and dont encourage people to dispose of garbage. I dont get how a bigger garbage bin that looks like a giant billboard will get people to recycle and dispose of their litter anymore than they do now” | No | “please read above.A VERY BAD IDEA....DONT SELL THE CITIZENS OUT” | YES!!! FORGET ABOUT THEM AND FIX THE ONES WE’VE GOT. THEY ARE PERFECTLY FINE FOR WHAT WE NEED |
| 21 | 06/29/2005 04:47:41 PM | Yes | “Lakeshore and Brows, Etobicoke” | Yes | “Labels could be better, but once I read the instructions, it was easy.” | Yes | Made sense--I could get around both ends. | Yes | Better than increasing my taxes! Welcome to the real world. | “Just do it already. You don’t need to consult on everything. WAY better than the old OMG bins! Looks new, modern and slick.” |
| 22 | 06/29/2005 07:01:17 PM | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | Once I realized it was a garbage can it was easy to understand and use. The descriptions are clearly marked. | Yes | “I do not believe the position to be an issue, they are in convient locations and do not differ significantly to other designs.” | No | “Although without more information of the levels of revenue generated by the advertising space it is hard to comment. The fact that we recieve these bins for free is only valueable to the city if they are additional garbage bins (i.e. they arent replacing any old bins) which in that case more trucks/labor would be required of the city to pick us the additional bins. In such a situation I do not see how ad revenue would equal out the costs of increased pick up. Furthermore, the ads are a bit of an eye sore to the city and the controversy over the issue may prove to be more of a headache than its worth, especially from an systems perspective as the ads would such up precious electricity.” | “Instead of looking for ways to increase revenues it might be beneficial to look for ways to reduce costs. New York is purchasing the BigBelly compacting trash can which will compact garbage/recyclables using solar power (i.e. now power drain) and signal when they are full, reducing the amount of time and energy spent on trash collection. The labor saved via waste managers could be spent on advocating for more recycling. Compacted waste also saves on the number of trips to Michigan. Many private business are considering private financing of these bins as they would save significantly as well as improving the city look on gabage day.” |
| 23 | 06/30/2005 07:35:40 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | n/a | [Blank] | “Although I have not yet seen one, they look effecient and Toronto has to become cleaner once again. People complainabout rats but if they disposed of the garabage properly that shouldn’t be an issue.” | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 24 | 06/30/2005 10:01:57 AM | Yes | Lakeshore & 41 | No | “Poorly labelled,no lid on the garbage can” | Yes | “they are positioned poorly,half of the opening face the road,they block the sidewalk” | No | “They are not designed well.Contamination rates will incrase.Bad for pedestrians.” | “City staff should be guiding the design principles of our street furniture, not advertising companies.” |
| 25 | 06/30/2005 11:41:35 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | My only concern is that they will be used for papering. (advertising pasted by others). | [Blank] |
| 26 | 06/30/2005 12:27:32 PM | Yes | Lakeshore and Brown’s Line | No | “Poorly labelled, and the side that’s faces road dangerous for me to use.” | Yes | “Horribly. They should be parallel to the road, not perpendicular.” | No | “We have too many ads on the streets already. I might find it acceptable if they were worked into a bus shelter design, thus not creating more visual pollution.” | “Please do not accept this. The city had a chance to buy 2,000 of the smaller, non-advertising bins last fall (which city staff reccommended). Please buy those and install them. The silver boxes are cheap and horrible too.” |
| 27 | 06/30/2005 12:33:11 PM | Yes | Lakeshore and Brown’s line | No | “I was disgusted to see the sheer size of the thing. Also, the litter bin is not covered which will srtink on hot days and allow squirrels, pigeons and seagulls to get into it. Who wants to put their garbage away when there might be bird poop everywhere.” | No | The one side faces the road and I was on the sidewalk so I didn’t see that side. | No | “Sorry, but this question is a leading question. I think too much of the design deals with the concerns of EUCAN and the advertisers and not rsidents.” | “I think it is very bad that they will be illuminated especially when we have had 27 smog days in Toronto already. We need to conserve, not waste. I’m not sure any of you see the irony of how much electric-energy will be wasted while these bins are meant to reduce waste. It makes me wonder what the politicians were thinking.” |
| 28 | 07/02/2005 11:59:20 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | N/A | Yes | I believe that these are better looking than the traditional silver waist-height bins. | No | “The bins are a good idea, but I’m not too keen on the commercial advertising sign, unless it is an importamt message, like “child find”. Does the City receive that revenue?” | Is there a list of designated areas for this pilot project? |
| 29 | 07/03/2005 10:54:31 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “Absolutely not!!! almost every inch of sidewalk space, window space, public transit and everything else is already covered in advertising. It seems anyone will sell anything of themselves to advertisers for a little bit of free stuff. the city is willing to advertise for others, becasue they get a little freebie. The city is selling out, offending people with even more inches covered in advertising. People are sick of ads already. do something decent.” | “The picture shows the bins as dingy grey. Use some colour, some life, some excitement to promote a new possiblilty in environmentalism, not sell it out in dingy grey with ads. This idea is exciting, so it needs colourful bins to perk things up a little.” |
| 30 | 07/04/2005 12:20:24 PM | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “City recieves money for these and our parks look like crap?? Grass never cut garbage never picked up,what a joke!!” | “Why doe sit have to be so big and awark looking,not everything has to be big on our streets” |
| 31 | 07/04/2005 07:02:53 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | More smaller recycling bins with no advertising on them. |
| 32 | 07/05/2005 03:00:03 PM | Yes | Lakeshore & 26th | Yes | The cigarette disposal could have been more clearly marked | Yes | “The look great, clean and modern” | Yes | The smaller silver ones are ugly these are really modern and look nice | “The should be lighted at night, like New York City” |
| 33 | 07/05/2005 04:09:15 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | Take up way too much space. | No | We don’t need any more visual pollution in Toronto. I think that some of the grafitti artists( whom the city is currently hounding)are doing a better job in trying to beautify this city! | Yes--don’t put them on our streets! They are way too big and very UGLY! Let’s not sell out to corporate interests once again. Usually I support David Miller but not this time. I think this is a huge mistake. I find nothing wrong with the old bins. The amount of space for advertising on these new ones (versus the amount of space that the actual openings for garbage take up) clearly shows the true motivation behind this. I’m incensed that you would even think of putting these hideous monstrosities on our streets!!! |
| 34 | 07/05/2005 04:20:52 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Ihave not seen one yet |
| 35 | 07/05/2005 04:44:35 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 36 | 07/05/2005 07:47:35 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “difficult to see around, ,create an eyesore since they are so tall” | No | “Just because something is free/provides a little bit of money doesn’t mean it’s the right choice for Toronto. I would rather have traditional style garbage bins that made the city look nicer than have “modern” bins that “paid for themselves” but looked awful.” | [Blank] |
| 37 | 07/06/2005 04:27:42 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | n/a | [Blank] | n/a | No opinion | “I am not in favour of advertising, however it would be nice if the city could get them for free.” | It would be wonderful if an organic waste slot was added. (And had specifications as to what could go into it). |
| 38 | 07/06/2005 10:08:57 AM | Yes | lakeshore and browns line | Yes | “No flaps, great.” | Yes | No problem | Yes | The city needs more money. | Ashtray a great idea. |
| 39 | 07/06/2005 10:37:24 AM | Yes | Lakeshore and Dixie | Yes | “It is easy to use, very practical” | Yes | I think the position of the recycling bins is very good. It is convenient and the openings for garbage are practical. | Yes | “The City needs garbage and recycling bins. If they will be installed for free and the City will get money for them, what could be better?” | I like the design. It will give the City a cosmopolitan look. |
| 40 | 07/06/2005 11:10:34 AM | Yes | Lakeshore & Brownsline | Yes | very well labelled | Yes | Looks classy | Yes | More garbage cans means less litter. | [Blank] |
| 41 | 07/06/2005 11:23:39 AM | Yes | Lake Shore – Brownsline | Yes | It’s very easy to use. It’s very well designed. | Yes | Good placement. | Yes | “This is a win – win situation, specially for the city.” | Install more !! |
| 42 | 07/06/2005 11:41:27 AM | Yes | Lakeshore & Brownsline | Yes | “Very nice, clean, and easy to use” | Yes | They look great!! | Yes | “Absolutely yes, ,the city will be cleaner, and that is exactly what we need.” | Congratulations to the City for the new adquisition |
| 43 | 07/06/2005 11:47:17 AM | Yes | Lakeshore & Brownsline | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | I think it’s great. They are beautiful. | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 44 | 07/06/2005 11:48:29 AM | Yes | Lakeshore & Brownsline | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | I like it | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 45 | 07/06/2005 12:18:08 PM | Yes | Bloor and Dundas West | Yes | [Blank] | No | It was not obvious to me that both ends could be used to deposit materials. The other side was near the edge of the sidewalk next to traffic | No | “What is wrong with the bins currently in use? What will happen with them? Is it cost effective in the long term to use the new ones? Will it not cost the city to have them produced and installed? People will still put newspapers and other recyclable items in the GARBAGE compartment of the new bins, they are already doing so with the bin I saw.” | Did no one notice that there are spelling errors on the signs? Cigarettes is incorrectly spelled as CIGARRETES and I thought Newspapers was one word not two. |
| 46 | 07/06/2005 12:39:13 PM | Yes | Lakeshore & Brown’s Line | Yes | very easy to use | Yes | “Very well positioned, do not take up too much room.” | Yes | It will provide a valuable revenue source for the City as well as an easy to use and clean place to put your garbage and recycling. | They are great! |
| 47 | 07/06/2005 01:49:49 PM | [Blank] | Lakeshore & Brownline | Yes | it’s really practical | Yes | it doesn’t block the sidewalk. I didn’t feel that was in my way | Yes | [Blank] | “I love it, really make the city look clean and prettier” |
| 48 | 07/06/2005 06:30:41 PM | Yes | Lake shore Blvd and 26th Street | Yes | much better than the current bins | Yes | “that’s the way the advertising is sold, so if advertising pays for this units that’s the way they should go, besides it’s the same way transit shelters are positioned” | Yes | this will help with not having to increase taxes | it’s great that the new design there’s no need to touch the flaps to get rid of your garbage. Maybe they could work something out with the rubber flaps on the recycling receptacle to improve |
| 49 | 07/06/2005 09:14:18 PM | Yes | Windermere & Bloor | No | “- Signage is ill-placed. Why are symbols not affixed to each opening?,- Shape of recyclables opening is unfamiliar.- Garbage bin too small.” | Yes | Ads are large and obtrusive; also a road hazard as it blocks the view of traffic on that corner | No | We are bombarded with enough advertising in our public environments. We do not need garbage receptacles half the size of bus shelters. | OMG Media receptacles are preferable. |
| 50 | 07/06/2005 10:05:55 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 51 | 07/07/2005 06:14:43 AM | Yes | pacific and dundas | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | It totally shielded the retailers window and took away their ability to show off their wares | No | “It is essentially a billboard with a few garbage attachments. With it being at street level, it will always be stealing from sightlines into retail buildings.” | Find other ways ways to make revenue but stealing retailers window space should not be one of them. |
| 52 | 07/07/2005 09:19:49 AM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “Too large & aesthetically unpleasing, especially for an urban environment. Complete eyesore.” | No | [Blank] | “Is it not possible to develop an ad-free, human-scale, inconspicuous bin?” |
| 53 | 07/07/2005 04:59:28 PM | No | [Blank] | No | Not applicable | Yes | “They are too high and block the view of traffic for both motorists and pedestrians. There are driveways and jaywalkers everywhere, so this is a concern even if the bins are located away from major intersections.” | No | “No, the traffic safety issue must be addressed.” | Ugly and a blight on our neighbourhoods. |
| 54 | 07/07/2005 07:11:20 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No opinion | as lonng as they do not interfere with l | don’t like these bins to block businesses eg. Dundas & Pacific |
| 55 | 07/07/2005 10:46:39 PM | Yes | Bloor and Windermere | No | The receptacle most accessible to the sidewalk is already full. The other side of the container is dangerously close to traffic. | Yes | “This bin ruins the streetscape and blocks pedestrians’ view of oncoming traffic. Only one side is reasonably accessible, and the garbage receptacle is much too small.” | No | “The bin I’ve seen is an eyesore. It blocks the view. I’m not particularly opposed to advertising on garbage bins, but these structures are far too big and, especially considering their bullk, disappointingly inefficient. I’d prefer paying taxes for the bins we have, rather than giving up so much sidewalk real estate to these signs. Surely we can get better value--a better-designed bin, a less intrusive sign--for the advertising revenue.” | “Please, please don’t install these! Toronto will be a much uglier city if you do.” |
| 56 | 07/08/2005 04:31:16 AM | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 57 | 07/08/2005 09:27:08 AM | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 58 | 07/08/2005 09:28:18 AM | No | “It’s obscene, just an excuse to put more billboards on the street and the city gets revenue” | No | The bin is far less efficient than the existing ones | Yes | “Oppressive, intimidating, monlithic eyesore” | No | You suck | “They will probably be defaced by local graffiti artists, like everything else on our street and then be an even bigger eyesore” |
| 59 | 07/08/2005 11:32:18 AM | Yes | On Bloor between Keel and Dundas West | No | [Blank] | Yes | “I absolutely hate it! It disrupts, invades and ruins our outdoor experience. Our sidewalks are crowded already, we don’t need a 7x5 foot advertising RUBBISH BIN blocking our view of the street and taking up space that we should be using to walk our dogs, for kids to ride their bikes and roller-blade...and for mothers with strollers...to have a breath of fresh air with ease. It is completely impractical and unnecessary I want it off my street!!” | No | “ABSOLUTELY NOT! PLEASE Listen to public opinion! It is terrible, It is huge and invading, intimidating and takes up your whole view of the street. Please, we hate it. I dont know how to emphasis the huge negative effect it will have in our communities, please keep Toronto beautiful, not damaged with blocks of trash.” | “I understand that the advertising space will give money to the city, and i am always up for Toronto being prosperous, but we are already bombarded with ENOUGH billboards and advertisements already, and to have something so big, and in your face that just ruins any natural experience left to waking our streets is just a devastating thing.” |
| 60 | 07/08/2005 11:49:46 AM | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | See comments below. | No | “Absolutley not! This is not the way to generate revenues for the city. Our public spaces are becoming nothing more than adverizing space. Pedestrians must negotiate around all these boxes paper boxes, garbage and recycling. Our sidewalks have more paper boxes that produce more garbage. Reduce the number of paper boxes on first and then the amount of paper recycling will be reduced, which will reduce the need for more recycling bins. The proliferation of free newspapers adds to the garbage recycling problems. Address the root of the problem rather than dealing with the symtoms. Enough already!” | This questionnaire is does not ask the fundamental question of whether or not the City should generate revenues by providing garbage/recycling bins for advertizing. It is a thinly vailed proposition by the advertisers to provide free bins because the revenues generated from advertising would more than cover the cost of the bins. The questionnaire treats the subject as it is just a practical matter of whether the garbage/recycling bins are easy to use and are well placed on the sidewalks. I’ll watch for the staff report on the bins. |
| 61 | 07/08/2005 02:40:33 PM | Yes | Bloor & Windermere | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] | They are accessible and much nicer to ‘touch’ | Yes | [Blank] | The more – the better!! The old bins look dirty and are small and always overflowing |
| 62 | 07/08/2005 02:41:58 PM | Yes | Lakeshore & Brownsline | Yes | no problem | Yes | I like them much better than the old boxes | Yes | [Blank] | no |
| 63 | 07/08/2005 03:13:02 PM | Yes | Roncesvalles and Howard Park | No | “It took me a while to realize that paper goes with cans and bottles. this is counterintuitive. Also, the billboard/can was on an angle making one side of it too close to the road for easy use.” | Yes | “They are too large and take up too much of the street especially when angled to appeal to drivers. Also, isn’t this type of possible distraction dangerous to drivers? I am opposed to recycling bin that uses electricity in its everyday functioning. Further the ads encourage consumption not conservation.” | No | “They are too large, obstruct large parts of the sidewalk, offer a distraction to drivers and project a mixed message about recycling and consumption. There must be a better option.” | [Blank] |
| 64 | 07/08/2005 05:53:59 PM | Yes | Lakeshore and Superior in Mimico | No | “Not really. If you’re short then it is awkward to get to the bin (think child trying to reach up and over the top). The opening for garbage is cramped and the bin I used, people had left their garbage on top of the opening.” | Yes | “They are too tall for them to be put on the sidewalk. The positioning (advertising facing the sidewalk, rather than the street) block the view down the sidewalk and interrupt the visual continuity of the neighbourhood. They are awkward and are out of place in any neighbourhood.” | No | They are not really about collecting garbage or recylcing but rather a billboad that has trashcans inside. If we as a city are going to keep the garbage to a minimum we have to have real trash bins that are accessible and easily accessesible. | “These bins could present a potential safety hazard. Because they are so tall someone may easily hide out of site from people coming from the oppposite direction. Because they are in the middle of the sidewalk, it is very difficult to use normal safety tactics (walking a safe distance from them) because one would end up in the street. I am definitely NOT infavour of these types of bins. Because of their size the are just obtrusive and are just another way to be bombarded with advertising. Please don’t put them on our sidewalks.” |
| 65 | 07/08/2005 09:42:58 PM | Yes | “Lakeshore Blvd. West, west of Kipling.” | Yes | [Blank] | No | “Bin is positioned too close to the street. It is impractical to use the “other side” of the bin. I was not even aware that there were receptacles at both ends of the bin.Placing the bins perpendicular to the street obstructs visibility. Why are the bins not placed parallel to the street?” | No | I am opposed to the sale of public space for advertising purposes. | [Blank] |
| 66 | 07/09/2005 01:40:08 AM | Yes | Roncesvalles and Howard Park | No | “Even though the openings are somewhat easy to understand, there is ample evidence of misuse already. The garbage receptacle is full of stuff that should go elsewhere (such as newspapers and cans). The cigarette butt collector is counterintuitive, and given that most people don’t smoke, I’m not sure why they are there. Also, we are already used to separating paper and cans, in the old style garbage bins, so why put them together in this redesign? Also, the garbage receptacle is simply far too small. Unless it is going to be emptied every few hours, I cannot see that this could be effective, except as a way to spread trash all over the street when it overflows.A final complaint about the design: why on earth is the garbage can part open? A good wind comes up, and its all over the street! Why no lid or flap, like on the old model? You mean that I have to look at the ugliness that is this seven-foot-tall billboard AND have to look at everybody else’s garbage as well?!” | Yes | “The placement of the bin seems to have more to do with showing off the advertising up and down the street than with the purported purpose of being an effective garbage can. Even though the bin can collect at both ends, one end is so close to the street that it can hardly be used without stepping into traffic. Of course, were the bin oriented the other way, most of the foot traffic would not be able to see the huge advertisements from hundreds of feet away.My final comment on the placement of these bins is that they are so large and obtrusive that, even where the sidewalk is wide, they block more than half of the walking space available. Perhaps this is also a reason why the one garbage collecting end of the bin is practically hanging over the curb.” | No | “I have lived in this city for eighteen years, and have watched with some dismay as advertising has overrun our public spaces. I was a bit annoyed with the garbage bins that were introduced a few years back, but my annoyance was offset by the fact that it was a bin that provided an opportunity for people to recycle on the go, and also that the bins were well constructed and not too obtrusive.These things are MONSTROSITIES. There is no other word for it. They are huge, ugly, rather shoddily made, obtrusive both visually and physically... I cannot say enough bad things about them. The presence of a single one on my beloved street makes the intersection look like a tacky multiplex lobby. I shudder to think what more would look like. Even if each of these bins would generate a MILLION dollars annually for the city -- and of course they wouldn’t -- I couldn’t countenance it. I appreciate that Toronto is perpetually underfunded, but if these monster bins end up blighting our public spaces, I can predict two things:,Firstly, whatever revenue the city generates from them will be significantly eaten away by the chronic vandalism that these bins invite. My first impulse on seeing this things dominating the street corner was to run home and get my baseball bat! Do you really think that the city could afford to keep things of this size free of graffiti? ,Secondly, I will -- and for the first time -- begin making plans for leaving Toronto, my chosen home, a city I love, but a city that is increasingly not the place I came to, because it is getting ugly out there, and these things dramatically increase the ugliness.I implore you! Do not shake hands with this devil!” | “I think that I’ve made my basic position clear(!) I was proud to work on David Miller’s campaign, and am proud that he is our Mayor. The vision is that of a clean city? Why deliberately pollute the urban beauty of this city with these tawdry things? For a few bucks? Please increase my taxes instead!,I cannot stress it enough: if these things end up all over town, I will run screaming, and another municipality will get my property taxes, and my transit fares, and my parks and rec fees, etc. Don’t break my heart!,Keith Denning,Toronto” |
| 67 | 07/09/2005 07:47:56 AM | Yes | Roncesvalles & Howard Park | No | “Garbage recepticle is too small. It is stupid to have the garbage can open, for things will blow out of it. Why do we need an ash tray. Smokers are too gross to bother to use it!” | Yes | “The question is moot. These UGLY, offensive bins should not be on ANY PART of the sidewalk!!!!!!!!!!!!” | No | “Raise my taxes instead. Why sell out to the advertisers. Or, if you want bins with advertising, make them tasteful, practical (with large enough, closed, places for waste)and not much larger than the present bins.” | “The present bins, with their advertising, are ugly and a disgrace to the city. These new bins are MUCH WORSE and go counter to the big campaign to make tourists come to Toronto and like them. Don’t bother with a survey. KILL THE NEW BINS NOW!!!” |
| 68 | 07/09/2005 09:43:57 AM | Yes | Roncesvalles and Howard Park | No | “The design is awful. The holes for recycling/garbage are clearly marked because too much energy is focused on the advertising. Their shape makes them akward on the sidewalks and look like they are designed more for the drivers in cars to see the ads rather than the pedestrians who both use and share space with these billboards. It’s clear that these new bins have been with increasing advertising space in mind and not helping keep our city clean of litter. Surely there is a better design out there, somewhere.” | No | “As I said earlier – they’ve clearly been designed with car drivers in mind. They are taller that a basketball player and so they block the view of the road from pedestrians, which is very dangerous. Since I was a child, I’ve been taught to always keep my eye on the traffic as I walk along the sidewalk. These bins block my view of the road and thus threaten my safety. Not a wise design. ,Also – they’re lit up like billboards! This design not only taxes our city’s precious electricity grid, it also turns our sidewalks into a series of illuminated banners. Very tacky and unsightly. Can’t we design a garbage/recycling bin that fits naturally into it’s environment? Something that looks like it should belong on a sidewalk with people, not something that towers over them?” | No | “No. There are other ways to increase revenue that don’t involve the selling off of our public space. You don’t own that patch of ground. The citizens and tax payers of this city do. An alternative would be the solution that many city staff favoured – purchasing 1000 recycling bins without any advertising. ,The revenue from these bins will be off set by other costs – the added drain on the electricty grid, the environmental damage from maintaining the bins – lightbulbs into the landfill, old ad posters tossed away and lastely the cost to our visual public space. ,Stop thinking in the short term – stop selling off our public space to advertisers. We are citizens, not a bunch of consumers whose attention needs to be captured.” | “They’re terrible on many levels. They’re taller than the tallest Toronto Raptor. They suck more electricity from our grid. They’re one more distraction to car drivers. They pollute our streets with ads for more junk that we’ll throw away (jeans, phones, pop, etc) and they’re abilities as garbage/recycling bins are merely an after thought. ,I say ditch the bins, and let’s start thinking on solutions that improve our city instead of bringing in a few extra bucks. ,The new bins have got to go!” |
| 69 | 07/09/2005 12:00:10 PM | Yes | Bloor St. W at Windermere | No | “Well the recycling slot is very small so I noticed that the garbage slot was jammed. And the way the whole bin is set up the other set of slots is facing the street and therefore not accessible. I think if the slots are at the two ends then the ends should both be facing the sidewalk. Again the problem will be that it’s emptied regularly (barring any strike action). Too often the old, regular bins are stuffed to overflowing.” | Yes | Pls. see my comment above. It’s a huge bin and the way it’s parked on this particular corner is not good. | Yes | “Yes, IF they are maintained. The advertising is harmless as long as people understand how the bin is set up. Right now you have to stop and read the thing before realizing what goes where. will everyone do this???? And I worry the slots are too narrow,so people will be reluctant to use them if they think they’ll get their hands dirty!” | Make sure they’re monitored – hire students to keep an eye on their use. They’ll be able to spot flaws! |
| 70 | 07/09/2005 04:57:43 PM | Yes | ronces and howard park | No | “it was a fucking eyesore and disaster to use, spilling garbage and visually polluting the area” | Yes | there is NOTHING wrong with the old ones. why are you changing things just to change things and grab more ad money | No | because they are hideous and 7’ is assaulting on my senses | don’t do it or they will be trashed |
| 71 | 07/09/2005 10:18:47 PM | Yes | Roncesvalles/Howard Park | Yes | “The bin was easy to use, but that being said, the old bins were just as easy to use as well.” | Yes | “I think that the only factor taken into consideration in the placement of these bins is how well the advertisments can be seen, rather than how well it can be accessed. Even though there are openings on both sides, one side is so close to the street that it is practically useless for pedestrians (unless you want to step into traffic)” | No | [Blank] | “Yes, get rid of them- they are absolutely hideous, and an unfortunate eyesore for the city.” |
| 72 | 07/09/2005 11:13:39 PM | No | Roncesvalles / Dundas | No | Obstructs the sideway passageway. | Yes | Bad location obstructs the view and bins on one end can only be used if you are standing in the street | No | They are too tall. They are really unacceptable because they block the view. I feel they are looming over me. They will significantly detract from the neighborhood feeling. | Would be fine if they were sideways instead of vertical. The problem is you cannot see past them as you can with the current bins. |
| 73 | 07/09/2005 11:23:51 PM | Yes | Pacific and Dundas West | Yes | [Blank] | No | “The bins are obtrusive and ridiculously oversized. In the case of the one bin I have used, I think it is an obstruction and an eyesore. I think that the bin concept is a poor one.” | No | see above | “What was wrong with the old bins? They seemed to work perfectly well, and they weren’t nearly as obtrusive.” |
| 74 | 07/10/2005 01:28:42 AM | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 75 | 07/10/2005 05:10:51 PM | Yes | Windemere and Bloor | Yes | [Blank] | No | “If both sides are to be used, then one side should not be facing the street as it is pretty dangerous to use the one side close to the curb.” | Yes | [Blank] | The compartment for litter needs to be bigger. |
| 76 | 07/10/2005 07:21:33 PM | Yes | Just east of Bloor and Keele | Yes | “The labels are clear and openings are at a good height. However, the openings on the street side are a waste because it is too close to the curb.” | Yes | “I don’t like them. They are too wide, and block your view of what is ahead. And the openings on the street side are useless unless you want to see someone step into traffic.” | No | “I think this is a total waste of space and money on the city’s part. Advertising on containers like that have no impact on me unfortunately, and the fact it blocks the view of what is ahead of you is a safety hazard. The city could find other ways to bring in extra revenue. Besides, on the old bins, the only advertising you see is city or not-for-profit ones – who says companies will actually use these???” | PLEASE DO NOT GET THEM!!! |
| 77 | 07/11/2005 01:37:37 AM | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | they take too much space. | No opinion | [Blank] | the older metal garbage bins. nothing wrong with those. put more of those around the city. |
| 78 | 07/11/2005 06:23:16 AM | Yes | Bloor and Indian Road | No | I was confused by what was supposed to go where. I had a plastic bottle and some paper to recycle. I think one of the bins was for cigarette butts. This surprised me because I didn’t think smokers would go out of their way to find one of these bins. Instructions and openings were not intuitive. | Yes | “They blocked the view of the street. I couldn’t see cars coming or transit vehicles (if there were any on that street.) The second bin, close to the street, would be impractical because no one would walk there. There is no room left between the bin and the edge of the curb. (I only knew about the second bin because I had seen this survey in advance.)” | No | The small amount of revenue gained does not offset the loss of public space to advertising. I’d be happier to increase property taxes slightly more. | “It appears that the entire upper half is unnecessary, at least for storing garbage. Also, it does not at all communicate the idea of a garbage bin. It says “billboard.” ,From a distance, one would not know that this is a spot to put garbage. Finally, to adequately provide a busy street with enough bins to effectively control garbage, (i.e. perhaps every 50-100 metres as it seems we used to have in some areas)would result in a massive proliferation of unsightly and obtrusive bins. ,Toronto can do better.” |
| 79 | 07/11/2005 08:55:52 AM | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | Blocks the sidewalk too much. | No | They block the view too much. | They are too tall. Should place them sideways so they are no higher than current bins. |
| 80 | 07/11/2005 09:39:53 AM | Yes | Roncesvalles South of Dundas | No | Practical – no. Practical would be 1/2 the height. | Yes | Obstructs views and walking. Why is it diagonal? Nothing else is diagonal on the sidewalk – because that hogs space. Serves no practical purpose but advertising. | No | I very strongly object to the height of these bins. We do not need such patheticly obvious billboards littered about. Isn’t the city saturated with ads enough? They are an eye-sore. A lot of people walk in this city – why are we squeezing them out? | “At recent design awards David Miller urged designers (architects, etc.) to do a better job in the city. What’s the point if the street vista is blocked by these dumb billboards (let’s get over calling them recycling bins, because if that’s all they were, they wouldn’t have to be more than waist height)?! Picture yourself as a pedestrian, standing on the sidewalk – these billboards obscure the visual continuity of the street. Imagine Bath England or Turin Italy with these thing plunked in the way? I guess we never will be a world class city after all.” |
| 81 | 07/11/2005 11:38:55 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “I have not seen them but if it’s at no cost, why not try” | Yes | “worth a shot, we don’t seem to loose anything” | [Blank] |
| 82 | 07/11/2005 12:52:21 PM | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 83 | 07/11/2005 03:04:08 PM | Yes | Lakeshore & Brownsline | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “They are much nicer and cleaner than old boxes, easier to use, no flaps to hit yout hand.” | Yes | It’s nice to see the city actually doing something about the garbage in the city. | [Blank] |
| 84 | 07/11/2005 04:27:53 PM | Yes | Bloor and Windermere | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “The side facing the sidewalk is great, the openning on the road side is too near the road and too close to the corner, I would be worried that a fast turning car might not see me standing on the edge of the sidewalk” | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 85 | 07/11/2005 09:47:13 PM | Yes | Roncesvalles near Dundas | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “It’s so big and so close to the road that it blocks my view of traffic, people and buildings from a block or more away. As a woman I like to be able to easily see what is going on around me... not possible with this large behemoth.” | No | The bins in current use support recycling and advertising... therefore revenue should be available from these bins. Their horizontal format allows one an unimpeded view of what is going on in the area. I don’t believe we should compromise our aesthetic values for money. | “The vertical format and large size are very intrusive... this new bin is an affront to pedestrian traffic. David Miller is recommending that Toronto be beautified... I believe this can “uglifies” the city. Ship them out!” |
| 86 | 07/11/2005 11:26:47 PM | Yes | Howard Park + Indian Road | No | “Bin openings were small, and capacity was very small. Signs were obscure – oh, except for the enormous ad frontage, which is the only real purpose of these boxes.” | Yes | “The ad boxes are obscenely large and rude intrusions on the sidewalk. It’s like having a roottop billboard blocking it.Someone could hide behind one, ready to attack. The signs seem to say, your city has been sold out from under you, and you will have no peace from ads even in public space – there is no such thing anymore. OBSCENE.” | No | “NO NO NO NO!!!,Raise my taxes a buck a year, and leave me alone on the sidewalk!,The City is not in the ad business, and selling off public space is not ethical.” | “Why is the City trying to block postering, while putting huge billboards on the SIDEWALK? Can you say, stinking hypocrisy?,Is the message that only those willing to pay off the city get to speak?,Postering is a historical right, and necessity to democracy. Huge commercial billboards are an erosion of street life, and a repulsive sellout. I doubt there is any public support for this at all.” |
| 87 | 07/11/2005 11:30:30 PM | Yes | Bloor/Keele | No | There is way too much information and too many different openings | Yes | “They are very gaudy and awful to look at. They will also pose a safety risk to the public as it will obstruct the view of oncoming traffic or cyclists. As well, it ruins the outdoor experience when you walk out of your residence only to be slapped in the face with advertisement. It makes me angry.” | No | “As mentioned, it will not be worth the increased revenues if it will pose a hazard to the public. It is very obstructive and in the way of pedestrians.” | “Please do not go ahead with this. We do not need to have a towering 7 high x 5 wide x 2 deep object that takes up at least 20% of sidewalk space that will not only crowd the street scape, but also cause a stench in warm weather when it is filled to capacity.Not only that, what is the point of having a dual sided garbage opening when one side is facing the street. In order to access the other side, one must lean precariously over the edge of the sidewalk at the risk of getting hit by zooming traffic...NOT A GOOD IDEA!!!” |
| 88 | 07/12/2005 08:34:27 AM | Yes | [Blank] | No | Have to stand in the street to use one end. | Yes | “Blocks the sidewalk too much, and too tall to see over.” | No | They are looming over me. Blocks my view of all the nice neighborhood things I used to see. Too tall. | Too tall. Should get ones that are waist-high so you can see better. |
| 89 | 07/12/2005 11:42:32 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | Will these new bins replace the existing green ones? Am I supposed to carry my wet garbage to them? | [Blank] | [Blank] | See 4. above. |
| 90 | 07/12/2005 06:12:07 PM | Yes | Bloor and Windermere (Bloor West Village) | No | “The garbage bin was tiny, no larger than a trash can under a sink. Since other garbage bins in the city sometimes overflow, a bin this size is hardly useful. Also, the bin nearest the street was too close to traffic. This structure is obviously a double billboard with garbage and recycling collection added as an afterthought.” | Yes | “I’d be concerned that this bin would block the view of drivers and pedestrians. Besides, this bin blocks the view of Bloor West Village, a neighbourhood that’s known for its great street life--an element Toronto needs more of.” | No | “I sympathize with city councillors trying to balance the books without raising taxes, but I’d prefer to pay more taxes than to have these eyesores dotting our sidewalks. You might put a small dent in a deficit, but I think you’ll create a lot of dissatisfaction.” | “It’s easy to see why the company that created these bins is offering them “free”: the advertising revenue would probably be enormous. The trade-off for the city, however, would be terrible. These structures would discourage community life on our sidewalks; their usefulness and, I’ll bet, the revenue they would reap for the city is paltry compared to the disruption they would cause. If we need to sell city space to advertising companies, surely we can do better.” |
| 91 | 07/13/2005 08:01:40 AM | Yes | jane $ steeles | No | “It is better to have a bin that can be used in passing, without stopping.” | Yes | “They are intrusive, must be walked around instead of by.” | No | “The benefit of extra advertising space doesen’t, it seems to me, have to come at such a high cost: the bins are an eyesore.” | “I appreciate when a good design solution is achieved. However, the garbage storing component of these bins (their real function) seems compromised and is inconvenient to use. I resent that a large scale, freestanding, sidewalk billboard-something never seen before-is being pushed on us in the guise of a service.” |
| 92 | 07/13/2005 09:48:34 AM | Yes | Roncesvalles Avenue & Howard Park | [Blank] | “The bin was easy to understand, but as far as ease of use NO as the receptacle was already full and clearly misused as everything seemed mixed up.” | Yes | It is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen. Clearly more an initiative to get more advertising dollars then it is to keep our city clean. It takes away from the landscape of our city and blocks any visability from our streetscape. Someone obviously is lining someone elses pockets if these receptacles are to be erected throughout the city. | No | Absolutely not. I would be more in favour to have my taxes increased then to litter the city with these monster eyesores. | Open your eyes! Visit other cities and see what they have done to rid their cities of trash...how about enforcing littering penalties...if someone actually followed through with their by-laws then there would be money to spend on better looking receptacles and people would be afraid to litter in fear that they may be charged. These laws have no teeth. |
| 93 | 07/13/2005 11:18:54 AM | Yes | Roncesvalles and Howard Park | No | “Difficult to determine what trash goes where, especially with the combination of the cans and bottles with the newspapers. This slot is also too high for children to to reach. Finally, it appears that the cigarette butts could easily fall into the general trash section and start a fire.” | Yes | It takes up to much space as it is positioned diagonally across the sidewalk. Also it appears to be a perfect spot for a mugger/rapist to hide. | No | “Please see my above comments. Also, the city should not be encouraging consumption the same time they are encouraging recycling. Finally, as the city is cracking down on A frames and other local advertising it is hypocritical to allow national advertising of such an obtrusive nature.” | Please do not continue this program after the trial |
| 94 | 07/13/2005 11:57:42 AM | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | They are too large. Giant billboards blocking the sidewalk. | No | “If we are having electricity shortages, why are they illuminated? Who is paying to light them up, the taxpayer?” | “If we are having electricity shortages, why are they illuminated? Who is paying to light them up, the taxpayer?” |
| 95 | 07/13/2005 01:15:47 PM | Yes | Bloor & Winderemere | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | Very convenient | Yes | [Blank] | They look very modern |
| 96 | 07/13/2005 02:03:41 PM | Yes | dundas&pacific and somewhere in bloor west village | No | not good for the wheelchair bound. the current bins are much easier to use. people I spoke to thought there was no recycling/ or were confused is it glass only or glass plastic and paper? | Yes | “as a driver I am concerned about sight lines being cut off.as a pedistrian I am concerned about potential hidden attackers.” | No | “I am not in favour of the new bin design. I am not in opposition to ad revenues generated by them, but already the local prostitute in my neighbourhood has set it up as her base of operations.” | “I can see people making book and other undesirables taking them over as an outdoor office. the local prostitute in my hood loves it. it has a shelf for her drink. an ashtray for her smokes and a bin for her... I have already seen the bins overflowing and people setting garbage on the shelf above the bin. lidless trash receptacles attract vermin. I’m sure the seagulls love this bin, as do the squirrels and rats.the design is too obviously an advertising revenue cash grab. I have no opposition to advertising piggybacking on public projects so long as the function of the intended item is not hindered by the adverts. if you need help redesigning this project or have any questions regarding my concerns please do not hesitate to contact me at [redacted]” |
| 97 | 07/13/2005 10:17:01 PM | Yes | Lakeshore and Fourth St. | No | Difficult to understand initially and not practical for easy disposal while walking by. | Yes | “Too close to the sreet, very intrusive and obtrusive. A real eyesore, it might as well just be a billboard. Obstructs view of both vehicular and pedestrian traffic.” | No | “The lower profile and simpler existing stainless steel bins are much easier to use, less obtrusive and also have revenue potential.” | “Safety, asthetics and overall practicality are NOT words I would use to describe these bins/billboards.” |
| 98 | 07/14/2005 10:29:25 AM | No | “I have not used them, but I have seen the one on Pacific and Dundas” | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | I think these are the ugliest garbage bins I’ve ever seen. They are an eyesore and detract from the neighbourhood. | No | The city has spent a lot of money and time on neighbourhood revitalization and making our streets attractive. These bins detract from the streetscape and should be removed. | “I am rarely moved to comment about these sorts of things; however, these bins are so unattractive that I was prompted to fill out the survey. Please remove them.” |
| 99 | 07/14/2005 11:12:55 AM | Yes | Dundas & Pacific | Yes | It wasn’t obvious looking at these units that they were actually for garbage. First and foremost they look like a superstructure to hold advertising. | No | “They are incredibly ugly. They take up to much visual space for their function. I much prefer the existing boxes with 3 slots (for paper, cans and bottles and for trash). These have room for advertising but they are not so obtrusive.” | No | “Advertising and revenue for the city is a great idea (times are tough). However, these things are terribly designed. Professionally I work in a design environment for museums. I would get fired if I designed anything so ugly.” | Back to the drawing board. I would suggest staying with the same profile as the current garbage/recycling bins (i.e. more horizontal rather than vertical). The new design is a space occupying eyesore! |
| 99 | 07/14/2005 11:12:55 AM | Yes | Dundas & Pacific | Yes | It wasn’t obvious looking at these units that they were actually for garbage. First and foremost they look like a superstructure to hold advertising. | No | “They are incredibly ugly. They take up to much visual space for their function. I much prefer the existing boxes with 3 slots (for paper, cans and bottles and for trash). These have room for advertising but they are not so obtrusive.” | No | “Advertising and revenue for the city is a great idea (times are tough). However, these things are terribly designed. Professionally I work in a design environment for museums. I would get fired if I designed anything so ugly.” | Back to the drawing board. I would suggest staying with the same profile as the current garbage/recycling bins (i.e. more horizontal rather than vertical). The new design is a space occupying eyesore! |
| 100 | 07/14/2005 11:55:06 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 101 | 07/14/2005 12:09:41 PM | No | [Blank] | No | n/a | No | They are too damn big and mar the visual landscape | No | “Toronto is cluttered with more than enough corporate advertising – turning the streetcars into billboards is ugly enough, do we have to build ridiculously tall street-level billboards too?” | “Can we please try to make the city more aesthetically pleasing, and not less?” |
| 102 | 07/14/2005 12:19:43 PM | No | “but i have seen them around the city (Long Branch, etc.)” | [Blank] | haven’t had a chance to use one yet | No | “they look good and the extra advertising revenue for the city would be nice, hopefully used to keep the city cleaner” | Yes | [Blank] | curious as to how they work and looking forward to trying it out |
| 103 | 07/14/2005 12:32:18 PM | No | why aren’t their sizes measured in METRIC? | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “we use metric, not imperial measures in Canada” | No opinion | [Blank] | Stop using imperial measures :) |
| 104 | 07/14/2005 12:43:28 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | NA | No | have not noticed them | No | “I find it disturbing that a garbage can which is supposed to be a functional container will have advertising, it distracts people from the real purpose of the container – furthermore why would a company want their product associated with refuse, the only reason I can think of is that the advertising is cheap to buy, if so then it’s probably not generating that much revenue” | “garbage bins should look like garbage bins, then perhaps people will use them more” |
| 105 | 07/14/2005 01:22:48 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 106 | 07/14/2005 01:42:30 PM | Yes | Steeles & Jane | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 107 | 07/14/2005 02:05:08 PM | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] | “like them, very innovative and attractive” | Yes | [Blank] | “Keep them, time to move forward with something new and innovative. Makes the streets and city look a hell of a lot better.” |
| 108 | 07/14/2005 03:43:30 PM | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | “First off, I like the progressive design of the bins. Nicely modern, a trait too few elements of Toronto seem to have. But please keep the size of advertising space to a minimum. There is absolutely no need for it to be as large as it is save for corporate interests. This will be a very telling gesture by the city – in permitting the saleable rights of the basic amenities of public urban space, it is essentially telling Torontonians that the space is not theirs, that it is worth far more to sell it to the business community and that thses intersts trump those of the citizenry. A few million more to be made on advertising each year simply is not worth the message behind it. Please give this some though.” |
| 109 | 07/14/2005 04:22:30 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | They take up too much space. | No | “Simply install more of the existing format, which include advertising, but aren’t as intrusive.” | [Blank] |
| 110 | 07/14/2005 05:24:58 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 111 | 07/14/2005 06:00:49 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “I find them too large and imposing, dominating the area around them.” | No | They’re simply too large and don’t blend into the area at all. There is too much advertizing in this city as it stands. | Stick to the units that already exist. |
| 112 | 07/14/2005 06:25:26 PM | Yes | Martin Grove and Finch | Yes | “It’s easy to understand, however, it seems that a lot of people are throwing everything in the garbage part of the unit. This is most likely because the sign for the different compartments isn’t on the side which you put the trash/recycling in. (some people get confused easily)” | Yes | [Blank] | No opinion | It would depend on the advertisement. | Put labels for the different compartments on all sides of the unit. |
| 113 | 07/14/2005 07:02:08 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | Revenue at the cost of civic beautification is not worth it. There are a frightening amount of commercial ads in Toronto. I am tired of being advertised to on a constant basis. | “They are huge and unsightly. I do not want to see them cropping up all over the city. The actual receptacle is quite small, yet the imposing ad space is well over six feet tall.” |
| 114 | 07/14/2005 07:34:39 PM | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | “confused me, bin was overflowing at the time.” | No | I think they should be more central and emptied more frequently | No | We live in a world where everything is either related to advertising or taxes. We pay our taxes. Buy bins so we don’t have to look at advertising. | take them all out and replace them with normal bins. |
| 115 | 07/14/2005 09:35:36 PM | Yes | [Blank] | No | “Have to stand in street to use one end.Not much bin space for the monstrous size.” | Yes | “Even though they have a smaller footprint than the current bins, they obstruct the sidewalk more because they are angled across the walk.” | No | “We would receive revenue from better-designed bins as well. The city has to act in the interests of the polity as a whole, not only from the perspective of the pocketbook but also from the perspective of what makes an excellent city. Vertical bins which block the view do not take in so much more money than equally-sized horizontal bins that do not block the view. Even if they did take in more, is that worth making this a city in which pedestrians have a poor experience? Is there not an economic value to a lovely city in which pedestrians are valued for their participation rather than hemmed in as cattle for advertisers? These people are, after all, shopping while they stroll, and the more pleasant their experience the more loose their purse-strings.” | “The economic complaint about the current bins is that they are the wrong size to accomodate standard advertising posters. The difference in size is not much, and the general concept of a horizontal bin can easily be retained while accomodating standard size posters. There is no need to obstruct people’s view and thereby detract from the value of this city.” |
| 116 | 07/14/2005 11:01:45 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | “The damage that this would do to the city’s landscape far outweighs the revenue we would receive – even if it is a great amount of dollars. Our city’s landscape is worth spending money to protect and should not be sacrificed to finance other areas. In addition, the city’s potential advertising space is nearly maxed out, and the result is that the city’s character and beauty is already being compromised. A barrage of advertising weakens Toronto’s image before tourists, and is an assault upon those who live here. It steals away the unique colour, texture, and beauty that Toronto has boasted for many years. ,I would be willing to support more creative measures in order to prevent these garbage cans from taking over our streets, and urge those involved to reconsider this plan.” | [Blank] |
| 117 | 07/14/2005 11:35:33 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | They obstruct my view of what is going on along the sidewalk and neighbourhood. | No | “making money is one thing, making money at the expense of a nice place to live is another. Isn’t the new deal for cities meant so that this kind of behaviour isn’t needed?” | [Blank] |
| 118 | 07/15/2005 12:18:47 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 119 | 07/15/2005 07:26:58 AM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | hmm... | No opinion | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 120 | 07/15/2005 10:02:33 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | They block the sidewalk. | No | [Blank] | They should not block the sidewalks. |
| 121 | 07/15/2005 11:28:57 AM | No | “Seen one, though.” | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “In people’s sight-lines. Besides being aesthetically disheartening, I felt it posed a possible threat e.g. to women walking alone at night. It’s creepy not knowing who’s standing behind there. Also certainly in the way of people with disabilities (i.e. in wheelchairs), strollers, etc. Why are they so large? Are you encouraging people to produce more garbage?” | No | “As a City employee, I can safely say that sacrificing our city streets is just not worth it. I know our coffers are bare, but unless these bins are decorated with useful tourist info or works of art or poetry, I just don’t see the payoff.” | “Not to give you sass or anything...but have you seen the movie Bladerunner? As a young person, I’d hate to be part of the brain drain. But with ideas like this, I’m not sure I’d have a choice but to move to another city where the garbage bins aren’t taller than I am. Sorry, guys – I know you’ve put a lot of work into this, but I just can’t support it.” |
| 122 | 07/15/2005 01:13:43 PM | Yes | Bloor and Armadale | No | “Cigarette part is difficult to determine. Also not necessary as there are now so few smokers in Toronto, and very few smoke on streets; they do so in Europe where they were designed” | No | “impede pedestrian traffic (unlike old OMG ones),obscure pedestrians view of motor traffic,obscure view ahead on sidewalks” | No | “They are eye-sore, and could prove dangerous. Also old OMG bins did not have these disadvantages, but also had advertising which was less disruptive.” | “There is the potential for persons to hide behind these huge bins and use them as a place from which to startle, steal, assault,passers by” |
| 123 | 07/15/2005 01:16:00 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | The city has enough advertising as it is. | “No matter how many new bins would be installed, people would continue to litter.” |
| 124 | 07/15/2005 02:15:40 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | I don’t want to be bombarded with more advertising. There is an excess of it now. | I haven’t seen them therefore it is difficult to answer these questions. How do they work?. It looks like there are drawers? I would like to know what is wrong with the current recycling devices? Are the new ones designed with safety in mind i.e. anti-terrorism. |
| 125 | 07/15/2005 02:18:41 PM | Yes | Can’t remember | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “They take up too much room and block what little view pedestrians have. My understanding is that they also use electricity, which doesn’t seem very practical.” | No | I don’t know that revenue increases should mean a decrease in the quality of life. | “Maybe smaller advertisements on the current size bins. The current ones seem more geared toward cars, and too much of the city is geared toward cars rather than people.” |
| 126 | 07/15/2005 02:25:24 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | “I’ve not seen them in person, but isn’t 7’ a little gigantic? Who is reaching 1.5 feet above their head to toss their trash?” | No | [Blank] | “Seriously, rethink this design. It’s ugly, large and impractical. What is wrong with our current recepticals? The openings are a bit small, but are at human hand level which is a plus. As well, the current design blends into the streetscape. Why would we want to make our garbage stand out? Ick, seriously.” |
| 127 | 07/15/2005 08:27:51 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | “They impede a clear view of the sidewalk, and also to some extent, the street itself. There seems to be no reason to do so except for the advertising made available. Is the safety of citizens and the pleasure of reciprocal visibility to be made subordinate to the demands of consumption?” | No | “These proposed bins seem to me to be the worst design possible that a city would choose to situate in its public spaces. The balance seems entirely weighted towards the advertising side of the equation. Even as they are argued to provide ‘more space for recycling’, to be ‘easy to use’ it is blatantly obvious that it is meant to be a ‘poster holder’ first, and a garbage bin second. Would it be too much to ask that it look like a garbage bin and that it not be the most largest and most inelegant and crassly commercial version of street furniture employed by any major city I’ve inhabited? ,If you put up these particular garbage bins after the fallout from the ‘toronto unlimited’ campaign, it is very much going to look like amateur hour at City Hall.Thanks for considering my response.” | [Blank] |
| 128 | 07/15/2005 08:51:57 PM | No | [Blank] | No | “One end butted into the sidewalk where people are trying to get by, and the other end was near the street” | Yes | “I have only seen one of the new bins on Roncessvales avenue. I’m not sure if it was a mistake but the huge bin was placed, diagonally so it really interfered with the people walking, this is a busy sidewalk. I had also heard that the bins might be lighted up at night, bad idea, it competeds with the signs of existing merchants, and will cause them to have to make their own energy wasting lights bigger.” | No | “No, the old bins are nice. No amount of money would be worth putting these large pedestrian blocking billboards on out sidewalks. If they want to advertise to drivers, put them on the street where they will be blocked instead.” | “The old ones were pretty good, they went sideways and were in a position parallel to how people walked along the street. This meant it is more likely there will be room to put trash and recycling in its place. Please do not block the sidewalks with more advertising, we should be encouraging walking, not turning the sidewalks into billboard space for motorists.” |
| 129 | 07/15/2005 10:14:26 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “They seem to be an impediment to pedestrian traffic and a hazard for cyclists (pedestrians might step out from behind them into the path of a cyclist. The pedestrian would probably get back on the curb right away and not be injured, but the spooked cyclist would probably swerve into traffic to avoid them).” | No | “I think the existing garbage bins are sufficient. Perhaps more of those would be a good idea, or a larger amount of advertising dollars should go to the city from them.” | They are TOO HIGH. Nothing on the sidewalk should be able to obscure a full grown person. 7’x5’ provides an AMAZING little shelter for anyone trying to hide from anyone else. Such as the police. |
| 130 | 07/16/2005 08:52:38 AM | Yes | Bloor and Runneymede | No | We had to stop and figure it out. It isn’t intuitive. | No | It is positioned more for the benefit of the advertiser than the user | No | Public service messages or city events would seem more appropriate and a good opportunity for the city to connect and inform the public. Commercial Advertising already has enough ad space everywhere esle. | Please make them functional and benificial and considerate to the community and the location that they are placed. |
| 131 | 07/16/2005 09:31:02 AM | No | [Blank] | No | The advertisements and huge billboards are more eye-catching than the bin itself. I was confused as to the purpose of this enormous structure. | No | I think they are incredibly ugly. I feel embarrassed to stop and read about them in the street because they are so huge. Why can’t a garbage bin just look like a garbage bin? The billboard attached to it makes it look ridiculous. | No | “Absolutely not. There is already enough advertising on public space in the city. First it was posters on the sides of buses, then the windows of TTC buses were covered with a film that allowed advertisers to display a huge ad, showing off their product. The ads distract from the bin.” | “They seem out of place and completely “over the top”. I would be more than happy if the city removed them.” |
| 132 | 07/16/2005 11:34:24 AM | Yes | Dundas West & Pacific | Yes | “However, if the true aim of these new bins is to handle garbage, recycling and cigarette butts more efficiently (as opposed to selling ad space), this could be easily achieved with lower receptacles (as we have now) but with larger openings and a provision for cigarette butts.” | Yes | “They are too tall. No matter where they are positioned, they will block views in some way. The lower receptacles we now have are easier to position without creating the visual and pedestrian interference these new bins do.” | No | “Our sidewalks are already littered with newspaper boxes, sandwich boards, and (in our neighbourhood at least) display racks and produce bins from vatious stores. In order for these new bins to be effective as an advertising medium, they have to be positioned in such a way to visually block sidewalk views, and also cause an obstacle for pedestrians. Our city is turning into one giant billboard -- from the giant billboards of Dundas Square and in fact, all through the city, to the ludicrous sight of TTC buses disguised as chocolate bars and Yellow Pages,to the giant ads on every transit shelter to the sandwich boards and other junk on our sidewalks. Enough already!” | “If the City’s true aim is to develop better, more efficient bins, it should improve on the current, lower and less intrusive bins. What is the point of a city beautification drive if we’re willing to clutter our sidewalks further with advertising? I realize the City would receive these huge, ugly and intrusive bins for free, but is it really worth it when balanced against what they would do to our streetscapes?” |
| 133 | 07/16/2005 02:27:59 PM | Yes | Bloor and Windermere | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | They’re positioned so one side faces the road. You have to almost have to step onto the road to use this side. | No | These bins are too large and such an eyesore. They seem to be more of a billboard with two small garbage cans attached. The recycling opening seems too narrow. People don’t want to touch the bin to get their recyclables inside especially after the opening becomes dirty. The garbage cans seem too small and they’ll be overflowing easily. I would be greatly disappointed if these were the future garbage bins to line our major streets. | “I’m not sure if I know what the problem is with the the existing bins. They look good, they are low key, and I believe they have advertising on them. The only downfall I see with them is the spring loaded flaps on them that get all dirty and digusting. People will just get their garbage in half way before the flap closes. Some of this garbage will fall to the ground and in no time the opening gets, or looks like, its blocked. Along with the three month trial of the new bins, I would like to see the city take off the flaps of the existing bins and see how they work. Lastly, I believe the new trial bins will filled with garbage bags from residents living close to these as is seen with the garbage cans in some of our parks and ‘Green P’ parking lots.” |
| 134 | 07/16/2005 11:31:47 PM | No | “no, but i’ve walked past them.” | No | “easy to use, but like the existing ‘divided waste bins’ its always disgusting to push the bottle/trash the last little bit trying to avoid touching the gross lid. Rubber openings help, but am curious if theres something else that will stay open temporarily that is obstruction free opening.” | Yes | i don’t like how deep they go into the sidewalk. when walking in groups they obstruct traffic as they are unnecessarily deep. Though its a trade off since the poster sized boards are revenue generators too. First and foremost sidewalk space should be considered. | Yes | “yes, but do they have to be 5 feet deep. Could they be something less and just have advertisers print/design the ads to fit.” | [Blank] |
| 135 | 07/17/2005 12:54:29 PM | Yes | Lakeshore & kipling | No | the openings are too small | No | take up too much room | No | there is enough advertising space out there without cluttering the streets with any more | sounds like another cash grab at the expense of our urban landscape |
| 136 | 07/17/2005 05:35:10 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | “the bins should promote city services and have maps of the neighbourhoods they are in, might be more useful then promoting consumerism and will help people get around the city and to know were they are” |
| 137 | 07/17/2005 08:01:16 PM | No | [Blank] | No | “not that great of a design, it’s not user friendly!!!” | Yes | “They block the sidewalk. also i’m concerned with the height, some one can easily hide behind them. also they block the view of the storefronts, ie: the one located at Pacific and Dundas” | No | “The black OMG boxes are more attractive(if a garbage can,can be called that) than these new garbage cans” | Get rid of them! |
| 138 | 07/17/2005 10:49:21 PM | No | [Blank] | No | “They are not as practical as the existing three holed “real” waste disposal units. They are too high for kids. The cigarette dispenser could be a problem! Especially if people put lit smokes in other cubbies.” | Yes | They are SERIOUSLY ugly and obtrusive. I think that they could be dangerous for women in that someone could be waiting behind one and mug/rape her. | No | As a local business owner a do not like the thought that these big biz ads would encourage people to shop elsewhere!!! | Please listen to the people and do not waste time installing. They are awful. |
| 139 | 07/18/2005 09:55:09 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | haven’t used one. I like using the old ones ... nobody can hide behind them! | Yes | “They are too big, and the garbage cans are too small – don’t hold much! They block the view, and people can hide behind them easily at night and possibly scare you or even attack you!” | No opinion | “City receiving increased revenue: where is the revenue going to go to? What are they going to do with the money? Improve public services, or give a pay increase to those supposedly running the city?,These are the few questions that I would like answered before I can form an educated oppinion!” | Could you not increase the size of the garbage cans on the sides? Also ... most of them are now positioned such that to use one side you would be too close to the border of the sidewalk ... dangereous! |
| 140 | 07/18/2005 10:12:25 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | N/A | No | I have not used one as yet. | No opinion | [Blank] | No |
| 141 | 07/18/2005 10:28:07 AM | Yes | Bloor and Windemere | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | The Bins are too high...the other bins with the advertising on the side blend in better | The Bins are too high...the other bins with the advertising on the side blend in better |
| 142 | 07/18/2005 02:26:36 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | “These signs represent the worst possible compromise between functionality (the curbside openings are too close to the curb, the sidewalk-side opening places the user in the flow of pedestrian traffic) and positioning (the diagonal placement of the signs means that the ‘footprint’ they occupy on the sidewalk is effectively an enourmous square...)” | No | “These signs and the current test of video screens in the subway, taken together, represent a very disturbing trend of thinking in the current council. I have yet to see a comprehensive and detailed third-party breakdown of the costs and revenues associated with the sidewalk signs, but I have for the subway video terminals. What I know of the sidewalk signs so far represents a similar picture:,- the real revenue gained is essentially insignificant compared to the city’s operating budget,- the high revenue potential and low risk to the private companies involved in maintaining these ‘services’ are grossly out of proportion to the those of the city,- these sorts of highly visible non-solutions to the city’s budget problems serve as a distraction from any kind of real public discussion of real solutions to the city’s budgetary issues,- one of the largest real costs to these projects -- impossible to quantify, of course -- is the demand on residents of this city to live in an environment increasingly populated by ‘loud’ advertising messages instead of more human, aesthetically-pleasing objects. Even a private-sector project like the construction of BCE Place (to pull an example out of a hat), left us with a contextually appropriate, aesthetically-pleasing addition to Toronto’s skyline; the advertising content of the building per se is relegated to a tiny ‘blip’ of a logo at the top, and most of the building’s bulk exists up and away from the sidewalks where people move about it. At ground level (and below) the building houses a large number of services of great utility to the resident and working populations in the area, and if I remember the blocks around it accurately, it has served to transform them into more pleasing and usable spaces.By contrast, the new signs _depend_ on their inappropriateness to and aesthectic disjunct with their surrounding (the better to attract attention), something like 80% of their surface area is dedicated to advertising, and they provide no service or benefit to local residents that doesn’t already exist, while being more obstrusive, more obstructive, and polluting, to boot (additional light pollution from the signs and the resources required to power the lights).Council’s responsiveness to private sector, self-serving salesmen offering incredibly parsimonious and more-or-less one-sided ‘deals’ causes me to question the motivations, competence, creativity and analytical skills of council.” | “Yes, I believe the fact that all city-published materials refer to these objects as “garbage/recycling bins” is a cynical and disingenuous sales pitch, trying to spin them as a positive thing for the public good rather than allow for a serious unprejudiced public consideration of their real value to the city and its residents. They are _signs_, first and foremost; the insertion of receptacles into their centres is simply a tactic to be gain permission to install them on public sidewalks.” |
| 143 | 07/18/2005 03:07:17 PM | No | pacific & dundas | No | Small garbage area | Yes | They impede pedestrian traffic and block store windows | No | The old style are fine- We don’t need the city competing with retailers for their window space. | Go back to old style- just make them work better |
| 144 | 07/18/2005 03:56:07 PM | Yes | Bloor & Windermere | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “too high, obstructs line of sight,,this is a safety issue in my opinion,,pedestrians crossing the street will not be,seen by cars” | No | [Blank] | “maximum height should be 3 feet,,they can be longer.” |
| 145 | 07/18/2005 06:10:23 PM | Yes | dundas/pacific | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “This bin is blocking the window of a paint store, it is so big you cannot see into the store even walking along the sidewalk.” | No | It looks like the design is more towards advertising than garbage collection. The bin does not seem to hold much more than the regular bins throughout the city and they are always overflowing with garbage all the time. It seems that we are always being preached that reuse is the best way toward garbage managment and here we are getting new garbage cans and then tossing out the old ones. The best way would be to do modifications on the old cans that are throughout the city already. | “the city has way too much visual advertising and to add more would be a mistake. We cannot have the whole city looking like Dundas Square. Plus who pays for the electricity to light these garbage cans. It would seem we would be creating pollution when we create electrity to run a garbage colledtion system, that just does not seem like a logical path to take.” |
| 146 | 07/18/2005 11:56:38 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | dsads | dd |
| 147 | 07/19/2005 09:30:55 AM | Yes | SW corner of Keele & Lawrence | Yes | The openings for garbage and recyclables seem to be fairly well positioned and labeled. | Yes | If possible bins should be positioned parallel to the street length wise to allow for maximum use of both openings for pedestrians that are walking by. And it would also take up less sidewalk space as well. | Yes | [Blank] | Overall size of the new bins seems a little bit big (height in particular) and would occupy a considerable amount of sidewalk space especially when placed in the downtown core area where sidewalk space is at a premium. Also green sources of energy should be considered for illumination for the new bins so as not to add additional strain to our already well used power grid. |
| 148 | 07/19/2005 02:36:18 PM | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | They directly block storefront views. | No | We get bombarded with advertising everyday and we don’t need another big display in our face. They block store fronts and look ugly. What will the city do with the revenue. Will the neighbourhoods in which these bins are located receive these funds directly as they should. | “If they are to be there at all, the advertising space should be used for local community groups and business for free or very cheap rates. My opinion is to trash the trash bins as fast as possible.” |
| 149 | 07/19/2005 04:12:50 PM | Yes | Dundas & Pacific (Keele) | No | Not user friendly – slots felt as though they were too high | Yes | “I personally feel they are obstructive & intrusive to our urban landscape. Although our tradtitional waste recepticals contain advertising it is less intrusive as it does not block ones view of the city. ,Presently the bins seem recessed from the sidewalk – if this was to rollout to across the city this may pose a potenial risk in terms of seeing pedestrians & children who may walk out from beside the bin” | No | “As a marketer I feel as though the new bins are visually intrusive – in all honesty they look more like a bus shelter than a waste bin. It’s a bit ironic if you think that as a city who is on one hand leading the global march in terms of conservation & recycling – I applaud our efforts with the blue/green box program. As a soceity obsesses with consumerism it seems wasteful that our waste bins have in your face ads promoting use to consume in excess even more products/services. Overall, they seem like a plague on our city that is presently under a cultural revolution.” | Please reconsider placing these bins as they would be a plague to our beautiful our garbage bins should be inconspicious and not so bold that they look like their on steriods. Please reconsider these bins they may look new and flashy but at the end of the day they are still a trash bin. |
| 150 | 07/19/2005 05:44:49 PM | Yes | dundas and pacific | No | like using an elephant to crush a cigarette butt ........ grossly oversized | No | they are wonderfully located if you prefer your business and window space blocked from view to the public on whom you would rely for business | No | the whole monstrosity is nothing but a billboard for advertising | “what in the hell is wrong with the existing cans ........... ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it ‘ the size of these things is an obsenity” |
| 151 | 07/19/2005 05:57:51 PM | Yes | NOt sure of exact location it was in the Annex area | No | “I am 5’2” I found the top to high and it took me a while to figure out where to put what.” | No | The bins are to big 7’x5’is oversized for a city street. It needs to be scaled down to fit within the confinds of the urban landscape. At that size it is a thin bus depot not a garbage can. I find the size constricts the view of the street. If a child darted out from behind one of these bins it would be disasterous. I am also curious how it will effect vehicle traffic with something that big it is going to impede the view of a driver. | No | It would be better if the city designed its own bins to fit in with the landscape that will also have the ability to sell space. Why does it always have to be commercial space. Perhaps it a non-profit community group would like to pay for the use of space to get their message out. It is time the city stopped selling its self to the highest bidder. | “The design of the bin in aesthetically unatractive. The hight of the bin would block the view of any business or residence located near the placement of these bins. The whole concept of the bin is to sell advertising/garbage use is secondary. It is time for the city to start thinking about quality of life for the residence of the city. Stop selling it to the highest bidder just to “make a buck” There are more creative ways to consider. Why doesn’t the Toronto Arts Council put out a bid for a design of a garbage can with the same peramiters the corporate bins were designed by. It would be more interesting, highlight local artists and I bet have more people putting their trash into that garbage can than an monolith to advertising.” |
| 152 | 07/19/2005 06:32:15 PM | Yes | Keele and St. Clair W. | No | garbage hole is large and enticing. unlikely anyone will bother figuring out where to put recyclables (for sure the smokers won’t use them). | No | I have only seen this one which is in a wide open space. I would not want to see these bins anywhere where pedestrians or cyclists are more common. | No | “cash grabbing is embarassing for Toronto, we can do better than this silly bin.” | too big; too tall; looks like a bus stop; appear more focused on advertising than waste collection; this type of blatant cash grabbing by the city is embarassing; rather see a short wide bin than a tall skinny one; |
| 153 | 07/19/2005 09:35:43 PM | Yes | Dundas West & Bloor | No | The slot for garbage was too small. My hand got caught in it and I was slightly bruised. | Yes | “When set at right angles to the road, they block too much of the already crowded sidewalk, over half. Because of their height they also block the view of the streetscape.” | No | No amount of revenue from the use of these horrible devices could compensate for how much they cheapen the apprearance of the city streets. | “Having huge obstructions covered in advertising blocking the sidewalk is an idea so gross and stupid I can’t understand why it’s even being considered. As a life long citizen of Toronto, and a property tax payer, please, I beg you, I beg you, do not use these ugly monsters. I’d rather pay a little more property taxes. What’s the use of money if I can’t enjoy walking down Bloor Street without having crass advertising shoved in my face and blocking my way. It’s bad enough the streetcars are covered in ugliness. Please spare us.” |
| 154 | 07/19/2005 10:15:28 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | haven’t used it | No | easy to see | Yes | “within reason, any commercial help to make recycling more benefitial is a good idea” | [Blank] |
| 155 | 07/19/2005 10:43:41 PM | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | “- instructions unclear (compared to silver cans), i.e. label type is small and labels not immediately adjacent to appropriate garbage openings,- openings too high: small children cannot reach upper openings” | Yes | “- placed sufficiently; however, initially thought it was an advertising board before realising it was a garbage can” | No | “- proposed garbage cans may promote blight: just because it’s free, that doesn’t mean it’s good,- the current silver cans are functional, elegant (oddly), and preferred by comparison. Couldn’t the silver cans be modified to contain more garbage volume AND advertising space (e.g. slightly higher/wider, larger openings)?” | “- upper openings are too high for small children, thereby discouraging proper/effective use or ecopreservation,- height and small breadth could pose toppling hazard,- more prone for vandalism: either graffiti or physical damage,- summarily, redesign/enhance design of current silver cans instead, and renegotiate arrangement,- alternatively, place garbage openings on both broad sides, occupying lower half of bin, arrange separate compartments horizontally can clearly labelled” |
| 156 | 07/20/2005 11:58:29 AM | Yes | Keele and Eglinton | Yes | “It was just as simple as any other garbage/recycling bin, but it was nice that it also had a spot for cigarete butts, which I find to be a hugr nuisence.” | Yes | “I find it rather convenient that the bin is located at the corner of the road, because it’s so easy to access.” | Yes | “Th city should follow through with any harmless means possible to support this project, because it aids in the maintenace of Toronto.” | [Blank] |
| 157 | 07/20/2005 01:19:35 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “They are too close to the curb to make use of the street-side of the bin safe or practical. They extend too far across the sidewalk, impeding pedestrian traffic.” | No | “I am strongly opposed to the bins. The old OMG bins are bad enough, these are a monstrosity. As an eyesore, the bins run counter to the objectives of the city’s clean and beautiful program. As an obstacle on the sidewalk, they run counter to the objective of making the city more pedestrian-friendly. I would rather see my property taxes go up than see these on the street.” | We don’t need three months to test these bins. Get rid of them now. |
| 158 | 07/20/2005 02:41:04 PM | Yes | albion & finch | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | Perfect | Yes | The city needs more garbage bins | The city should install more garbage containers |
| 159 | 07/20/2005 02:42:11 PM | Yes | Albion Rd | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | they are ok | Yes | the city needs more money | The city should install more garbage containers |
| 160 | 07/20/2005 02:45:21 PM | Yes | Bathurst & Sheppard | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | ok | Yes | why not? the city needs more bins | The city needs bins at all corners! |
| 161 | 07/20/2005 02:49:45 PM | Yes | Bloor & Winderemer | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | Ok | Yes | The city needs the cash | The city should ask for more bins |
| 162 | 07/20/2005 02:50:47 PM | Yes | Bloor and Jane | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | perfect | Yes | [Blank] | No additional comments |
| 163 | 07/20/2005 04:30:29 PM | Yes | Lakeshore and 26th ave | Yes | extremely easy to use and clean too! | Yes | placed with pedestrian traffic in mind and not at all obtrusive | Yes | I think it’s a great deal for the City | [Blank] |
| 164 | 07/20/2005 05:01:40 PM | Yes | Bloor St. west of Dundas W. | No | I passed by this enormous thing for weeks before I even realized it was a garbage can. | Yes | I think they are ugly and in the way. | No | “The city should not let private companies dictate how our street can look, just because they give us free stuff. The look of city streets should serve public interest.” | “Aren’t we trying to be a “clean and beautiful” city? More advertising on the street, especially so large, goes completely against that idea.” |
| 165 | 07/21/2005 12:35:54 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | cost is an important factor regardless of who’s pocket the cheque comes from. consider the value of the proposed revenue vs. the need for more advertisment in the city. | “1.storage for cigarette filters is insightful and responsible, does it pass fire safety tests? 2. I think that 7 feet high is too tall. 3. advertising is brainwashing and can be a neighborhood eye sore. This modle might be better suited for busy areas.my contact info: Chris @ [redacted] [redacted],good luck with our infrastructure” |
| 166 | 07/21/2005 10:38:24 AM | No | [Blank] | No | “I think the garbage units are not going to be very useful unless you plan on having them emptied every “second” day although a wider unit would work much better posssibly even attached to ttc stops would be great.” | Yes | [Blank] | No | how would you like paying 2000 a month and the only spot someone can park and get something in their car is where the garbage bin is or an independant grocer has a chain store advertising right in front of his biz with a garbage bin he didn’t want in the first place. | design rewards programs for groups that participate in clean up days that should be quarterly and then monthly not once a year. |
| 167 | 07/21/2005 11:23:57 AM | Yes | Lakeshore & 26th | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | “They are WAY too big...and ugly. They take up too much space, and are unsightly.” | Do we really need more large-scale advertising in the city?!?! These bins are terrible...the ones used currently are fine. Keep them. |
| 168 | 07/21/2005 11:53:49 AM | No | [Blank] | No | Too confusing. The part of the bin dedicated to garbage and recyclables seems be be dwarfed by the dedication to the advertising space. | Yes | “The two I have seen were at corners and placed at an angle. I think that this does not represent where they actually will be. In order for the advertising to be properly seen, I guess they will end up being placed perpendicular to the road, which renders one side of the garbage recepticle useless, as well as blocking the maximum of sidewald flow. As well, in the two examples I saw, I could not figure out how the garbage trucks would collect from them.” | No | “This seems to be all about advertising, and not at all about garbage. Every time we hear about our city’s budget woes, it seems someone comes up with a great idea that will give us money, but we have to sell our souls to the advertising industry to get what turns out to be very little money in the end. Since when did garbage collection have to be a revenue source? It should be part of what the city does with my tax dollars. If you measure how much in real dollars the city gets from such schemes against the visual pollution caused, I am left to wonder why we ever get mixed up in such things.” | “City provided services should not be sold to advertisers. Lately Howard Moscoe was quoted as saying “and it won’t cost us a cent!” when describing his proposal to have signs on street poles to inform riders when the next bus or streetcar is coming. Well, what it will cost us is the further pollution of our streets by advertising. We should not be sold so cheaply. In the big picture, given the size of the budget, we are getting very little money. How much would my property tax go up if we didn’t have to sell so much advertising space? I would expect very little.” |
| 169 | 07/21/2005 12:25:15 PM | No | Bloor and Runnymede | No | I didn’t use it as i object to it being placed on the sidewalk as it is so big and unsightly. | No | “They take up too much space and are too big, obtrusive and overwhelm the sidewalk streetscape.” | No | “There is too much advertising already in public spaces. We shouldn’t be selling our public spaces to private companies in this way. ,The bins are too big and obtrusive. Also, if private companies offer them, they will dictate where the bins will be positioned and located. They will want the bins in high-traffic visible areas, rather than where they are needed. A garbage bin is needed at the eastern exit of Keele subway station. There is no place to put garbage when people leave the subway and thus there is a lot of garbage on the ground at that subway entrance. However, companies might not deem that to be a high-visibility area. ,In any event, the current bins are much too big. It seems they are there to promote the advertisers more than to collect garbage.” | “Too much is being privatized in the public sector. The public sector should serve its constituents -- the public and work towards the public good, not on schemes that help advertisers. If projects benefit the public and business, then that is admissable, but the public’s interest should always be put first. And, in this case with the bins, because they are so large and obtrusive, the advertisers’ interests are being made a priority over the public good.” |
| 170 | 07/21/2005 12:36:16 PM | No | [Blank] | No | The openings appear too small and close together. | No | The size of these units makes them impossible to position them in any way as to make them appealing on any streetscape. | No | “No amount of revenue can convince me that these bins (or more accurately described as billboards)should be approved by council. Who’s interests are we helping? EUCAN, or the City? These bins are not well designed and do not serve the purpose for which they are intended.” | “Are these new installments ment to be garbage bins or a vehicle for advertsing? They completely disrupt public space and are not visually appealing. They are too large and very ugly. As a citizen of the city, I do not agree with any decision in favour of installing any more of these billboards.” |
| 171 | 07/21/2005 12:51:40 PM | Yes | Bloor and Windermere | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “I feel that the bin (Windermere and Bloor) takes up far too much room on a very busy pedestrian sidewalk. The bin looks like it is designed to catch the attention of passing cars with its advertising. On a busy intersection like Bloor and Windermere with many cyclist, pedestrians and autos, drivers don’t need more distractions.The Bin is far too big and does not fit in to the existing streetscape. the trash bin on the road side of the bin is much to close to the road making it hazardous to put trash in from that side.” | No | As I stated above the bins are far too big and do not fit in to the existing streetscape. | “make them smaller, especially in height. If the average person could see over them and they were not quite so wide they may be more acceptable.” |
| 172 | 07/21/2005 01:09:20 PM | Yes | Roncesvalles and Howard Park | Yes | BUT seemed there was a very small amount of receptacle space compared to current standard ones | Yes | “They are way too huge/tall, they totally block the sightlines down the sidewalk, made worse by cutting into the sidewalk by being placed at an angle, and I feel they would make the street a more dangerous place at night. They appear to be predominantly advertising and NOT garbage or recycling bins, even in function. Often the current garbage cans are overflowing, what happens if you reduce the capacity?” | No | “They are too huge and put billboards right in the pedestrian line of sight, blocking the view of everything else and littering the neighbourhood with visual garbage. Roncesvalles Village, for example, like many other TO neighbourhoods, has done a lot to upgrade and make the street look good, this would TOTALLY UNDERMINE that effort.” | “The current ones have ads on them, without an in-your-face approach. If they increase the size of the recepticle for garbage and halved the height, it might work. AND althought the sign was not backlit, I hope there is no plan too do so, and that they do not use energy.” |
| 173 | 07/21/2005 01:27:26 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “they are visually overpowering, ugly and a hinderance to pedestrian, cyclist, blader traffic” | No | “increased revenue does not justify selling off this city’s visual space, Toronto needs to get more beautiful by enhancing public space not by seeling it off to the first bidder” | “start small and low! Advertising is visual pollution and we have too much of it cluttering up public space already (Dundas Square); take a look at European cities and the value they put on preserving and enriching public spaces; look and learn, don’t sell” |
| 174 | 07/21/2005 01:31:04 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | n/a | Yes | n/a | No | “I am vehemently opposed this option. We are already inundated with advertising everywhere the eye can see. These larger bins seriously obstruct the view and are, quite frankly, onboixious. Blocked views, especially in areas over the height of an average person also create potential security issues. The City can certainly find better was to manage its resources than depending on Faustian deals with corporations.” | “They should only be resorted to should our new tourism campaign feature the tagline “Toronto the Trashy.”” |
| 175 | 07/21/2005 01:47:08 PM | No | [Blank] | No | “Can’t quite tell the size of the openings that collect recyclables from the small picture. My good guess is they may be too high for children under 4’, and inconvient to people on wheelchairs. The height of structure is too tall. It will be hiding the drivers’ views of the streets. In time when they get filthy, the streets will look very unsightly especially in tourist areas. What do you plan to do when the bins got filled with snow?” | No | Never near any street corners. It’s very dangerous for they will block the drivers’ view when they turn the street corners. They are not pleasant looking. They take up so much space while the actual size for the recyclables is so small. | Yes | Only when the structure is improved for look and functions. That means re-design the openings. I do not think the shapes are pleasant looking. | [Blank] |
| 176 | 07/21/2005 02:03:21 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | too much visual clutter alreday – we don’t need more ads in this city | No | “more visual noise,too much about consuming more” | leave the old ones |
| 177 | 07/21/2005 02:12:20 PM | Yes | Jane and Bloor | No | The signage is not explicite enough | Yes | “I think they are a roadway hazard. When driving west bound on Bloor, a pedestrian stepped out to cross(not at the pedestrian crossing) from behind the garbage bin and because of the bin’s excessive height I had no warning that the pedestrian was even there. It was a very close miss that would not have likely happened had the garbage bin been shorter then the average height of a person.” | No | I think the excessive height of the bins creates a roadway hazard because the bin blocks the drivers view of the pedestrians on the other side of the bin. | [Blank] |
| 178 | 07/21/2005 05:42:12 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “Too big for a garbage can, they block sidewalks for pedestrians/strollers/disabled, especially once the snow comes. The ones on corners (Main and Danforth) block drivers’ view around the corner and could lead to accidents. By being across the sidewalk they are very much a barrier to pedestrian traffic and neighbourhood development.Once the snow comes they will be in the way of snow removal and cause drifts – we already have issues on street corners with piles of snow and these will make it worse.” | No | “They are too big, and the city already has lots of advertising space available on transit shelters that offer a much more important service to the city. We do not need more ads on the street and the city gets revenue from the bus shelters.” | Advertisers should not be keen to associate their ads with garbage containers so the may be hard to sell. |
| 179 | 07/21/2005 07:31:25 PM | Yes | danforth near broadview somewhere | No | “the old bins are by far more clearly labelled and easy to use. the old ones are at a better height for children and people in wheelchairs.the fact that they are so high means that if a pedestrian wanders behind it and then into the street, a cyclist or motorist is less likely to see them. if the bin were shorter than a person, this problem would not exist.” | Yes | “the full rollout of the project will add thousands of light bulbs to the power grid, adding to the strain. But more importantly, the City is setting a bad example about conservation. After all, these lights aren’t serving any purpose except to illuminate the ads! Aren’t we supposed to be turning off non-essential devices?” | No | “Clearly the City of Toronto is more interested in meeting the needs of advertising companies rather than setting an example to reduce energy use. I see no reason why these new bins are any better than the old ones. You say that it won’t cost anything to the city to put them up, but it already doesn’t cost anything to keep the ones we have – the ones that are safer for pedestrians, more accessible, easier to use, and generally less obnoxious.” | “one word.obnoxious.i’m an environmentalist, and i’d still rather litter than use these monsters. i promise to deface as many giant garbage-can-monster-ads as i see if these bins make it onto the streets.” |
| 180 | 07/21/2005 08:52:03 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | I can’t find the words to descibe these things. They are just ridiculous. Who in his right mind would think that we want them. They are nothing but billboards which totally destroy the street scape. | No | If the councillors need extra spending money they should consider getting a part time job. Didn’t they learn anything from the previous so called (OMG advertising sponsored) recycling project. | Just make them disappear very quickly and I will pretend it never happened. |
| 181 | 07/21/2005 10:55:20 PM | Yes | Danforth and Main | No | “Much too high, my kids would have to reach up to use the garbage can.” | Yes | “They disrupt the flow of traffic, seeing as they block a significant portion of the sidewalk.” | No | “Big and obtrusive. I can’t imagine that the revenue is great enough to warrant such a blight on our sidewalks. Things can be done without advertising money, we just need to be more creative. I would rather pay a ‘garbage tax’ yearly than have to deal with ugly monoliths placed smack in the middle of the flow of pedestrians. If we have to have them, then how about if they had another use, like 25% of them would be used for community awareness space. For local plays, school events, or just having nice art showing in them. Maps of the city. Tourist information. Also, I wonder where the ‘revenue’ is going towards, maybe it would be easier to swallow if it had a cause that I could then support – ‘All revenue from these ads will go towards cleaning up the the Don river’. How about putting the money towards buying these cans back from eucan and using them for our own public awareness ads?” | “The garbage part (as small as it is), and apart from its height seems to have had some thought put into it. Much better than the current less obtrusive boxes. Which still work fine, don’t they? I don’t know if these new ones are always placed directly across the flow of traffic, but maybe placing them along traffic lines would also help – and make the dual garbage entry more useful.” |
| 182 | 07/22/2005 10:21:06 AM | Yes | Bloor & Christie | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | The bin is somewhat obstructing the sidewalk in this location. It would make more sense if the broadside was parallel to the sidewalk. | No | “There is currently enough advertising in public space in the city. The ads on the new bins are gigantic. I would approve of the adspace being used for city and public health campaigns, but not for commercial advertisement.” | “The inclusion of ashtrays for cigarette butts is a good idea. A lot of public education must accompany this to get cigarette butts out of the environment.In general the bins are way to large for the purpose they serve. The older lower profile bins are less obstructing to vision.” |
| 183 | 07/22/2005 01:24:57 PM | Yes | Bloor and Christie | No | [Blank] | Yes | Stop referring to them as garbage/recylcing bins.The fact the these monstrosities might contain garbage bins is beside the point. The are vehicles for adveristing first and foremost. They have no place on the sidewalks of Toronto. | No | Only those who those who thought that those hideous OMG bins were a good idea would approve of these bins. Is the City of Toronto so hard up that it that it has become such an easy mark for any quick-buck artist that comes along? The major expenses (i.e. emptying the receptacles) are going to be borne by the city. Is anything all right as long as the city receives a bit of revenue from it? | I have no additional comments more appropriate than those voiced by Christopher Hume in his column in the Toronto Star of 21 July 2005. City Councillors would be well-advised to read it. |
| 184 | 07/22/2005 10:50:52 PM | Yes | Bloor West & Jane | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | Only one end is usable. The other end can only be used by stepping out on the street. | Yes | [Blank] | “They are too big for most locations. They are ,another example of a poorly run publicly financed project.” |
| 185 | 07/22/2005 11:48:20 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “Frankly, I’m glad I haven’t come across one yet, but I can’t see how they would not be an impediment to clear sight lines for both traffic and pedestrians. About the only place I think they would tolerable is built into existing structures already the same size or larger, such as the bus shelters (although I seem to remember some controversy re. the existing bus shelter ads blocking sight such that someone stepping out was hit).” | No | “Even though there’s plenty of it already, city space for sale smacks of desperation and diminishes any image of ‘class’ for this city. I can understand how we find ourselves in this situation, though. I think Mayor Miller has to keep hammering the province (and in turn McGuinty the feds – it’s all about unreasonable downloading of responsibilities that should be provincial if not federal).” | “There’s got to be alternatives. Even those obnoxious advertisement bus paint jobs are better than this. Frankly, I’m surprised these boxes don’t get vandalized as soon as they’re erected.” |
| 186 | 07/23/2005 08:52:51 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | Not applicable | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | Please – Nothing is for free!!! There’s a hidden cost somewhere. | “Was this proposal initiated by the city or the current contractor?,Has the City actually gone out to tender?,The city has a responsibilty to provide taxpayers with the name of the company providing the proposal. Please post on this website.Thanks” |
| 187 | 07/23/2005 09:39:30 AM | Yes | I saw the one at College and Bathurst. | [Blank] | “I examined the bin, but didn’t actually use it. The recycling slot seems too high to be really comfortable to use. I think it has been placed where it is primarily to help justify the height of the unit, which is nothing more than yet another billboard, except right in the middle of the sidewalk.” | Yes | “They are an obstruction, both in the sense that they block pedestrian traffic, and visually, because they block my view even though I am six feet tall. If this is an attempt to make Toronto a better place and not simply a blatant grab for advertising money, then please *at least* turn them 90 degrees so that they are parallel to the sidewalk instead of jutting out into it, and push them up against a wall so they’re not in the way. ,I know that this won’t happen though, because it would mean only one side of the two-sided billboard is visible, which would cut in half the advertising revenue, which is what this is obviously all about.” | No | “Advertising is *not* free money. You are selling off one more slice of the pleasantness of Toronto. A little more ugly, distracting crass commercial clutter... in exchange for a few advertising dollars. Personally, I’d rather pay the taxes I currently ,On the other hand, if you are convinced that selling out Toronto’s public space in this way is a good way to get money, then I have an idea for you: City Hall itself is located in a high-traffic area, and is quite a large, highly-visible surface. Why not sell advertising space on it, and paint it up with ads for beer and video games and cell phones? I really think you could raise a lot of ad money with that sale.” | “The thing about these “garbage/recycling bins” that particularly galls me is that they will consume electricity to light up the panels on both sides. While we are all being urged to cut back on our power consumption to avoid brown-outs in the summer and to simply reduce pollution at any time of the year, the city is proposing installing 1500 of these bins which together will consume as much electricity as a small town, 24/7. ,You can’t say no to these bins because they are being installed for *free* (by the company who is going to be collecting most of the advertising revenues from them), right? And you can’t say no to these bins because they are for *recycling*, and recycling is *good*, right? But it is such an obvious attempt to smuggle yet another wave of advertising into the city under the guise of recycling and of saving a few dollars in the short-term.Please make us proud... say no to these horrible monstrosities, and get them off of our streets. Pay a little money to purchase some well-designed, unobtrusive recycling/garbage bins-- they can’t be that expensive. ,Please don’t sell us out.” |
| 188 | 07/23/2005 10:35:32 AM | Yes | Bloor/Christie. | Yes | The directions were clear. | Yes | The one at Bloor and Christie is turned so that one of the ends is facing the street. No one is going to use that side. They should be placed parallel to the streets so both ends will be used. | No | Getting the bins for free is nice but they are basically the equivelent of slapping huge billboards all over the sidewalk. The ideal situation would be an even split between ad space and space to put itmes. Right now it feels like it’s 80/20 in favour of the ads. Getting them for free is nice but the most important thing is if people will use them. It’s also important to take into account how they affect the look of the city. The current ones are difficult to use due to the flaps covering the holes but they are fairly subtle. The new models are obnoxious and an eyesore. | “They are way too big. Too much ad space. Too difficult to use. You want something that will make a teenager toss his or her litter with the minimum amount of effort. Not something where they will have to walk to the side, choose the correct slot, and push their item inside.” |
| 189 | 07/23/2005 11:28:55 AM | Yes | Danforth & Pape | Yes | What? It’s a huge billboard with a small garbage can on the side. What’s hard to understand? | Yes | OK. The billboards are highly visible. Too bad the garbage cans are so small. | No | It’s an eyesore. Billboards all along the streets. Two within one block (Danforth at Pape & 1 west of Pape). Too many. Next the stores will be putting up larger signs to compete with the garbage cans.... | “Garbage cans are too small. The pair on Danforth were just installed on Thursday, and they’re already filled past the top on Saturday.” |
| 190 | 07/23/2005 12:21:54 PM | Yes | danforth and playter | No | actually it was already full | Yes | “I think they present a danger,in young drivers we are taught about MELT,looking ahead to determine what is happenning before you encounter it.these vertical plinths are visually obstructive to viewing what is happenning ahead both ont he sidewalk and on the street.” | No | this would be a gross denial of obvious safety issues. | “as additional advertising surface I think they provide unnecessary visual noise while obstructing the view of the unique areas of toronto, blocking visual detection of moving objects vehicles and persons, and are less efficient than existing refuse recepticles” |
| 191 | 07/23/2005 05:03:32 PM | Yes | bloor st west near jane | No | it was full already. the amount of room for the garbage is far too small | Yes | they take up far too much space on the sidewalk. they also block the view of the store fronts.in short they ‘uglify’ the city. | No | NO! these things are awful! i’m sure the city could find more creative methods for revenues. i’m even in awe that the city would consider this. | please please no! we see enough advertising everywhere we look. these new designs are totally billboards in a garbage cans clothing. no one will be fooled. |
| 192 | 07/23/2005 05:47:08 PM | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | Ads on the garbage cans are ridiculous. Lights stay on all the time wasting energy and money. | Yes | fine | No | It’s a waste of electricity. | At a time when we are trying to conserve energy to roll out the energy wasting garbage bins is ridiculous. Why not just use regular garbage cans with ads if you really have to have ads on them. You know they will get destroyed eventually. Jammers will tag them and bust out the lights... that’s a shame. |
| 193 | 07/23/2005 05:50:50 PM | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | “the city should ask more money, and pay each citizen for this” | [Blank] |
| 194 | 07/23/2005 06:59:25 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | They openings are on the narrow end. That’s completely counterintuitive. | Yes | They’re too wide and impede traffic. | No | We get enough consumerism from other outlets...we don’t need to bombard the public with more advertisments by using these cans. | They’re lit up like a sodding Christmas tree. How is that at all environmentally friendly? |
| 195 | 07/23/2005 11:09:34 PM | Yes | Bloor & Christie | No | “The opening for the waste container is obscured by the advertising, unless you are facing the narrow side of the unit. Design for functionality! The garbage opening should be wider.” | Yes | The garbage openings should be inline with pedestrian traffic -- but I imagine that the private company that is managing the ad sales would be opposed to this. The City’s needs should never be so blatantly subservient to a corporation. | No | “Based upon the current design (size, proportion of the garbage opening side as compared to the advertising side), I am firmly opposed to the installation of these units.The implied benefit of a device that collects garbage + cigarette butts + recyclables is irrelevant, because this functionality can easily be built into a unit that is designed for functionality and aesthetic appeal, while still providing for valuable advertising space.However, I understand that the City is interested in decreasing taxpayer burden by seeking ‘creative’ funding, while at the same time cutting back on costs. Nonetheless, I suggest that it is possible to achieve this without offending citizens such as myself.” | “Redesign the unit. Put this out to RFP, with very clear requirements on designing for functionality and aesthetic appeal.Bear in mind that we shouldn’t be pimping out our public space unless we know we’re getting a deal that is a true win-win.” |
| 196 | 07/23/2005 11:56:30 PM | Yes | dundas/ossington | No | “as the openings are on either end of the bin, and one of those ends faces the street, half of the openings are rendered useless to the user. UNLESS the idea is to have drive-by garbage cans, which would bring on such a slew of disastrous accidents that it is inconceivable that someone would actually design it to be that way.” | Yes | “absolutely terrible. not only do they cut into already minimal sidewalk space, but they also obscure the pedestrians’ view of oncoming traffic. As well, the driver’s awareness of pedestrians will now be further reduced.” | No | “public space should not be for sale to advertisers, especially at the risk of health and safety to the city’s citizens.” | “They are poorly designed, illogically placed, blatant symbols of commercialsm and greed that have nothing to do with Mayor Miller’s “beautiful city.” There is absolutely NO reason for the bins to be 7 feet tall. I would rather see the streets littered with garbage than look at these advertising bins every day. BAD IDEA TORONTO!!” |
| 197 | 07/24/2005 12:09:47 AM | Yes | Ossington & Dundas | No | Garbage cans should not require instructions. | No | “I think there are better ways of generating revenue. I suspect they will end up like the current ones, with people just throwing cans in with the garbage etc.” | No opinion | I don’t know enough about what other revenue sources were investigated. I’m sure there are other creative ways of selling advertising space. Recycling and garbage disposal should be more intuitive. | [Blank] |
| 198 | 07/24/2005 12:38:36 AM | Yes | DANFORTH&PAPE | No | “THE OPENINGS ARE TOO SMALL SO GARBAGE WAS STUCK IN THE OPENING AND STREWN ON THE GROUND,NOT VERY ATRACTIVE , AT BOTH BINS ON THE DANFORTH.” | Yes | THE OPENING FACING THE ROAD MUST BE FOR DRIVE BY GARBAGE DISPOSAL BECAUSE WHO IN HIS RIGHT MIND WOULD STEP OFF THE CURB TO DEPOSIT GARBAGE? | No | “I AM TOTALLY AGAINST THESE UNSIGHTLY GARBAGE TOWERS, I THINK THE CURRENT STAINLESS STEEL CONTAINERS ARE THE BEST SOLUTION,MODERN, USEFUL AND UNOBSTRUSIVE” | HAD THERE BEEN ADVERTISING ON THE TOWERS I SAW TONIGHT I WOULD NEVER USE OR PURCHASE THE PRODUCT BEING ADVERTISED... |
| 199 | 07/24/2005 12:57:18 AM | No | [Blank] | Yes | But due to the location on the sidewalk it is only practicle to use one side of the unit. | Yes | “When place perpendicular to the road, they take up too much space on the sidewalk (changes the amount of useable sidewalk).” | No | “It’s not worth it to get a couple of million dollars for the increase in ads. Will the addition of these cans not create more billboard space, or will billboards on bus shelters be removed? I would suspect that TTC ad revenue would drop due to the increased competition to get advertisers.” | End the pilot project and keep the current omg waist high bins. They are less obtrusive to pedistrians and have all of the same if not more functionality. |
| 200 | 07/24/2005 02:22:22 AM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | “Our city is plastered with enough advertising; billboards, bus stops, even our elevators and bathrooms. Please, don’t make it worse.” | [Blank] |
| 201 | 07/24/2005 08:26:04 AM | Yes | Danforth near Broadview | No | “I hate the flaps that force you to touch disgusting filthy flaps as you try and push a piece of garbage into the unit. Access from the street side is difficult if cars are parked at the curb. By the way, the garbage bin part was overflowing with garbage, so either the capacity was undersized or the City is failing to empty these on a timely basis. It wasn’t a good experience.” | Yes | They take up too much space on the side walk. Its a garbage can for god’s sake! | No | “The last thing the city needs is more advertising on the city sidewalks. These units are intrusive and detract from the experience of enjoying a walk down a city street. Like the huge number of newspaper boxes on every corner, these units make our sidewalks look like junk yards. If a city like Toronto can not find a way to pick up garbage without having to rely on something like this, then there is something terrribly, terribly wrong with the way this city is run. Moreover, if you think that these will not become targets for postering and grafiti you are mistaken. I’m sure in no time these will be covered in posters and will thus become even more of an eyesore than they are already.” | “If we now no longer are required to separate our recyclables at home, why is a unit like this even necessary? Please, give me an old fashioned, open toped, wire basket garbage can (like Toronto has in its parks) any day over this and its stainless steel predecesor. But please, don’t adopt this monstrosity.” |
| 202 | 07/24/2005 10:15:32 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “Though I like the fact that these bins rob pedestrians of less sidewalk space then the previous ones (smaller footprint), I fear that they will interfere with being able to see cars and traffic near crosswalks, and if placed closer to buildings, they will block our enjoyment of our architecture. They seem too tall and wide.” | Yes | “Though I agree the city needs advertising revenue, I would like to see one side of these units designated for those horrible posters that are rampant in this city. If the city can’t completely prohibit this horrible “vertical litter” on our public property, perhaps the “freedom of speech” advocates would be satisfied with a designated postering surface on these new bins – in addition to a complete prohibition everywhere else. I would also like to see Toronto follow the example of Montreal and use some of these new advertising panels for a map of the city or area.” | “You have spelled “cigarettes” incorrectly on the narrow sides of the new bins. I can’t believe the City of Toronto would go to the trouble of producing test bins without having someone proofread your copy. The incorrect word is spelled “cigarretes”.Also, the flat tops of the units is bad design. This will provide a great place for adults to leave their coffee cups and tall teens to leave their soda cans, creating more litter when they fall to the sidewalk when hit by a breeze. It’s also a great place for birds to sit and deposit their waste. You need to provide a steeply-sloped top to these units to prevent more littering and some needles to keep the birds away.” |
| 203 | 07/24/2005 12:14:25 PM | No | Dundas and Ossington | No | [Blank] | No | this bin looked ridiculous not to mention unsafe. The bin was way too big and blocked the view. | No | do we really need to sell out like this? Put in nice bins and people will feel good about using them. A bin like this one is just asking to be vandalized. | “please do not use this bin design. it is too big, ugly, and unsafe.” |
| 204 | 07/24/2005 01:44:49 PM | Yes | Roncesvalles and Howard Park | No | “no – garbage container too small, unsafe on road side and recycling areas not clear.” | Yes | “Unsafe positioning, too large and contaminates public space.” | No | Pollution of public space and unsafe position of bins and too large!!!! | Yes – scrap the whole deal and use public funded bins! |
| 205 | 07/24/2005 02:35:33 PM | No | It was already overflowing. | No | “The actual space for garbage is relatively small compared to the size of the “Bill Board”.” | Yes | They block the sidewalk. Thery block the view. Bins positioned on street corners require pedestrian traffic to walk around them to corss the street. THEY ARE URBAN BLIGHT... a HUGE EYESORE. | No | “See above: THEY ARE URBAN BLIGHT... a HUGE EYESORE. NOTHING in this city is designed with beauty in mind. My main neighbourhood street, the Danforth between Broadview and Pape, is already a disgusting mish-mash of lamp post, garbage, tree box, flower planter, bycycle stand, sign post styles.” | “Get rid of them. They are huge, monstrous eyesores. The actual space for garbage is relatively small compared to the size of the “Bill Board”.... one near me is already overflowing onto the street.(West of Bowden on the Danforth)” |
| 206 | 07/24/2005 02:47:07 PM | Yes | [Blank] | No | Have to stand in the street to use one end. | Yes | “Even though they are smaller on the ground than the old bins, they take up more pedestrian space because of the way they stick out in the sidewalk.” | No | These things are terrible! They really take up a lot of airspace so I can’t see past them to see across the street or to see the stores. | Why so tall? Would be better to have them same size but horizontal. |
| 207 | 07/24/2005 02:54:36 PM | No | Howard Park and Roncesvalles | No | [Blank] | No | I hate this! It is monstrously huge for a pedestrian neighbourhood. You can’t position them any way that will allow for use and to reduce the visual blocking. | No | ABSOLUTELY NOT! These are evil! | I saw a piece on Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet about solar-powered trash bins that are also compactors. This seems like a much more reasonable solution. |
| 208 | 07/24/2005 03:14:25 PM | Yes | Christie & Bloor | No | Rain/snow will collect in the open garbage container. People will flick cigarette butts into the butt container and MISS. They’ll land in the garbage and start a fire. | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “Sure, but with the existing orinentation so its less ugly.” | The existing bins are OK they just need some tweaks. Eg a way to deposit litter/cans without touching the dirty lid. |
| 209 | 07/24/2005 03:36:51 PM | Yes | College – Spadina-ish | Yes | [Blank] | No | Take up too much space relative to value (only half the cubic footage of the bins are usefule – the other half clutters up sightlines). | No | “The only two ways I would be in favour of these:,1. if they are merged into an existing sightline impediment – eg if they were sandwiched between bus shelter posters or up against walls,2. if they were half the height (with same sized footprint)” | “They are ugly, not practical (re: cubic feet + sightlines), and create more visual pollution.” |
| 210 | 07/24/2005 04:43:31 PM | Yes | bloor christie | Yes | “the combination newspaper/can+bottle opening was not obvious, but the instructions were clear once I had stopped and read them.” | No | “Obstructive, was my first reaction. But with that size bin, I’m unable suggest a better position. It is simply of obstructive proportions” | No | “The size of advertizing space is much too big. Advertizing is big buisness, big money. These bins cannot be worth the price of advertizing space on them. It’s a bad deal, we’re getting ripped off.” | “reduce the bins to 5 feet, it seems that the bins functionality only uses 5 feet and the 2 or 3 top feet are used only for advertisement. cut it down to a 5 foot structure, and you’ll have my vote.” |
| 211 | 07/24/2005 06:10:08 PM | Yes | “Danforth, east of Broadview” | No | “It was very unclear what was to go where. However, of more concern is the size of the garbage cans: the garbage cans were overflowing by mid-day on Saturday, so there was no room for anymore garbage. Later in the afternoon, garbage was all over the sidewalk, as coffee cups, etc. fell out due to the size of the actual garbage container – these “bins” are ridiculously misproportioned! Lots of sidewalk taken up, but no room for garbage.” | Yes | “They are enormous and imposing, they take up too much room on the sidewalk. The Danforth is a very busy pedestrian area, and losing that much sidewalk for a tiny little garbage container is an entirely unreasonable tradeoff.” | No | “Although I don’t like it, it is not the advertising per se that has me opposed to these bins; rather, it is the complete lack of proportion – they can’t handle the garbage in their tiny bins, but impose this enormous structure on the landscape.” | “I don’t think we should permanently install these bins, and in fact, given the amount of garbage on the ground by late afternoon on Saturday (i.e. by 4:00 p.m.) I think we should remove them quickly – and replace them with properly sized garbage cans.” |
| 212 | 07/24/2005 07:55:54 PM | Yes | Danforth Ave and Main street | No | “The garbage was jammed and overflowing; bin is placed perpendicular to the curb, making half of the bin inaccessible and dangerous.” | Yes | “Horrible. Blocks the entire sidewalk. Creates a blind spot for motorists near a major intersection, greatly increasing the hazards to pedestrians and mocking the “We’re All Pedestrians” awareness campaign. They are too tall to see over, creating a serious safety issue for people walking past, as there’s no way of knowing who or what may be on the other side -- perhaps a mugger or an out-of-control kid on a bike. Additionally, their width blocks the entire sidewalk, and is a severe eyesore.” | No | “No. Toronto wants to be world-class, and these are an offense to the city and its people. Main and Danforth isn’t a pretty intersection, but nothing about this new bin helps it.” | “The city wants to restrict postering on hydro poles. These are an order of magnitude worse -- and I can’t even begin to imagine how these will be treated downtown. Postering, graffiti, and vandalism may actually make these even uglier, dangerous, and offensive than they were designed to be. No amount of advertising money is worth this.” |
| 213 | 07/24/2005 09:00:38 PM | Yes | Howard Park & Roncesvalles | Yes | “Easy to reach, and decent-sized openings, but having openings on two sized of the box are ridiculous. Openings should all be on one side only.” | Yes | “Awful positioning – it blocks the flow of people on the sidewalk, and doesn’t make it easy to throw things away.” | No | “I am completely against the bins – the advertising money isn’t worth the fact that they are ugly and the city is already covered in ads. The positioning is also a pain for people on the sidewalks and more so ads can be viewed easily, rather than so people can use the bins.” | “The current bins shape/size would be fine, as long as they were made a little longer to accomodate cigarette butts.” |
| 214 | 07/24/2005 11:43:26 PM | Yes | Main st. and Danforth | Yes | yes. it was easy | No | Right now it was facing Danforth I think the person has to stand near the road (where there is traffic) to use this bin. | Yes | Atleast there will be one thing in Toronto that will not suck hard earned money or blood from users. | Install vending machine for garbage bags. Like insert coins and get garbage bags of your choice. |
| 215 | 07/25/2005 12:04:54 AM | No | [Blank] | No | “I examined the bin, but didn’t actually use it. The recycling slot seems,too high to be really comfortable to use. I think it has been placed as,high as it is primarily to help justify the height of the unit, which is,nothing more than yet another billboard, except right in the middle of the,sidewalk.” | Yes | “They are an obstruction, both in the sense that they block pedestrian,traffic, and visually, because they block the view even though I am a tall,person. If this is an attempt to make Toronto a better place and not simply,a blatant grab for advertising money, then please *at least* turn them 90,degrees so that they are parallel to the sidewalk instead of jutting out,into it, and push them up against a wall so they’re not in the way. ,I know that this won’t happen though, because it would mean only one side of,the two-sided billboard is visible, which would cut in half the advertising,revenue, which is what this is obviously all about.” | No opinion | “Go back to the drawing board. The design appears to be heavily slanted in favour of “advertising” and weakly oriented toward it’s functional “intended” use of recycling. Bins may be “free” but it is a fraction of the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership). The current design is far less obtrusive and still provides advertising revenues that will help to offset the collection costs. The current design simply needs larger openings and less stiff flaps (I always get my hand caught on the filthy flap as I am trying to place recycling materials in the receptical.” | “The thing about these “garbage/recycling bins” that particularly galls me is,that they will consume electricity to light up the panels on both sides.While we are all being urged to cut back on our power consumption to avoid,brown-outs in the summer and to simply reduce pollution at any time of the,year, the city is proposing installing 1500 of these bins. The city should be promoting a “Green” policy when attempting to solve it’s “green” problems!” |
| 216 | 07/25/2005 02:01:53 AM | No | [Blank] | No | It was confusing. | No | [Blank] | No | “These are more billboards than they are garbage cans. Remove the advertising, and you might have a good bin.” | [Blank] |
| 217 | 07/25/2005 05:04:21 AM | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | The original items were just fine. | Yes | “They are a complete waste of money. Why did you do this? Are you embarrassed? They’re ugly, they waste electricity and you should feel shame for having sold out to a bunch of advertisers rather than people who want to keep the city beautiful!” | No | I have my doubts as to how much incremental revenue you would eventually receive. | “Don’t use them. They’re a waste of money. You been sold a bunch of “magic beans” that will only grow into weeds.” |
| 218 | 07/25/2005 06:59:23 AM | Yes | College & ?? | No | didn’t realize it was a garbage can at first | No | “they are monolithic and impede sightlines; I’m not fond of anything weirdos can lurk behind at night, either” | No | “just replacing one type of pollution (litter) with another (visual pollution). I’m sick to death of every bloody thing (streetcars, taxi hubcaps, the sidewalk...) having ads on it. Please – give us some visual tranquility, a bit of calm, uncluttered white-space” | “why can’t we just have plain old garbage/recycling cans? Nothing fancy, nothing multipurpose, just plain. As for maintenance, etc. costs, surely this can be some youth program, or rehab/sheltered job, or something (or does unionization interfere with this?).” |
| 219 | 07/25/2005 08:43:39 AM | Yes | Pape and danforth | No | “When I first saw the bins I thought it was a billboard. The set up of the bins on either side is not practical, there is too much going on with those bins. I felt like I had to read instruction in order use the bin.” | Yes | “They take up too much space and block a good portion of the side walk. They do not blend into the neighbourhood, rather they stick out like a sore thumb.” | No | “I think that they are impractical and quite frankly an eye sore. They take up too much space on the side walk and the bins were already over flowing with garbage this past Friday! It appears you have taken the simple act of throwing out garbage and made it into a sience project. There is too much going on and too may recepticles that are too small. Why would I sit and read where I have to throw my garbage? The bins that were there before were easy and efficient look at the picture and throw your waste in the appropriate recepticle. They new recepticles may be free but they are too big in height, take up too much room on the side walk, are ugly and inefficient. Also, I saw where the cigarette deposits are and really why would someone stop and butt out there? If it were positioned lower and in a more obvious spot then perhaps it would be more practical,” | My suggestion is to reconsider these bins. They appear to be geared more toward advertising than to collecting garbage. Free or not they make the neigbourhood look ugly and they do not serve the purpose of holding garbage as they fill up too quickly and in the end the trash ends up on the side walk anyway. |
| 220 | 07/25/2005 09:23:08 AM | Yes | BLOOR & CHRISTIE | No | [Blank] | Yes | OBSTRUCTIVE EYE SORES | No | THE OPTICAL ASSAULT OF ADVERTISING IS ALREADY TOO OVERWELLMING | “STOP THEM. THESE ARE BILLBOARDS,NOT MUCH MORE.THEIR SIZE IS WAY TOO BIG AND DISRUPTS THE CITY SCAPE.THEY ARE NOTHING MORE THEN A P.C. ATTEMPT TO SHOVE ADVERTISING DOWN OUR THROATS . I DONT APPRECIATE THIS WHEN ITS IN MY FACE WHILE TRYING TO RELAX IN A PARK.KINDLY HALT THIS PROGRAM” |
| 221 | 07/25/2005 09:39:38 AM | Yes | Danforth / Coxwell | No | The garbage container is far too small and was stuffed to overflowing. They seem very poorly designed and primarily for advertising purposes rather than garbage disposal which is clearly a secondary consideration. | Yes | While overall positioning is fine they do add to a feeling of being forced of the sidewalk. There size and location is designed to maximize advertising visibiliy with little regard to the negative implications for pedestrians and the feeling they impart to an already challenged streetscape. | No opinion | They are poorly designed not providing for adequate garbage or recylcling areas. Further they are frankly quite ugly and do not complement an attractive street scape. While they may look just fine outside of a strip mall or big box environement that is not something that we should rush to emulate in the city of Toronto proper. Overall they are garish and beign bombarded by more advertising is never something that I look forward to. | “Quite frankly the containers are terrible and the price, and they are free, is far to high given the negative impact that they have on the streetscape. I do not think that they promote a vibrant and healty down town.” |
| 222 | 07/25/2005 09:40:36 AM | Yes | yonge st | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | Looks UGLY | No | Not worth it! There’s enough advertising in the city already – maybe force the ad companies to clean up the trash too? | They belong IN the trash |
| 223 | 07/25/2005 10:25:41 AM | Yes | Finch & Kennedy | No | “There was no indication of which compartment was for what items. I had to look around before realizing where the instruction were. The openings should be colour coded, or have a symbol right next to it.” | Yes | “At first glance, it is an advertisment opportunity first and a recycling/trash bin second. If i needed to throw something away, and I saw that thing, i wouldnt know to go to it... It’s big and bulky and blocks views for cars and pedestrians at the intersection” | No | “The city of toronto is trying to beautify the city, and these eucan garbage cans totally go against it. They are ugly, not practical, and clutter up the public realm. It’s a matter of Cost/Benefit. The city will gain money from these bins, but in return ruin the public realm/ streets. Is that worth it? Is that what the City Beautification of Toronto is about? I surely hope not...” | “Installing these garbage/recycling bins only tells people that Toronto only cares about money, and doesnt care about its citizens or the space they use.” |
| 224 | 07/25/2005 10:26:57 AM | Yes | Bloor east of Keele | No | All I could see was advertising... | Yes | “Hideous and repulsive, like a giant alien monolith dropped like a piece of poop from the sky.” | No | “Disgusting and evil, people could hide behind it, repulsive, stupid and crass. A waste of space and air.” | “Destroy them all. ,Give us nomrmal trash cans.” |
| 225 | 07/25/2005 10:52:58 AM | No | saw it at Bloor & Christie but did not use | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | the size will stop you in your tracks but i’m not sure people will realise they’re for garbage | No | free bins are great but do we really need MORE advertising space – i work in advertising and i still find this offensive! | “as mentioned i have not used it but the receptacles looked very small for the total size of the structure. and it just seems like another appalling advertising opportunity, that happens to have a little wastebasket attached. i prefer the 3-way bins on corners that are shorter & therefore less intrusive.” |
| 226 | 07/25/2005 11:43:00 AM | Yes | Bathurst & Wilson | Yes | The way openings are designed will prevent visitors from throwing garbage to recycling bins (unlike the ones that are in use now). | No | “Hard to overlook, yet not in the way.” | Yes | “I like these bins much more than the ones that are being used now and if the city can use them and even gain profit from it, it’s just a plus.” | “If there’re ads on both sides of the bin, newcomers and tourists might find it hard to consider it a garbage bin when approaching it from the side.” |
| 227 | 07/25/2005 12:18:46 PM | Yes | Danforth nr Carlaw Ave | No | “The bin was full, overflowing and a mess. There are too many signs and the bin is unlike any other I’ve encountered. If a trash can needs instructions, it’s a failure.” | Yes | “Terrible. Takes up too much space, looks awful and blocks view. One is installed beside a laneway further west on Danforth and blocks the view of cars coming our of the laneway.” | No | “We keep talking about improving Toronto, and making it a more attractive place for both residents and businesses. I fail to see how more billboards will improve the quality of life for our citizens or tourists.” | Get rid of them at once and bill the councillor who proposed them personally for the costs of the trial. |
| 228 | 07/25/2005 12:23:22 PM | Yes | “Danforth, east of Broadview” | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | “They are too big, particularly WRT side-to-side. If you stick with these bins, is there any reason that they can’t be positioned parallel to the roadway, instead of perpendicular? That way, they’d only take up 2 feet of pedestrian walking room instead of 5 feet.” | No | [Blank] | “Too big, too much advertising.” |
| 229 | 07/25/2005 12:29:45 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “I’ve researched the matter and found out that the “free” bins would require an elctrical hook-up to illuminate their ad,billboards...that the taxpayers would end up paying for! Nothing in life is free!!” | “Any advertising agency that wants to “give” the city such unsightly trash collection stations should be suspect. So should the councillors that jump at the chance for “free” ad revenue.” |
| 230 | 07/25/2005 12:31:53 PM | Yes | Bloor and Indian Road | No | The bin was already full of garbage. The garbage recepticle part of the unit is much too small! | Yes | “I oppose the bins, absolutely, because they block and uglify the streetscape and interfere with retailers.” | No | “I oppose on principle any further incursion of buy-buy-buy into my public spaces. We are inundated with altogether too much advertising as it is, and my government(s) should not be party to this proliferation.” | Can the 7-foot monster cans! |
| 231 | 07/25/2005 01:00:55 PM | Yes | Danforth and Pape. | No | “I’m saying that I used it, but it was jammed full and I was unable to use it. The receptacle opening was too small...although at the right height.” | Yes | “Far too close to the intersection...it is an eyesore. Too tall and dangerously close to the intersection so that you can’t see if there is a car waiting to turn, and for sure it blocks the view of cars wanting to turn onto the Danforth. It ruins the asethetics of the street, it blocks the view of the entire street...it is too bulky, too large and yet doesn’t even hold enough room for garbage! And again potentially very dangerous for concealing oncoming traffic. They are almost the same height as bus shelters, do we really need more obstacles on our already cluttered and hard to navigate sidewalks?” | No | “The bins that are currently used also have spots for advertising. I often see the ads (including City of Toronto ads) and they are effective, and inoffensive in size. I have no problems with receiving bins for free and allowing a company to sell ad space for a profit, but these are too large and bulky, not worth the aesthetic damage to our city streets.” | “Garbage was pouring out of them on Sunday morning...wasn’t it supposed to solve that problem...the receptacle portion is SMALLER than before...is the point to collect garbage or to advertise? ,Cigarette receptacles are a nice idea, but why not just attach a cigarette receptacle to the outside of the current containers. BTW...I’ve never met a smoker who walked over to a cigarette receptacle with their finished cigarette and deposited it...I hope a good advertising campaign will accompany the new receptacle...because I really doubt that we are going to see a noticeable lack of butts on our city streets...but who knows, people can change...but it takes education. Hope the advertisers pay for that too!” |
| 232 | 07/25/2005 01:24:45 PM | No | Put them on the roads and keep them off the sidewalks. | No | Put them on the roads and keep them off the sidewalks. | [Blank] | Put them on the roads and keep them off the sidewalks. | No | Put them on the roads and keep them off the sidewalks. | Put them on the roads and keep them off the sidewalks. |
| 233 | 07/25/2005 01:55:00 PM | No | [Blank] | No | Haven’t used it. | Yes | They are huge and ugly! 7.5 feet tall?? Only basketball players can see overtop of them! What about the potential of pedestrians stepping out from behind one into traffic? Seems dangerous. | No | “This website about sums it up:,http://www.publicspace.ca/monster.htm,I cannot believe that in the energy crisis we face the city would even CONSIDER an option to use ELECTRIC garbage bins! That is insane! I am ashamed that council passed this test pilot program. The residents of this city are clearly the only people who care about the environment! Corporations keep the A/C cranked so low all summer that people like me have to wear sweaters and female co-workers have to use MORE energy by running space heaters. These corporations are already setting a bad example as it is clear they do not care about the environment and how they are driving up consumer energy prices because we now have to purchase energy from coal burning power plants in the U.S.Now the city is setting an even worse example by wasting energy on garbage bins! Say this out loud, doesn’t it sound silly?,ELECTRIC GARBAGE BINS...I’m very upset about this idea.” | “This website about sums it up:,http://www.publicspace.ca/monster.htm,I cannot believe that in the energy crisis we face the city would even CONSIDER an option to use ELECTRIC garbage bins! That is insane! I am ashamed that council passed this test pilot program. The residents of this city are clearly the only people who care about the environment! Corporations keep the A/C cranked so low all summer that people like me have to wear sweaters and female co-workers have to use MORE energy by running space heaters. These corporations are already setting a bad example as it is clear they do not care about the environment and how they are driving up consumer energy prices because we now have to purchase energy from coal burning power plants in the U.S.Now the city is setting an even worse example by wasting energy on garbage bins! Say this out loud, doesn’t it sound silly?,ELECTRIC GARBAGE BINS...I’m very upset about this idea.” |
| 234 | 07/25/2005 02:10:23 PM | Yes | Bloor and WIndermere | No | “1. Bin is positioned at rightangle to kerb, therefore only one set of openings are available to pedestrians (and drive by garbage deposit is not going to happen).2.Recycling portion of container is too high.3. I strongly doubt that smokers are going to carry butts around in the hope of finding a suitable garbage can.” | Yes | “As noted in Q1, the bin was postioned at rightangles to the kerb, therefore only half of it is usable by pedestrians. Drivers are not going to use it.The bin protrudes too far into the sidewalk. Sidewalk space is at a prmium to accomodate pedestrians, strollers, wheelchairs, benches, etc. as it is” | No | “Why do we need more eye pollution? Drivers would be the prime target of the advertisements as they are too large and sited to high for pedestrians to see. Judging by the number of drivers who tend to disobey traffic signals already, it’s unlikely that they would be willing to slow down to read them anyway.” | “The bins are ugly, ugly ,ugly.The advertising portion is too large. Whoever designed these is not a pedestrian. When you walk along the sidewalk, you tend to look downwards – not up in the air, so you are more likely to notice advertisements that are sighted below eyelevel. The design of the box is poor with the recycling and butt slots situated too high. The only “benefit” over existing boxes is that it has a portion to collect cigarett butts. Since so few people smoke anyway, what is the point of this. As ugly as the existing boxes are, they do have different sections for separating trash, they have room for advertising (if revenue is an issue) and they are not nearly as tall and obstructive as the Eucan test models. I normally don’t notice too much when the styles of garbage cans change, but I really, really, really heartily dislike these!” |
| 235 | 07/25/2005 03:13:11 PM | Yes | Gerrard & Pape (Outside of Gerrard Square) | No | too small and fiddly. Far too likely to become dirty from previous garbage | No | “I was aware of the collection on both sides only because I walked all the way around it. Almost nobody would notice the street-side receptacles. ,The whole device uses up TOO MUCH WIDTH. It feels like someone has built a wall across teh sidewalk.” | No | “the amount of advertising this will add to the streetscape is obscene, for relatively little gain. I would rather pay more taxes than see this kind of crass commercialization become more widespread.” | “Please do not do this. Does this really represent a vision of what city council would like Toronto to look like? Do you really think that these things enhance Toronto for residents and visitors? Is this really the best that Toronto can do? ,Please, please do NOT go ahead with these aesthetically bankrupt monstrosities.” |
| 236 | 07/25/2005 03:15:11 PM | No | I’ve seen them on Dundas at Pacific and a couple blocks west of Pacific. | No | [Blank] | Yes | “This is one of the key problems with the new ‘bins’. While we are told of reduced ‘footprints’, the optimization of the advertising sides means that they are placed even more obtrusively on the sidewalks. I’ve seen two of these things and they are now right in the middle of the sidewalk! The old ones were bad enough, given that they often were placed too close to crowded intersections, but this is even worse.” | No | “A) Noise pollution: there’s already too much corporate graffiti in this world. I’d say no to so much more of this crap if I could. ,B) I heard at one point that there would be battery recycling. What happened?,C) Positioning on sidewalks are much more obtrusive.D) Too damn big.” | Keep those tihngs off of Toronto city streets. |
| 237 | 07/25/2005 03:53:59 PM | Yes | the northeast corner of Roncesvalles and Howard Park Aves | No | “only one of the two usable sides, where the garbage goes, is accessible; the other side faces the street” | Yes | The bins take up too much room and positioned so that only one side is accessable for accepting trash. | No | they are ugly and too big | “back to the drawing board, this design stinks! these monster bins belong at the dump!” |
| 238 | 07/25/2005 05:28:59 PM | Yes | Lakeshore West (Kipling) | Yes | The illustrations are clear. it would be difficult to mix up where each kind of waste should go | No | The bins are easy to see and use from the side walk. The cigarette butt section is not practical except by a Toronto Transit stop. Otherwise I don’t think people will stand in front of the gargabe to finish their cigarette. | No opinion | “I’m not sure that these bins are any better than the recycling bins we already have, other than having a place for cigarette butts (which I’m also sceptical about). And I’m not sure if we need any more advertising around this city.” | I don’t understand why we are changing the bins. Is it style? These dins don’t seem to be easier in any way. |
| 239 | 07/25/2005 09:07:10 PM | Yes | “South side of College, just west of Bathurst” | No | “Currently the bins have information explaining that they are new garbage and recycling bins, but later they will be covered in ads. Without the signs announcing them as recycling bins they don’t really seem like them. For people new to the city they will hardly be recognizable as recycling bins. Also the openings seem to be very high, hardly suitable for children or riders of wheelchairs.” | No | “It was positioned across the width of the sidewalk, making it an obstruction for pedestrian traffic and emphasizing the advertising space rather than the fact that it is a garbage/recycling container.” | No | “The city is already littered with corporate advertising. The streets should be for people and not for giant advertisments. There is so little space left where we are not surrounded this visual pollution. While there has been an attack on private citizens advertising local bands, garage sales, etc. there has at the same time been a proliferation of corporate advertising, whose size and gratuitousness knows no bounds. To me this seems to be a confusion of priorities. It should be remembered that these bins are not “free” if we include the cost to our visual environment and public space.” | “People are unlikely to hold on to their litter for several blocks until they meet up with one of these giant cans. Rather than having monster-sized bins at the major intersections only, I think it would be more appropriate to have moderately sized bins placed more frequently.” |
| 240 | 07/25/2005 09:11:15 PM | Yes | bloor & Christy | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | You cannot even tell they are garbage bins due to the massive bilboards that surround them! | No | I feel our public space is more valuable then to have yet another eyesore of billboards take over the little space we have left without advertising. | [Blank] |
| 241 | 07/25/2005 09:27:30 PM | Yes | College and Bathurst | No | Any garbage/recycling container that requires that number of signs to explain it is poorly designed. It violates the laws of user interface design. | No | “They are far away from the curb, which is where I expect to see garbage bins.” | No | “Your question seems to encourage a positive response. Unfortunately, even the provision of these bins at no financial cost and the potential revenue do not compensate for the blight that these bins will form on the streetscape.” | “Smaller, more frequent bins would be better.” |
| 242 | 07/25/2005 09:58:37 PM | Yes | Roncesvalles and Howard Park | No | “easy to use, ok. but I wouldn’t classify this behemoth as practical” | Yes | they take up too much space... | No | “these things are too big, they block the view of the streets/stores ... i’m not against advertising, as long as it is not at the expense of function as it is here.the advertising on the current bins is fine” | “who is paying for the lighting bill of these bins? the company? I certainly hope it isn’t the city. regardless, is it wise to increase the electric load where we are already at capacity?” |
| 243 | 07/25/2005 10:25:10 PM | Yes | Pape & Danforth | No | “I had a difficult time realizing that the recycling opening was actually a space to put recycling in. I am not very tall and I had a difficult time reaching it. If I didn’t speak english I would have also had a hard time understanding what the different levels of the station were.I did not find the receptables practical or easy to use.” | Yes | “I did not like them at all. There were two about 15 feet away from one another. They took up a large amount of the sidewalk and they disrupted pedestrian traffic. I was not able to see vehicle traffic nor was I able to spot cyclists who could be passing by on the road side repository side which is a potential hazard. I was under the impression that Toronto was trying to ‘beautify’ itself and to increase cycling awareness and accessibility.I did not like the massive billboards intruding on public space.” | No | “I don’t think that it is worthwhile for the city to have hideously ugly garbage/recycling bins that impair pedestrian traffic flow and are an eyesore. While the city suggests this will increase revenue from the sale of commercial advertising space I wonder how this will translate in to a benefit for city residents- all four of the garbage receptacles I saw were overflowing with trash and among the trash was recyclables. How is this helping anything?,I think it is important to preserve public spaces and to be cognizant of the reality that sometimes advertising revenue is just not worth selling public space for.” | “I think that the recycling component of these bins is very poorly designed. It is quite high up, it is at eye level and most people are really lazy. It is not immediately obvious which level is intended for what function, unlike the ‘traditional’ rectangular trash/ recycling bins found elsewhere in the city.I am 100% opposed to the city installing these garbage/recycling bins. I don’t understand how the city is even contemplating these hideous eyesores as an option.Thanks for listening!” |
| 244 | 07/26/2005 12:01:16 AM | Yes | Danforth 1 block east of Pape | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “Absolutely Not. I can list several valid reasons: They are way, way, way too big. They block the street view. They are dangerous. Cars turning right can not see pedestrians crossing the street (go visit the bin listed above to see hwat I mean). Lastly, we absolutely do not need more advertising, let alone such big advertising. the” | Just one. Don’t do it. Though being a pessimist when it comes to government I am sure the palms have already been greased. |
| 245 | 07/26/2005 07:31:07 AM | Yes | “Danforth West of Pape, South side” | No | Garbage part of the receptacle was already overflowing; recycling side was not easily accessible due to traffic and parked cars (on street side). These should be rotated 90 degrees so both sides are usable if they’re going to stay. | No | “They’re not aesthetically good at all. Also take up a great deal of walking space. As noted, one side is effectively unusable.” | No | There has to be a better design that accomodates most if not all of the above goals. | “Ditch them. The last thing this city needs is another set of mass-installed eyesores, or another boondoggle. The only problems with the garbage & recycling containers that the city has had in use the last few years is that there are not enough of them in heavy traffic areas, they are not placed strategically enough, and they are not emptied often enough. Target those issues and the city will be much better off.” |
| 246 | 07/26/2005 07:50:03 AM | Yes | Bloor and Christie | No | Height was fine but actual bin opening was too small and garbage was littered all around the bin! | Yes | They are handy to access but use too much advertising! | No | We live in a commercial enough society. We require large bins which are accessible to encourage everyone to dispose of their garbage and/or recycle not more advertising!!! | [Blank] |
| 247 | 07/26/2005 08:50:13 AM | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “They are a hazard to people walking, they block your view of the road so make crossing dangerous and generally destroy the pleasure of walking on the Danforth.” | No | Toronto needs streets pleasant and safe to walk on so we as residents enjoy living here and tourist want to spend dollars in our city. These bins are an eyesore and will destroy the appeal of the streets for everyone. The current smaller bins work and are easier to use. | I think whoever thought this up should be fired. |
| 248 | 07/26/2005 09:29:44 AM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 249 | 07/26/2005 11:39:28 AM | No | I could not help but notice one on Roncesvalle Ave. | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | Too large and intrusive | No | I am not in favour. They are too large and offensive blight on the street. | The bins of course have a cost. Public space is being sold to private enterprise. As we all know nothing is free. Is this not just a way for marketing companies to circumvent signage bylaws? If we cannot afford to put garbage bins on the street I think we need to increase taxes! |
| 250 | 07/26/2005 01:51:31 PM | Yes | Nielson and ellesmere | Yes | the bins are easy to understand and wasy to use | Yes | good position to the sidewalk so when walking by you can easy deposit garbage. | Yes | If it free of charge then I believe that would be great. | [Blank] |
| 251 | 07/26/2005 01:08:25 PM | Yes | “Downtown, don’t remember where” | No | It was awkward | No | “Obviously the ads are more important, because the garbage receptacles, rather than being parallel with the road, block off the sidewalk” | No | There is NO PLACE for advertising on public property – not under any circumstances. | I would much rather pay for more small bins with no advertising than get these giant billboards for free. |
| 252 | 07/26/2005 12:49:23 PM | No | [Blank] | Yes | “I think there is too many option of where to put what – needs to be more user friendly – front access only, not from both sides.” | Yes | “One I did notice was at Vanhorne & Bayview? (North East corner), I found it a bit close to the road for kids and too far aware from the bus shelter.” | Yes | [Blank] | “Yes, would be intereted in test in some of our residential apartment buildings at/near the front enterance(s).” |
| 253 | 07/26/2005 12:15:33 PM | Yes | Bathurst and College (South-west corner) | No | “No they weren’t the container is mostly ads, and doesn’t even look like a trash can. If there wasn’t a big sign saying it was a trash can I’d think it was a billboard.” | No | It gets in the way. It’s really big and it blocks the sidewalk where people are walking. | No | They are too much of an eyesore. The fact that they are cheap doesn’t make up for that. | I support smaller cans with no ads on them. Our streets are already too cluttered with ads. |
| 254 | 07/26/2005 11:43:41 AM | Yes | Ossington & Dundas – but it’s way too big and should be paralel to dundas | No | One entire garbage container is on Dundas St. I almost got hit by a car. | Yes | “Again make the advert paralel to road – I know it makes the ad not visible and would make it hard to sell space – but downtown sidewalks can’t handle the size of receptacle. Maybe use the smaller ones in the majority of the core locations. The larger ones outside of “old toronto” except at select locations like Dundas and Yonge or Yonge & Bloor – Eglinton and Yonge. ,We need the revenue source, but the way this project will work is if a lot of consideration and analysis is put into chosing the locations for the larger ones.” | Yes | “I don’t want my property taxes to go up any more than they have to. I am pratical about these things. However, the city must a) communicate the need for the revenue (perhaps point out that cities like Paris and London all have this kind of advertising in public space) and b) Must chose locations carefully!” | I don’t think so. It’s all in the above notes. I would like to thank the city for trying to solve the perrenial garbage problem with imagination and fiscal responsibility. |
| 255 | 07/26/2005 02:30:23 PM | Yes | Yonge & Wilson | No | “When I first looked at the bin, I wasn’t sure where to put my newpaper and where to put my garbage. The different holes should themselves be labelled clearly instead of having the sign up above.” | Yes | “I am sad to see advertising become even more prominent in our city, but the convenience of the bins is fine.” | Yes | “Proceeds should be used to improve anti-littering bylaw enforecment, especially with regards to cigarette butts--bits of burning trash should not be permitted to sully our city!” | “on the old/current bins, it is equally easy to dispose of trash, paper and glass/cans, but with the new bins, it looks easier to dispose of trash than to recycle--I am concerned that some people will put recyclables in the trash.” |
| 256 | 07/26/2005 04:13:04 PM | Yes | Danforth and Greenwood | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “Terribly. First of all, the bin was on the side of the sidewalk away from the road, and seemed out of place. Second of all, I didn’t even know it was a garbage bin until I passed it. It just looks like a giant advertising billboard.” | No | “Absolutely not. This thing is a monstrosity that was obviously designed to sell ads much more so than collect garbage. We had to walk around it on the sidewalk – it is too big. Furthermore, it was only a few feet from one of the ‘old’ advertising garbage bins.” | “I’m all for smart private-public partnerships, but this is too much advertising and clutters the street. The old bins were fine; the new bins just seem to be greedy cash grabs. Enough is enough.” |
| 257 | 07/26/2005 04:35:44 PM | No | [Blank] | No | You should not need to read directions to know how to sort your garbage from your recycling. The opening for the recycling was not obvious. People will not take the time to sort given the difficulty in interpreting the instructions. | Yes | They are not intuitive. You should not need to read instruction. I belive in this fast paced society people will ignore the instructions and just through their recycled stuff into the regular trash basket. | No | “As currently designed my answer is no. I am good with the concept, but I think the execution needs to be improved. The bins need to be redesigned to make them more intuitive. The advertising needs to be balanced against the fact that these are recycle bins.” | Some of the advertising needs to be secured for smaller businesses and local community events. I see enough Car and restaurant ads already. Corporations need to be balanced against the community. |
| 258 | 07/26/2005 06:48:22 PM | Yes | Not sure | No | “I didn’t know it was a garbage can at first, I thought it was a vending machine!” | No | “It really is positioned badly, it blocks off a lot of the sidewalk.” | No | “Ads on city property should not be allowed, why can’t we just put in some regular waste bins?? It makes the city look really tacky.” | “To my knowledge there is absolutely no benefit to the people of Toronto other than ad revenue, and the fact that these things use (actually, waste) electricity to create light pollution at night is very disturbing. Please do not approve them!!” |
| 259 | 07/26/2005 06:48:41 PM | Yes | Not sure | No | “I didn’t know it was a garbage can at first, I thought it was a vending machine!” | No | “It really is positioned badly, it blocks off a lot of the sidewalk.” | No | “Ads on city property should not be allowed, why can’t we just put in some regular waste bins?? It makes the city look really tacky.” | “To my knowledge there is absolutely no benefit to the people of Toronto other than ad revenue, and the fact that these things use (actually, waste) electricity to create light pollution at night is very disturbing. Please do not approve them!!” |
| 260 | 07/26/2005 07:43:01 PM | Yes | Danforth & Playter | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “Poorly. The end facing into the sidewalk is over-used, and the end facing the street is under-used.” | No opinion | “I am not happy with the notion of innumerable advertisements at eye level. When I spend time elsewhere in the country and abroad I find the amount of space devoted to advertising in Toronto is already comparatively large. I relish spending time in places where ads are restricted. Ads are by design demanding of one’s attention, I prefer to direct my attention freely. Advertisements are an assault on my available brain space.Also, the size of these proposed advertisements is huge. I would be happier with space devoted to community postings.” | Refocus your attention on the disposal of waste. It is clear from what I have observed that the volume devoted to garbage is inadequate: the bins are often overflowing. I am certain that these bins will need to serve even busier locations than the one placed near us. |
| 261 | 07/26/2005 08:06:12 PM | Yes | Danforth and Playter | No | It wasn’t easy to use because it was overflowing onto the street with garbage so I kept my garbage ‘til the next block & placed my wrapper into one of the older containers that works just fine and seemingly has more room. | Yes | “It’s clearly not about garbage & recycling and obviously about more, unwanted, advertising. The bins are too big to bother answering how they are positioned. They completely block vision between pedestrians & drivers; if something were to happen where a vehicle lost control or a person jumped onto the street there would be absolutely no chance to avoid an accident. I can’t believe your committee even let these out of the design fase on this point alone.” | No | Absolutely not! Garbage collection & recycling should have a price tag. It’s been free for too long. | Ads are a distraction to motorists. Ask the Ontario Ministry of Transportation what they think. |
| 262 | 07/26/2005 08:28:23 PM | Yes | Don Mills/Eglinton (Science Centre) | No | “If I had not read the billboard first, I would not have known which material goes where, because of the side to side nature of the bin. You wonder – does one type of thing go in the back and others go in the front? It is unlike the current garbage bins, which have an immediately understood system. All three collector slots face you – 1,2,3. It’s clear and simple.” | Yes | “This one was placed out of the way. It was further down the street than where people gathered, which was at the street light/bus stop/shelter and newspaper boxes. It was meant to service TTC riders as there is nothing else around, but you’d have to walk out of the way to get to it, and then walk back to the stop. Perhaps because of the height, the bin is not safe to be placed at street corners or at the lights, due to reduced visibility for drivers. That’s my guess.” | No | “I was looking at the current bins and am thinking, doesn’t the City *already* get advertising revenue from bins? They *do* have ad space all across the street-facing sides! I don’t understand why revenue generation makes a good argument for the new bins.” | “I hate the bins. It is a strong word, but I have thought it through and “dislike” was not enough. ,1. Visual pollution.The bins are huge and attract so much attention. They are visual pollution and make the city uglier. What I dislike a lot is that the bins will be lit up at night. ,2. Downtown placement,Where are these going to be placed? Will you have more of them in the downtown area or will they be evenly placed throughout the GTA? My fear is that they will be targeted at high density zones which includes downtown, where I live.3. Keep Toronto clean and green!,Some of the reasons why I love Toronto is that the city is clean and green. Please make it more beautiful, not ugly!,4. Commercialization of public space,It is clear from the design that the bin’s main function is to advertise. The tiny garbage slots on the sides look like an afterthought. I hate what these bins stand for, which is more commercialization of our public space.5. Advertising revenue generation is a poor argument,Don’t the current bins already generate ad revenue? They do have a large ad space on each of the sidewalk-facing and road-facing sides. Why is ad revenue a primary reason for the City to propose these new bins?” |
| 263 | 07/26/2005 08:39:07 PM | Yes | Pape & Danforth | No | “Unlike the older bins, the functions were not at all clear. I was not the only one confused, as a woman spontaneously commented to me while I was looking at the bin that she too didn’t understand how it worked.” | Yes | “They are appalling. The height obstructs the view of the road for cars at the corner, and they are far more visually intrusive than the older, lower bins. They do a great disservice to the streetscape.” | No | “These bins greatly detract from the look of the city, and saturate the street level with greatly unwelcomed advertisements.” | Please please please take them away. |
| 264 | 07/26/2005 11:02:11 PM | Yes | Dundas & Ossington | No | “The openings for garbage are small, not easily reached by children or the very short, and seem almost an afterthought. The openings on the side facing Dundas require the user to stand in the road to access them, nor is it immediately apparent that they even exist.” | Yes | “The bins are large enough and close enough to the corner that they may constitute a traffic hazard, since they obstruct the view. Again, half the disposal openings are so close to the curb that the user has to stand in the road to access them.” | No | “It’s obvious from their design/placement that the primary purpose of these bins is not garbage disposal, but advertising. It should be possible to sell ad space on garbage bins without actually degrading their primary functionality, shouldn’t it? The previous Eucan bins are poorly made (the doors tend to fall ajar, etc) but they’re a good height, there’s room for ads on them, and they hold more garbage, near as I can tell. Isn’t that the point of them?” | “Are these things going to be backlit? Because it strikes me that on a day when Ontario Hydro has once again begged everyone not to run their appliances for fear of a blackout, perhaps installing many electrical garbage bins isn’t terribly practical, environmentally freindly or smart.” |
| 265 | 07/26/2005 11:40:40 PM | Yes | dundas st and pasific ave. | Yes | it was very clear and noticable where to put what in and where. | Yes | i think its a good way to help people know where the trash bin is and its more visable to people when they need to dispose of things. | Yes | well i dont really know why i just think the whole idea of these trash bins is a good one. | it is very noticeable when walking down the street. hard to miss. |
| 266 | 07/27/2005 01:54:41 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “They are ugly, often they take attention from the beautiful surroundingd; the script and decorations stand out too much; the bins declare that they are the most important structures in the city which is not true. Garbage is not the most important item in the city. Get a better and subtler design!” | No | “The busy advertizing on them makes them stand out more. They are ugly. I presume there would be a chance to have the best graphic designers/artists do the designs, but this will hardly happen in Toronto because the one that is cheapest and reaps more profit will be chosen – also often the ugliest.” | I think they could be like peaces af art as well as functional – like good architecture can be. |
| 267 | 07/27/2005 10:12:52 AM | Yes | Wilson & Yonge (North West Corner) | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | I like them although the ones I’ve seen have been positioned farther away from TTC stops than I would’ve put them. | Yes | “The only improvement I would like to see is a solar powered sensor that would let Solid Waste Management know when the rubbish had reached a certain level and the bins needed to be cleared out. That would save time, effort, and air pollution in the collection effort.” | They’re a great idea. Keep up the great work David et. al. |
| 268 | 07/27/2005 10:54:15 AM | Yes | Roncesvalles | No | [Blank] | Yes | Weird how it sticks out into the sidewalk. Interferes with foot traffic. | No | “There are lots of other ways to raise money. ,These bins are too high, can’t see over or around them, they are rather obnoxious.” | “Should find a lower-height design, something more conducive to pedestrian enjoyment. How can we be world-class if we are going out of our way to shove ads in people’s faces?” |
| 269 | 07/27/2005 10:59:01 AM | Yes | Roncesvalles Avenue | No | Because on an angle not completely accessible | Yes | “Very poorly positioned,Too big, ruin sightlines, and get in the way” | No | “Understand why trying to find new bins, but please go back to the drawing board” | “Please, please go back to the drawing board” |
| 270 | 07/27/2005 11:43:57 AM | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “They are retarded, too high, and an eyesore. Why don’t you guys just tattoo our fucking eyes so you don’t have to do these monkey gymnastics trying to suck corporate cockadoodledoo?” | No | “Please stop being corporate WHORES! you know all of us block this shit out! believe me, I haven’t been to the “Men’s sexual Health clinic” in YEARS!,these garbage things are designed around a fucking bill-board! When children start dying because impatient drives are taking blind right turns and you ass-holes have to pay more of our tax money for secret lawsuits, maybe you’ll learn what everyone is trying to tell you right now Don’t DO IT!” | “People block this shit out. Plus these are unsafe cuz they block a view of the corner. Would you put 8x5 foot concrete walls on the corners where you are going to put these monstrosities?,what is next? you are going to force us to wear advertisement shades? We should start charging you fuckers for the free time you get in our eyeballs? We didn’t authorize you to force your information into our brains? if you want to do that? you pay us! for every time you get the privilege of imprinting your ad on our retinas.” |
| 271 | 07/27/2005 01:38:49 PM | Yes | South side of Danforth east of Broadview | No | Explanations of what goes where are displayed far above the places the items go. Poorly thought out. | Yes | “They not only block the sidewalk, they also block the view of motorists so that they would not see someone planning to cross the street or a potential parking space.” | No | See below. | Forget it. For the amount of garbage they hold (and both ends of the one I saw on the Danforth were full to overflowing) they are far too large. We have enough advertising to contend with as it is. There is no need to add even more to our streets. |
| 272 | 07/27/2005 02:04:47 PM | No | [Blank] | No | “I found it easy enough to use, but others obviously did not (as there were recyclables hanging out of the garbage portion – part of the problem being that it was too full).” | Yes | “They are an absolute blight. They block the entire view of the sidewalk. They present a danger to pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. I urge the City to remove them immediately.” | No | See above. They make our streets look even more appauling than they presently do. | “Please remove them immediately. They block our views of each other, of upcoming traffic, and of the elements of the streetscape that are attractive (trees, humans, the sky).” |
| 273 | 07/27/2005 04:19:40 PM | Yes | Bloor and Jane | No | “No. I thought it was more advertising cluttering up our streets. They are ugly, monolithic slabs that block a pedestrian’s line of sight with the moving traffic. Very dangerous.” | No | “They are designed to get a driver’s attention and this is dangerous on many levels. Drivers should be watching out for pedestrians and traffic not looking at a billboard that will surely be advertising to them (although now it’s only the “new bins” poster.)” | No | “Will the increased revenue cover the added strain on our electricty grid from these electric garbage cans? This solution costs us all in the long run because it is not tackling Toronto’s garbage issue. By having larger bins covered in posters that will sell more stuff to people, you are only adding to the amount of garbage we create. Where will we be in 10 years? Replacing these bins with even bigger bins?” | “I think the city should have invested in more recycling bins for the city, not more advertising of our public space regardless of the cost. These new bins have a label that actually says that they are private property. Private propery on my streets? I don’t think so. Scrap these private company solutions and let’s work together to reduce the amount of garbage we create, not put bigger bins on the street covered in ads and running on electricty.” |
| student sumarized questions 2 & 4 to here – questions 5 & 6 not summarized yet. | ||||||||||
| 274 | 07/27/2005 04:34:38 PM | Yes | Danforth and Main | No | The slots are way too small. Filled up in a short time. No one empties or cleans them. They don’t hold much! Some one actually put a ordinary garbage can a couple of steps away... and that was overflowing too! | Yes | “Useless, do you think people driving in cars are going to stop and recycle if the slots on the other side face the road?!?! Besides, it’s positioned too close to the road to use the other slots! It actually takes a few seconds to figure out what goes where... i think people would rather litter then take the few seconds to get use to using them.” | No | They’re really ugly. The sidewalks belong to the people. They take up way too much space and are a real sell out by the city. City would be better off getting ride of all the newspaper stands in the area while they’re at it. I counted over 15 boxes at the intersection! | Something lower to the ground so little kids can start recycling early. Something with an opening on the top that you can drop garbage/recycables in and people don’t have to touch (like the old OMG boxes that have flaps- which i have touching). We don’t need any more advertisements. If you want to raise money just start ticketing litters! |
| 275 | 07/27/2005 04:37:51 PM | Yes | Danforth Avenue | No | Can was full on second day | Yes | Awful. At right angles they take space was sidewalk. What’s worse is they will be bright when lit – why have you not done that so people see what they are really like? | No | Not with these. These are too big for street and ugly. Garbage opening awakward – old can better and easier to use. Less obvious and in the way. | Get rid of these. |
| 276 | 07/27/2005 06:22:13 PM | No | [Blank] | No | Didn’t use. | No | The garbage/recycling bins are positioned in such a way as to maximise their advertising potential. I find that they contribute to visual pollution as well as obscure the sightlines of the streets and sidewalk. | No | I am a property owner and would rather pay more tax than see these ugly bins ruin our streets. | “The bins are hideous electricity-suckers. Please get rid of them, they are an embarassment to this beautiful city.” |
| 277 | 07/27/2005 08:39:27 PM | Yes | Dundas and Ossington (Southeast corner) | No | “I haven’t used this bin in the week since it was installed but I have been following how it’s being utilized by my neighbours. On the side facing the sidewalk, the tiny garbage container – not sheilded to keep out rain and snow – has been full of newspapers, plastic bottles and cans. On the side facing the street, today it contained 3 pop cans, a large glass juice bottle and a single coffee cup. The rubberized recycling slot is just plain scary. So I would have to judge that it is not “practical and easy to use”. Except as a billboard.” | Yes | “The only one I have seen (Ossington and Dundas) has been positioned to maximize advertising space and with no consideration whatsoever to neighbourhood pedestrian traffic. The bin has been sited on the least utilized corner of the intersection – the only one without a TTC stop – in such a way as to limit use of the containers facing the street, block sight lines up and down the street, and impede foot traffic.” | No | “I might be able to swallow my frustration if the city received fair value for the advertising space, as it is this deal makes the city council look like a bunch of suckers.” | Trash them. They’re embarassing. Stop this program while you still can. Please. |
| 278 | 07/27/2005 10:12:57 PM | Yes | Danforth and Pape | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “They MUST be re-positioned so that the ends with the garbage openings are facing approaching pedestrians. As they are positioned now, with the advertising sides facing pedestrians, no one will use the garbage end on the street side.” | Yes | “Yes, conditional on the bins being turned sideways (see answer #4 and #6).” | “I understand the benefit of increased revenue from the advertising, and I am not opposed to (but not thrilled by) the concept of more advertising. But facing the bins sideways so pedestrians and drivers see the ads more clearly means that the disposal of litter becomes secondary. The primary purpose of these bins MUST be for garbage disposal; advertising MUST be considered secondary. Of course, Eucan will not be happy about this condition because the advertising will be much less noticeable, but if the bins are NOT turned sideways, then I am STRONGLY OPPOSED to their installation.” |
| 279 | 07/27/2005 11:42:59 PM | Yes | Bloor West & Christie | No | “You have to lean over the garbage and ash tray to put recyclables in, and the rubber baffles snag things as they go in.” | Yes | Horribly intrusive. They form a barrier to pedestrians and violate the city’s own bylaws regarding sidewalk-based advertising. | No | “There is already far too much advertising, and the city has a solid history of letting itself get screwed over in these sort of deals (see the recent OneStop scam the TTC has been hooked by). Also, a garbage can that needs electricity? What moron dreamed that up? We’re facing roaming brownouts this summer *and* you launched these on a smog day!” | “While you’re promoting them as a way of cutting garbage can ads in half (with each new billboard/can supporting room for twice as much adspace) how long until these new cans outnumber the existing silver boxes? Will the city really stop when they equal half the number of silver cans (and are therefore equal in ad space)? Somehow I seriously doubt it. Do you take us for idiots? Get rid of these sidewalk billboards disguised as garbage cans! We don’t need or want more advertising in public space. If the city is so hard up for revenue, start charging more for the ad space you already provide! The advertisers need the city more than the city needs the advertisers, and it’s time you realized that. Add a billboard tax while you’re at it.” |
| 280 | 07/28/2005 12:13:02 AM | Yes | “Pape and Gerrard,Gerrard Square” | Yes | “The openings were at the right height. The signs were helpful. It was nighttime, but the organics side was green (?) so that should make it easier in the daytime.” | Yes | “They’re too fat, they take up too much of the sidewalk and it looks ugly. It doesn’t appear that aesthetics are taken into account. It’s drab. It’s boring. It’s too big. It’s ugly.” | Yes | “I am in favour of the installation, just not the ones that have been designed now. I love how you have battery disposal and organics (!!!) disposal now. I hate the ash tray but then again people should be fined for throwing their litter and cigarette butts on the floor, so the ash tray can stay as long as it doesn’t result in smokers gathering around the garbage bin and creating a smoke cloud around the garbage bin.” | “Be creative. Add some curves. It’s too awkward. It’s just a big block sitting in the middle of the sidewalk. Hold a contest or something, I’m sure someone will come up with a better idea.” |
| 281 | 07/28/2005 08:00:59 AM | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | “I passed one of the new bins at Port Union/Lawrence Ave. E. and there was even,more litter on the ground surrounding it than,with the old ones. I think that the most effective bins around schools and plazas are the old open rectangular ones that teenagers,can just toss the trash into.” |
| 282 | 07/28/2005 10:13:01 AM | Yes | Danforth & Broadview | No | “bin was completely full, and garbage overflowing on street” | Yes | “I feel the larger bin is too wide and juts into the pedestrian traffic too much, all for the sake of advertising. Easily half of the sidewalk width is dissected by this bin.” | No | we have enough advertising in our city. | we have enough advertising in our city. |
| 283 | 07/28/2005 10:18:18 AM | No | saw one at Finch & Don Mills | [Blank] | “Didn’t try it, I saw it while riding Finch bus.” | No | “Positioning is okay, but please be careful about not obstructing the view that drivers have of intersecting streets/driveways.” | No | “I like the idea of having new improved garbage/recycling bins. I don’t like the idea of seeing more corporate advertising cluttering our streets and causing more visual pollution. I would prefer the city to buy or rent the bins instead of using corporate advertising to fund this project. Perhaps the various levels of governments could buy the ad-space: i.e. I would be agreeable to the ad-space being used for public advertising from government for things such as health messages (for example: preventing west nile virus, immunization, nutrition for kids, etc.) or environmental/green messages (for example: tips for composting, reducing energy consumption, how to safely dispose old computers/batteries/paint/car tires/oil/hazzardous wastes). Government ads would have to be nonpartisan.” | Could you build the bins as one of the walls of bus shelters? This would make the bins less intrusive on our sidewalks/public areas. |
| 284 | 07/28/2005 10:33:28 AM | No | saw one at Finch & Don Mills | [Blank] | “Didn’t try it, I saw it while riding Finch bus.” | No | “Positioning is okay, but please be careful about not obstructing the view that drivers have of intersecting streets/driveways.” | No | “I like the idea of having new improved garbage/recycling bins. I don’t like the idea of seeing more corporate advertising cluttering our streets and causing more visual pollution. I would prefer the city to buy or rent the bins instead of using corporate advertising to fund this project. Perhaps the various levels of governments could buy the ad-space: i.e. I would be agreeable to the ad-space being used for public advertising from government for things such as health messages (for example: preventing west nile virus, immunization, nutrition for kids, etc.) or environmental/green messages (for example: tips for composting, reducing energy consumption, how to safely dispose old computers/batteries/paint/car tires/oil/hazzardous wastes). Government ads would have to be nonpartisan.” | Could you build the bins as one of the walls of bus shelters? This would make the bins less intrusive on our sidewalks/public areas. |
| 285 | 07/28/2005 10:37:19 AM | Yes | Jane and Bloor | No | The garbage opening is awkward and small. The shape means you have very little space to explain clearly which hole is for what. | Yes | I had the way they block my view of the street. The seem dangerous for cars’ view when turning corners. | No | “They are ugly. They do not serve their function (the garbage bin is too small, I’ve seen them overflowing). They block pedestrians and they block street views. Over half of their space is wasted (the upper half contains no garbage).” | Please respect the results of this poll and do NOT use these bins. I’d rather you’d raise my taxes. |
| 286 | 07/28/2005 10:46:03 AM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | We have too much advertising already. | [Blank] |
| 287 | 07/28/2005 10:51:12 AM | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 288 | 07/28/2005 10:53:37 AM | Yes | Bloor and Jane | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | The one side of the garbage bin can not be used because one actually has to go onto the street | No | They are TOO big and obstruct the view. The actual size of the garbage container seems too small and I have noticed that it is overflowing a number of times. | “The OMG bins were ok and inobtrusive, these new bins are just TOO big.” |
| 289 | 07/28/2005 10:58:19 AM | Yes | [Blank] | No | Get in the way when you are walking by. | Yes | Stick out too much into the sidewalk. Not plumb vertical. Too tall. | No | These detract from the cityscape because they are too tall. They shove the advertising in your face too much. | Put them sideways so they are not so tall. |
| 290 | 07/28/2005 11:01:16 AM | Yes | Bloor and Dundas | No | It took a while to figure out the directions at first. | Yes | too big – and take a lot of space when perpendicular to the sidewalk. | No | “They look like advertising signs first and garbage bins second. The fact that the box is so stylish and shows advertising, dissuades me from putting “garbage” in it.” | “If the main idea is advertising revenue, these boxes can be made to do just that, rather than combine garbage functionality.Further, truly speaking, advertising alongside garbage doesn’t help create brand value for the company that is advertising. You will probably find it hard to convince big spenders to advertise on this box.” |
| 291 | 07/28/2005 11:09:32 AM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “From the pictures, it looks like they take up a lot of sidewalk space, which would be annoying on heavily traffiked areas and in some places, the sidewalks can be quite narrow already. I would like to go see some of these boxes to see how they are positioned in the downtown core (where I work and live)” | No | “I don’t like a 7 foot high garbage bin obstructing my view of the city... walking down the street, line of sight to a garbabe bin. The city doesn’t need that. Keep them low to the ground.” | They’re simply too tall. |
| 292 | 07/28/2005 11:12:29 AM | No | [Blank] | No | should include a button here.... don’t know | No | [Blank] | Yes | im in favor if you jack less tax from the local business owners... | might wanna try a small commercial to push the usage of these... |
| 293 | 07/28/2005 11:12:54 AM | Yes | “Bloor & Jane St. (on Bloor Street, east of Jane)” | No | No – it isn’t obvious that the newspapers and cans go in the same spot. This means people just passing by will throw things in the wrong place. | Yes | One end of the bin is positioned facing the street. This means a person would have to step out to the sidewalk’s edge – could be dangerous if a car was going by. It also means that some people won’t realize that there is another opening for garbage there – meaning a wasted area. | No | “1. They block the view. This could also be a safety issue as you might step out in some cases to cross the street, and they would block the view of an oncoming car. Also, they block the view if you are looking for a particular street address or shop. 2. We have enough advertising in our lives. This advertising is too “in your face”. 3. The actual garbage receptacles are quite small. They will overflow quickly. 4. At first glance people who aren’t familiar with the city won’t realize they are a garbage receptacle. 5. Ruins the mood of the street – makes it look tacky, commercialized. 6. One end is right on the edge of the street – will not be used or noticed.” | [Blank] |
| 294 | 07/28/2005 11:32:14 AM | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | Confusing. I don’t want to stand with my litter and have to figure out where it goes. | Yes | Absolutely horrible. It cuts the sitelines of the sidewalk. WAY TOO BIG. Monstrous. It is quite obvious that function (trash disposal) is not leading form. | No | Absolutely NOT. At what point does the city stop selling its streetscapes for peanuts (and this deal does not produce sufficient funds to make up for the sellout of OUR public space). | If the city is serious about litter then it needs to put trash collection first and advertising dollars second. I just walked three blocks through the heart of Little Italy on College and did not encounter a single existing (old or new) garbage bin. THREE BLOCKS in the midst of one of the most pedestrian intense neighbourhoods in this part of the city. This is what you get when your bins are placed strategically as billboards and not where they need to be for garbage collection. When I visit similar spaces in other cities of the world the bins are smaller and closer space (approximately 3-4 per block) – this ensures good trash collection first and foremost – but if you put four of these new monster bins per block it would be an utter disaster. What is our priority – reducing litter or collecting a pittance – EMBARASSING. |
| 295 | 07/28/2005 01:08:04 PM | Yes | Danforth near Chester | Yes | “I like the fact that the garbage opening does not have a flap over it, as flaps on other cans become dirty and I don’t want to touch them.” | Yes | “The positioning is not great because to use the opposite end of the bin, one practically has to stand on the street, or else shuffle between the bin and any parked cars. It seems more logical to me to turn the bins so that either side faces the length of the sidewalk (not the width).” | No | “No, I find the massive ads to be an eyesore, and don’t feel that our sidewalk space should be for sale, no matter if the city would profit.” | “I noticed that the bin on Danforth was newly place over the last weekend (July 22). By Sunday night (July 24), the garbage sections of the bin on both ends were overflowing with garbage and were no longer useable. Even if the city were to increase garbage collection(which I’m sure would be costly), it makes good preventative sense to increase the size of the garbage portion of the bins.” |
| 296 | 07/28/2005 01:24:36 PM | No | Have seen one at Jane & Bloor but not used it. | No | “The design is stupid, with openings on the narrow ends and too close together. Litter bins should have big, inviting, easy-to-use openings. The labeling of the city’s existing 3-part bins is much more sensible, with one simple label near each slot.” | Yes | Crosswise positioning blocks too much of the sidewalk and places one end of the bin where it’s hard to use. | No | See next item. | “These are billboards, not garbage bins -- unless the law of gravity has been repealed, more than half of the volume is not being used for garbage at all. The function of litter bins is supposed to be to reduce littering and improve the streetscape -- these billboards are so large they are detrimental to the streetscape. We have too much advertising on the streets (not to mention the TTC) as it is. If there is to be a new design of litter bin, the city’s garbage department should be the people who come up with it, not someone who wants to sell advertising space.” |
| 297 | 07/28/2005 03:41:12 PM | Yes | Jane & Bloor | Yes | “But it’s not practical. The container for the garbage and recycling is so small that it will be over-flowing quickly. This means that the bins have to be empty more frequently, which means more money to pay someone to empty the bins, which leads to increased taxes. No one wants to pay more taxes.” | Yes | “The problem is, who is going to really walk around to the other side close to the street to toss their garbage. No one that I know.” | No | “These bins are way to high, they obstruct the view. They look like the old bus stops, and now even the bus stops have changed to a more friendly look with all glass so that you can see through it. As mentioned above, smaller bin = more frequently the bins needs to be emptied = more money = more taxes. Even with the revenue generated from the commerical advertising, it will just cover the cost of overhead in managing the garbage in the bins. Also they would be an eye sore to have such a huge thing on the street and the actual containers for the garbage and recyclables are so small. The majority of the space is just unused empty space. What’s the point of these bins again???” | “Personally the current garbage/recycling bins being used are much better. Because it does not block ones view. You can still have commercial advertising on these. The only thing is to make the opening for the garbage and recycling larger, and get rid of the flap. Many times the only reason why the garbage/recyclables overflow is because the opening is too small and no one wants to touch the flap, so they just stick the garbage/recyclable in the opening and just leave it there.” |
| 298 | 07/28/2005 04:22:02 PM | Yes | [Blank] | No | I didn’t realize it was a recycling bin until I had almost passed it. | No | [Blank] | No | I hate it. It’s an absolute eyesore – and that opinion wouldn’t change no matter how it was installed. | Please do not install these bins. They are terrible – and would be a true detriment to the city’s image. |
| 299 | 07/28/2005 04:27:47 PM | No | Kingston Road and Main Street | No | Don’t know – the whole this is so awful I haven’t used it yet. | No | They are a terrible visual and physical intrusion. Why do we need yet more advertising signs to clutter up our public realm??? | No | The bins are a terrible visual and physical intrusion. The last thing we need is yet more advertising signs to clutter up our public realm. I thought we were pursuing a City Beautiful campaign. | Please remove them as soon as possible. |
| 300 | 07/28/2005 04:31:45 PM | Yes | Bloor & Windermere | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | too high and very intrusive in front of the curb of the street | No | The bins are an eyesore and they look like instant photo booths! They do not add to the aesthetic of the public spaces. | [Blank] |
| 301 | 07/28/2005 04:34:00 PM | Yes | Dundas and Ossington | No | It blocks the sidewalk. The openings are less clear than existing bins. | No | “Visually, ugly. Practically, of limited effectiveness. Safety and Comfort-related, blocks the street, is too darn large, and is an eyesore. Ethically, a grey area.” | No | A relatively SMALL cost savings does not justify a major compromise of MY and OUR urban spaces. | Please remove existing ones and do not allow more. Thanks for letting me input. |
| 302 | 07/28/2005 04:34:15 PM | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | openings too small – not enough room to capture garbage and spread it around in side. Will overflow easily. | No | Too invasive – sidewalks are already narrow enough. These are terrible. They are hard to manouver around on busy streets plus they look ugly. | No | The city should over the cost of garbage collection through taxation. Why should it be sponsored?? The city already gets revenue from teh EXISTING WELL DESIGNED and more AETHESTICALLY (sp?) PLEASING garbage bins. | Keep these trashy trash bins out of our city. Toronto is ugly enough – we do not need to litter it with more bad design in the public realm just so you can save a few bucks a year. It is a really sad statement that you are willing to trade off a quality public realm for your city for the benfit of the corporate world. greed and short sightedness. |
| 303 | 07/28/2005 04:34:42 PM | No | Bloor West Village – Windermere & Bloor | No | [Blank] | Yes | Likely to destroy public spaces in the city. | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 304 | 07/28/2005 05:16:47 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | “It is not a good deal for the City. The bins do more harm to public space then they could recoupe from income. The fact that they are huge, powered (when we are in an energy crisis) and just ugly add up to saying NO to puting 1500 of them around the city.” | [Blank] |
| 305 | 07/28/2005 05:46:12 PM | Yes | lakeshore/brownsline | Yes | I love the ashtrays. | Yes | It’s a great design. They look fantastic on the streets. | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 306 | 07/28/2005 06:57:08 PM | Yes | Finch/Mccowan | No | Bigger trash can not be put in. | Yes | It is a stupid idea. It is so big & high that it blocks the view of the traffic to pedestrains and the TTC passengers waiting for the buses. It is no way to place such bin on the sidewalk. | No | It is because our views and safety on roads and to traffic are priceless and invaluable. Such revenue can not cover any loss of lives and disaster created by this blocking monster. | “Yes, it also creats a crime scence because it is a good hiding place for the bad people to do crime. It is a blindspot for the pedestrains. I don’t know why this testing is happening. If trash bins on streets can be so big, they are already on the streets since they first appear. So, move all these stupid monsters out immediately. Can you bear such responsibilty if a traffic accidence or a crime happened due to this trash bin? Also, the openings of those old trash bins provided by the same company are so small that bigger trash can not be put in.” |
| 307 | 07/28/2005 07:33:32 PM | Yes | various locations along the Danforth | No | all the bins I’ve seen have been overflowing with garbage | Yes | “They block the view of the streetscape, especially for pedestrians but also for drivers. They stand in the way of pedestrians trying to use the sidewalk because of the way they are positioned, across the width of the sidewalk.” | No | “The previous bins were fine, and did not take up such an enormous amount of visual space. As I understand it, the city only gets a small portion of the advertising revenue, so it is a much better deal for the company that owns the cans than it is for the city. Surely there are better ways for the city to increase its revenue.” | They are absolutely the ugliest garbage cans I’ve ever seen. They create severe visual pollution on otherwise pleasant city streets. Please get rid of them! They were a really bad idea! |
| 308 | 07/28/2005 08:44:45 PM | Yes | Greenwood & Danforth | No | “The openings on the traffic side were extremely close to the curb. If I actually walked to that side to dispose of something in the bins I would not feel safe.I did not find this easy to understand. The diagrams were not particularly clear and the printing was very fuzzy. I was not impressed in any way by these bins.” | Yes | I think these are awful. They are glorified horrible billboards that impose on public space. | No | I am horrified that the city would even consider installing these bins even if there is an opportunity for revenue. They are hideous and they are a visual eyesore on the sidewalks. | I think that these are hazards and that people will just take the opportunity to kick them in and smash the billboards. I do not understand why the city is even considering having these bins installed. |
| 309 | 07/28/2005 08:47:33 PM | Yes | Gerrard & Pape (Gerrard Square) | No | I was on my bicycle and I stopped to take a look at these. As a cyclist I found that the end facing traffic was quite hazardous. If there was a pedestrian walking to dispose of something in these bins as I was walking by I would be forced out in to traffic or risk coming in to very close contact with the disposer. I don’t understand how the City can think these bins are practical and easy to use. | Yes | I really hate them. I have never felt so strongly about a City initiative before. | No | “Would you take a hideously ugly shirt that was extremely flammable just because it was free and you got a shirt out of the deal? No, of course not. Why would this even be considered? It makes me question the governance of the City.” | Take them away. |
| 310 | 07/28/2005 08:49:26 PM | Yes | Broadview & Danforth (a bit east of Broadview on Danforth). | No | These bin blocked my view of oncoming traffic. I was approaching the cross walk with lights and found that my vision was extremely blocked by these bins. | Yes | Ridiculous. Who would use the side that practically juts out on to the street? Why would you risk that to conserve your pop can? | No | “Horrible idea.No support for this.” | Remove them. |
| 311 | 07/29/2005 08:23:22 AM | Yes | Jane & St Clair | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | excellent advertising medium |
| 312 | 07/29/2005 08:33:15 AM | Yes | Don Mills Road and Finch Avenue East | No | The purpose of each opening needs to be clearly identified BESIDE each opening. There is not enough room for this. | [Blank] | “Fine, but make sure you don’t block drivers’ view as they prepare to turn onto a main street.” | Yes | IF there is increased opportunity (and action) on properly handling more types of waste and recyclables. | “There doesn’t appear to be enough room to store the garbage (the containers seem too small).The openings look too much alike for each type (cigarette butt and battery for example). Standard opening shapes should be adopted that match other City bins.” |
| 313 | 07/29/2005 08:53:14 AM | No | [Blank] | No | “The recycling slot looked dirty. I wouldn’t want to use it because I might get dirty from it. Also, the recycling slot doesn’t look like it takes recycling. There are no hints to that effect like a green colour or the standard recycling symbol (the arrows making a triangle).” | Yes | I like that they are unobtrusive and work well as advertising space. | No | “I am in favour of the City making money from them but they need to be improved first. I think these things will degrade quickly, especially the recycling part. The one that I saw had garbage in the recycling slot. I think this is because the recycling slow wasn’t identified clearly as I mentioned above.” | The existing garbage/recycling bins are easier to use. |
| 314 | 07/29/2005 09:16:23 AM | Yes | Finch & Torresdale | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | Good way | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 315 | 07/29/2005 09:29:07 AM | Yes | Bloor and (Close to Keele) | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “I think that enything to help of take care of our place is wellcome. Any place is ok, just the poeple have to learn how to use it and get involved.” | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 316 | 07/29/2005 10:16:58 AM | No | “I have not used the bins, but have seen them on Roncesvalles and Bloor, west of Dundas.” | No | “At a glance, the instructions look detailed and I am concerned that people will not be able to understand or take the time to figure out which openings are the appropriate for garbage and recyclables. I do not recall if any languages beyond English are used in the bin instructions, but language must be considered in order to increase accessibility.” | Yes | “The positioning of the bins perpendicular to the street means that to use the street side of the bin, one would have to stand on the street to dispose of garbage. Furthermore, the bin openings are so close to the street that where there are parked cars, one would have to squeeze between the car and bin in order to dispose of garbage. Neither scenario is safe. This positioning does not encourage the use of the bin.” | No | “I think these bins are horrendous, and quite frankly I am embarrassed about what they will do to detract from Toronto’s streets. The advertising seems to take priority over the accessibility and functionality of the city’s garbage and recylcing bins. I also think that they pose a public safety risk, as described in question 4, and because one cannot see if someone is hiding behind the massive billboard (which extends all the way down to the sidewalk).” | “I applaud the city for making recycling bins available on the streets. However, I do not think that this test bin is safe or accessible. Having massive advertising billboards, masquerading as garbage and recycling bins, obstructing the sidewalks is an unfortunate direction for the city to take.” |
| 317 | 07/29/2005 10:17:28 AM | Yes | Scarborough Town Centre MacCowan and 401 | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 318 | 07/29/2005 10:25:52 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | They overwhelm the sidewalk and pollute the public realm. | No | “These are not bins, they are billboards containing bins. They are as unsightly as the litter they are meant to prevent.” | “Get rid of them. Design a bin that is functional and attractive (as has been done with transit shelters) and incorporates advertising or sponsor logos in a creative, non-garish way.” |
| 319 | 07/29/2005 12:03:55 PM | Yes | At Danforth & Pape | No | “The openings are too small. One side faces the gutter and is impossible to get to. The instructions are complicated. The look like advertising poster sites, not garbage bins.” | Yes | They are an obstruction to pedestrians. They project many feet into the central part of the sidewalk. They are a hazzard. | No | “I am NOT in favour, they are large, unncessary obstructions on an already busy sidewalk. They are pure advertising vehicles and will not help keep the street clean.” | “These are city sidewalks and public places meant for easy access. WE DON”T WANT THE LARGE, UGLY THINGS!” |
| 320 | 07/29/2005 12:30:04 PM | No | No because it is unsightly and was stuffed with garbage. | No | “The bins are tiny and were overflowing with garbage. The bin is not practical. It is only “easy” to use if you do not have a conscience about public space and don’t mind a huge ad blocking your view of the street.” | Yes | The bins are an eyesore that take up too much space. I do not enjoy looking at added advertising and the bins take up too much space. Their position is irrelevant next to their sheer size. | No | “NO WAY!!! They’re enormous and ugly and I hate them. Remove them at once! They’re awful looking, they pollute our public space with ads and they hardly hold any garbage. Find another way to get that revenue that doesn’t involve clogging our streets with advertising.” | “Get rid of them. They’re horrible. Let’s put the money into an educational campaign to promote creating LESS garbage rather than advertising for more products, that produce the garbage and garbage-making consumer culture.” |
| 321 | 07/29/2005 01:19:48 PM | Yes | Queen & Lansdowne | No | “The actual holding capacity of the bin is quite small, especially given how obstructive the billboard/bin is to foot traffic. (I’m saying “no” here because there are only two options – in fact my response is “yes, it’s easy to use” and “no, the bin is not practical given the city’s needs”.)” | Yes | “The bins should not be installed perpendicular to the street as the one I used is. It makes no sense to have one of the openings face the street – it would be very awkward and even dangerous to try to deposit garbage on the street side of the bin. Also, the bin takes up way too much of the available sidewalk – most sidewalks are too crowded as it is. If the bin has to be there, it should be as narrow as possible and have both openings accesible and facing pedestrians as they walk towards it.” | No opinion | “I would prefer to see the city provide its own bins without advertising. If the city really needs these revenues, sponsors should be told in no uncertain terms that the primary function of the bins is to act as a repository for garbage and recycling! These bins have been set up primarily as billboards, with the collection of a small amount of garbage and recycling as a minor side activity.” | “There is undoubtedly a more practical, higher capacity design of bin available, even if advertising is required. If the city determines that it will use these bins, they must to be placed lengthwise parallel to the street.” |
| 322 | 07/29/2005 01:41:50 PM | Yes | McCowan RT station | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | This bin could of been situated farther away from the main road where the cars were parked for pick up. I had to stand on the curb to throw something in the garbage side. | Yes | Sure.. why not. | Something should be looked into how frequent the bins are changed.. since there is green/organic matter that will be thrown in. I was standing next to one.. and I could smell the organics and the cigarette butts!! |
| 323 | 07/29/2005 01:55:00 PM | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “Funny angle – sticks out into the sidewalk, not sure why.” | No | Don’t like the fact they are taller than me. | Should be shorter so you can see over them. |
| 324 | 07/29/2005 02:43:15 PM | Yes | King and Strachan | No | “The garbage opening was well placed. The recycling opening was rather high. I can see children and elderly people, or anyone who has difficulty reaching that high, having trouble using it. The openings were not clearly differentiated; black rubber against gray steel is not helpful. I was surprised at the generous size of the receptacle for cigarette butts, as well as its placement, which apparently favours smokers over recyclers, given the placement of the recycling opening.” | Yes | “I think that the bins are too large--especially, too high. They block views of the street and along the sidewalk. Anything that cannot be seen over makes navigating the city more difficult and more dangerous. Pedestrians are already presented with enough obstacles.” | No | “Besides the issues already mentioned, there is no facility for collecting organic waste. Also, there is really no need for more advertising, especially if it obstructs views of the street and impedes sidewalk traffic. Further, I understand that the bins will be lit at night; in addition to the distraction this will cause for drivers, should the City not be conserving electricity, for both economic and environmental reasons, rather than encouraging additional, unnecessary use of it? Finally, who would be responsible for emptying and maintaining them? If it is the City, then the bins are not free beyond the first day.” | “I know a little about the history of this project, and know that the company trying so hard to get the City to adopt these ungainly advertising boards has previously shown itself not to be overly considerate of the City’s residents. Their positioning of the lower, existing collection bins so as to increase their visibility to drivers, while further blocking the sidewalks, is an example. Since their major interest is advertising, the City should encourage them to use the spaces already available to them, and not provide them with free sidewalk space.” |
| 325 | 07/29/2005 03:35:39 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 326 | 07/29/2005 03:59:10 PM | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 327 | 07/29/2005 05:03:39 PM | Yes | Finch and Islington SE | Yes | “It is perfect, I cant complain” | Yes | This is great so people can throw garbage out on any side. | Yes | “This is great, it beautifys the city with pictures.” | “We should not have a pilot project for this, this should start ASAP. This is such a brillant thing that the city has gotten involved with. keep up the good work.” |
| 328 | 07/29/2005 05:20:12 PM | Yes | kinston and st clair | Yes | they where at at a grat height and they dont hurt when you use them un like the old ones that the doors close on your hands and there is a place to throw your smoke butt | Yes | even thought they are big they arent ugly and they help out us smokers when we are out side by giving us a place to put are cigarette butts which will help to make our city look good because then you can walk down the street and not see hundreds of cigarette butts laying around | Yes | i dont care how they get them i just hope that i start seeing more they are great | yea these bins dont hurt you and they arent metal they make the area where they are placed look nicer |
| 329 | 07/29/2005 05:59:01 PM | Yes | Queen West and Jameson Howard Park-Dundas -Roncesvalles | No | Queen West bin has receptacle opening to traffic who and how is use encouraged? position next to TTC shelter makes a good slalom course in peak hours. Roncesvalles is on an angle making it a barrier and inconvenient for the use it was designe for. Do we need more ads ? | Yes | see above. Carefully positioned to be ugly inefficient inconvenient and obtrusive all at the same time | No | see both aboves | small attractive receptacles every few blocks will not take any longer too service or more staff to perform that service |
| 330 | 07/29/2005 06:37:42 PM | [Blank] | Danforth and Chester | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “They take up far too much room. Their size has little to do with their function, and everything to do with creating an ad that is impossible to ignore. The Danforth has a lot of pedestrian traffic, as do most streets on which I have seen the bins. The bins make it even harder for pedestrians to navigate the city.” | No | “Toronto is a good place to live. Sadly, it is an ugly city for the most part. These bins are simply one more instance of the continued uglification project. I thought we were turning a corner, but this seems to be a sign that nothing has changed.” | “This is the only time in which I have ever officially recorded my views about Toronto. I have always had the sense that decisions are made with little thought to their impact on the aesthetics of the city. We always act as though we are poor; I can’t but think of J.K. Galbraith’s comment about private wealth vs. public squalor. I’d like to think we deserve better, but in many ways we are a vulgar society. ,Lastly, very few people are going to submit comments. The full impact of these bins will not be recognized until we have giant ads in our faces every block or so.” |
| 331 | 07/29/2005 07:25:57 PM | Yes | McCowan Subway Station | Yes | “For the most part, they openings of each slot are the right height. Garbage and organic waste bins are a good idea since they would probably get used the most. The instructions could be better; for example, easily identifiable signs on each slot so that the proper material could be disposed quickly when walking by.” | Yes | “The “stand” at McCowan station is situated right at the end of the sidewalk, and there is only a foot of clearance between the garbage disposal bin and the road. You would have to step onto the road itself to dispose an item on the road-side of the bin (which is really dangerous.) This also creates an annoying problem when walking by the stand and realizing that the garbage disposal bin is on the opposite side of where you would be. Even though it only takes a couple of seconds longer to go to the other side of the stand and dispose the garbage, it’s an extra hassle that people have to deal with and they would probably just dispose it in the organic waste bin, on the sidewalk side.” | No | “The unique feature about these bins is that they allow you to dispose of old batteries also. I don’t know of many places around the city that let you dipose baterries. But they do seem to be quite big and “in-your-face”. Ideally, they should be placed on grass-side of the sidewalk rather than near the curb.” | These stands are a good idea but they seem like they could be improved upon. |
| 332 | 07/29/2005 07:49:31 PM | No | “I have not used, but have examined the bin. It is at Bloor and Jane” | Yes | The openings seemed to be the right height and easy to use. The explanations seemed more complicated than necessary | Yes | I think they are an imposition. They take up too much of the sidewalk. This could make it difficult for pedestrians in a busy shopping district. | No | The cost savings and revenue are not worth giving up so much of our precious pedestrian space to these ugly structures. I think we should pay to have appropriate bins. | “The openings for depositing garbage and recyclables are an improvement from the previous bins. I think the bins should be shorter than the proposed model, and the openings facing the roadway are not very useful.” |
| 333 | 07/30/2005 09:24:06 AM | Yes | McCowan and Lawrence | Yes | “I thought that it was a great idea to have the opening for the recycling up and away from the lower garbage opening so that those who do not read engligh or who just don’t care cannot easily contaminate the recycled materials unlike the present, horizontal garbage/recyling containers.” | Yes | “The ones I have seen are located near bus shelters at major intersections, where you normally expect to have a garbage can or a recycling bin, but it takes up less space. It’s refreshing and innovative. It motivated me to try and seek one out when I had a can to recycle just so I could use it. It looks like something that you would see in an upscale area.” | Yes | Of course! | “No real suggestions other than it being emptied often enough so that garbage or recycling does not spill out of it (same suggestion could be used for current bins, too)” |
| 334 | 07/30/2005 11:47:11 AM | Yes | Ossington& Dundas | No | “Slot for newspapers was to small and rubber pieces interfered with dropping in the papers. I took the time to read the instructions, but I think many people would not bother. The use of the rubber lined slot for papers was not readily apparent.” | Yes | At Ossington and Dundas they are merely unsightly. At a more busy intersection they would block pedestrian access. | No | “They are extremely unsightly and the advertising portion is far too large. I am not opposed to advertising, per se. However, these bins are far too large.” | “Please do not implement this programme. It would make our City unsightly. By destrying the “look and feel” of Toronto, these bins could ultimately create more garbage as citizen’s sense of pride in this city is eroded. i.e. why bother to keep an ugly city clean.” |
| 335 | 07/30/2005 08:36:06 PM | Yes | Keele and Sheppard (SE Corner) | Yes | “The openings were at the right height, and marked well.” | Yes | It seems as if the positioning of the bin is to maximize exposure for the advertising to motorists – the positioning is bad as only one side of the bin is visible and easily accessible to pedestrians. | No | “There is a cost to garbage bins, it being either maintenance and collection fees borne by the city, or a degradation of the visual environment by more advertising. I admit, they do not look out of place in the suburban areas, but I’d hate to see these bins downtown, where sidewalks are narrow and busy, and where there are enough visual distractions.” | “The dimensions are too big and are a barrier. I don’t mind the current former OMG bins, even with ads, because they are about the right size, and are generally positioned properly for pedestrians. I am not anti-advertising per se, but the size and poor use of the two openings makes these an unwelcome addition ot Toronto’s street furniture. I hope that this is only a trial, and will not see these bins permanent.” |
| 336 | 07/30/2005 08:55:27 PM | Yes | [Blank] | No | Awkward positioning. | Yes | “Bin on Dundas at Ossington, only 1 side is usable. the other butts up onto the street.” | No | They are huge. And ugly. And I don’t want to be bombarded with advertising that big. They are an eyesore. | “Can’t they make something smaller? Do we have to have more billboards in this city, blocking views and making Toronto look trashier?” |
| 337 | 07/30/2005 09:40:01 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | “The are an eyesore. Worse, they block sightlines on the sidewalk. With them on the sidewalks, I’m afraid to walk around my neighbourhood late at night. Anyone could easily hide behind them. I’m now walking my dog earlier. And no longer returning videos late at night.” | No | See above. There must be safer ways to generate revenue. | Ge them off the Danforth now!!! |
| 338 | 07/31/2005 10:12:35 AM | No | Bloor Street by High Park | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “too intrusive, but considering their size I don’t see how it could be placed any better” | No | Despite the advantages the bin is just too large and ugly to even be considered. | Even though the City would receive revenues from the placement of these garbage bins they are just too intrusive and ugly to be used. I just cannot emphasize strongly enough that these are just too hideous ! No no no no ! |
| 339 | 07/31/2005 11:08:49 AM | Yes | Don Mills & Van Horne | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | “Expand program to include sealed paint cans, used oil” |
| 340 | 07/31/2005 11:14:54 AM | Yes | Windermere and Bloor | No | The garbage was full on the sidewalk side. It is always full because it is far too small. The other side was towards the road and I would have had to step onto the road to put garbage in. | Yes | It is too large and prevents me from looking down the street. It is impossible to use on the street side. In conjunction with the many other items on the sidewalk it is an obstruction to the flow of pedestrian traffic and it constricts the use of half the sidewalk space for several meters to either side. | No | “I could care less about the revenue from these ugly horrors. Your task is to provide us with city services -in this case recycling and garbage bins- that work, do not leave a mess across the sidewalk and that fit in with the street scape. If the company wants to advertise they can buy sign space commercially or put an ad in the paper.” | Get a grip. |
| 341 | 07/31/2005 01:09:35 PM | Yes | Kingston Rd & Victoria Park | No | “They were on the road side of the bin, or on the inside, not where one would be walking. The ADVERTISING, however was in full view. It is primarily a billboard and a garbage bin secondarily.” | Yes | “You can’t see the road from behind one which is dangerous, plus, as I said before, the advertising is right in your face whereas the garbage bin is not.” | No | I think that it is disgusting that you are selling out our public space for more adversiting. | Yah. They are the most ugly things I’ve ever seen. Please trash them. |
| 342 | 07/31/2005 01:45:52 PM | Yes | Kennedy & Finch? | No | Kind of confusing if there was no poster that said what goes where. | Yes | Too close to the road. Hard to access one end. | No | “Advertising is too big and garbage bins are too small. The old ones were big and overflowed often, thus, the new ones will probably be even moreso.” | “Please modify the design. We are constantly bombarded with advertising and these bins will only make it worse. It has to stop somewhere. So please decrese the size of the advertising. ,More imporantly, make the bins bigger. I wish to see our city clean and these small bins will not do the job. Thank you.” |
| 343 | 07/31/2005 01:52:39 PM | Yes | Ellesmere & Neilson | Yes | Very straightforward | Yes | Some people may be unaware that recyclables are collected at both ends. Bins should be placed in areas that are accessable on both sides. | Yes | We definately need more opportunities to recycle. Many times people have materials to recycle but there are only trash cans nearby. | “the more recycling bins, the better.” |
| 344 | 07/31/2005 02:01:33 PM | Yes | “Victoria Park & danforth, and the one on Markham & Ellesmere” | No | these bins have confusing looking. | No | They aren’t very user-friedly. The old ones taht we have are real simple to use!!! | No opinion | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 345 | 07/31/2005 03:30:08 PM | No | Danforth and Pape | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | “I find them obnoxius – they are so high they are a visual wall that blocks the vista of the street so you can’t see the planters and trees that are placed to try to beautify the scape. Once advertising is up on them, it will be soooooooooo in your face. I hate them! I can’t believe a landscape architect was involved in this project.” | No | It’s really offensive to see the current administration looking to do such a tasteless sellout. | “They are hugely out of scale and much too high. Waist-high waste-bins are suitable, as exist now.” |
| 346 | 07/31/2005 04:09:30 PM | No | [Blank] | No | “The principle of the openings is easy enough to understand – 3 openings for 3 types of waste, however, I was only able to understand the openings after stopping and considering the recepticle as a whole. It would be much more intuitive to have 3 seperate containers.” | Yes | “I do not approve of the way these bins are positioned. They are glorified advertisement casings, and their height and position on the sidewalk is both intimidating and distracting to motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians alike.” | No | “I believe that the monetary gains that would accompany these advertisements does not outweigh the loss that Toronto’s friendly image would take. These bins are inherently unfriendly, they offer less to the citizen than they do to the advertiser.” | “I am adamantly opposed to these bins and feel that they represent a fundamental shift in the municipal government’s attutide towards the citizens. These bins say to me: “City Hall cares more about corporate investment than it does about the cognitive liberty of the city’s residents”.Please do not go through with this program.I support public ownership of public spaces.My name is Ben Powers, I live at St Clair and Runnymede, my email address is [redacted] and my phone number is [redacted].” |
| 347 | 07/31/2005 04:10:06 PM | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | I had to carefully read the sign to determine where to put the differen’t types or recycling. The holes for paper and cans were hard to find. I think that most people would just throw everyting in the bottom garbage bin. | Yes | They take a lot of visual real estate. I thought it was a bus shelter at first. | No opinion | “These are not free for the city, the cost is having huge ugly advertisements everywhere, intruding your mind. They are a terrible use of our very valuable public space.” | “Have garbage bins with a bench or someplace to sit instead of a huge billboard. I bought a hot-dog on the corner but had no where to sit and eat it. Visually it felt very intrusive, the height especially made it so. Advertising has no good public use. If you are going to put up such displays it should be of artwork, not advertising.” |
| 348 | 07/31/2005 05:00:32 PM | Yes | Chester and Danforth | Yes | Functionality is equivalent to the older bins located around Toronto. | Yes | I do not believe that we should be replacing the older waste disposal bins that currently populate our streets. These new bins are a drain on funds as well as electricity. | No | “These bins are an absolute eyesore on the street. They impede pedestrian traffic, and seem to be primarily used for advertising, with waste disposal as an afterthought.” | “I do not think we should be investing any time, or money, towards these new bins. Even if the city stands to receieve compensation for their placement on the street, as a citizen of Toronto I do not believe the tradeoff (eyesore, ped. traffic) is worth it.” |
| 349 | 07/31/2005 05:49:53 PM | Yes | “Danforth E of Broadview, south side” | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “They are too big, take up too much room on the sidewalk, intrusive, and will look even uglier once corporate advertising gets plastered all over them. It would be great if they can be re-designed to be sleeker and not such a bloody eyesore.” | No | “Again, they are just too damn big and ugly, in my opinion.” | I think I’ve clearly stated my position. I hope there is enough negative feedback on these things to overturn any decision to use them. I am not a fan of them. What else can I say? Thanks for the feedback opportunity. |
| 350 | 07/31/2005 09:06:40 PM | No | [Blank] | No | “openings need to be individually labelled, as with traditional bins, not just a “map” of sections provided on bin” | No | “They are too big and intrusive--even as a driver, they impair ability to see potential hazards, such as child (or adult!) darting out from behind a bin.” | No | “The size and advertising are too intrusive on an already busy streetscape; at least with existing low bins, any advertising (and the bins themselves) are not directly “in your face”. As a taxpayer, I’m not even clear the proposed terms are a good deal, given what the company would receive for revenue, the cost to the city of pickups, etc. And who pays for the electricity to light the signs? Does the city really need more illuminated ads to consume precious power?” | “Put flaps with labels on each section of bin. Better still, go back to the old bins!” |
| 351 | 07/31/2005 11:11:16 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No opinion | “I think we’re already over-bombarded by advertising everywhere, but if it means they’re free, it’s harder to decide.” | [Blank] |
| 352 | 08/01/2005 09:03:37 AM | Yes | Pacific Avenue and Dundas Street West | No | Still a pain to use. | No | “They block the view of stores and pedestrian and will make a great place for escaping criminals to crouch behind to hide from police cruisers.They also are so large they make a great place for attackers to hide behind.” | No | The city is becoming too commercial. | If these go in I will not vote for any incumbent candidates. |
| 353 | 08/01/2005 11:38:03 AM | Yes | Don Mills and Van Horne | No | It was way too big and it took up too much space. It took too long to understand where things were supposed to go. I just wanted to throw out my trash. | No | They are absolutely horrible. Please get rid of them. They are an eye sore and I would rather have a basic garbage can instead. | No | “No, I would rather pay an extra 10 dollars in my tax bill than see these things go up all over town. Please get rid of them and make the garbage cans as discrete as possible.” | GET RID OF THESE MONSTROSITIES! |
| 354 | 08/01/2005 12:17:11 PM | No | [Blank] | No | There is one in my neighbourhood and I checked it out the first time I saw it. It took me at least a minute of studying it to figure out what goes where. Not only are the openings poorly labelled but the recycling opening doesn’t look like a proper opening at all and I suspect most people won’t bother studying the bin to figure out where the recyclables go and will just toss them in the easy to use garbage part instead. | Yes | “The way they are angled blocks the sidewalk and I can’t see how it will be practical to put lots of them up in areas like downtown (or my area – Roncesvalles village) where the sidewalks are narrow and crowded as is. It also makes them a real eyesore to any pedestrians, especially since the size of the advertising is so overwhelming when you are on foot and the angling really shoves it in your face. Finally, the angling hides the fact that both ends of the bin have openings for waste. The only reason I could answer yes to question #3 was that I had read about these bins in advance. Otherwise I would have not realized that the side angled toward the street had openings as well because you have to actually walk around the bin and look to see them. It’s invisible to any pedestrians just walking by.” | No | “These bins are poorly designed and won’t be as effective at their primary function, which should be collecting waste and recyclables, as the bins we’ve already got. They seem to be essentially glorified giant billboards. Not are we inundated with enough over-the-top advertising whenever we walk down the street as it is but if they are really going to be illuminated as I’ve read then they are going to be energy hogs and a distraction to drivers at night as well.” | I think that having a separate opening for cigarette butts on garbage bins is a great idea and it makes sense that there’s only one opening for recyclables now that they are sorted for us. I also don’t have a problem with the city using bins for advertising space if it is within reason. I understand that Toronto needs all the funds it can get and that the city gets a certain percentage of free advertising space. My main problem with these new bins is the scale of them and their poor design. What the city should be doing is redesigning the bins to accomadate the changes in waste disposal but keeps the bins and the advertisements on them the same size as the old ones they are to replace. |
| 355 | 08/01/2005 12:36:46 PM | Yes | “Various locations: Pacific & Dundas, Roncesvalles & Howard Park, Bloor & Dorval, etc.” | No | “They are not practical. They are absolutely the wrong height: far from being eye-catching, they are eyesores. The older design was better: horizontal rather than vertical, with side-by-side compartments (clearly labelled, obviously) for trash, bottles & cans, and newspapers. Those older bins are perfectly easy to figure out, still leaves plenty of room for advertising, and do not obstruct the sidewalk or conceal shop windows as the new bins do. If the bin requires people to stop, think for a bit, look for directions, and so forth, they will not use them: they will simply litter. Furthermore, because the new bins are such a eyesore, they will be a target for vandalism: if I were a vandal, I’d probably prefer to mess up a tall structure that I could hide behind rather than squat down and get close to a smelly old-fashioned garbage can.” | Yes | “These bins are badly designed: they should be horizontal, not vertical. I suppose that advertisers want them to be eye-catching, but in pursuing new sources of revenue, do not forget the people who are already contributing substantially to the city’s coffers: Toronto’s business owners. These bins tend to be placed in front of shop windows: since they are over 7’ tall, they obscure these windows quite severely. The one at Pacific and Dundas is a particularly egregious example: if I were the business owner whose window is being obstructed in this way, I’d be placing an angry call to my city councillor.” | No | “I am not opposed to advertising on trash bins in general: I will attempt to tune it out as I do all advertising. Indeed, I applaud the city for seeking new sources of income instead of simply raising taxes. However, these bins are badly designed (see my other comments). A bad product is still a bad product, no matter how little it costs.” | “While I laud the city’s attempt to encourage the recycling of cigarette butts, I think the attempt is doomed to failure. Smokers are not the most obedient people: if they were, they’d take the ubiquitous hint and quit. I don’t think they’re going to carry their spent cigarette butts responsibly with them until they can find a suitable recepticle; they’re just going to toss them when they’re finished, as they have always done. Even if they happen to finish a smoke at the exact moment they pass one of the new bins, there’s still no guarantee that they’ll use it: examine the ground in front of the new bins and you will see many spent cigarette butts, alsmost as though smokers are deliberately flouting your attempt. I would favour the continued use of the old bins (horizontal), possibly with a small, unobtrusive canister on the side for butts; I still think that most smokers wouldn’t use them, but at least they’d be there for the responsible ones.” |
| 356 | 08/01/2005 12:52:18 PM | Yes | “Danforth Avenue, near Broadview (on south side) and near Pape (north side)” | No | “People were obviously not getting the point about what went where – the garbage receptacle was overflowing with recyclable materials. The containers are smaller than the receptacles we used to have. In relation to the size of the as space, it looks like a blatent money grab pretending to be a garbage can.” | Yes | I think the position makes people vulnerable late at night – you are unable to see who is behind the garbage sign/box. Anyone could be standing behind there. No garbage can should be taller than an adult human. | No | “I would only be in favour of these if we could be assured that the advertising space would be used only for public service announcements, instead of sales pitches. There are other ways to generate revenue, instead of making our beatiful neighbourhood an ugly marketplace.” | “I want these things out of our neighbourhood. They are highly offensive and show that the city is not very creative in generating revenue. THe previous garbage bins were easy to use and a lot bigger. The new Eucan atrocities are an offensive to our aesthetic sensabilities, a hazard, and a joke.” |
| 357 | 08/01/2005 01:51:32 PM | No | [Blank] | No | Overflowing | Yes | Eyesores | No | See point 6. | “Jul. 28, 2005. 01:00 AM ,The Star’s Joey Slinger echoes my feelings entirely.. here’s his artivle:,Toronto the Trashy pivots on a kingbin of neglect,SLINGER,There are all kinds of things people will do for money. Cities too. Toronto looks as if it’s ready to become a whore.And what could possibly drive a city that until fairly recently stood on a pedestal engraved “Toronto The Good” to the verge of falling so low?,Garbage, that’s what.I have seen the future and it stinks.It is called a MegaBin. You can see one on Danforth Ave. on the south side, east of Broadview, about a hundred steps past the old Music Hall Theatre.That sounds completely ridiculous. It’s like somebody saying, “Mt. Everest? Just go down there past the house with the red roof. It’ll be on your left.”,You don’t need directions. You could stumble around Nepal for months and miss Mt. Everest easier than you could miss a MegaBin.Mt. Everest would have to dominate the landscape hell, it would have to shape the entire geography to come anywhere close to equalling this monstrous contraption.How monstrous is it? It’s so monstrous that when Martians wage war on our world they won’t need a map to find us. They’ll be able to zero in on its shrieking billboards from a thousand light years away.Yet if city council bumbles to the bottom of the hole it has bumbled into, there’ll be 1,500 of them. A Himalayas of recycling containers with 3 million citizens picking their way through the shadowy valleys like befuddled ants.For a few bucks 10 per cent of the revenue from the billboards on their sides will we destroy the city to save it from discarded Tim Hortons cups?,On top of that, for six days the MegaBin on the Danforth was stuffed so megaFull it megaOverflowed. What does it lead us to expect from the hucksters promoting them when they can’t even manage to have their mega-ripoffs emptied while they’re trying to prove how wonderful they are? While they’re showing off?,There’s a term for what’s going on here I forget what it is, but it refers to a medical technique. If you have a sore leg, a sure-fire treatment is to whack you so hard on, say, the shoulder that your shoulder hurts so much you forget about your sore leg.”We want to help make Toronto more clean and beautiful,” says Rolando Garcia, CEO of Eucan, the company that has nothing but our best interests and making millions from advertising income at heart. ,It will do this by setting so many of these enormous, nasty-looking, view-blocking things on our streets (that’s the painful whack on the shoulder) that we’ll stop noticing our pathetic waterfront, our inadequate subways, our dilapidated parks, our mouldering schools, our chewable air (we have lots of sore legs).No wonder city council is enchanted, but city council is no longer in touch with reality.It is so far gone in the mania that is this century’s equivalent of the medieval flagellation cults that the dream of salvation through the separation of wet from dry has fried its mind. ,Anyone who fails to wear the hair shirts council distributes today they take the form of green bins will be eaten by raccoons.Councillors are deaf to everything but quotations from prophets like Eucan.”Smaller footprint” than the filthy, three-slot OMG bins that were such a reeking disgrace. (What about huger eyeprint? What about more than twice as huge?),”Compared to a bus shelter, the MegaBin is shorter, much sleeker, and of course fills an important environmental need.” (Compared to a bus shelter? And keeping you dry when it rains isn’t an important environmental need? Shielding you from the blizzard isn’t?),You’re right, it’s nonsense, but nonsense is the only thing that makes sense at city hall.Eucan bought OMG by the way. OMG’s problem was it couldn’t make enough dough from the billboards on its bins. Eucan has divined the solution: bigger billboards.Toronto has lost maybe not heart, at least not quite yet but its gumption. “The City That Works” is now “The City That No Longer Works Very Well At All.”,It happened because our attitude has become: Why should we clean up our act when every Pied Piper who comes along and offers us a piece of the action is welcome to take a stab at cleaning it up for us?,Do I sound a little incoherent?,I’m a little incoherent.How many city councillors does it take to make Toronto uglier?,--------------------------------------------------------------------------------,Slinger’s column appears Tuesday and Thursday.” |
| 358 | 08/01/2005 02:29:24 PM | Yes | Lawrence and Victoria park | Yes | Takes a bit getting used to but now it makes more sense. | Yes | They look great. | Yes | It would be good to have multiuse bins | [Blank] |
| 359 | 08/01/2005 02:46:30 PM | Yes | Pape and Danforth | Yes | [Blank] | No | I did not think by installing one object on the sidewalk it would be possible to completely obstruct my view of almost the entire city street scape. But these bins have shown it to be possible. | No | I am totally against cheapening my public space by installing these huge billboards for advertising. | “Please install regular garbage and recycling bins, that has one purpose only: to keep garbage and recycling off the street.” |
| 360 | 08/01/2005 05:58:54 PM | Yes | Pape & Danforth + Gough a& Danforth | No | “Very poor indication as to where to put different items. Saw all recyclables mixed in main container. Also, out of four containers (two new bins), three were already overflowing.” | Yes | “They are an eyesore; they are like a wall of advertising. The advertising can only be seen by pedestrians and not motorists. This design is based on advertising use, not convenience of use. They could also be the cause of accidents, as the second container is on the curb. P.S. The only resaon I was aware of the second container on the other side is because I had read about it; otherwise, I would not have known.” | No | “The revenues are extremely important to the City, but not at the cost of installing these eyesores everywhere. The design has to be changed.” | “The designs of the present bins (three containers side by side) is great. If you need additional space for revenues, just make them deeper -the same depth as the new “eyesores”; there would then be four sides for advertising, that could be seen from every angle. They would be easier to use by pedestrians. You could design an ashtray on the top of those bins. The great thing about the present bins is that they are easy to use, and do not look like a wall in front of you. I’m very afraid that byusing the present design, you will destroy the street scape. Go back to the drawing board, design a useful container that can also be used as an advertising board, not an advertsing board that can double as a recycling center. It is the wrong way to do things. Please, do not spoil the street scapes and make us embarassed of living in Toronto. Toronto is a beautiful city; keep in that way,Paul Gauthier,101 Wroxeter Ave,Toronto ON M4J 1E7,[redacted]” |
| 361 | 08/01/2005 06:47:38 PM | Yes | Dundas and Dovercourt | Yes | Worked fine. | Yes | “I like it a lot. We need MORE of them...ALL over the place, so that Torontonions don’t have to think too hard to find a garbage can.” | Yes | “I don’t much like advertising, but I could live with it for MANY MORE garbage containers.” | Nice of you to provide such a clear means to collect feedback from the public! |
| 362 | 08/01/2005 11:01:43 PM | Yes | Queen and Lansdowne | Yes | Nice to have ash trays. | Yes | “It’s silly to have one of the two ‘business’ ends pointing into the street. They should be positioned perpendicular to the street so both ends are useful. Besides being half-wasted because one side is nearly inaccessible, positioning them this way is bound to obstruct sidewalk traffic in more crowded areas like Roncesvalles and Yonge Street.” | Yes | “They seem well-designed and having cigarette dispensers is a pretty big deal. However they need to be turned so both sides can be used. ,I believe strongly that they should not be higher than necessary for using them. They ought to be about half the height they are. ,The advertising doesn’t bother me.” | They’re too big. |
| 363 | 08/01/2005 11:05:51 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | Looks ugly from the picture | No | Smell; attract rodents; block the street. | Stick to a regular pickup. |
| 364 | 08/01/2005 11:47:28 PM | No | “I have seen the bins near Pape & Danforth and Broadview & Danforth, but haven’t used them.” | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | I am very concerned about women’s safety if the city goes ahead with these bins. They are big enough for someone to hide behind. I will not feel at all safe walking past them at night. | No | “I am opposed primarily because of my safety concerns, above, as well as the bins’ general unsightliness. I would be embarrassed of Toronto’s appearance if these new bins went ahead. I am aware of the City’s financial challenges, but this revenue is not worth it.” | Please keep the old ones. |
| 365 | 08/02/2005 12:35:27 AM | Yes | york mills and upjohn | No | “correct height, yes, but not immediately clear what kind of waste goes where.” | Yes | “in some places they are a big obstacle, not only to movement but to seeing the prettier parts of our city.” | No | “Is it too much to ask to have convenient, unobtrusive garbage and recycling bins without giant ads on them? I realize the city gets more revenue, but I don’t feel this is worth it. Part of what is making Toronto an increasingly ugly city is the many ads and billboards, which are unavoidable it seems. I really don’t want to be sold something I don’t need every waking minute. I would be in favour of some restrictions on the amount of public space that can be used for advertisements, and ad-free garbage and recycling bins.” | “Please... try a little harder on this one. Think of what is being sacrificed (including the beauty of the city, which helps attract tourists) just to have a company pay for the bins and give the city a little off the top!” |
| 366 | 08/02/2005 10:51:30 AM | Yes | King and Strachan | Yes | very user-friendly | Yes | “very effective, lots of room for walking” | Yes | it can only be a good thing for the city | [Blank] |
| 367 | 08/02/2005 11:48:01 AM | Yes | “Dundas and Ossington, southeast corner.” | Yes | I would have to say that the different openings were intuitive and about the right height. | Yes | “While there is an advantage to having to different ends to dispose of waste, one side is up against the street, making it useless to pedestrians. As well, the way it is placed (across the sidewalk) makes it a barrier to pedestrians along this narrow and busy sidewalk. It seems as the advertising exposure is more important than function or comfort of those who choose not to drive.” | No | “The way the bin was placed makes it clear that advertising is the only motive for these huge bins. While the current ex-OMG bins have advertising, they are placed parallel to the curb and are not a barrier. I am not against the city making revenue from advertising, but these bins go way too far.” | I only hope that I do not see these monstrosities after the trial period is over. |
| 368 | 08/02/2005 11:50:05 AM | Yes | King and Jameson | No | “Confusing layout. Looked more like a billboard than a garbage can, and as a result, not a place people would think to throw away their trash.” | No | “It takes up too much room, and overlaps onto the sidewalk unnecessarily. And to access the other side, one would have to be on the street.” | No | “We already have too much advertising in our public spaces and these are simply eyesores, and poorly designed. They serve no practical purpose other than as a billboard.” | “Please do not approve these monstrosities. Please preserve at least some of our public space for the people and not the advertisers. These are garbage cans – if they’re not broke, don;t fix them!” |
| 369 | 08/02/2005 11:57:03 AM | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 370 | 08/02/2005 12:48:55 PM | Yes | Danforth | No | [Blank] | No | “they are positioned for advertising to cardrivers,and block the sidewalk” | No | “I pay a lot of taxes to live in this neighbourhood,and I would like to see the street scene improved ,with boulevards and planting not advertising panels!,These are not garbage bins-these are advertising panels for car drivers,They are way too BIG and take up too much space. ,The Danforth is a busy place and people come here to enjoy its vibrant sidewalk culture. So why wreck the sidewalk with giant advertisng panels,In places they actually block the view and can be dangerous to use from the road side,Our city is already CLUTTERED with advertising and more advertising will only damage our environment,Will you really get that much money?,As I understand your last deal with this or a similiar company was an embarrassment. They never paid the city any monies. Are they going to collect and dispose of the garbage?,(of interest is the deal with Media com to provide bus shelters- I can’t help but notice bus shelters springing up all over town even in locations like in fornt of the Pizza Pizza at Danforth and Broadview, where you would be lucky to ever see a bus but it is a great place to advertise to cardrivers)” | “The problem with garbage is there is too much.we over consume and waste,As a society we must learn to curb our desire for more “stuff”,and advertising is a big part of the problem it just feeds our passion for over-consumtion” |
| 371 | 08/02/2005 02:55:02 PM | Yes | “Danforth near Jackman,,It is too large and blocks the sidewalk, is the advertising necessary?” | Yes | I am especially pleased to see a cigarette butt disposal spot. | Yes | “A Major complaint about the units size and orientation, it definitely appears to be more concerned about the advertising than it’s use. It should have been orientated in the other direction. And be of minimal size required for its recycling use to perform. Advertising should not be a consideration during the design and not determine its size, merely make use of space made available by thrift design. (reduce is one of the three “R”’s)” | No | “NO, NO, NO,The blockage of the side walks is a major detriment to the enjoyment of our city. If these containers are approved I am sure the public will be questioning the motives of those how have approved them. Although having containers is good, we already have containers. The addition of the cigarette butt disposal is something that could be added to our existing systems/containers which would be a great thing. Our current ones don’t assault the residents of this city by imposing their advertising and impeding their path. I find them quite offensive.” | “1) this survey is anonymous.... it should not be required but I should be invited to “sign” my statements with name etc...2) I am not normally one to complain, but I find these units and the “obvious parameters” about them quite offensive... If this company is so serious about recycling... possibly they could save the use of all the material (environmentally unnecessary) and simply design, provide and install butt collectors onto the existing bins. the would be allowed to advertise on their portion of the bin. ,I sincerely hope this project is looked into and revamped.regards,,Stephen Bardon,[redacted]” |
| 372 | 08/02/2005 03:17:24 PM | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | “An addition concern to a previously filled in survey....The current installation method causes users to venture into traffic on the street side of the device. I do not believe the taxpayers of this city are willing to take on that liability.” | “regards,,S.Bardon” |
| 373 | 08/02/2005 03:37:43 PM | Yes | danforth and jackman | Yes | “Let’s be honest, the bins are advertising mediums masquerading as recycling devices.You’d have to be illiterate not to figure out where to put your garbage/recycling.” | No | “the bins are an eyesore that totally ruin your street level view. Our sidewalks are already crowded enough (particularly on Danforth Ave. with benches, trees, bike rings, lamp posts, parking signs, parking ticket dispensers and store owners garbage) The new signs are much too big (to accomodate same size ad posters as TSA’s I suppose) and make the sidewalks less pedestrian friendly.” | No | No amount of advertising revenue can be worth the blight the new bins create on our streets. We need to maintain and encourage the walkability of our sidewalks – these bins make them less friendly. Wouldn’t the bins be ideal places for street thugs to hide behind and accost people on the street. | “Yes, instead of putting up more/uglier bins, the existing recycling bins should be emptied more often. Have you ever tried to throw away garbage on a Sunday night on the Danforth? It’s nearly impossible because the bins are jammed.” |
| 374 | 08/02/2005 03:38:49 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 375 | 08/02/2005 04:00:39 PM | Yes | Broadview and Danforth [Playter] | No | It took two of us a few minutes to figure out where to put our empty plastic bottles. Others were confused too because the garbage section was full of garbage & plastic bottles. Litter & recycleables overflowed on to the sidewalk. | No | “Positioned perpendicular to the street is impractical. People do not see that its a garbage bin until they pass it, and it takes up maximum width on the sidewalk.” | No | Its not worth the advertising revenue. The bins are designed to maximize advertizing space and have not be designed to fit into an urban setting or to encourage use of the bins. *Please* do not adopt them. | “On first seeing one I thought, why have they built a bus shelter on the Danforth? They take up so much precious space, confront the pedestrians with advertizing of an absurd size, block the view down the street and narrow the sidewalk width considerably causing conjestion. Lastly, they don’t look like garbage/recycling bins! If people have to “learn” to use a garbage bin, that should be your first sign that the design is greatly flawed.” |
| 376 | 08/02/2005 05:01:12 PM | Yes | Bloor & Christie | No | “No. The openings were very small and were unableled. In order to see which slot is for what, you have to first read the (blurry and badly printed) legend at the top. Labels should exist next to each slot, like the current multicans.Furthermore I think people from far away would not even know these hideous billboards are trash cans, resulting in more litter.” | Yes | They block sightlines and ruin our city’s beautiful landscape with yet more advertising. Please remove them immediately.Also it is very difficult to see what they are supposed to be unless you go right up to them. Not a good design. | No | Advertising is a harsh reality but there are ways to allow it responsibly and in ways that do not dilute the character of a city and ruin its urban landscape. You already made Yonge Street into a glossy magazine spread full of shiny ads and dumb generic distractions trying to sell things do you have to put giant billboards ON THE SIDEWALK IN FRONT OF ME too? It’s offensive. I’d rather pay more tax. | “I really think the old cans (the 3 slots side by side) were superior in design and profile, and allowed the small ad space the city wants to collect while retaining the appearance of a trash can and yet not blocking sightlines or feeling hulky and oppressive. The new bins are an unfortunate mistake and I hope this test will prove them to be a failure so you can go back to something that complements our lovely city as well as providing adequate waste removal (which there currently isn’t) in our public spaces.” |
| 377 | 08/02/2005 05:23:42 PM | Yes | Bloor West Village | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 378 | 08/02/2005 05:34:03 PM | Yes | “Pape & Danforth, Main & Danforth, Playter & DAnforth ---they are everywhere I go.” | No | Come on. This is obviously advertisement space with small containers on either side for garbage etc -only added in order to get away with HUGE billboards all over the city. 1/2 of the ones I have seen -have garbage spilling out of them. They are so offensive. | Yes | They are unsafe. The block a great deal of the sidewalk. Some are even blocking store fronts like the one I saw in the Junxtion area of Toronto. They are horrible. | No | “Absolutely not. Public Space is public space not space for rent for advertisements. I am really shocked that David Miller, whom I had so much respect for is even considering this.” | “Yes. They must go away & never come back.I’ve yet to meet one person who likes them.” |
| 379 | 08/02/2005 06:18:13 PM | Yes | Dundas and Ossington (approximately) | No | The bins are too small and the bin on the side of the street is too close to the street to stand there. | Yes | Too big... takes up too much space for the tiny amount of garbage it holds. Bins were overflowing when I saw them. Horrible design... only useful for advertising which is NOT cool. | No | The concept is OK but these are too obstrusive... make them a bit smaller and increase the garbage capacity. | “Poorly designed... small capacity, big ads, big sellout.” |
| 380 | 08/02/2005 07:10:47 PM | No | Rncesvalles and Howard Park | No | “Citys quest to prostitute our streets accepting corporate cash is going to get someone killed. The garbage bins are too big, unnecessary and pose a serious safety risk blocking the view. Send the ugly pricks back. It is our street, not some foriegn corp’s. The City will be held liable if you persist. We don’t want them!!!” | No | There going to get someone killed! | No | “Use your frigging noggin, don’t persist with assine questions!” | Get rid of them now!!!! |
| 381 | 08/02/2005 07:44:42 PM | Yes | King Strachan | No | Not really obvious it is anything but a billboard | No | “Far too much of an obstruction. Didn’t the city get rid of parking meters and give getting rid of obstructions as a reason. With more bikes on the sidewalk, these will cause more injuries as they just “appear” in the middle of the sidewalk, rather than being where other objects usually are, closer to the road.” | No | “What happened to the other garbage bins? They were free too, werent they?” | Please get rid of them. |
| 382 | 08/02/2005 09:13:55 PM | Yes | Christie and Bloor | No | It was not clear how to recycle. | Yes | They are tremendous eyesores. Regular trash and recycling can make a lot more sense. | No | The city is overrun with ads as is. | [Blank] |
| 383 | 08/03/2005 01:42:48 AM | Yes | Dundas and Ossington | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 384 | 08/03/2005 02:24:01 AM | Yes | Dundas and Ossington | No | “Capacity looks to be tiny, the labeling is confusing, holes are too small” | Yes | “Terribly. In fact, they seem to block pedestrian traffic – and one end of the bin is always positioned towards the street, meaning it never gets used. These things are trully awful, and as a pedestrian, I can honestly say I revile them.” | No | “See above. That, and the fact that they completly destroy the city’s vistas. I enjoy looking around at my city – these monolithic slabs of advertisements block my view, get in my way, and cheapen my city.” | I fully intend on making this one of my considerations come municipal elections. You are forewarned. |
| 385 | 08/03/2005 06:56:58 AM | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | These are a physical and visual intrusion. Please please do not let this happen to our city. | No | Advertising revenue is no reason to cede our city to these monsterous bins. | “The existing ones are lower to the ground (less visual imapct)and more practical. There is always room for improvement, but this (the equivalent of having coke macj\hines at every street corner)is not one.” |
| 386 | 08/03/2005 09:01:59 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | I haven’t used. | No | I’ve not seen them to date. | Yes | [Blank] | More garbage bins is fantastic and more money going to the city is great as well. I would like to know where the money would be going to. however. |
| 387 | 08/03/2005 09:29:15 AM | Yes | Jane north of St Clair | No | One side faced the street – was hard to reach. | Yes | One side is useless – faces the street. | No | “The bins are too tall. Why can’t they be the height of the old bins, just with more convenient garbage receptacles? The old bins seemed to provide plenty of ad space, they were just really annoying to use.” | no |
| 388 | 08/03/2005 10:01:14 AM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No opinion | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 389 | 08/03/2005 10:12:03 AM | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 390 | 08/03/2005 10:46:08 AM | Yes | Danforth Ave. and Gough Ave. | No | “Although there is legend describing the layout of the receptacle openings, each opening should be labelled as well, so that quick passers-by can recycle effectively in haste...My first view of the bin was at eye-level -- approximately where most of the openings are located. Lack of labelling meant an additional step -- glancing up at the layout for effective use of the bin. This step could be eliminated if openings are labelled with text or symbols.” | Yes | “The bins are positioned well so that the billboard is well visible from both directions of pedestrian traffic. However, there could be some clear indicators as to where the receptacle openings are located (arrows, text, etc.).” | Yes | “However, with basic design principles in mind, the function of the bins should command the viewer’s attention above all else. Advertising is possible but should not distract the user from the intended purpose of the bins.” | “I think that they are a great idea! My suggestions above pertain to the user-friendliness of the design; the design should account for all types of users. Sustainable living is of concern to me, so I actually stopped to take a careful look at the bin when I first used it...others (especially those in a hurry) may not be so inclined. Hence, I think that the design should make both function and instruction as clear as possible.” |
| 391 | 08/03/2005 10:57:26 AM | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “These bins are ridiculously oversized and positioned, at least the one on Bathurst and College, right in the way of people walking on the sidewalk.” | No | “The city should not compromise it’s public space this much for revenue. The ads are huge and difficult to ignore, and the bins, if they light up, will be an unecessary waste of electricity. The old bins, while still sporting ads, are at least less obtrusive.” | “Please, please, please take them away.Thanks,,Erin Smith,[redacted]” |
| 392 | 08/03/2005 11:42:11 AM | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 393 | 08/03/2005 11:43:59 AM | Yes | bathurst and college | Yes | [Blank] | No | They obstruct the sidewalk a bit. Perhaps this design could be built into bus shelters? | No | “The revenue is not worth the clutter on the street, and the energy (electricity) use of the units.” | I’d be open to them if they were incorporated into a a bus shelter or something – right now they are advertising first and garbage collection second. |
| 394 | 08/03/2005 12:07:43 PM | Yes | Bloor & Christie | Yes | “The instructions were a little convoluted, and I don’t think we’re used to not having to sort recycling materials yet, but it would be easy to get used to.” | Yes | “It wouldn’t matter where these monstrosities were positioned, they would always be in the way. 7 x 5 feet?! That’s ridiculous. When I first heard about this pilot project I wasn’t impressed with the prospect of even more ads being shoved down our throats, but the sheer size of these things is worse than I ever thought it would be. Especially the one at Bloor/Christie -- it’s right out in the middle of the sidewalk -- I moved roughly 30 ft. away from it and still couldn’t see past it down the street. Ridiculous.” | No | “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the current crop of waste bins that we have around the city. They are, for the most part, unobstrusive, and could even be redesigned to reflect the switch over to not having to sort recycling. If this company wnats to sell ad space they can continue to do it with these smaller bins -- but these new ones are laughably huge. I can’t believe the city is even considering them.” | “Just a reiteration that the sheer size of these new bins makes them completely unacceptable for use in this (or any) city. Aside from being sheer visual pollution, they make navigation difficult and could pose a safety risk for people who use wheelchairs or scooters to navigate the sidewalk. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it -- there’s nothing wrong with the current bins, and I hope that for once common sense and civic pride will over come greed and council will reject this deal.” |
| 395 | 08/03/2005 01:01:50 PM | Yes | Danforth & Playter Blvd. | No | the unit is too close to the edge of the road...I had garbage and of course the one side was full & overflowing...so had to use the other side...but it is way too close to the road...specially I wouldn’t want my young kids putting gargabe on that side...the recycling slot is too hard to put newspaper into | Yes | BADDDDDDDD....very dangerous for young kids...takes up too much sidewalk space...the current set up is just too imposing | No | “already too much advertising everywhere...already very overwhelming that ,I just learn & try very hard to block them, hence no longer effective?” | maybe do another test with the same bins by repositioning them to be parallel to the streets & roads instead |
| 396 | 08/03/2005 01:30:27 PM | No | Pacific and Dundas | No | Why can’t we get flap-less openings with a hood to protect it from rain rather than these flaps that get filthy and un-touchable? | No | They are awfully big and block vision. I’m not sure that they aren’t potentially dangerous. I’d be leery of walking past them late at night. | No | “They could be much better designed to serve both functions (advertising and litter prevention), and still not be a hiding place for muggers.” | See above about flaps that get dirty deterring people from using the trash cans. They also need to be emptied and cleaned more often. |
| 397 | 08/03/2005 02:04:40 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | I’ve seen them and they seem an improvement | Yes | It’s a win win. It has to be ironclad though that the city does get money and they don’t charge for the bins | [Blank] |
| 398 | 08/03/2005 02:24:25 PM | Yes | Bloor & Windermere and a number of other areas I have seen them. | No | tiny holes to dipose of your garbage as well capacity extra small. | Yes | Too hulking big. Sidewalks are already narrowed down. These guys are an enormous eye sore. Too much!!! | No | “Sorry but there has to be a better way for the City to raise funds. These bins are enormous and the actual garbage part small. They will over flow and our streets will look even worse! People will stick garbage in any hole. They won’t recycle or recycle properly. It’s just so tacky that our city is up for “sale”. If it’s not our buses that are used for advertising dollars, now it’s our already narrowed sidewalks with these bins. So little is done to even keep our streets nice looking, these bins are TERRIBLE.” | Don’t do it. People will not recycle properly and the graffiti morons will have a field day with all that area to draw on. |
| 399 | 08/03/2005 02:50:14 PM | Yes | Markham and Ellesmere | No | “The old bins have each recepticle labelled – with text, an icon and colour coding. The new bins have a diagram which must be consulted to determine which recepticle is needed. Not only is this needlessly complicated, it also makes the bins more confusing for those who do not speak English.” | Yes | They obstruct the pestestrians’ view of the street. They’re too tall to see over. They’re visually unappealing and make Toronto seem very commercial. If I were a tourist I would not be impressed. | No | “The bins would require electricity to stay lit every night – we are already using too much power. I certainly hope that the advertiser paid to move and store the old bins. I think they should have to pay for putting the old bins back.If the city needs more revenue, then the province should raise taxes on businesses and pass the money along.” | “The old bins were garbage/recycling bins that carried advertising. The new bins are billboards that have had garbage collection added as an afterthought. In my experience the garbage recepticle is ofter overflowing by early afternoon.Also, I don’t know a single smoker who will even bother to carry their cellophane or empty pack to a garbage can (even when it’s right in front of them). I don’t think that they would bother to drop their ashes in these bins.Please put the old bins back. They’re great. They put the needs of their users first. I don’t mind a bit of advertising around the sides, but not if it requires electricity or blocking my view of the road.Also, please put more bins in!” |
| 400 | 08/03/2005 03:32:04 PM | Yes | Bloor & Christie | No | Opening is only on the small ends of the bin. Opening for garbage should be more easily accessible from a larger area. | Yes | The bins take up too much room and visual space. It seems to be located in an area designed to be seen by drivers rather than to be most practical for use as a garbage bin. | No | “The government of Canada is currently encouraging a reduction of engery consumption by individuals and businesses to meet Kyoto requirements. Power generation creates a great deal of greenhouse gasses which are causing global warming. It is blatantly irresponsible for the City of Toronto to be encouraging businesses to use more electricity, and by doing so, also setting a power-wasting example for Toronto residents. The power used by these bins is clearly not essential, but is instead excessive.” | “The garbage bins do not look like garbage bins – disguised from tourists looking for a place to put their garbage. They unneccessarily use electricity when conservation is a priority. They are too big and their big size does not increase their accessibility, it decreases it. Bins will be placed with a priority on visibility rather than practical use as a garbage bin. It seems the city wishes to cover every existing surface with advertising and create more surfaces to make a buck. There are better trash options available.... ones that won’t make the city a more visually noisy place.” |
| 401 | 08/03/2005 04:06:17 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | “While individuals depositing recycling in this bins may have the best intentions, what considerations, have been given to clean up possible items that fall on the ground?” | “I hope that these bins are not in lieu of curb pick-up. If so, people would possibly divert back to throughing items that could be recycled into regular waste.” |
| 402 | 08/03/2005 05:01:02 PM | Yes | Dundas & Ossington | Yes | straigtforward to use | Yes | “Good-- but it would make more sense to put the bins closer to the streetcar stop on Dundas or the Bus stop on Ossigton. That way people with cigarette buts would be more inclined to deposit them in the bin rather than on the ground. Also-- the directionality of the bin--- currently the bin is placd perpendicular to the street, and the side close to the street is hard to access to throw out garbage. The bin should be placed parallel to the street so that pedestrian traffic approaching from both directions can deposit waste. (Ads can also be viewed by passing motorists--not just pedestrians)” | Yes | Yes--- a good plan. More bins = less litter. More advertising is slightly annoying but I’d rather have the garbage cleaned up. | [Blank] |
| 403 | 08/03/2005 06:12:00 PM | Yes | Sheppard & 404 | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “They BLOCK view, are an eyesore, far too large. They are also located too far from the bus shelter to be practical for those who wait.” | No | They are still too big. Advertising revenues are not worth all the eye polution. | “Try something smaller, then the advertising may be acceptable.” |
| 404 | 08/03/2005 06:57:29 PM | Yes | “Victoria Park and Kingston Road, Woodbine and Danforth, etc.” | No | “I would not have realized this was even a garbage container if it hadn’t been for the poster on it. Once those are replaced by standard commercial advertisements, many people will pass by these structures without even being aware that they’re more than billboards. The current Eucan trash/recycling containers are immediately recognizable as trash receptacles, but the new ones devote so much more of the structure to advertising than function that they appear merely to be billboards.” | Yes | “All the ones I’ve seen are at right angles to the sidewalk, which puts one receptacle easily accessible from the sidewalk and the other facing the street. This side might be accessible to passing cars, should they want to take advantage of it, but is really out of reach of pedestrians. Some units, such as the one at Vic. Park & Kingston, are on wider areas of sidewalk and are set back a metre or so from the street.” | No | “This is a terrible design. I was prepared for an increased advertising space on the new units, but these are simply transit shelter advertising without the shelter, concealing the trash/recycling purpose almost completely. The City should stick with the existing model of trash/recycling bins, which seem to integrate into the cityscape quite successfully, and are obviously much used by pedestrians.” | “I understood that this test would be a small-scale one with only a small number deployed across the city. But obviously there must be a considerable number in use already, as I’ve seen three in my neighbourhood this week.” |
| 405 | 08/03/2005 07:31:17 PM | Yes | consumer road and brian | No | each window should be label in front rather than size | Yes | “it is too close to the curb which block the sight of vehicle for turn right.During the winter, that position definately will be piled up by snow.” | No | City install too many of such free standing which really confuse the driver to read the traffic sign. | “Such bin are blocking the view particular in NOT bright street and corner of the crossing.It just an opposit position to the police prevent crime chamgaion to light your front door.Safety should TOP of city’s revenue.” |
| 406 | 08/03/2005 07:37:38 PM | Yes | Danforth Ave. just west of Pape | Yes | ““Easy to understand”? It’s a garbage can, not algebra. As for practicality, the garbage portion of it is practical, the huge advertising portion of it is not.” | Yes | “These things are way too big and command too much attention. I can’t look down the street anymore because these things block my view. In Question 3 you ask if I’m aware that garbage is collected at both sides of the bin, That’s great to know if I happen to be standing in the middle of the street to access the opposite side.” | No | “They are ugly and very impractical, in comparison to a normal garbage gan. Its size is such a put-off, especially since it’s only big in order to accomodate the advertising space. What’s next? Eight foot tall mailboxes? Ten foot tall parking meters? Newspaper boxes the size of the old OMG garbage cans?,Please don’t think I’m being “anti-advertising” (I work in advertising as a copywriter.) I just don’t think putting these things on the street is very attractive.” | “These alleged “garbage bins” look like bus shelters without the shelter. Why not convert bus shelters so that they have this feature instead of sticking up these illuminated walls all over the place?” |
| 407 | 08/04/2005 12:07:14 AM | No | But stopped to look at one at Danforth and Broadview | No | “The instructions and icons on the wide “advertisement” sides were clear, but not immediately obvious as to their connection: As a passerby looking to dispose of something in the bins you look near the openings only, and there were no clear/obvious instructions or even labels at all on the thin opening side. Our group did not see at first what each opening was meant for, and apparently most users did not take the time to look around as items had not been deposited in the correct openings.” | No | “The street-facing opening was not practical: While the openings on the sidewalk-side were overflowing, no one seemed to have been using – noticed, or bothered to move to – the street-side openings. Even if people were to notice this, it is not very convenient or comfortable to access.” | Yes | “I think what would be great, and what would help win over any opposition towards this, is to dedicate the revenue received from this advertising space towards litter clean-up and or the Clean City initiative.” | “In general, I think that they are great, especially the cigarette butt component. Comments:,- instructions/labels need to be more obvious while very quickly and easily understandable,- extra resources should be invested in increasing use of the cigarette butt disposal,- all openings must be easily accessible to those walking by on the sidewalk,- perhaps an increase in capacity (as the one I saw was overflowing)” |
| 408 | 08/04/2005 09:18:17 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 409 | 08/04/2005 09:24:36 AM | Yes | Sheppard & Brian Drive | Yes | “I hesitated at first because there were no symbols immediately above each opening, as there was in the old-style recycle bins. But the diagram above the receptacles was easy enough to understand.” | Yes | “I don’t like how high they are, it cuts off my view of the road, depending on where I am standing at the nearby bus stop. In fairness, road visibility was obviously taken into consideration, as they placed it in as unobstusive a spot as its monstrous size permits; however, they had to place it an inconvenient distance from the bus stop. I have to wonder how useful or convenient people will find it; people being the way they are, they’ll likely just throw their garbage on the ground, or into the old plastic garbage can by the bus shelter... which doesn’t have recycling bins on it.” | No | “While I understand the city is strapped for cash, I feel quite strongly that this is the wrong way to go, if it means putting up rather large trash bins which are really not much more than glorified roadside ads.” | “In all honesty, I wish that I *did* like them. They are free, after all, and we do need to make sure there are many, well-maintained garbage bins throughout the city. But for the life of me, I can’t think of how something so terribly large could be made more accceptible.” |
| 410 | 08/04/2005 11:48:38 AM | Yes | Pape and Danforth | Yes | “Everything was fine for me, but a shorter individual such as a child might have trouble with the rcycling part.” | Yes | My guess is that the side facing the street won’t see that much use. | No | I would be in favour of the city installing these bins if the design was a bit better. The garbage compartment needs to have a bigger capacity. | If the city goes forward with these bins at least some of them should be devoted to posters explaining that cigarette butts should be deposited in them. Cigarette butts are the most prevelant form of litter in the city. This is because smokers seem to have the notion that the world is their ashtray – or that one butt doesn’t cause any harm. But the they add up. So these ashtrays need to be used. That message needs communicated |
| 411 | 08/04/2005 12:40:22 PM | Yes | “Queen Street West, west of Jameson, south side.” | No | “Day after Caribana, the **very small** garbage receptacles were overflowing, but no one seemed to realize that there was a recycling option, as the garbage section was full of bottles and cans. The directions are not clear, and the cigarette butt containers were empty, even though the sidewalk was covered in used butts – this container is located outside a bar, so there are lots of smokers around the general vicinity.” | Yes | “They’re too big, they take up valuable sidewalk space on an area that is already conjested and in the winter, the street side bins are going to be impossible to access if there are snowbanks, so half of the capacity will be lost.” | No | “There is too much advertising on our streets already. Those awful bus shelters with the clear roofs (what exactly are those supposed to shelter us *from* anyway???) are bad enough. The city needs to find some other way to create revenue without clogging up the sidewalks with even more ads. At the very least, let’s put the work of local artists on these things if we absolutely must have them.” | “Yes – please get rid of them!! They’re an eyesore, people can’t seem to figure out how to use them correctly, they don’t even hold a decent amount of garbage, and they clutter up the streetscape. There’s nothing wrong with the big silver bins (not the media-owned ones with the dirty flaps over the openings) – they hold a lot of garbage and they’re easy to use. Can’t we please start to think about these decisions with the people of the city, not its budget, in mind?” |
| 412 | 08/04/2005 01:02:49 PM | Yes | Queen & Jameson | No | “The labeling of the various openings is confusing. The garbage bins are too small, and were overflowing with trash. Much of the trash was recyclable material, making me think that other people found the labelling just as unclear as I did.” | Yes | “Very badly positioned. In order to access the recepticles on the street side of the bin, one has to stand almost in the street. In the winter, I expect that the street side will be impossible to access due to snowbanks.” | No | “These bins are poorly designed. They appear to be billboards with the garbage collection functionality added as an afterthought. Our city needs less advertising in our streetscape, not more.” | [Blank] |
| 413 | 08/04/2005 01:18:21 PM | Yes | Roncesvalles and Howard Park | No | [Blank] | Yes | “I think that they are a blight. Please do not implement this program. When I first saw the bin, I thought that someone had dumped an ATM in the middle of the sidewalk.” | No | “These bins are ugly, disruptive to pedestrian traffic, and not very functional. Whatever pecuniary benefits the city would recieve is vastly outweighed by the aethetic sacrifice and impairment to pedestrian traffic.” | Please eliminate them. It is a ridiculous program. There must be another way for the city to raise money without causing such an intolerable disruption to the cityscape. |
| 414 | 08/04/2005 01:24:49 PM | Yes | Queen St W | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “Too close to curb, will get blocked by snow in winter.” | No | “Not used properly, old ones are better, these are embarassing to the city.” | Do not implement them! |
| 415 | 08/04/2005 01:29:21 PM | Yes | Bathurst and College | Yes | clear | Yes | “too big, what an eyesore.” | No | “The city does NOT need more advertising, get real. Please make garbage bins that collect only refuse (including recycling etc), and doesn’t try and sell me shoes.” | [Blank] |
| 416 | 08/04/2005 01:29:31 PM | Yes | Bathurst & college | No | “It looked like you could put recyclabes, garbage AND cigarette butts into the same slot. The slots aren’t very big, and didn’t seem to be able to hold all that much garbage.” | Yes | “The horizontal placement means that it will take up precious sidewalk space once winter rolls around. When people clear the sidewalk, they will have to move around it and the side further away from the curb will be completely blocked by snow and become unusable. I think if the billboards were turned around, it could be more useful.” | Yes | “If it helps the city gain more revenue, I am in favour of it.” | “Turn the billboards around to take up less space on the sidewalks, and make the recepticles larger.” |
| 417 | 08/04/2005 01:32:35 PM | Yes | “Along Eglinton Ave, I think from Bathurst to Allen Rd.?” | No | “At the time that I saw it, I was on the bus. The problem is that I was able to fully see one entire side of the garbage can. For a pedestrian, really, the only person who’d use it, if they can’t access one of the two sides of the garbage can, then what’s the point? It would get even worse during the winter with the piling of snow. The bins seemed useless, and were pretty badly planned out. The current existing ones work much better.” | Yes | “It’s positioned really badly. I’m sure my 10 year old cousin could do better than this. Logic dictates that garbage bins are used mostly by walking pedestrians, not driving commuters. What use does a guy driving down on Queen Street have for a garbage can or recycling bin that faces him? It would be better if the bins were parallel to the street and not perpendicular, it just makes ABSOLUTELY no sense currently; it’s just a cheap way to get drivers to notice the ads.” | No | “I’m no crazy, left-winging hippie, but really, this IS the destruction of public space for the sake of getting a few more dollars off advertising dollars. The garbage cans seem as if they were just mere afterthoughts, and that advertising was the main purpose. The holes were small, inadequate and badly positioned in relation to the walking pedestrian, and the entire concept smacks of cheap ways of raising revenue. The current designs of garbage bins work much more efficiently and are not such an eyesore on the urban landscape and are more useful to the pedestrian. Even if the city made a little more money off of this, it should not auction off our collective land just for the sake of extra revenue. We’re better than this and we deserve better than this.” | “I humbly recommend that the city does not accept these newly-”designed” garbage/recycling bins. They don’t work in the interest of the pedestrian, nor for the public as a whole. If it doesn’t serve its function as a garbage can properly, and that IS its function, not an advertising tool, then what’s the point? Find a better designed garbage can, or revert back to the old ones. These new ones suck. I hope you take these comments into consideration. Thank you.” |
| 418 | 08/04/2005 01:33:18 PM | Yes | “queen west, past dufferin on the west, but I’m not totally sure where.” | No | “I know that Caribana happened and all, but people totally ignored it, especially the cigarette thingy.” | Yes | “There is no way these things could be put on the sidewalk to *not* interfere with pedestrian’s usage; they block views and act like a wall. Garbage cans are supposed to be noticeable, so you can find them, but discreet – not a dominant feature of the streetscape.” | No | “I think they look atrocious. Toronto already has far too much ad pollution happening, and these just make it worse. Dundas Square looks awful; and I disagree terribly with the city selling out the taxpayer’s eyes to avoid spending our taxes on the sort of thing they’re supposed to pay for.I can guarantee that these things will be graffiti magnets, and will look horrible in a year.” | “Please, don’t force this on us (and I assure you, it *is* forcing it on us)” |
| 419 | 08/04/2005 01:44:27 PM | No | Queen West | No | [Blank] | Yes | “it’s far too tall, and destroys the look of the street.” | No | “there is already too much advertising downtown. by making it this high, you’re creating dangerous blind spots, and ruining the look of the street.” | the current silver bins are fine – please leave well enough alone and don’t ruin our city in some sick advertising dollar cash grab!!! |
| 420 | 08/04/2005 01:51:04 PM | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “As a transit user the bins block the sight,of oncoming traffic making it difficult to,see a bus in the distance.” | No | “These bins are an eyesore on the landscape.They are nothing more than street level,billboards. Garbage and recycling bins can,be just as efficient without the advertising.” | Get rid of them |
| 421 | 08/04/2005 01:58:06 PM | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | It took more than 10 seconds for me to figure out what went where. That is too much time if you want someone to use a litterbin instead of the sidewalk. The openings also seem too small. How will children dispose of their recyclables if the opening is too high? | Yes | The side facing the street will be useless when it snows or there is street construction. | No | I think these litterbins are much worse than the ones currently in use and they are UGLY! | Larger openings for garbage. Larger receptacle. Clearer signage for sorting of waste. |
| 422 | 08/04/2005 01:58:38 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | They will be hard to access the side facing the curb once winter begins because of the snow piling up. | No | We are bombarded by advertisments on the TTC already. | They are too small. It will lead to more trash discarded on the ground. The recycling and cigarette features are hardly noticeable. There is nothing wrong with our current silver garbage bins. |
| 423 | 08/04/2005 01:59:47 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “Good grief, they are hideous and huge and block the way like an ugly marauding refrigerator.” | No | “First off, these things are a blight on the urban landscape.Secondly, did we not get new garbage/recycle bins with advertising on them a few years ago? I remember the promises then, how ad revenue would pay for upkeep and they would be kept “sanitised” and “spotless.” This never happened. They are filthy and most have giveaway public service ads. It didn’t work last time, why make the same mistakes again only worse?” | “A garbage can that is seven feet high has too much wasted space. Unless you have found a way to reverse gravity so that the garbage fills the top half, there is no need to have garbage cans this tall.Also, when the new TTC shelters were installed, we were told that they were specially designed to be all glass with gaps at the bottom so that no one would be able to hid behind them effectively. These garbage cans are practically designed for hiding behind, and are a detriment to public safety.” |
| 424 | 08/04/2005 02:00:39 PM | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | “Unclear which was recycling, WAY too small. It was overflowing with garbage every time I walked by.” | Yes | “They take up too much room, impede traffic, and one side will be completely inaccessible during winter once the snow piles up. The old garbage bins worked just fine; if the city wants bigger advertisements, just put up a billboard, don’t crowd the sidewalk with poster “garbage bins”.” | Yes | “The more garbage bins the better, just put them out of the way, and get a bigger design. More space for litter and clearer marking of where recycling should go.” | “If Toronto needs anything, it’s more recycling for PAPER products. Most litter seems to be newspapers.And the cigarette disposal is entirely pointless. No smoker would stop walking, just to make sure to put their butt in the bin. It’s much easier to flick it into the street, and nothing is stopping them from doing that.” |
| 425 | 08/04/2005 02:01:31 PM | [Blank] | McCowan and Finch | Yes | “BUT they were full, they seem too small” | No | i think that the side facing the street is impractical for Toronto Winters | No | “i think they need to be modified...i preferred the model just before these, they were large, clearly labeled for garbage and reyclables and still had room for advertising on either side” | need more room for garbage NOT advertising |
| 426 | 08/04/2005 02:06:06 PM | Yes | College and Bathurst | No | The bins appear to have insufficient capacity. | Yes | they obstruct my view and pollute the landscape with more unnecessary advertising. | No | I find them to be eyesores. | Get rid of them. The sooner the better. |
| 427 | 08/04/2005 02:09:52 PM | No | Haven’t seen one yet. | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | “I think these bins are a great idea. The City needs far more waste recepticals. One thing that I, as a smoker have found especially frustrating is the lack of appropriate bins for butts.I think the no smoking by-law is great, I have no problem smoking outside but find it annoying that there is no safe place to deposit cigarette butts. It would be nice if restaurants and bars were required to provide proper large butt disposal units outside their premises. The new bins are a step in the right direction but... (see below)” | “My only concern it that the much needed additional revenue generated by these new bins would be spent on the increased power needed to light them.Given the increased power usage this summer which created concern of power outages, do we really need to create more sources of unnecessary power use? I don’t think so.I think it is the responsiblity of the City to set an example and demonstrate power conservation.” |
| 428 | 08/04/2005 02:10:33 PM | Yes | Queen and Landsdowne | No | The openings are small and hard to see. | Yes | They take up too much space. | No | “These bins are a terrible addition to Toronto’s already awful array of street furniture. They are not really “garbage/recycling bins”, they are street-level billboards. The streets of Toronto are ugly enough without the city wilfully making them worse.” | “Please DO NOT approve these bins. If you do, I predict a campaign of revolutionary vandalism against these horrible bins.” |
| 429 | 08/04/2005 02:10:57 PM | Yes | Don Mills & Eglinton | No | The bins for garbage are far too small and the recycling bin is hard to see. | Yes | “When winter comes, only one half of the bin will be accessable. If it were any closer to the street, drivers and cyclist would not be able to see around the corner.” | No | “1. We already have enough advertising;,2. The bins we have are good enough;,3. Control would be placed in the hands of corporations and not the City.” | These seem to be designed from the ground up as a vehicle for advertising. Using the monoliths as garbage recepticles seems to be an afterthought. |
| 430 | 08/04/2005 02:10:57 PM | Yes | Queen West | No | The container is too small. Advertising is ugly and seems to be the primary focus. | No | I think they will be hard to access during periods of snowfall and when there is snow plow buildup. | No | I personally like the existing bins. I do not support advertising as a way to make a token profit. | “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” |
| 431 | 08/04/2005 02:11:23 PM | Yes | Queen Street | No | Too small | No | Quite large and obtrusive | No | “I am quite against the visual pollution that these add to our city. Whilst they may be effective marketing tools, there design as garbage/recycling is inneffective, due to the small size of the receptacles.” | [Blank] |
| 432 | 08/04/2005 02:12:26 PM | Yes | Don Mills & Lawrence | No | “The bins were tiny, cluttered and not all features (i.e. recycling area) were easy to use.” | Yes | “They’re overly large, clunky, obstructive, unattractive and futile at collecting the amount of garbage Toronto would generate.” | No | “They’re overly large, clunky, obstructive, unattractive and futile at collecting the amount of garbage Toronto would generate. No matter how free they are, installing something that would ensure continued littering, be potentially hazardous (i.e. fire, disease, etc.) and distracting to drivers would be purile and a blatant cash grab by the government.” | “The older garbage bins with three containers and billboard advertising on the front and back work just fine. If you need to find an “update” to that, think similar and don’t go for such a large, unuseful product.” |
| 433 | 08/04/2005 02:18:33 PM | Yes | Queen West | No | It’s a garbage bin...why are the bins so small? Labeling is unclear also | Yes | “TOO BIG. ,TOO UGLY.Way to give into the marketing scum bags.” | No | “Stop the insanity!!!,Marketers are the new lawyers. ,They should all be stopped.” | “UGLY. ,DISFUNCTIONAL.I HATE YOU.” |
| 434 | 08/04/2005 02:20:52 PM | Yes | king west and strachan (I think) | No | was very confusing trying to figure out what went where – the older receptacles seem much easier to understand. | Yes | As a pedestrian I thought it way too big – another obstacle on the sidewalk to try to get around. I also thought the height was overkill. It was disconcerting trying to see past it to the streetcar. | No | I don’t think advertising money should be seen as a saviour – advertising is a type of pollution in its own right. I also think that the more messages you put out there the less people will pay attention to ANYTHING – including street signs. | I really think the height is the biggest problem. We need garbage receptacles – not billboards – on the sidewalks. |
| 435 | 08/04/2005 02:59:10 PM | Yes | Jane & Steeles | No | Openings too small and inaccessable. | Yes | [Blank] | No | “The design is flawed. The “garbage/recycling bin” part of it seems to be an afterthought. It’s all about the advertising.” | There has to be a better way. |
| 436 | 08/04/2005 03:31:20 PM | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | “It’s a confusing, ugly design that does not fit in with the character of our city streets. And the giant billboards on the side are ridiculous.” | Yes | “They’re terrible! They’re inconvenient and are clearly designed to maximize the number of people who will see the ads (esp. those in cars), when they should be positioned in a way that will facilitate pedestrian usage.” | No | “What a loaded, unfair question. You’re trying to use the prospect of more money for the city to influence people’s decisions. How much money? And how much will they generate in advertising revenue for the company providing them?) Why not just ask if people like them? That’s a rhetorical question: you and I both know that no one would say they like them.” | “GET RID OF THEM IMMEDIATELY. Isn’t it possible to collect garbage without making the city more ugly through increased advertising? If you answer “no”, then you’re not trying hard enough. This is an awful idea. The old garabage bins were bad, but these are simply billboards disguised as garabage receptacles. The collection of garbage is an afterthought to the advertising aspect. City council should ban these things without a moment’s hesitation. I expect more from my elected officials, and I will remember this come the next election. Thank you for listening to my opinion.” |
| 437 | 08/04/2005 03:39:59 PM | Yes | “Yes, Actually, at Bathurst and College” | No | “No, you have to sort of circle around it to figure out where to put what” | No | “They take up too much space, and actually block the sidewalk” | No | “No, the old bins with advertising were bad enough. Ironically, the ancient City of Toronto bins stood up better to abuse than those. Can’t our garbage cans just be garbage cans?” | “I know the city is hard up for money, but this is an insult to taxpayers.” |
| 438 | 08/04/2005 03:44:08 PM | Yes | “bathurst and college,lesmill and york mills” | No | “the short cans are much easier to use, i found it annoying to use these ones.” | No | I hate it. They interrupt the flow of your movement through the space. | No | “They are really hideous – they are invasions of public space, they are unnecessary additional advertising space and they reflect badly on toronto as a world class city. please preserve our public space!!!” | Get rid of the ones we have and don’t get any more. |
| 439 | 08/04/2005 03:52:36 PM | Yes | Somewhere along queen west. | No | “It looks pretty simple, but by the amount of litter that was surrounding the bin (PILES of garbage to be more accurate), it must not have been understood by everyone.” | Yes | How can a garbage bin can justify so much public space? These bins are very large and take up a lot of walking room. | No | “To travel via Toronto’s sidewalks is difficult. Various factors like people, bikes, skateboards, strollers, wheelchairs, transit stops, newspaper boxes, etc... take up much of the existing space. I don’t understand how Toronto will receive anything benificial by further clogging up the streets.” | “Overall, these bins are poorly designed, hardly functionable, and simply gross.” |
| 440 | 08/04/2005 03:54:11 PM | Yes | Roncesvalles & Boustead | No | “Very confusing. Too many different places to put things, labels aren’t attached directly to the openings, but on the poster-style instruction sheet at the top. Took too long to figure out what everything was and where it should go.” | No | “They’re sort of intimidating, actually. They take up a lot of space.” | No | “They will be major eye-sores on the street. We’re a city that’s just launched ‘Live with Culture’, not ‘Live with Giant Behemoth Confusing Garbage/Recycling Bins’. They are ugly, unwelcoming and intimidating. I think they are 100% a bad design idea.” | “To recap: They’re ugly. They’re far too tall. They aren’t labelled clearly enough. They suit advertising means admirably, but they’re a COMPLETE disaster in terms of efficient recycling/clean streets.” |
| 441 | 08/04/2005 03:58:16 PM | Yes | Queen West | No | All bins were full to the brim – such small bins! The butt container wasn’t clear at all. | Yes | “I think they’re a disgusting eyesore. You can’t see past them, which makes me think they are dangerous as well. We have enough advertising in this city, we don’t need these monsters on every corner, cluttering our vision.” | No | “Next we will be putting advertisments on the sidewalks and on the desks of elementary school students – where does the line get drawn? These are public spaces, I for one would rather have a tax increase. I don’t understand what’s wrong with the old boxes anyway!” | “crap them, please.I think the fact that the city even considers these monoliths is disgusting.” |
| 442 | 08/04/2005 04:09:07 PM | No | [Blank] | No | “I took a look at them and didn’t think it was very clear what went where- I think it should be labelled on the actual “hole” for each item itself so you don’t have to consult the “map” above.” | No | [Blank] | No | “Our city is not for sale. We’ve got enough advertising everywhere! The old garbage bins had ads on them, no? Aren’t they sufficient?” | No one wants a garbage bin that is a giant billboard. We want garbage bins that are LESS obvious. Plus I very much resent the encroachment of commercial interests on every tiny corner of public space. |
| 443 | 08/04/2005 04:10:26 PM | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 444 | 08/04/2005 04:15:29 PM | Yes | bathurst & college | Yes | [Blank] | No | they are imposing – far too large – block the view. | No | “absolutely not. The advertisements on the box are too large. I resent,having to look at these sidewalk billboards.” | I think the height and the commercial advertisements together make these bins offensive and I do not want to see them on the streets of my city. |
| 445 | 08/04/2005 04:16:31 PM | Yes | Roncesvalles | No | it was very confusing and i found the openings to be small | No | “they’re intrusive, and how much more of our public space needs to be sold off for commercial interests? if the ad space were to be used as a community bulletin, then that’d be informative” | No | “i understand the need for alternative revenue-generation ideas, must the ad be so large???” | “instead of letting big corporate interests, how about targetting local businesses? or the idea of a community bulletin? the company that gets this contract should be happy that they have the contract and in return, they should give this space for free!” |
| 446 | 08/04/2005 04:16:37 PM | Yes | Danforth between Broadview and Chester | No | the end that was pointing towards the sidewalk was overflowing. | Yes | The empty end was pointed towards the street and was not used at all. I am guessing that this was done (instead of both ends parallel to the sidewalk) because the adverts needed to be pointed a certain way (i.e. in the faces of everyone who passes the bins). | No | “Please, I will pay more taxes if we can avoid having to have these abominations put on our beautiful streets.” | “If we must use these bins, no part of the structure should go past 5” in height. It is appalling that when walking down the sidewalk, all I can see is a giant looming sign instructing me to buy something I don’t want.” |
| 447 | 08/04/2005 04:32:06 PM | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | The garbage/recycling bins are all advertising with little space to put in litter and not much capacity | Yes | Obtrusive. They are in the way and I do not frankly want to look at more advertising. They are garrish. | No | It is sad that there has been such a deterioration of services that you are hard pressed to find a garbage can on any major toronto street. As a citizen I am barraged enough with senseless advertising that I do not want it on the sidewalk on garbage cans that were obviously designed to accomodate advertising and not trash | If the city is strapped for cash perhaps they should simply go back to old style one simple bin approach that you occasionally. |
| 448 | 08/04/2005 04:49:56 PM | Yes | Dundas West & Bloor | No | Overly large for the purpose. | Yes | “I think that they’re are enormously oversized, that they are a blight on the streets. I don’t think that litter collection should necessitate such a grotesque, blatant advertising space.” | No | I am offended that the City thinks that these huge ads masquerading as litter bins are a good use of public space. I think they are a cash grab for the city paid for by the eyes and minds of the public. | Can them. I don’t see why advertisers should get to hog sidewalk space that’s already limited enough. |
| 449 | 08/04/2005 04:53:40 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “Too tall/cumbersome ,Would be in favour of smaller bins in greater quantity. If they are more readily available people might use them instead of having to walk several blocks before the next available garbage bin.” | [Blank] |
| 450 | 08/04/2005 05:03:36 PM | Yes | Bloor and Jane | No | “Too complicated, and the container for the general garbage is too small” | Yes | “Its a dreadful, appalling wrong solution to garbage disposal. They block the street scene, the openings located facing the strret are totally useless to pedestrians and will not be used by motorists. Give us back our street scapes, I beg you.” | No | “No, no a thousand times NO. Every Toronto newspaper columist has expressed it acurately, its such a cheapening move, Toronto should be ashamed of itself. You would just confirm the slogan for Toronto, “Toronto FOR SALE”.” | How many times to you have to hear the concern of citizens. Don’t do this to our City. |
| 451 | 08/04/2005 05:11:04 PM | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | “The fact that one of the openings is right on the curb means that it is impossible to use, unless you step out into traffic, or up against a car parked at the curb. In addition, I noticed that the garbage recptical was overflowing – overflowing with many recyclable items: people seems to not have noticed the signs for where recyclables are deposted and so just threw them in the garbage receptacle.” | Yes | “As noted above, the end that is aganist the curb is unusable – it’s too close to the street/traffic. Also, the advertsing area is far too large – the new bins completely block the view down the sidewalk – - they appear almost as large as the transit shelters.” | No | Surely the company can come up with a design that provides advertsing space but is not so intrusive. | “The new bins are worse than the old ones – at least with them it was clear where recyclables went. It also appears that these new bins don’t store as much garbage – certanly the overflowing ones on the Danforth give that impression. I also think they are poorly designed, given that you have to step almost into traffic to use the end right by the street. Back to the drawing board!” |
| 452 | 08/04/2005 05:12:54 PM | Yes | Dundas and Ossingotn | No | One side faced the road -- I would have to stand on the road to use that side. Openings were not clearly marked. | No | “Horribly. Why are they not perpendicular to the road? I suspect it is for best ad viewing, but I want to be able to not go on to the road to throw out my garbage.” | No | “They are ugly and take up too much space. We need to get money from other levels of gevernment, not through advertisers.” | “Just give us garbage and recycling bins. I don’t want ads, I want to know where to throw my waste.” |
| 453 | 08/04/2005 05:14:47 PM | No | [Blank] | No | I haven’t used them myself but saw a prototype during my brief time working at City Hall. I thought the signs on the bins looked confusing. | No | “Considering their size, there is no doubt that they obstruct in more ways than one.” | No | “Eucan certainly had to do some surveying of the city to determine where these “garbage bins”/billboards should be positioned for minimum obstruction. I certainly hope some of the city’s budget did not fund this surveying.” | “Yes. While I worked briefly at City Hall I learned that Eucan actually pays to remove the garbage from the bins that already “decorate” the city. At first thought this seemed practical (ie. saves the city money). However, I quickly realized why their design is so frustrating and inefficient. The bins are always filthy and you actually have to touch the filthy things to get your garbage in. The orifices are incredibly small. I know the City will argue that this is to prevent large pieces of garbage from being dumped in them. And there is a point here. However, it is so incredibly obvious that the current bins are primarily billboards and only secondarily garbage bins, intentionally designed to not be user friendly. In this way, Eucan does not have to spend much money disposing of the garbage. I was thrilled to see an “old-fashioned” silver garbage bin that simply says “Toronto” on it placed right by my building (Dundas and Lansdowne) several months ago. It has really cleaned up that corner. I’m so glad that the City is still using those sometimes. Thanks. Considering my comments on the current Eucan bins, I guess you can extrapolate about how I feel about the new ones.” |
| 454 | 08/04/2005 05:27:31 PM | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | “i almost ran into it, and when i finally saw the side, it took me forever to figure out where to put things” | Yes | “they are obstructive and reduce the pedestrian room of the already-cramped sidewalks, especially next to street vendors” | No | they are simply not worth it; there are better sources of revenue to pursue and especially not at the cost of making our city less beautiful | please removed them at once! |
| 455 | 08/04/2005 05:38:29 PM | Yes | Bathurst and College | Yes | They were easy to understand but very big and ugly. Not very pleasant to the eye and not something nice to see as a tourist | Yes | They are in the way | No | [Blank] | Please find a different way of cleaning up the city. They are not attractive and takes away from the beautiful city landscape. |
| 456 | 08/04/2005 05:40:21 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | “they are ridiculous, not big enough at all, and it is practically impossible to even notice the cigarette butt holder, since there are butts all over the ground all around it... the old ones were not only bigger, but also more practical. i’ll take something visible as a garbage can so that people will actually use it as that and have space to do so over a billboard any day.” |
| 457 | 08/04/2005 05:40:46 PM | No | I have seen them on Danforth Avenue between Broadview and Pape. | No | It looked very hard to use. I looked at it quite closely to try to figure it out. | No | These bins are an eyesore- there is no way to improve their position. | No | Toronto is now a world city. It is ridiculous that we can’t afford to have litter bins without advertising. | “Send them to the landfill. Bring those who create the most litter (e.g. Tim Hortons, Second Cup, Pizza Pizza and other fast food outlets) into the equation. They are downloading their litter on to our sidewalks and profiting from doing so. Every take out should include a “litter” charge that goes to the city to help clean up the litter.” |
| 458 | 08/04/2005 06:22:09 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | They are big and ugly | No | No...definitely not | Please don’t! |
| 459 | 08/04/2005 06:25:49 PM | Yes | Don Mills and Lawrence | Yes | it’s fairly obvious. | Yes | “They take up too much room, and are facing the wrong way.” | No | “no, because the garbage collecting part is obviously an afterthought. these things are just billboards with holes in them.” | “these things don’t hold half the garbage/recycling that the old silver bins do.unless the city is going to be emptying them every day, they will continue to over flow onto the sidewalk. these things are hideous!” |
| 460 | 08/04/2005 06:40:55 PM | Yes | Main St and Danforth | Yes | Yes they were easy to understand | Yes | I do not like the way they are set up. I find that the only side that is being used is the side that faces the sidwalk because the other side faces the road which i find does not make sence. This way the one side fills up faster | Yes | I think they are a good way in improving the look of the city | To place them horzantly when close to the road |
| 461 | 08/04/2005 06:48:09 PM | Yes | Yonge and York Mills | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | They are positioned such that one side will be inaccessable in the winter after the streets are plowed. | No | “They are roughly the same height as the ads in a bus shelter, without the added benefit, and very obtrusive.” | “The garbage recepticals are too small; I’ve seen more than one bin that was overflowing, and others I’ve spoken to have noticed the same thing. Also nobody bothers with the cigarette butt area, the one I saw was empty and there were just as many butts on the ground as usual.” |
| 462 | 08/04/2005 06:49:26 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | The current bins have openings at the right height and are easy to understand! Why do we need new ones?! | Yes | “If the city goes forward with this project, which I hope they do not, the bins should only be positioned where they in no way block the view of drivers, cyclists or pedestrians” | No | “The city is already littered with advertising, and I stress the word “litter”. One cannot go anywhere in Toronto without being surrounded by it. It does not make the city a better place to live. It does not make the city more inviting to tourists. It is my belief that the negativee impact that further advertising would have on the city far outweighs any potential financial gain from advertising. Obviously the company is using the waste disposal element of it’s product as an “in” to the city’s coveted ad space. There is also the question of safety. I do not understand how a 7 foot high garbage bin on a street corner could not impede the view of both drivers and pedestrians. The current garbage bins are of a height that people can see and be seen over. A seven-foot tall tower on a street corner would, in my opinion, have a negative impact on the safety of our streets. I am opposed to using public property for commercial advertising and I sincerely hope the city does not go forward with the proposed new bins.” | “In short, I am opposed to the new bins. They would be an eyesore. They would make the street corners more dangerous to both pedestrians and drivers, and the benefit to the city of Toronto and its people would not be sufficient when measured against the negative aspects of the propsed new bins.” |
| 463 | 08/04/2005 08:27:44 PM | Yes | Bathurst & College :) | No | “The bins are far too small. And clearly ignored, because of all the cigarette butts on the ground around it.” | Yes | “They face the wrong way (for practical use; its positioning is obviously only useful for advertising). One side of the unit is too close to the street (that’ll be a problem in winter) and the other side is too close to a parking lot barrier (can’t even walk around on that side, making it virtually useless).I imagine that the other bins are also positioned to maximize the advertisement visibility, rather than actual usefulness.They also block visibility, because they take up half the width of the sidewalk. We don’t need these obstacles.” | No | “These bins aren’t for better waste management; they’re for advertising. Please install bins that are actually useful, rather than in the way. The current paper/blue bin/litter units are the same, minus the ashtrays, but don’t block visibility, are accessible from the sidewalk without any detour, and are already familiar to Toronto’s citizens.Spending money on something that works is far better than getting an inferior product for free. The only changes for these old bins would be to add the ashtrays, and maybe to enlarge the door-flaps.” | [Blank] |
| 464 | 08/04/2005 08:31:36 PM | No | [Blank] | No | N/A Haven’t come across it but heard comments from friends that the design makes it not obvious which goes in where. It does look confusing to me in the pictures. | Yes | N/A | No | “I understand the bins will generate some additional and much-needed revenue for the city. However it saddens me to be reminded once again the esthetics of the city (especially the downtown core) area is being compromised for commercial purposes. This is in addition to the surge of billboards on vehicles (or vehicles for the sole purpose of wheeling a billboard around the city), giant LCD billboards and even ads on the wheel covers of cabs.It’s one more thing that makes living in Toronto downtown less appealing than the suburbs.” | [Blank] |
| 465 | 08/04/2005 09:11:10 PM | Yes | Roncesvalles | Yes | [Blank] | No | They are an eye-sore. | No | “The freedom to have more commercial clutter on our streets – our shared municipal space – is not the type of freedom I have in mind. If advertisers want increased access to advertising space on municipal property, then they can co-sponser important municipal programs – like public transit, for instance.” | “Get them off our streets – for good. There are enough useless advertising messages on the streets as it is. ,Just what space is not for sale in our city?” |
| 466 | 08/04/2005 11:51:32 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | These bins are a monument to the Tobacco companys. They advertize smoking and do nothing to reduce the butt problem. GET RID OF THEM! | No | These bins are useless except for advertizing. I hope the Tobacco companys are paying the City of Toronto at least a billion dollars a year for the free advertizing. For my part I hate to look at the filthy cigarette butts. GET RID OF THEM! | GET RID OF THEM!GET RID OF THEM!GET RID OF THEM!GET RID OF THEM!GET RID OF THEM!GET RID OF THEM!GET RID OF THEM!GET RID OF THEM! |
| 467 | 08/05/2005 08:50:04 AM | Yes | bloor abh christie | No | just looked like a billboard. hard to notice the openings for garbage. | Yes | “terrible. they take up too much space. to a pedestrian, it just looks like a billboard placed in your path.” | No | absolutely not! advertisers have abundant opportunities to assault us as we try to enjoy public space. please don’t give them yet another opportunity. the city should push for more taxing power in order to pay for public services. KEEP PUBLIC SPACES FOR THE PUBLIC! | stop referring to them as garbage/recycling bins – they’re billboards with holes. |
| 468 | 08/05/2005 08:53:05 AM | Yes | Christie & Bloor | Yes | [Blank] | No | “The bins are not attractive to look at, but are practical, and take up less space. I suppose if the bins hold more waste and recycling than the previous street ones, then this would be a economical use of space.” | No opinion | [Blank] | The bins are not subtle and are ugly to look at. The current recepticles for waste rest on street corners and are convenient. The proposed bins lie in the middle of the sidewalk and are an eyesore to the community. |
| 469 | 08/05/2005 08:58:54 AM | Yes | Kennedy and Finch | No | The recyclable bin is small and is hard to figure out. I was sure it was the garbage outlet. I had trouble puttting my pop bottle into this bin | Yes | I find the bins much to tall. I could not see my bus comming until I was around the bin. It blocks the view. | No | I find the signs to big and the garbage and recycle areas much to small. They block the view. and are ugly. I have checked the bylow and found that you cant put anything that tall on the street I wonder why there would be an execption made for these bins. | I like the old bins and feel that you could sell more advertising on them.I am sure there are alternatives to these bins. |
| 470 | 08/05/2005 10:26:36 AM | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | too stupidly narrow in order to show off advertising and not to receive garbage | Yes | inane and complete sell out to advertisers. things like this are a complete counteraction to all efforts to improve the quality of public space in the cit. | No | the city should grow up and stop selling out to every jackass who wants to make a buck at the expense of a liveable city. | please reconsider. |
| 471 | 08/05/2005 11:40:12 AM | Yes | “Danforth, east of Broadview” | No | “It was full. In fact, it was overflowing. This was on a weekday morning (around 11:30 AM), not after some big event.” | Yes | “They are huge and hideous. They add to the clutter already on our sidewalks (newspaper boxes, parking stations (or meters), planters filled with dead plants and so on.” | No | No. The City should stop selling off every square inch of ppublic space to commercial interests. We are bombarded with enough advertising in private space. It is obvious that public services require more funding. People should stop pussyfooting around the problem and have the guts to set taxes at a level that will provide more revenue. | “To repeat: they are too big although the space provided for refuse is to small; furthermore, it is obscene to add more advertising to the public sphere.” |
| 472 | 08/05/2005 11:44:34 AM | Yes | Christie and Bloor | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “Too large and overbearing...you don’t notice that its a garbage can as you get distracted by the advertising.New bins are more about advertising than garbage collection.” | No | There has to be an alternative. I don’t want these bins all over my neighbourhood. They take away from what’s around and just clog up the streets. | GET RID OF THEM!!! |
| 473 | 08/05/2005 11:47:57 AM | [Blank] | St. Clair and Keele | No | “One of the receptacles faces the road and is, thus, completely useless.” | Yes | Awful. What is city council thinking prostituting the city out to this kind of fetid trash (pun)? I will park my vote with whatever candidate in my Ward agrees to get rid of these horrendous contraptions in the swiftest time. | No | See above. I hate them and they make our already visually challenged city look that much more unpleasant. | If you want to raise money that bad I’d rather you raise property taxes than foist these bins on an unsuspecting public. They’re that bad. |
| 474 | 08/05/2005 12:20:44 PM | Yes | yes. I’ve used the gross obstruction at Bathurst/College. | No | The graphics/font is terrible. Very confusing arrows. The garbage opening was stuffed with recyclables. | Yes | They’re a hindrance. They take up far too much room for such small openings for garbage. It’s not even clear what they are until you get up close. They will serve only to advertise to people who are sick of having pathetic ads shoved down their throats everywhere they go. Little garbage will be colllected in them. Even less will be separated and recycled. | No | The City needs to be more creative about how to save money or generate revenue. Raising money at the expense of human interest is sad and embarrassing. Who’s going to pay for the electricity used to illumate them? Why aren’t they illuminated for the test run? Perhaps so people won’t notice them and see how pathetic they really are. | I hope they’re vandalized into extinction. |
| 475 | 08/05/2005 12:22:35 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | The bins are unsightly and large. Toronto can afford to buy their own garbage bins. We want people to produce less garbage. When you go to a city like London England there are no public garbage bins (as a result of IRA experience) and no newspaper boxes – the sidewalks are clear for what they are meant for walking. | [Blank] |
| 476 | 08/05/2005 12:25:26 PM | No | Pacific and Dundas | No | [Blank] | Yes | “The bins are appaling, unsightly and impractical. The only serve to obstruct pedestrian traffic and to polute the visual environment with more advertising.” | No | There are thousands of other ways to generate revenue. Adding to a visually impoversished streetscape will only drive away tousist dollars. | Get ride of them or at the least don’t add any more. |
| 477 | 08/05/2005 01:02:04 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | I’m concerned that they will cause traffic problems with pedestrians. | Yes | If this will be more attractive then existing garbage cans and would reduce the foul odours that current bins produce then I am in favour of them. | [Blank] |
| 478 | 08/05/2005 02:20:21 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 479 | 08/05/2005 03:52:07 PM | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | “I think that they could be dangerous.They are so high and wide, and since they are obviously directed at conveying a message to pedaestrians, but mostly passing drivers, I worry that some one could step out from behind one and not clearly see moving traffic or vice versa, a driver wouldn’t be able to see someone coming out from behind the bin in time” | Yes | “I am very for more garbage and recycling recepticals but I really detest the size of them,More advertising may mean more money, but it also means more EYE polution” | “investing in our environment is very important...i’m sure it will be decided upon dispite our feedback. So when you install them around the city, I am hopeful that we as a city help to keep Toronto more clean and beautiful, dispite the “eye pollution”” |
| 480 | 08/05/2005 04:07:11 PM | Yes | Christie Pits | Yes | “The bin is neither better now worse than the existing type, although I am dubious of the thing’s overall capacity and of the durability of its plastic components (especially with respect to contact with smoldering cigarette butts).” | Yes | “Obnoxious, simply obnoxious. These bins are clearly, first and foremost, about further saturating our narrow-sidewalked, tree-denuded main thoroughfares with more advertising frontage.” | No | “Of all the cities I have lived in over the course of my life, Toronto’s are by far the ugliest and most amenity starved. Yet at the same time, they are also becoming the most advert-choked, leaving me (and the rest of the world that visits Toronto, I expect) highly dubious of the city’s priorities vis-a-vis its residents and visitors. With the explosion of large-screen video billboards and these ad-plastered map-points at the parks, I have found myself coming to wonder whether the public spaces of this city are intended for anybody but advertisers, and these trashbins are a new low in this regard -- trashbins only second, they are massively oversized sidewalk-level billboards first.” | “They are a mistake, kindly do not infest our city with them.” |
| 481 | 08/05/2005 04:23:43 PM | Yes | Christie & Bloor (northwest corner) | No | “Recyclables doorway impossible to figure out without dedicated reading of the signage. As a result, people were throwing cans and newspapers in with the trash. The trash bin is the only obvious receptable.” | Yes | “These are large units. They’re okay in large areas like parks and large open spaces, but on typical street corners, they’re way too big.” | No | Not without changes that ensure the recyclable section will be used. | [Blank] |
| 482 | 08/05/2005 04:49:36 PM | Yes | Christie and Bloor | No | The opening for recyclables was HARD to figure out and see -- The opening is small with a black covering. I looked in the trash section and most people had thrown their beverage bottles and cans and newspapers there. I think the design needs improvement. | Yes | I think there bins are very large. They would ONLY be appropriate for areas and corners with quite a bit of space. | [Blank] | This is not a yes or no question. I think they would be apporriate in settings/corners that are larger than usual. They would be very inapprporiate on small crowded sidewalks. I don’t fully trust the city to thoughfully place big bins. | No |
| 483 | 08/05/2005 06:08:50 PM | Yes | Christie Pits | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | Illuminated advertising on our public streets is bad enough as it is. The last thing I want to see in my neighbourhood is more light pollution. Christie Pitts is a wonderful bit of parkland in the middle of the city. Don’t defile it with more intrusive advertising. | “The existing bins are unobtrusive, effective and user-friendly. the new bins are eye-sores.” |
| 484 | 08/05/2005 07:12:26 PM | Yes | Have seen one at Dundas West/Roncesvalles | No | “They were well pointed out by the poster on the side, but those will obviously be exchanged for ads later. The slots seem pretty small, too. And the cigarette part seems kind of laughable, as if anyone will actually use it.” | Yes | “They seem to be positioned so that the ads are visible to oncoming drivers.Having obstacles that tall jutting into the sidewalk at an angle are bothersome and block a significant part of my vision, but they would probably be similarly annoying at pretty much any other angle.Also, one end will be piled up with snow and unusable throughout the winter.” | No | “About 10% of the so-called garbage bins’ structure seems to be devoted to the actual disposing of garbage. It’s obvious that it’s just another excuse for more ads, as if we aren’t choked with them already. I realize the extra revenue would be welcome, but it doesn’t seem worth it to have to put big ugly walls all over our sidewalks.” | “They’re way too high. The current receptacles display advertising that’s not nearly as intrusive, i.e. blocking everyone’s view of the street and the sidewalk, and they don’t look like a big useless billboard with a garbage bin tacked onto the side.” |
| 485 | 08/06/2005 07:02:37 AM | Yes | McCowan RT Station | No | “The labels describing where to put each item are too small. Also, might i suggest that, on the side with the organics, you make the slot for the organics at the top rather than the bottom. I have seen a lot of garbage tossed into the organic slot because it is the biggest slot and on the bottom. Most people wont read what goes where so they assume that its for garbage. Also, not too many people have organic garbage with them, most have household garbage or recyclables. So i suggest making the largest sections for these two items, (garbage and recyclables)” | Yes | “Terrible! For one, at many locations, there is one side that is right against the curb of the road so that pedestrians almost have to walk directly on the road to access it. Also, why have the battery slot (which will get used very rarely) on the most accessible side, and the cigarette disposal (which would get more use then the batteries) on the side closest to the road. Mainly, you should turn them 90 degrees so that there is no particular side close to the road. Or just pull them further away from the road.” | Yes | Its a win/win situation!!! | “Make the labels for each item ALOT larger so people will notice them more. Also, maybe you could add some small bars lined across some of the openings to prevent garbage being put into the wrong slot .[redacted]” |
| 486 | 08/06/2005 08:22:12 AM | Yes | Main & Kingston | No | The cigarette receptacle seemed to be for bottles. One end of bin faces street – you’d have to be on busy road to use it! | Yes | Only one end is usable. The ‘bins’ take up a lot of sidewalk space. | No | “These things are too big. They don’t seem well-designed. The city needs to find money from other sources, not more advertising -- there is enough already!” | “Would I be right in assuming that the ‘billboard’ part of these ‘bins’ is illuminated by electricity for the ads? This seems to me outrageous during this summer of heatwaves, and completely ot-of-line for a supposedly progressive garbage/recycling program.” |
| 487 | 08/06/2005 08:58:31 AM | No | The one I’ve seen is College west of Bathurst. | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “I know this is a strange thought, but I always thought sidewalks were for people to walk on.” | No | “These are not garbage/recycling bins, these are billboards. Therefore, they have no business being installed on sidewalks.” | Pernamently installed billboards on sidewalks I believe are illegal. Remove them now! |
| 488 | 08/06/2005 09:06:02 AM | No | [Blank] | No | haven’t seen one | No | [Blank] | Yes | no I will not | “um....hold trash?,why does it need ads and cause eyesores in the city? aren’t the transit....and walls in toronto covered in ads anyways?” |
| 489 | 08/06/2005 09:22:13 AM | Yes | Christie Pits park | Yes | “it’s a box with a hole in it. what’s hard about that... trash goes in the hole. also, 7 feet tall that’s ridiculous and completely unnecessary.” | Yes | honestly more garabage bins is always better but these ones lit up. i’m getting charged up the ass for hydro and the government is making an issue about the electricity shortage so why in the world would you put up bins that consume power we don’t have? doesn’t seem smart to me. | No | “they light up. they would display lit up advertising, consumming electricity we’re already short on and adding to increased light pollution. but nice one with not showing them lit up on the street though. you’re sneaky mother fuckers.” | why are the people in power so dumb? we’re facing an energy shortage... and yet you’re putting up bins that are not only unnecessarily huge but consume energy. who’s dumb idea was this anyway? plus thank you for not being honest and showing these things as they will actually appear with the lights on. i’m sooo angry about this i’m not even sure what else to say. this is by far the worse idea and i’m sick of advertising everywhere. i’m tired of the light pollution. i’m sick of this government and the stupid decision they are making for this city even if it is just trash bins. |
| 490 | 08/06/2005 10:23:55 AM | Yes | bloor st east of boardview | Yes | the layout was easy to understand and quick to place things into | Yes | “they are positioned well for people either travel via foot, cycle or car can notice them or read them.” | Yes | [Blank] | “My 2 concerns is whether or not the bins hold enough trash. They seem smaller in size than the current bins that do not hold enough on busy locations such as yonge south of bloor. ,Secondly if the bins will remain closed at all times, i often see the current bins open and though i try to close them they do not close they just fall open again. This is a poor design flaw that truley upsets me when i have to see the trash inside the box or have to watch out not to walk into them.” |
| 491 | 08/06/2005 10:33:42 AM | Yes | bloor west village | No | the collection areas are too small and difficult to access | Yes | [Blank] | No | they are not practical enough | “like so many other government projects, high on ideals, short on practicality. the bins need to be more accessible and able to hold more litter. the ashtray is a good idea” |
| 492 | 08/06/2005 12:53:22 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | The bins are too tall – and block the street scape for pedestrians. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the current – waist-high units installed at bus stops that also display advertising. | “The garbage area is difficult to see on the sides of the ad. They are too tall – as a pedestrian, I find they block vision, and pose a safety hazard – anything could be lurking behind the unit – as a woman, they do not make me feel safe. I would suggest the city not install these, unless they were no higher than waist height – 3-4ft.” |
| 493 | 08/06/2005 02:40:31 PM | Yes | Sheppard Avenue East at Brian Drive | No | “Perhaps its newness or unfamiliarity, but the rubbish bin was filled with 5-6 empty Gatorade bottles. Clearly labelled signage for each receptacle would improve public understanding and appropriate disposal of the various rubbish items.” | Yes | “this particular bin is sited with the receptacles perpendicular to the roadway, so one side exposes the citizen to the passing traffic. Placed further back from the road and closer to the adjacent bus shelter would be better.” | Yes | “Yes, with a proviso that the contractor be required to maintain the bins to a very high standard of cleanliness, bins are emptied several times weekly and prevent the adhesion of stickers/postering/signage as currently afflicts our light standards and hydro poles.” | “Please introduce additional collection for battery recycling and make it a requirement that one advertising space be strictly reserved for City of Toronto use to convey information and public events to the citizen (as is done in Paris, Montreal, Frankfurt and other civilised cities)” |
| 494 | 08/06/2005 10:06:37 PM | Yes | Dundas & Ossington | Yes | ...although the recycling slot is a little weird. | Yes | “When positioned perpendicular to the street, they block a significant portion of the sidewalk. Also, the openings facing the street are of little use as pedestrians who don’t like getting hit by cars rarely walk there.” | Yes | “...but not 1500 of them. They may be suitable for areas with wide sidewalks, in highly commercialized areas where a few more big glowing billboards aren’t going to add noticably to the eyesore factor (eg. Dundas Sq, North York Ctr...). In most places, the old ones are working just fine thank you.” | “They seem to have less capacity than the old ones, despite blocking more of the sidewalk. I suspect if you designed a garbage can and then put ads on it, rather than designing a billboard and then putting a garbage can in it, you’d end up with a more practical result.” |
| 495 | 08/07/2005 06:49:25 AM | Yes | Danforth and Greenwood | No | [Blank] | Yes | They are too big for the sidwalk. They block the view for cars making turns and they are an eyesore. | No | “The city already has enough billboards etc. bombarding us with pointless advertising. Please, no more.” | “They are too large for the city, please don’t install them.” |
| 496 | 08/07/2005 09:48:23 AM | Yes | Danforth near Pape | Yes | [Blank] | No | These look awful and are an eyesore. They are too tall and you can’t see past them. The extra height serves no purpose other than to overload us with extra advertising. | No | “I really do not like these in my neighbourhood or in the rest of Toronto. As stated above, the extra height and large advertising serves no useful purpose.” | I’m hoping that the pilot project will not be expanded and that the current units will be removed from the Danforth. I hope they will be replaced with units that are useful but less intrusive. |
| 497 | 08/07/2005 11:51:58 AM | Yes | bloor west village | No | too confusing for the average user | Yes | they are positioned poorly. they should run paralell to the street not perpendicular to it. i would almost have to stand in traffic to use the street side of the bin | Yes | [Blank] | pretty looking but not practical enough. bigger collection areas and openings to put material would be an improvement. the ashtray is a nice addition but i also wonder if sepearte ashtrays would be less of a potential fire hazard |
| 498 | 08/07/2005 11:59:41 AM | Yes | bloor st. w. & windermere | No | openings too small | Yes | “don’t see the usefulness of having openings that face the street. Motorists are not going to stop there cars to dump their garbage. The bins are too tall, bulky, terrible design. These bins are an eyesore, totally destory the street scape, take-up too much space on an already crowded sidewalk. Its obvisious the functionality of the bins is based on maximizing advertising space.Terrible design for a simply task of depositing trash.” | No | “I support advertising as a means towards financing the cost of the bins, but this design is too big, its an eyesore. Prefer the existing bins there low, unobtusive, actually alot easier to dump garbage- the slots are bigger than the new design. I am sure the designers can come up with something better, after all, the commercial revenue from advertising for the bin owners will more than make up the cost for a new design that actually works!” | “Definetely against this new design, I suggest you go back to the drawing board. The priority should be a simple and less intusive design blending into the streetscape. Forget the money factor here Torontians should not be subjected to this type of blatant advertising.” |
| 499 | 08/07/2005 12:41:08 PM | Yes | keele+lawrence | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | reasonably | No | “Stop putting ads on every surface possible, it screws with people’s heads.” | “While every conscious business is dimming the lights in their stores, the city is installing illuminated garbage cans? Pull the plug on ‘em!” |
| 500 | 08/07/2005 03:07:00 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | Have not seen any on sidewalks – have only seen them in places like the median down University in a great position for advertising but a poor position for actual waste collection. | No | [Blank] | “-We do not need more of this type of advertising – we would be better off with more of the big trash bins along the sidewalks and get more revenue from those,-the existing bins are often full and these ones are smaller so need to be emptied even more” |
| 501 | 08/07/2005 04:59:28 PM | Yes | Danforth Ave. and Playter Blvd. | No | The bin was far too complicated. I actually had to stand there and stare at the thing for quite some time to figure out how it works. The current bins are far more user friendly. | Yes | The positioning of the bins is terrible. Since the bins are placed very close to the curb only one side of the bin is even usable as one would have to step out into traffic to use the other side. When I used the bin it was already overflowing on the one useable side due to the poor positioning and obviously limited capacity of the bin. | No | “These bins appear to be designed simply to place more billboards on the streets with little regard given to their stated purpose of somewhere to dispose of litter. Therefore, I would prefer more of the current style of bin, or even better the current style of bin but without advertising.” | “Simply put, these bins are awful and should be shipped off to the dump with the rest of the trash.” |
| 502 | 08/07/2005 09:12:57 PM | Yes | Victoria park & Kingston Road | No | “The recyclable slot is in a difficult location and is an odd shape. If I was shorter I would have trouble reaching it, if unfamiliar with English I wouldn’t guess its purpose.” | Yes | “Extremely poorly. The primary purpose is obviously to provide advertising space targeted at passing automobiles. This blocks the sidewalk both physically and visually, one has to walk around the large sign and the view down the sidewalk towards other pedestrians and the streetscape is obscured.The “old” design was vastly superior: placed at the curb it was less of an obstacle.The new style is an insult to pedestrians. It’s just a roadside billboard with a trashcan inside, not serving the sidewalk at all. The container is far from the curb, I haven’t seen the procedure to empty it but I can’t imagine it being better than the old ones which at least opened directly onto the street for easy servicing by truck.” | No | “Giving away the sidewalks to advertisers so pedestrians are inconvenienced and obstructed is perverse.The old bins are not perfect, but they seem to be designed as trash bins with some advertising space rather than as billboards with a trash bin grafted on as an afterthought.” | “If you seriously believe in recycling, have a bin for newspapers and magazines where they aren’t locked away so nobody can re-use them once readers have finished.I never discard a paper, even in the existing bins. I fold it and put it on a bench or on top of a paper box so someone else can enjoy it. I’m not the only one; encouraging waste is the antithesis of “recycling”. I can read a newspaper or magazine for free at the city library so the city can’t be ethically opposed to such an act – why should you make it impossible for me to do so on the street?” |
| 503 | 08/07/2005 09:54:43 PM | Yes | College and Bathurst | No | “What the hell does it take you guys to figure out? I mean, it’s only been done since the beginning of time! A barrel shaped object waist high, with an open top. It holds a garbage bag, and you toss your trash in. Very tasteful. The huge bins are a disaster.” | Yes | “1. They block the sidewalk,2. One side of the tower of trash faces the street less than a foot from the curb. You figure it out. Wait, let me tell you, it’s useless. Wasn’t that easy? Just so there’s no confusion. (Well, one can hope.)” | Yes | “I am not against advertising. For god’s sake, make an urbane normal city trash bin.” | “If you owned a private drive, and you had guests over, would you want this?” |
| 504 | 08/07/2005 09:58:31 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | no opinion | No | [Blank] | “These bins will be illuminated, thus using more energy. With the threat of power shortages it seems extremly irresponsible to increase the use of power needlessly. Not only will they be an eye sore, they will also use more energy. We cut back our household use of power, just so you can light up some garbage bins. This is insulting and unacceptable.” |
| 505 | 08/07/2005 10:43:40 PM | No | lakeshore | No | the openings for the refuse are small and confusing...the unit is 30x larger than it needs to be...it clutters up the sidewalk and is an eyesore | No | it is an enormous monstrosity...no amount of fiddling with the position would change this | No | we already have garbage cans with ads and there is enough advertising on the street already | “uninstall them all, pile in Downsview Park, then set them on fire” |
| 506 | 08/07/2005 11:01:11 PM | Yes | Dundas/Pacific. | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | They take up far too much room and are ugly as sin. | No | The city does NOT need more advertising in public space – we need some regulation to cut down on the amount of visual clutter there is out there. The amount of advertising seen in public space in Toronto makes this metropolis of ours an ugly place. Don’t make the problem worse! | “Yes – how about some regular trash cans instead of this nonsense? Also, it is extremely deceptive of the city to not point out that the cans in this proposal will be ILLUMINATED (if that is truly the case) thus using power to make the advertising even more offensive. Stop this project now!!!” |
| 507 | 08/08/2005 12:13:38 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | It’s a huge obstruction. It looks arkward. And it blocks your view of what’s on the other side which can be hazardous when your riding a bike. | No | The current design is too big. I am not oppossed to the principle of advertising on garbage cans but this model is just ugly and intruding. | “Please don’t install these big, ugly bins on our streets.” |
| 508 | 08/08/2005 01:10:21 AM | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “They are distracting for vehicles, and an eye sore for drivers, passengers, and pedestrians as they cover affect the sightlines of local businesses.” | No | review above | “the old bin height is fine, the company needs to find a new solution or new business if they are serving the interest of advertisers and media buyers.” |
| 509 | 08/08/2005 08:04:40 AM | Yes | King street west and Strachan Ave | No | “One side is very close to the street-rendering it inpractical, the overall bin is very small I wonder how much it can hold and how often it needs changing” | Yes | I think they have been positioned for effective advertising not for proper waste disposial-the mere fact that they are to be lit up each night all night – is a contradiction to their purpose of recycling. | No | Is the money from the markerters really worth it? Overall I am not in favor of these bins – I am outraged that we are even considering them at all – everyone is trying to conserve energy and city hall is proposing these bins that light up? What’s wrong with this picture? | Simply I think they are a marketing ploy – and to promote such things disguised as recycling bins is sending the wrong message – a message I thought the city for Toronto was finally beginning to get – a greener message |
| 510 | 08/08/2005 11:10:00 AM | Yes | Windermere and Bloor | No | Had to look carefully as to where things go | Yes | “Take up too much room on the sidewalk, even though you can access both sides you have to stand on the road to put stuff in.” | No | “TOO BIG, TOO BRIGHT and UNATTRACTIVE” | The actual garbage bin is to small and they fill up too fast. |
| 511 | 08/08/2005 11:16:36 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | I didn’t use it. | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “The advertising is fine. It shouldn’t light up though. We already have enough things that light up in our streets without adding a gabage bin into the mess. For a city that is so concerned with energy consumption, you’re throwing it out with the garbage. Litterally.” | “Don’t make them light up. ,The way your questions are worded for this survey, they encourage positive feedback. They should be worded in a less-biased manner.” |
| 512 | 08/08/2005 11:39:09 AM | No | “The first bin I noticed was indeed at the Bathurst and College location. I believed it to be a new billboard, and did not realize at first that it was a garbage bin at all.” | No | It was difficult to notice that the bin was a bin--it appears simply to be a large billboard. The actual openings for the trash receptacles are too small and difficult to locate (or even recognize). | Yes | They are intrusive. The signs are too large and the receptacles are too small. | No | “No. The bins are impractical, difficult to recognize, and a complete contradiction in terms. ,Being difficult to recognize, the bins will not get used--particularly by visitors to the city, so we’ll still have a litter problem. On top of that, we’ll have to put up with even more ad pollution in our city.Advertising, by its very nature, is a symbol of waste, fakeness, and immaturity. It is a contradiction in terms to bury a recycling bin inside advertising. It flies in the face of Torontonians’ values of environmental sustainability and common sense. ,It seems like a little thing, but it is in these little ways that life in our city becomes more and more commercialized and unbearable.The city can find more creative ways to raise money. Selling out to advertisers should not be one of them.” | “Yes--scrap them. Billboards on trashcans is a dubious idea at best, but no matter what, the advertising should not take precedence over the function of the trashcan (which is what these new bins do).” |
| 513 | 08/08/2005 11:56:30 AM | Yes | dundas and ossington | No | “one end faced the street, the other side (already interferring with pedsestrian traffic) required that I stand in the way of others to use it.” | [Blank] | Obtrusive. They are in the way of any passersby. they interfere with your line of sight. They make an open street seem claustrophobic. They have the potential of causing accidents by any pedestrians dashing across a busy street from behind one of them. | No | “The new recycling bins are choking sidewalks. They’re problematic now, when winter comes and snow piles around them, it will be even worse. And the enormous size makes them a blight on the Toronto landscape.” | Only through drastic redesign could these signs be acceptable. |
| 514 | 08/08/2005 12:11:48 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “They are way too large. The obstruct the view of EVERYTHING. They could also be a safety hazzard for women. People could easily stand behind them and attack victims as they walk by. When walking at night, women try to be aware of all of their surroundings. They avoid certain areas to ensure they are not put in a compromising position. These are not safe. They are too tall and too wide.” | No | “For all of the reasons above. I’m in favour of keeping Toronto clean however, I am also in favour of keeping Toronto “appealing”. These bins are awful” | [Blank] |
| 515 | 08/08/2005 01:15:37 PM | Yes | Bloor West Village | No | The openings seemed small and too closely spaced. | No | They are quite large and obtrusive. Perhaps I did not see the openings on the other side because it faced the street. | No | They are an eyesore. The funding concept is sound but the bins themselves need to go back to the drawing board. See #6 | “I like the idea that it accepts cigarette butts, hopefully it will cut down on the butt litter.As far as the design I find it “butt” ugly. It looks a billboard with holes on the side. To make matters worse, I saw one with overflowing trash. It looks like the bins themselves are only capable of holding a tiny amount of garbage/recyclables compared to its massive size.Try making the bins shorter, fatter, like a freezer. You can place advertising on the top and sides, and make more room for the contents.Thanks” |
| 516 | 08/08/2005 01:47:01 PM | Yes | chester & danforth | Yes | “It was opening of the garbage was perfect, I would often put little pieces of garbage in the old bin’s and the flap would flip them out and I would not want to touch the dirty garbage or garbage bin, the new ones are perfect. Plus being a smoke I would not put my cigarette butts in the old bin’s because I was afraid they would catch on fire, so the new bins are perfect.” | No | “They are positioned okay, but why not put them length wise on the sideway, then it would not be as much of an obsitcle for people walking.” | Yes | “You already do it with everything else, the old bins, TTC stops, buses, street cars, etc.... So it’s not like we would be able to choose anyway. But if it’s going to pay for it that’s fine.” | “I did not put any recycleables to put in the new bin, but I’m wondering if the flap needs to be there, I’m afraid it was touch my hand if I was putting something in, and that’s the last thing I want.” |
| 517 | 08/08/2005 02:06:26 PM | No | [Blank] | No | “While I have not actually placed garbage in the containers, I find the side openings inconsequential.” | Yes | Eyesore. | No | “Advertising in itself is a blight on clean and beautiful Toronto. There is already an over abundance of advertising on TTC shelters, rooftop signs, benches, etc. Surely the city can pay for garbage cans without the assistance of advertisers.” | “YES, all advertising on street furniture should be banned in residential communities and designated corners.Let’s keep advertising it in commerical and instititutional areas. ,The City has done a fantastic job on Sheppard Ave East in beautifying the streetscape. These efforts are being eroded by the addition of advertising. For example, visit the North-East corner of Bayview and Sheppard, and take a look at the negative impact the advertising bench has on the carefully thought out design.” |
| 518 | 08/08/2005 02:31:04 PM | Yes | Greenwood and Danforth | No | Not as simple as the current bins | Yes | They look really big for simple trash bins. What is the space above the openings for? | No | “The revenue would be nice but they’re *really* ugly. If they were 1/2 the size, then they might be fine, but they’re an eyesore.” | Get rid of them – Or at least make their size useful like make them a part of a TTC shelter or something. |
| 519 | 08/08/2005 02:34:37 PM | Yes | Don Mills and Eglinton | No | “It’s on the corner without a bus stop, and righ t up against the road.” | Yes | “Too close to the road, but too large to put anywhere else.” | No | “Ads. The real purpose of the bins is ads, not garbage bins. I’d rather pay tax to support proper bins with the focus on collection, instead of advertising. They are also simply too large.” | “Please, no!” |
| 520 | 08/08/2005 02:50:34 PM | Yes | “Howard Park, Roncensvilles” | No | “well labelled, right height, but the side closest to the pedestrian was overused while the road side was empty and unused.” | No | They should be placed parallel to the road. Otherwise they take up too much room (1 entire sidewalk!). Also placing them paralell allows the pedestrian to safely use/see both ends of the bins. Having one end facing the busy street is dangerous and illogical. | No | “too big, very bulky, ugly, clutters our valuable sidewalks, serve no real purpose to justify excessive size, looks like the city “sold out” to advertizing revenue.” | “KEEP OUR CURRENT (SHORTER) BINS, THESE NEW BINS ARE TOO BIG AND DO NOT CONTRIBUTE TO TORONTO’S URBAN LANDSCAPE – THEY TAKE AWAY FROM THE BEAUTY OF OUR CITY.” |
| 521 | 08/08/2005 02:58:17 PM | Yes | “bridletown and warden, and the ones on warden and sheppard” | No | “absolutely not-- a lot of the residence do not read english in this area---and the design for the recyclables and battery disposal sections are horrible---they instructions are so light and hard to read---the holes for the cigarette butts, the batteries and the recyclables are designed in such a bad way that it doesn;t even look like a collection unit for those items, in fact the whole thing looks like a big billboard with two holes to throw stuff in and since no one will or its not made clear enough for them to read the instructions---they see garbage in the holes and so they just throw more into it----i want one of the people who designed this thing that is suppose to look new and improved to actually look into the two large holes that are suppose to divide orgnics and garbage --do u actually see organics and garbage in them--or do u see garbage in both, garbage tha includes bottles and paper?!!” | Yes | “facing the street lights, the word ‘NEW’ was wuite noticable which is a good thing” | No | “if these poorly designed bins -that are suppose to better our recycling habits- are going to replace the current silver bottle/garbage/paper ones than i would have to say no---i mean i have seen more people put bottles into the silver-retangular units which the city puts environmental ads on it---than i have seen people actually put bottles into the ‘NEW’ ones---and do you know why??22 because the current silver, rectangular bins have seperate holes on the same level with easy instructions right above the openings for people to easily undstand and relate to that, the hole that round like a bottle with the photo of bottles and cans above it is for cans and recyclable glass bottles just as the same suare hole with the photo of a newspaper above it is for paper” | “in today’s society, people are lazyto recycle, reuse and renew-----so why are the instructions on those “NEW’’ bins so difficult to looks it, when people throw trash away, (or recyclables)they don’t want to have to read how, if you want people to recycle and save the environment by having places for them to recycle and collect batteries and cigarettes than make it easy for them---i mean the opening for bottles and papers doesn’t even look like an opening for bottles and papers, to an average citizen it looks like some kind of air circulation thing or jus a section of rubber flaps ,and i think that its great that you guys put in a place for people to dispose their batteries properly and seperate from trash, but it took me quite a while to put 6 batteries in, it was so difficult to fit it into those holes, and i had to look carefuuly on where the arrow on the instructions were pointing to on the drawing to know that that was where you put the batteries because it didn’t even look like an opening to collect stuff-----the same goes for the recyclables and cigarettes--i mean do you honestly think people who smoke will have time to carefullly put their butts into that small opening?!!,you know what---don’t listen to me, put out two fresh bins, one of the “NEW” ones and one of the city’s current silver ones in a similar location of traffic and population amounts and compare the results after a month or few weeks on which one recieved the correct amount of garbage and recyclables in the correct sections like its suppose to. Do it and I GARANTEE you that the old, silver ones that the city put enviro ads on will win-,why? because its easy for people to understand, the openings are all on the same height its just the right height of a regular garbage bin,i mean look at the NEW bins, they have everything in descending order and two huge holes for garbage and organics---do you think people will actully take the time to put their bottles all the way at the top through the rubber flaps and most people don’t because they don’t want to or can’t understand or are in a hurry to just throw their stuff away and since the two huge holes are right in front of them--in goes their papers, bottles and cans,plus why are there huge holes for organics and garbage, and why are they one on each side?!, people on the STREETS usually throw away either garbage, papers or bottles--i mean when was the last time you saw someone walking down the streets eating an apple, or a pear ?! most of the time they are drinking water or pop--which results in recyclables!,my point is that this project is not going to improve or increase people’s recycling and composting habits --it will just make it worst and create more garbage from ryclables which could have ended up being recycled---and why are those NEW bins so huge?!,Anyways, I am the founders of Pollution Probe, maybe you’ve seen our ads on television or the subway or the TTC, and I have a degree in environmental policies and marketing so I know how to reach the public and get them to do important things like recyling and I would like you to know that these NEW bins will worsten people’s habits and create more garbage from stuff that could have been potentially and initially recycled.Please think about what i have wrote, the city may need more funding but it also has a major garbage issue and i think we need to do as much as we can possible to recycle and reuse and renew to reduce as much waste as possible and these NEW bins will NOT HElp and will in fact make the garbage problem more complicated and WORST.Thank you for your time and please do not go forward with this seemingly good plan.” |
| 522 | 08/08/2005 03:16:24 PM | No | (I saw the one at Windermere Ave. & Bloor St. W. – did not use it) | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | Very intrusive | No | “A healthy city is about healthy neighbourhoods, and these in turn depend on active main streets which, when all is working right, should be full of people, have space for bikes to park, have local storeowners who can market their businesses, etc. ,Obstructing visual space and much needed sidewalk space with these advertising bins is totally in conflict with having healthy mainstreets.” | “With its commitment to neighbourhoods and main streets, I’m shocked that Council would even consider these blatantly commercial, intrusive structures. ,Give Torontonians simple, clearly labelled waste/recycling bins, empty them regularly, and the people will use them!” |
| 523 | 08/08/2005 04:06:10 PM | Yes | Bloor & Runymede / Danforth & Chester or Pape? | Yes | “The bin section itself seems relatively well-designed, although they are not noticeably better than existing designs.” | No | “1) The bins are placed such that one end (with receptables) faces the street, so I didn’t even notice that there were receptables there. I could not have used them without standing on the street.2) The bins are so large and the placement is such that they decrease the overall width of the sidewalk, creating congestion in areas with well-used sidewalks. ,3) The ads are huge! They are quite an eyesore and disproportionate to the size of the receptables.” | No | I believe that the money received from these bins does not make up for the amount they detract from the beauty of our city. The streetscape is commercial enough without 7’ tall billboards plunked down on the sidewalk. I would rather pay a few dollars more in property tax than have these ugly things throughout the city. | Get rid of them! Buy ad-free bins and focus on serious ways to cut costs or raise revenues. Don’t sell out our public spaces any more than they already have been. |
| 524 | 08/08/2005 04:36:11 PM | Yes | Gerrard and Pape (Gerrard Square) | No | A little low. It was not clear that it was recycling; it just looks like a giant billboard. | Yes | “First they are terrible for sightlines because they are so tall. It is difficult to look down the street. Also, one cannot see if there is person waiting on the other side of the bins causing safety concerns.Second, pedestrian flow is blocked as the bins are set perpendicular to pedestrian flow, creating a bottleneck on the sidewalk.” | No | “In addition to the comments above, there was no public tender on this contract. As a result, it is unclear that this deal would be financially benifical in the long term because no other companies were able to bid. What has resulted is a crummy design and deal which is not necessary the best the City could have gotten if a public tendering processs were to occur.” | Let us never see them again. |
| 525 | 08/08/2005 04:36:33 PM | Yes | [Blank] | No | “i feel that the placement of the bins is not going to be pratical. The information on the exterior is not clear enough as far as where each item should be placed, and for the average person I think it will prove to be overly confusing and many materials will be placed in the wrong receptacle.” | Yes | “to be honest, I thought it was pretty terrible. It seems placed for maximum exposure for the advertising, and not for the use as a waste receptacle. For instance, due to its positioning, one must walk periously close to oncoming traffic in order to use the recycle area on the outside. This seems to be in favor of the advertising and not the citizen.” | No | “I feel that the current system was enough, but can accept that it may not be. I really felt like it was all about advertising first, and waste disposal a distant second. I do however understand that the city needs a practical and cost effective system, and see why this has come into place. i just wonder when the advertising will ever stop. Especially when the end result of recycling will very obviosuly not be recognized.” | “Only that I am sure the city can find a better way if it keeps trying. This style of bin could be improved on, especially if it were simply to be turned the other way as to not impede foot traffic. Also, just to state, Mayor Miller is the best we have had in my lifetime, and I have faith that if the results of this survey reach him, he will hear the voice of the people. thanks also for this opportunity.” |
| 526 | 08/08/2005 04:56:54 PM | Yes | Danforth | No | “This “bin” is completely unpractical. It is not labelled adequately, and encourages people to just throw their waste AND recyclables into the bottom compartment – the garbage.” | Yes | “I would not have known that they accept waste/recyclables from both sides, had I not read about them first.” | No | “Absolutely not, they encourage more waste! The old Eucan silverbox bins are far more practical from a recycling standpoint – they are clearly marked, and actually encourage people to recycle.” | “Additionally, people do not want to touch the (usually dirty) rubber flaps of the recycling opening, therefore detering even more people from recycling. The newly-designed garbage/recycling bins fill up extremely quickly (because people are not recycling)and have garbage hanging out of the garbage opening almost all the time. Because the box does not clearly indicate where to put garbage and recyclables, it encourages people to just throw their unwanted waste in the biggest opening – the garbage one. The Eucan recepticles actually put waste and recycling at equal levels, encouraging people to recycle. People do not tend to look up, and with the newly-designed garbage/recycling bins people just see unidentified black rubber flaps at eye level, and just assume there is no other hole to place recyclables in. People just see a hole (at normal “garbage” height), where other people are putting their garbage (and recycling), and they too join and throw both garbage and recyclables into the garbage hole. This so-called new design is a step backwards, and discourages recycling. ,The silverbox Eucan bins actually look sophisticated, and the “new-design” ones made out of plastic are a complete eye-sore.” |
| 527 | 08/08/2005 05:08:06 PM | Yes | Bloor & Christie | Yes | [Blank] | No | The two that I have seen (Christie Pits & Roncesvalles avenue) block pedestrian walkways and normal field of vision/sightlines for the sidewalk | No | These are far too big and completely inappropriate for positioning in residential neighbourhoods (eg. Roncesvalles ave.) or near parks. Garbage bins should not block one’s line of sight – otherwise they strike me as little more than billboards with garbage/recycling bins attached to them. Surely we have enough billboards & street advertising in this city! | “I could perhaps see a few of these in selected downtown or surburban areas where they do not block pedestrians or neighbourhood sitelines (e.g. adjacent to a parking lot or shopping mall). However, these do NOT belong on most sidewalks in or near residential areas.” |
| 528 | 08/08/2005 06:42:53 PM | Yes | BRIAN AND SHEPPARD | Yes | It is a garbage. How hard could it be. | Yes | What a stupid question! People will either use a garbage or litter. | Yes | [Blank] | “I really hope that you didn’t pay anyone to design the bins. The design is as stupid as the “Toronto Unlimited” logo.” |
| 529 | 08/08/2005 08:55:51 PM | Yes | Eglinton and Avenue Rd | No | the signage at the ends where the gargage goes is very poor. | Yes | I had to practically step onto the road to use one end | No | Only if the older more user friendly style remains as well. | Other than a lot of more advertising space the new receptacles are smaller and the signage at the ends is poor and their positioning interrupts traffic flow on the sidewalk . What was wrong with the existing bins? |
| 530 | 08/08/2005 09:57:52 PM | Yes | King and Strachan | No | “Overly complicated. For example, why does the recycling compartment need a rubber covering that will only get torn as the bin ages? Why do do we need a better mousetrap?What happened to the simple garbage bin? Similar one to those used in Algonquin Park (with securable lids) would be fine and would last a long time.” | Yes | “Horrible. They take up as much room widthwise as a bus shelter for no apparent reason other than advertising. Shame on the City for even considering these. Even if there was another reason for this type of placement, the street-side recepticles will become unusable in winter when snow piles up on the curb.” | No | “Same argument as schools installing pop machines: just because it is an easy revenue stream doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do. In addition, they use electricity to light the advertisements. When we already have electricity shortages, why do we need another source of wasted energy?,Furthermore, properly designed (sturdy) ‘regular’ garbage bins should have relatively long lives, thereby giving them a fairly long amortization period. Therefore, their annualized cost shouldn’t be that high.” | “Am extremely disappointed that City Councillors continue to ignore the recommendations of City staff. ,Whether it’s Ms. Lindsay-Luby lowering speed limits and installing stop signs willy nilly all over central Etobicoke, or installing pointlessly large, eyesores for garbage containers, the current crop of Councillors really need to get their heads out of the sand!” |
| 531 | 08/08/2005 10:34:39 PM | Yes | Danforth and Playter | No | The space for garbage was too small and half the openings face the road and are simply inaccessible. | No | “The block pedestrian traffic. Awful, awful, awful.” | No | “They are a disgrace and ruin our public spaces. The city should work towards making the public spaces more beautiful, not fill them with advertising that blocks important sitelines and ped traffic.” | get rid to them |
| 532 | 08/08/2005 10:52:55 PM | Yes | “Dundas West & Pacific, Bloor & Jane” | No | I was not clear about the fact that paper and bottles went into the same space and the hole was too high. | Yes | “I think that the bins are a safety hazard to both drivers and pedestrians. They block sight lines and are too close to the street. Cars have to creep out into the intersection to see around them when positionned too close to the corner and drivers would never see a pedestrian standing behind one, about to cross the street. I think these bins are especially dangerous when children may be running on the sidewalk.” | No | I don’t think the city should compromise the safety of it’s citizens for a few dollars saved or earned. I cannot stress enough how poorly these bins are designed. I am a designer myself and would be very disappointed in the city if these bins were to hit the street on any kind of a permanent basis. | “We have enough visual onslaught upon us as citizens of the city, we don’t need any more visual noise added. For the sake of making a few bucks, I seriously think that these bins would endanger the residents of any neighbourhoods in which they are installed. the combined facts that they create more visual noise, are poorly designed, and impede the sightlines of both motorists and pedestrians are all factors for which I don’t think the city should proceed with these bins. Whatever the financial gain. I’ve spoken with several peers and have yet to speak with anyone who feels that these bins would be a positive addition to our city. Please do not proceed with these bins.” |
| 533 | 08/08/2005 11:02:40 PM | Yes | Bathurst and Shepard | No | I found the many openings confusing and that it is hard to know which item goes into which hole. | Yes | I think that they are positioned in the way of pedestrian traffic with them being far oversized for a sidewalk as well as being positioned in a space that is prominently displaying the advertising to oncoming traffic. As well with how they are placed only one side of the bin is accessible to pedestrians without them having to endanger themselves by stepping onto the road. | No | “I believe they are eyesores, used only for advertising with even reduced space for garbage from the older bins they would be replacing. They block pedestrian traffic as well and are only truly accessible from one side.” | “My suggestion is that Toronto runs far away from these new bins. They are impractical and though the old bins were always full these fill much quicker, are much more confusing and do not truly meet the needs of Torontonians.” |
| 534 | 08/08/2005 11:08:24 PM | Yes | Bathurst and Steeles | No | It took a long time to uinderstand the intructions and what the box was for | Yes | “One of the sides are facing traffic, therefore hazardous to ones health to use that particular side.” | No | They look like telephone booths- BUT THERE’S NO TELEPHONES! | “Ugle, scary, give me nightmares about telephoner booths filled with garbage” |
| 535 | 08/09/2005 12:14:54 AM | Yes | Danforth & Carlaw | No | The bins are not very easy to use. The recycling portion is not prominent enough or marked clearly enough. These bins are less garbage & recycling containers that happen to provide ad space than ad space that happens to provide garbage & recycling. | Yes | “The bins are something of a safety risk, since to use one end of the bin, one has to venture close to the traffic on the street. The current recycling/garbage bins are much easier to use and more practical than the newer design.” | No | “I think it is more important to provide easy to use, functional garbage/recycling facilities to keep the city clean and reduce our environmental footprint than it is to increase revenue by installing advertising billboards that provide limited garbage and recycling handling.” | No additional comments. |
| 536 | 08/09/2005 12:19:42 AM | Yes | McCowan RT Station | No | Openings faced the multi-lane road. Dangerous. | Yes | Dangerous and inconvenient. You are either stopping on the side that is in the middle of the sidewalk or risking being hit by a car to get around to the other side. | No | “They are an eyesore and on first evaluation seem as if they will cost us more in electricity, maintenance, and law-suits.” | [Blank] |
| 537 | 08/09/2005 02:23:36 AM | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | unusable. | No | “Absolutely not. I would rather pay money than to see these ugly, impractical atrocities in my view.Moreover, I think tourists would also say the same.” | “If you are a tourist, how would you feel if you saw these garbage bins – I mean, billboards – on Toronto sidewalks? They’re a tremendous eyesore and I would be ashamed if my city used these atrocities. And I’m not even talking about the advertising aspect yet. Its PRESCENCE is horrid. Please reconsider.” |
| 538 | 08/09/2005 02:46:44 AM | Yes | Danforth Ave. near Broadview | No | The recycling slot is not convenient for newspapers | Yes | “Awful. If you wanted to make the gabage and recycling collectors easy to access you would rotate the bins 90 degrees. As they are positioned now, the bins maximize obstruction of pedestrian traffic” | No | “Don’t sell off our streetscapes, and compromise effective trash collection, for a couple of million bucks a year. We are already bombarded with too much advertising by the city: ads in bus shelters, ads in buses, buses as ads, ads in subways. Enough!” | These things are a sham and I’m appalled that the city is considering them. It’s clear that the ‘trash bin’ pitch is just a pretext for putting huge billboards on the sidewalk. The is entirely at odds with the Mayor’s Beautiful City talk. |
| 539 | 08/09/2005 07:31:08 AM | Yes | Dundas and Ossington | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “This particular bin was placed perpendicular to Dundas, which meant that one had to step of the curb to use the one end. Also, I found the height of it obscuring my sightline onto the Dundas/Ossington intersection.” | No | I don’t think just because the city can receive these bins for free or receive revenue from the sale of advertising space should be a good enough reason to OK them for use around the city. There are enough advertising forced on citizens these days. If the bins could be made shorter I would have no problem with them but surely one don’t need a 7’ by 5’ bin just to throw recycling and garbage in? Are they bins or billboards? | [Blank] |
| 540 | 08/09/2005 07:45:54 AM | Yes | “Pape & Danforth, King & Strachan” | No | “Without the sign being on the side, it will be very hard to see what goes where. Also, the garbage is quite small.” | Yes | “They are extremely large and take up far too much of the sidewalk. Also, because the one side is placed close to the curb, you can only use one side, as the other requires you to almost be on the road. They are visually unappealing, and will heavily restrict pedestrian traffic if placed in most areas of the city. As well, they obscure the view of the road when looking for the streetcar, a taxi, or when trying to cross the road.” | No | “The current bins are advertising enough – there is no reason for the city whore out all its public space for advertising just to make a little more money. If you want to go that route, why not put billboards on all our trees, on City Hall, in front of the Nathan Phillips Square fountains. These awful bins will ruin the streetscape and make our city look awful.” | [Blank] |
| 541 | 08/09/2005 09:37:46 AM | Yes | Bloor and Windemere | No | “It was confusing, I had to take a few seconds to figure out what was going on. Most garbage/recylcing bins are easy to use.” | Yes | POORLY! One intake for refuse is facing the ROAD. They are also a huge eyesore. | No | “If I paid you to make the city look ugly, I assume you would take my money.” | Civic pride is worth more than a few dollars revenue from ugly/hard-to-use trash bins. |
| 542 | 08/09/2005 10:04:25 AM | Yes | Lakeshore & Mimico | No | [Blank] | No | “the side closest to the street is unsafe. Getting taken out by a bus because i wanna ditch my gum? No, Thanks.” | No | [Blank] | I don’t want to see these eyesores in my city. |
| 543 | 08/09/2005 10:18:00 AM | Yes | Southwest corner – College Street and Bathurst | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “I knew that the garbage cans were being placed throughout the City and I knew what they looked like as I had seen pictures. However, I walked by the one at College and Bathurst several times before I realized what it was (even though there was a sign on it saying it was a garbage can). It just looked like a huge intrusion – visually and physically – such that I didn’t specifically process what it was.” | No | Apart from the way they look and the amount of space they consume – which I find incredibly invasive – what bothers me most is that the City voted to ban ‘postering’ across the City because of how it looks but then decides its okay to have these huge advertising spaces on garbage cans. These look far worse than small posters. | Get rid of them. |
| 544 | 08/09/2005 11:12:13 AM | Yes | Don Mills & Lawrence | No | The opening to place garbage was extremely small and impossible to insert garbage without my hand making contact with the flap. | No | “It did not occur to me nor would it occur to anyone that the garbage is at both ends. The bin does not look like a garbage, the size is totally out of scale with function as garbage can and is a dangerous obstrunction on the street. The lack quality in manufacture and design is not in keeping with the standards of Toronto.” | No | “The City can easily have garbage cans that are better designed, more compact, better constructed with or without advertising. This the wrong solution!” | “- Reduce the overal size to address the garbage function as the first priority.- Make design barrier-free,- reduce height and raise off the ground to improve safety and traffic considerations.- Eliminate lighting (inappropriate),- Alter garbage openings so that users can insert garbage easily and efficiently,- Coordinate design with other City street furniture.- Design form of garbage can so that the public can recognize the garbage cans from a distance.- Reduce size and position on City sidewalks to improve pedestrian flow on sidewalks.” |
| 545 | 08/09/2005 11:15:13 AM | Yes | Victoria Park and Kingston Rd. | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “I didn’t bother to read the sign until I was waiting for the bus. If the large-side information is replaced by advertising, someone walking along might miss the openings on the side. It might be better placed on a diagonal, rather than at right angles to the street.” | No opinion | [Blank] | Garbages in Toronto all seem to fill-up too fast. I think more capacity is needed. |
| 546 | 08/09/2005 11:27:45 AM | Yes | Ossington and Dundas | No | The slots for different sorts of garbage are not intuitive and the signs don’t easily explain where things go. | Yes | Only one side is actually accessible since the other fronts directly onto the street and one would risk getting hit by a passing vehicle when depositing refuse into it. | No | This form in unecessarily immense intrusion into the public realm (the streets) is completely inexcusable and not worth the realitvely meagre amounts of revenue. These bins could not be justified even while pulling in twice the projected amount of revenue. The city is selling out in plain view of all Torontonians if these make it onto our streets. | “Remove the top half of the billboards, I mean bins, that is used soley for advertising and grant them their imposing size. Then we can start talking about a possible redesign of the chutes so people won’t need a lesson in how to dispose of their garbage.If the installation of these bins pass a council vote, it will be a signifying gesture that these surveys are merely done to provide lip service to issues that so many Torontonians genuinely care about. Please listen to your citizens and take our words to heart. Help us love this city and help us make it better.” |
| 547 | 08/09/2005 12:27:18 PM | No | [Blank] | No | I did not use the bin. | No | [Blank] | No | The city should be working to reduce the visual pollution and advertizing noise. Trash bins should reduce the amount of litter visible in an area. These bins are an eyesore. | [Blank] |
| 548 | 08/09/2005 12:44:36 PM | No | [Blank] | No | “Truly only one side of the bin is safe for use, the side proximate to the curb is far too dangerous for pedestrians to access. Was it placed so close in the hopes that passing motorists might make an attempt at launching their garbage into the tiny holes on the curb-facing portion of the “bin”?” | Yes | “They block a dangerous amount of the view of the sidewalk/road from the perspective of the motorists and the pedestrians. The photo here illustrates this effectivily:,http://www.blogto.com/archives/august0905_bigbins.jpg,Motorists making a right turn on this street corner have their view of pedestrian traffic completely obscured by the installed bin. The current waist-high bins are less obstructive. Of course, they are less effective as billboards as well.Only one side of the “bin” (really it’s a “billboard” not a “bin”) is truly useable. The side proximate to the curb requires the user to step off the sidewalk and into the road to access the recepticles. With some blind reaching you can avoid entering traffic, but you still place your limbs at a dangerous proximity to moving vehicles.” | No | “We have enough of our city dedicated to advertisement as it is. The existing bins, with their safer profile, already provide an adequate space for advertising. We don’t need any more billboards. Certainly not ones that are so blatantly dangerous to pedestrians. What I see here is improved advertising space, degraded reciptical facilities and a huge threat to public safety.” | “No, but I’d like to invite someone from the city to respond to the following comments on the bin program:,http://www.blogto.com/city/2005/08/new_eucan_bins_cant_even_fake_it/index.php,Consider it your change to respond to the response. The arguments are well thought out, well articulated. We’d like to hear from the city councillors: why does the city think more advertising space is necessary? Has any other city used these giant sidewalk-based billboards? Have you seen their pedestrian/car accident rate statistics before and after the installation of these bins? Just exactly how much does the city stand to realize in additional revenue if these billboards are implemented?” |
| 549 | 08/09/2005 01:22:10 PM | Yes | “Gerard & Pape,I must add that this location, in front of the now under-construction Gerard Square, is deceitful in my opinion. There is too much visual clutter on this stretch and the sidewalk is very wide, factors which minimize the impact of this large obstruction and advertising space.” | No | “At first, I walked right past the advertisement – not understanding what this giant sign was doing in the middle of the sidewalk. I had garbage in my hand and was on the lookout for one of the shiny stainless steel recycling/garbage centres to which we’ve become accustomed. In short, I didn’t even know it was a garbage can. I can’t see that as positive.” | No | “I don’t like the size of the bin or the fact that the garbage receptacles are concealed. ,Having to walk to the traffic side of the bin to deposit trash does not seem safe to me either. They take up a large part of the sidewalk (most streets cannot spare 5’ of sidewalk space) and create pedestrian congestion. If they are to be free-floating in the sidewalk, perhaps they should be turned parallel to the street so make trash depositing safer and minimize sidewalk congestion.Lastly, I noticed that the bins are almost the exact same size as the billboards on the new bus shelters (existing advertizing revenue). Why not combine the bus shelter with the trash receptacle so you can deposit your trash whilst waiting for the streetcar or bus? Do we need two obstacles the size of a bus shelter cluttering our sidewalks?” | No | “See my above comments. The existing silver and black trash/recycling cans are low-profile, take up less space, and are familiar. We do not need 1500 more 7’ high advertising billboards (in addition to bus shelters, stretcars, and buses) pushing a lifestyle of consumption for the sake of a little revenue.I am completely, 100% against the new bins.” | I’d like to reiterate my comment regarding the size of these bins and their similarity to the bus shelters. The bins are almost the exact same size as the billboards on the new bus shelters (existing advertizing revenue). Why not combine the bus shelter with the trash receptacle so you can deposit your trash whilst waiting for the streetcar or bus? Do we need two obstacles the size of a bus shelter cluttering our sidewalks? |
| 550 | 08/09/2005 01:30:40 PM | Yes | Bloor & Jane | No | “One should not have to think when using a grabage can... simply, put garbage into hole. This monstrosity forces one to 1) identify it as a garbage can, 2) search for an opening, 3) pass garbage or recycalable through a too small opening. I repeat... one shouldn’t have to think when throwing something out. Otherwise it will just end up on the street.” | No | “I think it is terrible. All bins that I have seen obstruct portions of the sidewalk, both for pedestrians walking, but also for sightlines for pedestrians and vehicles. I find them unsafe and in the way.” | No | “No. Absolutely not. These bins are a monstrosity. Not only do they not do their job of collecting trash and recycleables very well, they are unsightly and detract from the beauty of this city. Ad revenue should not be the deciding factor when it comes to investment in public space. The city should not pollute the streets these garbage cans.” | [Blank] |
| 551 | 08/09/2005 01:54:56 PM | No | [Blank] | No | “Too complicated, not user-friendly.” | Yes | It’s too big. It blocks the view down the street. Some boxes are placed so that one side is only accessible from the street. | No | “No, no way, absolutely not. The old bins were ugly enough. I can’t see how the advertisement revenues can compensate for turning the city into a giant ad showroom. Where is the “beautiful city” commitment from City Hall? Adding more ads for jeans and movies hardly qualifies as beautifying in my mind. What it says it “this city for sale”.” | “I would like to know who decided that these monstruosities would not be a complete blight on the city landscape. I drive on Jane Street every day and the neighborhood is not that pretty to start with, and this only makes it worse. I somehow cannot see people in Rosedale or High Park reacting positively when these ugly billboards pop up on the streets. They seem to have no more capacity than the old 3-compartment bins. It blocks the view, the flow of people, and make little practical sense except lining the city coffer. If that’s all it takes, I’m sure you can put up a collection from people who think it’s an visual barbarity and find your lost revenue right there.” |
| 552 | 08/09/2005 01:57:33 PM | Yes | Broadview & Danforth (The Music Hall) | No | It took a while to figure out what it was. It looked like a street-level billboard. | Yes | They take up a lot of room on the sidewalk and the second set of recpticles are way too close to traffic. The sidewalk was already narrow enough. | No | Frankly I’d rather pay $5 more in property taxes than to have to look at these eyesores constatly. I see no problem with the existing trash bins. | “I’d like to know if the bins are illuminated at night and if so, who pays for that. I feel that the bins are too large and too close to traffic. I’d prefer if the bins were combined with the TTC shelters or placed in less intrusive places. I’d also prefer that money be spent on reducing the amount of waste produced instead.” |
| 553 | 08/09/2005 01:59:22 PM | Yes | Kingston Rd and Victoria Park | No | cigarette butt tray not intuitive. right height for garbage | No | “Unfortunately, these garbage bins clutter the streetscape and do not integrate well with their surroundings. They stick out, rather than blend in. ,Here’s something to consider: What areas in the city would be the most desirable for print ads? Now look at those places and see how many garbage units you can actually fit in. Along Queen st west, where the sidewalks are cluttered with people, vendors, bikes, trees, will you be able to install many in that area? Will it really generate much revenue all said and done?,What criteria do you have for the placement of garbage units? At what point is a site considered to be inappropriate given it’s size or pedestrian traffic? Will the city comprimise these criteria for the worse in order to achieve its target number of desirable (for marketers) garbage units? ,Will the city allow the garbage bins to be placed parallel to the street? And who’s storefront (where the owner pays high rent for a desirable location) will you be blocking?” | No | “Just fork out the cash for respectable, subtle and functional garbage collection units.” | “While it is great that the city is making efforts to reduce the cost of a garbage collection unit program and even attempt to generate a stream of income, it is quite unfortunate that the city is furthering the presence of media in our lives. Simply put: DOES EVERYTHING HAVE TO HAVE AN ADVERTISMENT ON IT? Try to think about the number of things you see in a day that have advertisements stuck to them: cars, sidewalks, buildings, windows,people, etc. Do we need more, especially in the form of giant bill-boards that ruin the streetscape?” |
| 554 | 08/09/2005 02:43:45 PM | Yes | markham & ellesmere | No | “the signage and info graphics seem complicated and one does not automatically know what to do. Signage should be simplified, and placed closer to the openings.” | Yes | “they are in a busy intersection, which maximises use.” | Yes | “as long as the advertising does not encourage the use of wasteful materials, or things hazardous to one’s health.” | “Generally, the info. design seemed weak. Once I read everything clearly, I understood. But I believe the bins should be usable instinctively, so that people of different languages will know how to use the garbage bins.Also, please use the existing logo, rather than the horribly designed new Toronto logo. It is a disgrace.” |
| 555 | 08/09/2005 03:10:14 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | need another option here – NOT APPLICABLE | Yes | “This seems very dangerous. You cannot see anythign if you are a pedestrian or a motorist. I would feel very unsafe standing next to one of these...the GTA already has enough people hiding in places, why give criminals more options to get their victims?” | No | “What would the city do with the extra money? That’s the clintcher. If they would come up with more crazy ideas like this then DEFINITELY NO! So the City is making money, but making the GTA less safe...come on!” | You should ask tourists what they think of this. I mean the City is trying to boost tourism...I don’t think this will help much. |
| 556 | 08/09/2005 03:23:06 PM | Yes | Danforth and Chester | No | “Bin protrudes too far into sidewalk, so block pedestrian traffic when putting in garbage.” | Yes | “They are atrocious looking. They block the view of the sidewalk. They block pedestrians. They insert vulgar advertising onto beautiful city strips. They are an eyesore.The old ones were fine, except that they could be black, as in Montreal.” | No | “Don’t sell off our sidewalks to advertisers, PLEASE” | [Blank] |
| 557 | 08/09/2005 03:41:56 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | I think they are ugly and take up far too much space including heitht. Why do they have to be soooo tall? | No | “definately not. nothing is for free (I am surprised you are even thinking that!) ,the cost is ugliness and vulgarity when we are in the process of trying to make the city more attractive and people freindly. These are just horrible.” | “Do not continue this program. If you want to increase revenue, look for other sources. There seem to be far too many big vehicles on the roads – how about a surcharge for them? Or perhaps a charge on fast food garbage – we are creating far too much garbage and it needs to be stopped at source, not encouraged by having larger bins!!” |
| 558 | 08/09/2005 03:49:25 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | they are ugly and just an excuse for revenue raising through street advertising | No | see above | [Blank] |
| 559 | 08/09/2005 03:56:16 PM | Yes | Pape & Danforth | No | “It was confusing as to what went where, ie which was the opening for recyling, litter, cig. butts. Both the openings and the signage demanded careful reading, which not everyone will be willing to do, and I suspect the result will likely be more litter on the street.” | No | “They block the sightlines of the street and as a result I feel less safe. Being able to see other pedestrians ahead and behind, what stores are open or lit, where cars are parked, all help with my sense of safety. The bins block all these and create a sense of isolation vs. being part of a streetscape. ,The openings for garbage should be obvious as you walk towards them, which they are not. It is not even obvious from a distance that they are anything but a billboard at street level. They also resemble the ads on TTC shelters and I initially thought it was a new TTC stop. ,I am also concerned about the energy used to light the advertising on the bins. Is the city not proactive in conservation strategies?” | No | “Something with lousy functionality, that creates less safe pedestrian areas, but is free is still a bad deal for the public.” | “Please go back to the drawing board on this idea! A garbage bin should be identifiable from 20 ft away, have signage that is simple as to what goes where, should be at maximum 3.5 ft tall so people can see over it, and should be self-sustaining in energy use.” |
| 560 | 08/09/2005 04:18:34 PM | Yes | Dundas & Pacific | No | The space to receive garbage and recycling is small compared to the advertising board and the trash area is cluttered with all the different receptacles. To put anything in the curbside would mean getting on to the street. | Yes | It is obtrusive and blocking site lines to the street. The ad space is competing with shop fronts window displayswhich is a major source of their advertising | No | “Commercial advertising is another form of pollution and our society is not needing more of it, nor should the city gain revenue from it. What exists now is enough ad space, those old bins need to have larger receptacles to put stuff in them” | For a ‘pilot’ or test which these bins are apparently a part of it seems a number of these bins are permantly placed. It doesn’t make sense that a concrete slab and wall retainer was formed so a test bin could be installed at Jane & St. Clair. Was this cost a part of the pilot presumably paid for by the vendor or did we the good taxpayers foot the bill for that wasteful endeavour? |
| 561 | 08/09/2005 04:28:53 PM | Yes | Jane and Foxwell | Yes | It worked as was fairly straight forward | No | “I hate it. It’s in a completely useless spot, obviously picked for its advertising value and not any sort of strategic waste management plan. And blocks the middle of the sidewalk.” | No | “This bin is absolutely horrible. I realize it might mean more revenue for the city, but it’s big, ugly, and blocks off more than half the sidewalk. I would like nothing better than to see it removed immediately.” | “This is a terrible plan. As soon as I heard about this program, I KNEW there’d be one in my neighbourhood. I mean it’s not like these are going to litter The Beach, or Bloor West Village, is it? They’re a horrible monstrosity, and if there was only one thing I could ask of my City Government, it would be to have this removed immediately. In fact, I would rather pay increased taxes and have reasonably sized and positioned garbage bins than to put up with these ridiculous units.” |
| 562 | 08/09/2005 04:42:14 PM | No | [Blank] | No | openings look very small | Yes | PLEASE put them in high traffic areas! | Yes | “Don’t care about advertising, I don’t pay any attention to it. If it doesn’t cost me any more in property taxes, I’m all for it!!” | “It’s about time the city put more garbage receptacles out, I can walk for blocks on Queen Street and not see a bin. I am concerned, however, about the capacity. They don’t look like they hold a lot of stuff. Will they be emptied daily?” |
| 563 | 08/09/2005 04:55:43 PM | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “Such large bins create dangerous blind spots for motorists and pedestrians alike. Also, all ports should be on the same side, pedestrians won’t go out of their way to find the proper hole for their refuse.” | No opinion | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 564 | 08/09/2005 05:01:17 PM | Yes | port union and lawerence | No | it was hard to see the symbols at night | Yes | not too accessable | No | “1st off – thats a loaded question,2nd- whats with the light? Do the garbarge bins really need a light – are we not on a power watch?” | They fill too easily |
| 565 | 08/09/2005 05:02:44 PM | Yes | Dundas & Ossington | No | Easy enough to use (it’s a hole) but not practical. Garbage bin is too small and recycling hole is unpleasant to use and not intuitive. Half the capacity of the bin faces the street. | Yes | “Blocks half the sidewalk which is simply unacceptable. Hinders pedestrian flow, makes it impossible to see what is coming (making you bump in to people). Half the bin capacity faces the street, this isn’t a drive-up garbage bin.” | No | “It cheapens the look of the city and is not appropiate. I love this city and these bins make it look like a cheap whore. Even if the city is getting $100million from these bins it is still not worth it. They’re inconvienient, poorly designed, and just plain wrong. The city could make money by selling advertising on a lot of things, perhaps we should hang ads on City Hall. The line must be drawn somewhere and that line lies before these bins.” | Please remove these inconvenient eyesores immediately. Hundreds more will truly hurt my love of this city and will lead me to vote for any political cendidate who promises to rid this city of the blight. |
| 566 | 08/09/2005 05:29:19 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | Clearly the billboards/garbage cans are meant to grab the attention of passers by. I think that littering the street with distracting advertising can only be a detriment to public safety for both pedestrians and motorists. They will distract drivers from paying attention to the road and will hinder the visibility of pedestrians who are trying to cross the street. | No | “Our city is already over crowded with advertising. Places like Dundas Square are an atrocious blight on our city where the buildings and beauty of our home are covered with gaudy ads hawking cheap trinkets. Why not invest in finding real solutions to our budget woes without putting every square inch of public space up for sale to advertisers who couldn’t care less about our civic pride, beauty and history?” | Say no to these glorified billboards that add nothing to out city. |
| 567 | 08/09/2005 06:14:38 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | TOO HUGE! These things are a danger to people and vehicles. | No | We don’t need more ads all over our city! It’s disgusting! I would rather have trash on the streets then more giant corporations trying to sell me over priced merchandise! | [Blank] |
| 568 | 08/09/2005 06:16:58 PM | Yes | Dundas & Ossington | No | Very confusing on what goes where | No | Billboards don’t belong on the sidewalk | No | We need less advertising in our streets. How is this any different than the possible ban on street signs by merchants? | Concerned about capacity inside the unit. Is it large enough? |
| 569 | 08/09/2005 06:17:37 PM | Yes | Queen & Jameson | Yes | “The garbage bin was easy to use. My boyfriend picked up a two-litre pop bottle that was on the ground & put it in the bottle “hole”. I don’t know if I would have noticed that part.” | Yes | “I think they’re pretty huge & will be vandalized frequently. Do they need that huge “wall”?” | No | “Toronto is already bombarded with advertising. Do we really need it on our garbage, bus shelters, etc.?” | They are better than the old bins with their grimy openings. |
| 570 | 08/09/2005 08:14:41 PM | Yes | [Blank] | No | “no – awkard, you put slots facing the street – these things are evil” | Yes | “they are a danger to pedestrians and motorists, you are going to have people walking out from behind these bins that motorists cant see.” | No | [Blank] | “make them shorter/wider, having them this tall is a danger to the city” |
| 571 | 08/09/2005 08:20:33 PM | Yes | Dundas and Ossington | No | “Awful. It’s a giant billboard, with tiny trash cans built in as an afterthought. Please don’t try to pass this off as a trash can with ads. It’s an advertising vehicle, which blocks off fully half of the sidewalk, and devotes a tiny percentage of its volume to collecting trash. Awful.” | Yes | “They block off just over 50% of the sidewalk, as is the intent, obviously. They completely obscure vision. This makes the sidewalks deeply treacherous. Current trash cans block off perhaps 15% of the sidewalk and do not obscure vision past them.” | No | This is like offering a free lobotomy. ‘Free’ is too expensive when you factor in what the city loses. Note: I am a homeowner who pays city property taxes. | Simply awful. |
| 572 | 08/09/2005 08:26:42 PM | Yes | lakeshore and superior (in mimico) | No | i was disposing of a pop can and had to get my hand very close to the rubber flaps that swallow the cans. it seems this rubber part will become very filthy very quickly and warrent people to not want to go near it. | Yes | they are way too large. unnecessarily large. unfortunately large. | No | “DESIGN PLEASE. i find that although there is a great need for recycling and garbage combination collecting units, the size of those propsed is grossly large. it is dissorienting and somewhat vulgar to have garbage bins bigger than any other item on the sidewalk.” | “we need an appropriate solution for sidewalk recepticals, there must be a design solution to alter this model into something less culturally disruptive.” |
| 573 | 08/09/2005 08:27:34 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | “Too close to traffic, blocking view for both pedestrians and automobile and cycle traffic and hideously innapropriate for what is supposed to be a world class city.” | No | Absolutely not. For the benefit to council of a meager savings our entire city will look like the gardiner. The small size of the actual garbage receptical will require more frequent maintnenance or will be overflowing in no time. | “I suggest that before city council makes such a ridiculous decision, they should make a bylaw to ensure all councillors wear sandwich boards every time they go outside. Get some regular garbage cans and maintain what is supposed to be a great city.” |
| 574 | 08/09/2005 08:37:41 PM | Yes | Don Mills Road – near Ontario Science Centre | No | Half the slots seemed to face the road. I wouldn’t use them – they’re too dangerous to get to! | Yes | They seem to block people walking down the sidewalk. If they were parallel to the road it wouldn’t be such a problem... I’m a little concerned walking past them at night as someone could easily be standing behind them waiting for me to walk past. | No | I don’t have a problem with the ads. But these new bins are just too big to see around and block too much of the sidewalk to walk around. | “The current bins are an o.k. size, but have nasty little openings that you can’t use without getting your hands dirty. These new bins seem to mostly eliminate the “hands dirty” problem, but block the sidewalk to do it. They’re no better, in fact they might even be worse, than what we’ve got now.” |
| 575 | 08/09/2005 08:50:34 PM | Yes | dundas and ossington | No | too concentrated of a spot to put garbage (what if more than one person goes for the bin at once?) and it makes no sense to have an opening facing the road. | Yes | Absolutely stupid. Makes no sense. Are we supposed to walk on the street? | No | do not appreciate increased visual clutter and they are too high. They are impractical. | Please don’t allow these. Re-fit the old ones though with a slot for green-bin material! |
| 576 | 08/09/2005 08:50:57 PM | Yes | Dundas and Ossington | No | “I found it terribly confusing to figure out what belonged where. The old bins are much easier to understand – intuitive right away. These require far too much thinking, make me prone to just throw everything in the ash tray.” | No | “Too big, too much of an intrusion on already-crowded city streets.” | No | “I’m not opposed to advertising on city property, necessarily, but this is obscene.” | “Please don’t move forward with them. They’re the worst of all possible worlds – huge, ugly and completely user unfriendly.” |
| 577 | 08/09/2005 08:53:12 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | They are far too large and impede sidewalk traffic. | No | “They are a blot on the landscape – very ugly, and the ads are an abomination. They disfigure the city.” | Please get rid of them as soon as possible! |
| 578 | 08/09/2005 08:56:16 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | I haven’t seen one yet. | No | they are very big. | Yes | But I would like to see a little less of them. I htink the size obscures the area around it. | smaller |
| 579 | 08/09/2005 09:55:03 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “too tall, ugly...” | No | “I realize that any revenue would be useful fro the city, but I have to say that I am sickened by amount of advertising that is all over our city. Period. I don’t care if it’s generating revenue for the city. I don’t want to see an ad masquerading as a garbage bin anywhere. The super-saturation of consumerism we are faced with everywhere we turn is depressing.” | Please don’t do it! |
| 580 | 08/09/2005 09:57:28 PM | Yes | “I tried to use the bin on danforth avenue, east of broadview avenue” | No | first of all it was stuffed full and overflowing and second of all you couldn’t tell which opening to put things into. Poor design | Yes | “It’s far far too big, to say nothing of unattractive. It takes up too much room on the already over-cluttered streets.” | No | “Why on earth would any city government that is trying to beautify the city fall for such nonsense. The bins are ugly, we have too much ad clutter in our faces already – please don’t do this.” | “What part of “they are ugly, please don’t use them” isn’t clear?” |
| 581 | 08/09/2005 10:36:44 PM | Yes | Markham and Ellesmere | No | I wasn’t sure what waste went in which hole; I had to look around for the sign. I prefer the way the older model of garbage and recyling was labeled. | No | “I do not like the positioning of these new bins. They are too tall, and block the view. They are eyesores. The older bins are only about 4 feet tall, and I prefer them because they do not obstruct the view of the street.” | No | “I do believe a nominal amount of advertising is a fair trade off for a cleaner city, but I strongly prefer the older horizontal model (which also features advertisments).” | “They are huge and ugly blights on the cityscape when compared to the older garbage/recycling bins. “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”” |
| 582 | 08/09/2005 11:18:47 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “These monstrosities take up too much public space and are visually obstructive and unappealing to the eye.We have enough of the cold, grey steel postmodern look in our banks(not to mention in your face advertising)and other institutions without creating that same corporate look outdoors.” | No | “No, for the reasons mentionned above.We can forego the revenue and save ourselves the frustration of yet more ads invading public spaces.” | “As the old adage says,’If it ain’t broken, no need to fix it’. Let’s keep something of the tradition of garbage disposal in this urban landscape of ours.” |
| 583 | 08/10/2005 02:20:20 AM | Yes | Yes | No | It is hard to find the garbage slot for all the advertising. | Yes | “They look absolutely terrible. They are a blight on the city landscape. They are advertisements disguised as garbage cans. I have been all over Europe and Asia, and never seen anything as brutal as these massive eyesores. How did we ever collect garbage in this city for the last 150 years when they didn’t have advertisements on garbage bins? Are we really such a pathetic city that we will submit to selling out our urban landscape for a few bucks and free adverts?,These things are massive and shocking.” | No | “Look, just raise my property taxes if you need more money. Stop being such spineless wonders. Council has already allowed an abombination happen called “Dundas Square”, stop spreading it around the city.” | “These things are obviously designed with car drivers and the suburbs in mind. In the downtown core these things are totally out of human scale.Govind Rao,763 Crawford street, 537 7889” |
| 584 | 08/10/2005 07:08:33 AM | Yes | Dufferin & King 1 block south; Christie & Bloor | Yes | “The layout was straight forward, of the right height on average and cleaner.” | Yes | At first glance they may be overlooked because they’re of the same design as advertisment boards at bust shelters but upon closer inspection you see them for what they are. | Yes | the ads may help draw attention to the fact that it’s also a garbage bin. | Make sure they’re emptied out more regularly than the current bins set up in place across the city. There are too many of those bins everywhere that have not been touched in over a week and are overflowing and disgusting. |
| 585 | 08/10/2005 08:08:05 AM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | “These Bins are too tall. Bins should be designed lower & wider (like existing bins). Also, the advertising portion is a great idea in terms of generating revenue but it will be an eye sore and, more importantly, a distraction for drivers.” |
| 586 | 08/10/2005 08:12:18 AM | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | “It was not obvious as to which slot I should be putting my various types of garbage – what happens when the side panels are used for (annoying) advertising rather than instructions on how to use a garbage can. It wasn’t very intuitive... and why is there a place for cigarette butts, but not for organic waste?” | Yes | The are too obtrusive.. at least with the old bins I could see the road from the sidewalk.. | No | “The bins, quite simply, are an eyesore. Please, please, please do not install any more of these awful bins. I am subjected to enough advertising as it is... and to top it off, they’re not even practical.. why are they so high and where’s the compost?” | “Why is there a spot for cigarette butts, but not for organic waste?” |
| 587 | 08/10/2005 08:50:09 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | I think they will impede pedestrian traffic. If the bins remain oriented in the way they are currently from what I can tell one will have to step onto the street to use the side of the bin that faces the roadway. | No | “The city already has enough billboards and advertizing disrupting the streetscape, it will make the city look and feel like a commercial centre and cause neighbourhoods to loose their individual look and feel and cause a loss in sense of community. There are better ways to raise revenue such as increasing the enforcement and colletion of fines for many of the existing bylaws such as the idling bylaw, why not enforce and fine littering and illegal dumping of garbage? Despite recieving the bins for free who will pay for the installation of these bins and the removal and disposal of existing bins? There are many costs associated with garbage bins in addition to the cost of the physical units.” | “Do not install these bins!!! The city should be considering the social impact of being constantly bombarded by commercial advertizing. By accepting these “free” bins from a private company the City is sending a clear message that it can be bought by private interests very easily under the guise of providing better waste disposal facilities. Focus on maintaining existing facilities instead of creating more waste by replacing our existing bins.” |
| 588 | 08/10/2005 09:00:49 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 589 | 08/10/2005 09:23:13 AM | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “Seems quite awkward, it sticks out into the sidewalk and takes up space there instead of being parallel with the curb.” | No | “Too tall, can’t see past them, they are too “in your face”. ,We could get revenue from ones that are not as tall. Probably could get as much $$ from something less obnoxious.” | “The one I met was not vertical, it was tilted to one side. ,I don’t like them, they are too big, especially too high.” |
| 590 | 08/10/2005 10:10:26 AM | Yes | “Bloor West, Roncy; dowtown” | No | “The main advertising panels of the can are so large and overwhleming that it is barely recognizable as a garbage can, and all the different slots are much more confusing than the cans we have now.” | Yes | “They are poorly located on the street and end up being obstructions. They are a terrible eyesore just as we are trying to make toronto a more beautiful and friendly city. They block visibility for cyclists and drivers, not to mention pedestrians. As a woman they make me nervous to walk by at night making an easy hiding spot for someone as I walk down the street. The cans seem to be designed mainly for an giant advertising space, not for the public good. We are bombarded by ads enough in are lives and the size and placement of these makes them especially offensive. They are a terrible addition to the city.” | No | “It is not “free” as we are giving up valuable public space and our right to walk the street without being confronted with giant ads. This is a cost too high. Under no circumstances and I in favour of these bins.” | The illumination of the cans is unbelievable wasteful as we face an energy shortage. It is shameful. |
| 591 | 08/10/2005 10:10:54 AM | Yes | dundas and ossington | No | no yoru lost by all the advertising | No | [Blank] | No | whats wrong with the old bins? This is crazy- the advertising in this city is out of control. We are selling our soul. I like the old bins- we dont need them sucking more electricity either. Im very suprised the city would even consider this. | get rid of them please! |
| 592 | 08/10/2005 10:15:06 AM | No | [Blank] | No | Although I have not used them....I have seen them. I would not have even recognized it as a garbage can. It merely looks like an advertisement. | Yes | “I find it obtrusive and taking up WAY too much public space. Recycling is a major plus and I do agree the last bins were inadequate and vile to touch. However, I do not think this design is necessary or attractive.” | No | I am tired of being advertised to. Can we not just throw away garbage without trying to be sold more garbage? Find a company that uses a more practical (aka less obtrusive) design that will make the city attractive...we do not need more billboards. We need more beauty. | I have said what I needed to say. |
| 593 | 08/10/2005 10:15:24 AM | No | “I had not used the bin, but looked at it carefully. The location was College and Bathurst.” | No | “The opening for the recycling was not obvious (and not used). There was a bunch of plastic containers in the garbage area which is much more obvious. Although the directions were bold and visible on the ADVERTISEMENT section of the bin, we all know that these wil be removed once the test run is over.” | Yes | “Awful, awful, awful. Blocks pedestrian views, blocks view of anything but the advertisement. Forces me to look at something I would rather not and obviously tailored to motorists. I like my view of Toronto sites, stores and people thank you very much. I would rather pay for small, unobstrusive bins at proper locations in the city.” | No | “I am just simply tired of the city continuously turning to corporate support to pay for its infrastructure. These are basic city needs, and should not be exploited by commercial use. Why can’t we “trial-run” a progect that is not so invasive? I would like to be given more options. This does not help me excercise my choice. How exactly is garbage gong to be collected from these awkward bins? I’m sure the collectors are very pleased.” | “Please stop them. Or, if ANYTHING, cut them in half. Please hire people with some more ingenunity, because whoever came up with this is pandering to the interests of commercial companies, and not the needs and values of Toronto’s citizens.Thank you.” |
| 594 | 08/10/2005 10:17:46 AM | Yes | Bloor and Christie | No | “At first I did not even notice it was a garbage bin, I just thought it was an ad. I was confused by the slitted rubber opening for recycables or cigarettes?” | Yes | It’s a distraction from street life and blocks my view of the park. Also a waste of electricity and a further commercialization of out public spaces. There are many beautiful cities in the world that provide bins with out ads. Why can’t we? | No | “We are a rich city, we don’t need to see out public spaces and views. We need public art, not corporate propoganda.” | “I am a prefessional consultant living in the city. It’s corporate initatives like this that put-off my opinion of the city. It’s public initatives like Pedestrian Sundays, the bike system, the TTC, and our parks and trees that make me praise it.Come on City Hall. You can do better.” |
| 595 | 08/10/2005 10:18:26 AM | Yes | Gerrard Square Mall | No | too hard to figure out where the openings for garbage and recycling are | No | the bin take up too much space on the sidewalk | No | [Blank] | I prefer the garbage/recycling bins the city is already using – they’re more attractive and more practical |
| 596 | 08/10/2005 10:19:45 AM | Yes | ossington and dundas | No | “no, i thought it was just a bill board. i didn’t realize it was a recycling container at all.” | No | they are too too too big. and they block pedestrian traffic. | No | can they be redesigned to be a little less intrusive? does the revenue from ads really help that much? are there alternatives. i hate to see our sidewalks become littered with ads. the bus shelters and billboards see enough already. | if you absoultly must. can they PLEASE be smaller and not in the middle of where people walk. why are they so tall. not very accessable to smaller people or children. |
| 597 | 08/10/2005 10:20:30 AM | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | It doesn’t look like what I typically expect a garbage can to look like. It took me a couple of times seeing it before I realized that it was a garbage can at all. | Yes | “Sidewalks on College are narrow enough as it is; the old-style cans only blocked a little of the sidewalk, the new ones block much more.” | No | We don’t need more ads. We just need plain ol’ garbage cans. How can this be so difficult | PLEASE DON’T DO IT. |
| 598 | 08/10/2005 10:22:35 AM | No | danforth and pape | No | it was imposing. a monolith. the old bins were fine. | Yes | “they blocked the sidewalk during taste of the danforth. the road had installations on it and so people had to walk around on the sidewalk, but the bin blocked a fair bit of it. I could not find my friends due to it blocking my view” | No | “The revenue received is not worth the imposition on our free open spaces. Already the sidewalks are an extremely narrow portion of the roadway space allocated to pedestrians in favour of cars (compare sidewalk width to road width) – to block it with a large bin you cant see over, and to cover it with advertising, is an affront to our collective enjoyment of what little free road space we have left.” | “Keep the old ones, which you can easily see over and are aligned WITH the sidewalk instead of blocking it. The advertising on those was fine as it was not forced on you.BTW, this survey is deficient as it does not visibly record email addresses or other identification – those with interests in the bin installations can spam responces without any verification of duplicate submissions.” |
| 599 | 08/10/2005 10:22:47 AM | No | McCowan RT station | No | “the garbage bin was facing the road (VERY close) and I would not feel safe depositing my garbage there. Because the garbage bin was not accessible, many people were using the organic bin (facing the sidewalk) for ALL their trash.” | Yes | “they are not obvious enough as garbage/recycling bins... the receptacles are almost hidden... I took the time to look at both sides of the bin to see that there are various receptacles, but most people obviously did not as people stuffed all their garbage in any and every hole, despite labelling” | No | “the city might receive ad money, but I do not think these bins have been designed as well as they could have been – the large ads are distracting and intrusive... and having the garbage bin (or anu other bin for that matter) face the street... this is just dangerous. Also, the waste for having these ads created and the energy used.. I think these matters outweigh any possible good that the bins might do... there are recycling options (good) BUT the bins simply are not designed in such a way that they are going to work, creating more garbage and waste. They will end up just being large, eyesore ads.” | “smaller bins (lower to the ground) so that they do not distract drivers or create visual blocks... keep all the garbage/recycling receptacles on ONE SIDE of the bin, facing the sidewalk so that everyone can use them without endangering their lives (this is not an exaggeration). If you MUST have advertising, keep it small and low to the ground and unlit so that energy isn’t needlessly wasted. Also, research enviro-friendly ad production methods... perhaps eco-friendly advertisers – put city owned advertising to GOOD use.” |
| 600 | 08/10/2005 10:24:00 AM | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | “The openings on the side of the bin opposite the street were hard to reach and empty, while the side of the bin closest to the street was overflowing onto the sidewalk.The openings are tiny and dirty. ,The bin itself is an eyesore. Just an excuse for more ad space. They are like giant billboards posing as garbage bins. They don’t work!” | Yes | “They position on the sidewalk is very imposing and makes it difficult for people with disabilities (walkers, scooters, wheelchairs, visually impaired, etc.), parents with strollers, people with grocery carts, etc. ,And as a woman, walking alone, I don’t appreciate the extra hiding space that these billboards create. Anyone can be standing behind them and not visible to me.” | No | Holy loaded question batman! Pathetic. Did Eucan write this survey for you!?! | “Yes, when will these so-called test pilots be removed and this blight on our public sidewalks be stopped? I’d rather carry my garbage home than have these on the sidewalks!” |
| 601 | 08/10/2005 10:25:13 AM | Yes | Bathurst & COllege | No | I couldn’t find the garbage and found the actual receptacle space too small. | Yes | They are way too big and take up too much space. I thought they were bus shelters. They look like bus shelters from the side. It was also hard to find the actual receptacle. I imagine it will be more difficult when ads are in place. | No | They city can find other ways of generating revenue without cluttering up out sidewalks. | I would really prefer not to see these on my sidewalks. |
| 602 | 08/10/2005 10:25:52 AM | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | “The bin was overflowing on the street side, and seemed unused on the side that faced the parking lot. It didn’t really look like a garbage container, only like a large advertisement. There were lots of partiers eating hotdogs from the vendor on the corner and nobody seemed to know that this was a garbage can – some walked past it back to the vendor to throw their napkin in his garbage can. Nobody was placing their cigarette butts in the proper container – they seemed oblivious.” | [Blank] | “They are so obnoxious! I don’t know how they could be placed to make them seem smaller or something... Maybe with one side facing the wall? This one was placed right angle to the street and hid the vendor. Maybe if it was placed parallel to the road, then both openings for garbage would be accessible and it would “look” smaller.” | No | I don’t think the City should do business with Eucan. The previous garbage bins are always falling open and garbage is everywhere. The construction of the new bins seems very wasteful – who ever came up with a garbage can that lights up?! I bet there are many companies that would love to give the City garbage cans for free if they had a chance to advertise on so many prime corners. | “If the City wants to do business with private companies in this way, then there should be a proper competition, just like for building contracts or any other service. ,I think these bins take up too much visual space on the street – why does a garbage can attract so much attention? They’re the biggest thing on the sidewalk! I think they are completely obnoxious and unacceptable.” |
| 603 | 08/10/2005 10:25:55 AM | Yes | bloor and windermere | No | “While the openings were at an easily reached height, the new garbage bins look like they do not hold nearly as much garbage as the old bins. I also thought that the garbage and recycle slots were too close together and that in a rush people will not tell the difference, and that a lot of recyclable material will become garbage.” | No | “I do not like the placement of the new bins because, the cut directly into the amount of space pedestrians have on the sidewalk.” | No | “I think that the old bins were more functional, and I do not like the huge ads that go along with the new bins.” | [Blank] |
| 604 | 08/10/2005 10:29:41 AM | Yes | Roncesvalles/Howard Park | No | “I could not figure out whether it is advertising or garbage bin. In fact it seems to be more advertising than receptacle. Please, no more visual pollution. Can’t we just have some normal garbage bins like other self-respecting cities.” | Yes | “They are too big and too high and obstruct our sidewalks, mobility and vistas. Who’s crazy idea was this anyways?” | No | “This is going way too far. The public realm of our city should be the last preserve from rampant commercialization. Jane Jacobs and others have praised Toronto for one of its best feature, its main streets. Please don’t destroy them any further. I’m so ashamed of the path this city is taking.” | “It is my hope that the pilot project is a failure and that Torontonians like me will speak out strongly against the commercialization of the public realm. Where is this city going? I voted for this mayor for his leadership on cleaning up our city (and I interpreted cleaning up to have more than to do with just litter in our parks and streets). We don’t need to strive to become New York or Tokyo. Let’s look at Montreal or Vancouver as models, or how about Paris or Amsterdam. Please Mayor Miller (and my councillor Sylvia Watson), put a stop to these bins. And please, go a step further. Begin a trend away from so much advertising on every spare surface of our great city by getting the committee of adjustment to stop making regular amendments to the zoning bylaws to allow advertisers to take over and take away our city’s beauty.” |
| 605 | 08/10/2005 10:31:16 AM | No | Roncesvalles and Howard Park | No | “What’s the matter with the old ones? This won’t fix any problems, ie. people putting the wrong things in the wrong places.” | Yes | It takes up to much space and is an ugly monstrous vehicle for corporate messages. | No | “The city is being bought out by corporate interests.Advertising is a blight on the city telling people to consume more things they don’t need. We already have a garbage problem.” | Scrap these monsters! We can come up with a better solution. |
| 606 | 08/10/2005 10:32:19 AM | Yes | Broadview & Danforth | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | Unnecessarily tall | No | What’s so great about free bins when the ads are bigger than the bins themselves? How much trash can these things really hold? The receptacle part seems a lot smaller than the ones we have now... | Good idea about the separate bin for butts. It irks me how people just chuck them on the ground. Please incorporate in your re-design. |
| 607 | 08/10/2005 10:32:34 AM | Yes | bathurst and college | No | not easy at all to understand. the recycling slot is barely big enough to put a bottle in. I’ve seen others not take the time to read the bin and toss anything in whatever hole is closest to their hand. They are poorly labelled. Contamination is going to be an issue. | No | “One of the receptacles is off of the sidewalk near a parking lot- no one will walk around it to use it. There is garbage around the bin- it seems that it is full and few realize there is another side. I’ve seen others that are in the middle of the sidewalk, blocking the flow of traffic- especially for strollers and people in wheelchairs. They take up too much space.” | No | “Garbage bins should be just that. Bins that collect garbage. There is no need for commercial advertising space on them. There is enough already- the city is a visual assault. Illuminated billboardsa re not what we need to make our city beautiful. We need trash receptacles that will decrease litter and contamination. The city would be swindled if they received them for free- the bins don’t work, they aren’t clear and they are a hazard. It doesn’t help with keeping Toronto clean. I would rather the city purchase cans and receive no revenue than have what is proposed now.” | “Please don’t adopt this proposal. These bins ugly, environmentally unfriendly, and dangerous. And illuminated bins nonetheless. ,Ontario has been in a crisis situation when it comes to our power grid, yet we are allowing it to be used to illuminate ads for commercial needs, at the same time telling ordinary citizens to turn off their air-conditioners during the hottest days of the year? Come on, now, let’s be reasonable. Even if they are powered through solar or wind energy, couldn’t that energy be put to better use? Honestly, I had higher expectations for this city council, than to be constantly selling off our services to make a buck. Council and the mayor’s office ought to be ashamed.” |
| 608 | 08/10/2005 10:34:13 AM | Yes | bathurst and college | No | The bins are too small and garbage was falling out all over the street. it makes no sense to have larger advertising space and smaller space to throw away garbage. this is just encouraging littering and consumerism. | Yes | These bins look like bus stops. they are very imposing and do not beautify the city. placing the bins in the middle of the sidewalk results in trails of spilled garbage all over the sidewalk. | No | Not at all. it is more than enough to have billboards with advertising (which can be offensive) all over the city and TTC we dont need more space covered with these adds. | “I think the city is doing a great job in trying to encourage recycling and agree that it is important to make this easy and accesible. however, i dont think these bins are designed well nor is it necessary to fill every sqaure inch of space to advertisers.” |
| 609 | 08/10/2005 10:39:02 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | They’re too monolithic. | [Blank] | Why don’t you make it a criteria to have only advertising that is informational to the environment or recycling or health instead of big corporate ads for unhealthy products? | “They shouldn’t be so intrusive to the space around them. They’re ugly and we don’t need more advertising in our face. Why not promote books/art/musicians/theatre. Since they’re free, use them as a promo for underfunded arts.” |
| 610 | 08/10/2005 10:39:18 AM | Yes | Bloor and Christie | No | Seems a little to high tech for me. Why does it need to be powered. Its pretty bad that during the summer when management of power consumption is on the tip of peoples tongues that the city has allowed such a ridiculous device. I mean a garbage bin that used for recycling that actually uses electricity.....can anyone make the connection? | No | They appear to be positioned in a way to maximise the advertising space. So that the hoardings are facing up and down the street (at 90 degrees to the previous bins). Why? | No | “The bins are not acceptable; there is more than enough advertising space in the city already. The “city” should not be in the business of selling advertising space either first hand or through another party. The bins are too large and may obstruct a clear view for cars and other vehicles.” | “The old bins are fine, they use no power to run and still have the advertising space that the city so desperately desires.” |
| 611 | 08/10/2005 10:39:56 AM | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 612 | 08/10/2005 10:41:36 AM | Yes | Bloor and Christie | No | The openings for garbage and recycleable were not immediately evident when I approached the bin. | No | “Because the bins are so excessively large, there is no way they can be positioned on the sidewalk without taking away space from pedestrians, strollers, and people with mobility aids. Furthermore, their size also blocks sight lines and present an object which someone could hide behind.” | No | “The bins are too large, garish, and should not feature electronic advertising. I am in favour of more bins, but I do not think the “Eucan” bins are the right solution. The are an infringment on public space; they are an eyesore; they are a waste of electricity.” | “I know that there is a need for better waste management in Toronto, but these bins will become a target for vandalism and frankly they will make our city look cheap and over-commercialized. Please consider other options, even if it means having less and/or smaller recycling and garbage bins on our streets. Don’t let private corporations and advertising pollute our city!” |
| 613 | 08/10/2005 10:42:18 AM | Yes | I have used a few along Danforth Ave. between the Pape to Greenwood area. | No | “I thought the openings were way to small, requiring me to come into contact with the garbage bin while trying to dispose of my litter. This is why people litter – because otherwise they have to get tehir hands dirty to do the right thing and put garbage in a bin – the entry points for refuse and recycling should be designed to avoid human contact with contaminents better.” | Yes | I think they are devastating to the look and feel of the city of Toronto’s streets. You folks have already sold the skies to the advertisers and their billboards – we don’t need to see a 7 foot tall ad every couple of blocks as we walk through our neighbourhoods – I think it shows how far Toronto has sunk downhill in recent years. | No | “The rates you will receive are nothing in comparrison to the rates that are being charged for the advertising space. The city and its citizens are losing out in this deal.I would not have a major problem with sopkme of these bins being rolled out in the downtown core, but these should not be in general use around the city, they are overly large and encroach too much on the natural landscape and beauty of the city of Toronto.” | “I pay my taxes so that you can do things such as build roads and supply the city with necessities such as street signs and garbage cans – stop looking for a freebie and spend a bit of the money you collect to buy your own garbage cans – free of advertising – or even better, devoted only to showcasing Canadian art or public service messages – enough is enough with the advertising!,And where are the organics? We have a green bin program, why does the city at large not look to incorporate the green bin program into their onstreet refuse containers, to divert even more landfill – do you guys follow your own ideas and rules, or do you just want to tell us what we should do in our own homes while you do the opposite in all public spaces!” |
| 614 | 08/10/2005 10:42:24 AM | Yes | “Bathurst & College, Bloor & Christie” | No | Needed a second to figure out what went where. | Yes | “They’re really tall & they block the view of pedestrians and cyclists. Being so large, I guess they can’t be placed right at the intersections, which is where a trash bin would be most effecient!” | No | “Find revenue elsewhere! These bins are a real eyesore & they place a priority on pushing advertisements over actual trash & recycling functionality. Also, they suck up electricity to illuminate the ads. And the City will probably have to spend more money cleaning up the inevitable graffiti attacks on these billboards/bins” | “Isn’t there a way to make these bins a little less obnoxious and “in-your-face”, and a little more convenient & pleasant for pedestrians and users? Why a billboard with bins on the side, instead of bins with billboards on the side?” |
| 615 | 08/10/2005 10:43:08 AM | No | [Blank] | No | “I watched as two visitors tried to figure out how it “worked”. You shouldn’t have to figure out how a garbage can works.” | Yes | A disaster. Why pretend it is about anything else than polluting public spaces with more advertising. The ones on the Danforth completely ruin the sight lines of the streetscape. | No | “These are not “bins”. They are billboards. You have sold-out our buses, ferries and transit stations. We need less whoring of our public spaces, not more. This is a wrong headed plan.” | You might have noticed I think it is a bad idea. |
| 616 | 08/10/2005 10:43:47 AM | Yes | Danforth and Logan | No | it’s much less clear than a plain garbage receptacle! | No | they are way too big and obstruct pedestrian traffic! and they are very ugly! | No | “the commercial advertising space is the problem! these bins are such visual pollution! Could you imagine these eyesores on the streets of Paris, London, or New York? If Toronto is really interested in being “world class”, it’s not about cluttering up our streets with more ugly advertising.” | “They barely function as garbage bins. They are too big, too ugly, and would never fly in any city where the citizens care one iota about the city’s appearance.” |
| 617 | 08/10/2005 10:44:14 AM | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | They were at the right height but the labelling was lacking – I saw that other people were putting recycling in the garbage receptacle – labelling should be right NEXT to the each opening – not a foot above. | Yes | I am very confused as to why the bins are positioned facing the road. | No | Free is fine. Commercial revenue is fine. Come up with a better design that will hold more garbage/recyclables. | The height does not make for a greater capacity to hold garbage so what is the point? How about a receptacle equivelent to the green bin? |
| 618 | 08/10/2005 10:53:09 AM | Yes | danforth & logan | No | “i didn’t understand what it was, as it resembles in no way a garbage can.” | No | “i despise their monolithic presence on the street and resent that the city is considering blocking the view of our city with yet more advertising. As a public health physician in this fine city, I truly believe that drivers’ attention should be as fully focussed on the road as possible, especially in densely-populated areas, and not on flashing billboards and other ads. seriously. i think it’s a waste of energy also.” | No | “No no no no. please use regular, people-friendly disposal bins and systems.” | scrap them! |
| 619 | 08/10/2005 10:55:41 AM | Yes | Dundas W & Pacific | No | Hard to locate the opening visually. In addition they are extremely difficult for children or the wheelchair-bound to reach. | No | They are physically intrusive and impede sightlines for pedestrians and cyclists. I believe they violate our own city’s pedestrian charter. | No | Are we really so cash-strapped that we have to sell off public space to such a drastic degree? Please raise my property taxes if that’s what it takes for the city to retain some dignity. | The bins’ huge scale represent an unprecedented intrusion of advertising into the public space. Their main intention is to sell more consumer goods – their function as recycling/trash receptacle is an obvious afterthought. It’s also a clever way for the advertising industry to circumvent billboard regulations. The existing small OMG bins look positively benign in comparison. |
| 620 | 08/10/2005 10:58:26 AM | Yes | “Danforth Ave, south side, east of Broadview.” | No | The slots were too small. | Yes | “It’s terrible. It’s 90 degrees to the walking space. With so many people at the Taste of the Danforth it concerned me going around it. If it has to stay, it needs to be put up against the wall of a building so that the advertising is not a distraction to drivers and it’s not in the way of walkers, strollers, pets and motorized wheelchairs.” | No | Collection bins should be just that. Not excuses to put more advertising on the street. | “It seems they’re an excuse to have yet more advertising on the street. If it was truly for garbage collection then it wouldn’t be placed 90 degrees to the road and the walkers’ paths. ,We don’t need advertising. We’ve got too much in public space.It causes distraction for drivers. The lights to back light the ads are a waste of hydro -- a completely irresponsible move this very hot summer. Most importantly, they’re in the way of walkers. ,The slots are too small. ,Please remove these things.” |
| 621 | 08/10/2005 10:59:08 AM | Yes | Bloor and Jane | No | I didn’t recognize it as a trash bin. It seemed clearly to be a billboard. | No | It blocks pedestrian traffick and is positioned for cars to view. It’s way too big and interrupts sightlines in a garrish way. | No | I am opposed to Toronto keeping and/or installing new bins like these.I would like to see the return of a more dignified municipal service please. Claiming free revenue from these ad-bins is like claiming the commercials at the beginning of a movie is consumer information. It’s not worth it. This is just more pollution in the city. | “I have a suggestion for revenue collection: have police officers trail ambulances and fire trucks and ticket the drivers who won’t get out of the way. Do a one day sweep to raise awareness and funds. ,Thanks for asking.” |
| 622 | 08/10/2005 11:01:05 AM | Yes | King & Strachan | No | visitors to the city will trash everywhere because it not in anyway a garbage bin....it is in itself garbage. | Yes | “terrible....anti pedestrian.un social and dangerous for cyclists and drivers.” | No | “enough advertising.there is no city under the advertising anymore.” | get rid of them......pure and simple! |
| 623 | 08/10/2005 11:01:11 AM | No | I will not use them. I would rather throw the garbage on the ground in protest. | No | This sounds like a market research questions. I will not answer it. | No | I think they are crap. I can’t wait to see them go. It’s not a garbage can. It’s an ad and you know it. Shame on you. | No | No. Doesn’t that other garbage can company still owe the city several million dollars? It’s embarrassing to the city and its civilians. The sooner they are gone the better. | Get them out of here! |
| 624 | 08/10/2005 11:01:43 AM | No | [Blank] | No | I didn’t realize that it was a garbage/recycling container. The advertisement was too distracting and visually disruptive. | No | They are not positioned for easy use. The one I saw was oriented such that you had to almost step onto the street to use. Not very safe in my opinion. | No | I think the existing stainless steel bins are better. They are easily recognizable and easy to use. | We don’t need more advertising!! Please help beautify our streets not pollute them with more commercialization! I am completely against these new bins. |
| 625 | 08/10/2005 11:04:30 AM | Yes | Danforth | No | I couldn’t find the garbage container right away – walking so close to the road to deposit my garbage/recyclables feels dangerous. | No | “They are too big!!! I can’t see what’s coming down the street. Someone could be hiding behind it! Why can’t we just have normal, smaller garbage containers that look like garbage cans. These are too big and just look like billboards. I don’t like that I can’t see beyond them.” | No | I can’t imagine that the City would receive enough money to compensate for cluttering our sidewalks so much. They are just too tall. Garbage cans should be one of the basic things provided by the City – why does this have to be contracted out? | “The garbage can is too open – aren’t you inviting people to dump their personal or business garbage in these containers? I already see people stuffing personal garage into the current bins and these just make that easier. ,I hate these things and truly hope you don’t decide to go forward with these cans.” |
| 626 | 08/10/2005 11:06:20 AM | Yes | Danforth and Greenewood | Yes | [Blank] | No | Ridiculous size and a complete eyesore to the streetscape. | No | “How much more advertising is going to be rammed down our throats? While I recognize that we are in times of fiscal difficulties, where do you draw the line in advertising.” | “I would be curious to know how efficient they are to remove the garbage. I am hoping that there is no additional cost to the city to accommodate this ridiculously large new design. Comments I have heard, these are “bigger than the bus shelter ads” – what a joke.” |
| 627 | 08/10/2005 11:07:09 AM | Yes | Danforth Ave. East of Broadview | No | “Bin was overflowing.Worse than current bins.” | No | “These are awful.They look ugly and block the sidewalk from the street. When I pulled out from the bin to continue cycling I almost hit another cyclist because I could not see over the bin and I am 6’2” tall!!!” | No | “Free?,I definitely am opposed to these bins.Who pays to collect the garbage?,Who pays to power these things?,I have read the revenue forecasts in the Star newspaper and it seems like a very small amount.” | “Please go to Town of OAkville.They have a by-law banning billboards.The town and surrounding streets look so much better than Toronto’s.They would never allow these stupid bins.There is way too much visual pollution created by advertising on our streets and building tops.Please reign in this pathetic cash grab!” |
| 628 | 08/10/2005 11:09:03 AM | Yes | College & Bathurst | No | [Blank] | No | They are an eyesore and should not be cluttering up the sidewalks. I find them an impediment to my walking enjoyment. | No | The amount the city receives under this proposal is not enough to compensate for the loss of our advertising free spaces. | These could prove to be a problem with sight lines – and the avoidance of trouble. I can imagine people lurking behind these eyesores – for whatever purpose. |
| 629 | 08/10/2005 11:11:11 AM | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | “The openings are awkwardly placed at “ends” of bins so I had to stand in pedestrian flow to access them. Alternatively, I could have stood at the curb, dangerously close to passing vehicle traffic. Very bad design, given a busy pedestrian street like Danforth avenue. The sidewalks are already constricted enough without this additional obstacle.” | Yes | “It is no exaggeration to say these bins pose a real danger, as well as a blight on the streetscape. The height of the bins is the biggest danger. The top of the bin is well above eye level of all but the tallest pedestrian. It is above the eyelevel of all drivers except those in the largest of vehicles. The height blocks the pedestrian view of the street, of upcoming obstacles, and the wide, long view of the path ahead. It blocks the motorist’s view of pedestrians who may be about to step into the street, as well as simple information about the streetscape such as the location and identity of shops and stores. It blocks cyclist’s views of the same.” | No | “Not under any circumstances, given the genuine danger posed by the height of the bin, and the annoyance and danger posed by the awkward placement of the openings (in the flow of traffic).” | There are many genuinely creative people in this city who could have given you advance warning on the dangers posed by these bins. It is ludicrous that you have gone so far as this with them. What a waste of money. Shame on you. |
| 630 | 08/10/2005 11:15:32 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “The ads are intrusive. They make me feel like I’m in any other boring city in North America. Toronto isn’t this, and should raise the bar a bit higher and not compromise the value of public space to cover a few capital expenses. Ad-creep is a dangerous thing.” | [Blank] |
| 631 | 08/10/2005 11:28:24 AM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | Too big; crowds the area. | No | Unsightly and an assault on the quality of life in the city. I don’t want advertising thrust in my face in this fashion. It’s a poor deal for everyone. Quality of life is priceless. | Finish the pilot project and then dump the idea. |
| 632 | 08/10/2005 11:37:45 AM | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | “At first I didn’t even realize it was a garbage can, it was so ridiculous looking...” | No | “I find them quite offensive in terms of visual pollution. We have a beautiful city and we should be trying to reduce the amount of advertisements obscuring it, not increase it.” | No | Especially considering our staggering hydro problems the idea of adding illuminated advertisements to even our garbage cans is incredibly stupid. | [Blank] |
| 633 | 08/10/2005 11:38:55 AM | Yes | College and Ossington | No | “Hard to idenity what it is. Looks like a huge ugly billboard. Openings very small.Could not recycle things I wanted to recycle.The recycling aspect seems designed as an after thought.” | Yes | They take up too much space and block my view of the street. VERY DANGEROUS! | No | “It looks, feels and is a sell-out at the expense of public health and safety” | “Get rid of them. They are the worst thing the city has ever thought about installing.Besides, the company has a bad business reputation.” |
| 634 | 08/10/2005 11:40:28 AM | Yes | Danforth Ave. & Pape Ave. | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | The position of the bins is obviously oriented to advertise to drivers then be useful to the pedestrian traffic passing by. Eventhough both ends collect garbage one end faces the street. What is the point of having a two ended garbage can when you would need to walk onto the road to access it? | No opinion | [Blank] | They look great now but wait a year until they’re banged up and graffitied |
| 635 | 08/10/2005 11:40:47 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | N/A. | No | “Their “waste receptacle” function is disproportionately small compared to their large “advertising” one.” | No | I don’t think the increased revenue is worth the amount of civic pollution created by the intrusive advertising on these badly-designed bins. | “Do not use them. They are civically counter-productive, if not destructive.” |
| 636 | 08/10/2005 11:47:41 AM | Yes | King/Strachan | [Blank] | “The bins are not necessary, and they are offensive, and they are dangerous. Who cares if they are practically designed?!” | [Blank] | “These bins are dangerous – they destroy the ability of pedestrians, cyclists and motorists to properly assess the safety conditions of the environment they are moving in.” | No | “These bins are not needed, they are dangerous and they are aesthetic abominations. Get rid of them, please!” | No more privatisation of public space! The city should not be involved in providing ad space for for-profit corporations. |
| 637 | 08/10/2005 11:49:04 AM | Yes | Bathurst and Sheppard | No | Didn’t even realize it was a garbage bin at first. Small openings for garbage and one faced the street and wasn’t accessible from the sidewalk | Yes | One side is virtually useless because it does not face the sidewalk. | No | They are huge! Blocked line of site down the street and are an eyesore! The current garbage cans provide advertising space without being nearly as obtrusive. | “These greatly detract from the visual quality of our city. Not only do they add to the visual clutter that surrounds us, they are not especially practical.” |
| 638 | 08/10/2005 11:52:29 AM | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | you couldn’t even tell it was a garbage can because it was so overpowered by adverts. | No | “they are far too large, they obstruct normal viewing for both pedestrians and drivers,,they take up too much space” | No | “absolutely not. ,as if the city isn’t already blinded by coporate commercial adverts...it is taking away from the culture and beauty of this city.” | “get rid of them. get rid of the old ones too.both make it hard for people to dispose of waste easily. if they overflow or are filthy (as they always are) people won’t use them.find another type of garbage can that is just for garbage.” |
| 639 | 08/10/2005 12:01:11 PM | Yes | “Bloor and Jane,Bloor and Windemere” | No | It juts into the sidewalk making you block the flow of pedestrians. Garbage was sticking out of the openings. | [Blank] | They block the flow of pedestrians on the sidewalk. | No | These are unsightly additions to the ambience of neighbourhoods like Bloor West. They are too tall and obtrusive. | Remove them. |
| 640 | 08/10/2005 12:02:29 PM | Yes | Bloor & Christie | No | “it took me a second to figure it out,it shouldn’t have to.” | No | intrusive and incredibly OBNOXIOUS | No | “no! it’s not worth it!,advertisements are invading our brains...give us a break... please...” | “they give me a headache and force me to squint my eyes when i see them.they are completely excessive and make the city more obnoxious than it already is.” |
| 641 | 08/10/2005 12:09:18 PM | No | “I refused to. The thing frightened me.Bathurst and College is where the event took place” | No | I do not think the openings are well placed or marked. | No | i wasnt aware that there were openings at each side of the bin because the other side faced away from the sidewalk towards a parking lot. i think they are dangerous. they block sight lines...perfect for someone to hide behind. they take up way too much space on the side walk...what about those in wheel chairs? | No | I think they are horrible. The pilot project is a little misleading since there are no ads in them. they are bilboards that happen to have small holes for rubbish. it makes me sad that the city would stoop this low. dont we have enough advertising?!! I think so. | “these bins should not be installed. who pays when they are vandalized? there are so many flaws in this design, i really cannot believe that the city is even trying these monsters!!” |
| 642 | 08/10/2005 12:09:44 PM | Yes | avenue and eglinton | No | [Blank] | No | “I think they are a big eyesore. There is no need to clutter our city with something this large. I thought the Mayor was committed to beautification of our city. Instead, he is catering to big business by further congesting our already ad-saturated city. People use sidewalks to get from place to place. Often we need to pass each other. Sure we need garbage and recycling bins but this goes way too far.” | No | “In additon to the above, given the increasing number of smog days, and given that the city and province are begging us to cut back on electricity use, should we really be adding this many lit up billboards to the over taxed power grid?” | [Blank] |
| 643 | 08/10/2005 12:14:48 PM | Yes | Jane & Steeles | No | “Bin? What bin? I was on the advertising side of the bin and didn’t realize it was a one of the pilot-project mega-bins until I saw the opposite side, where the instructions were. Then, I had to walk to the side of the mega-bin fronting onto the street and traffic, instead of the side fronting onto the sidewalk, in order to see the receptacles.” | No | “As noted in Answer #3, I didn’t even notice the receptacles on the sidewalk-facing end of the bin. Also, a garbage receptacle that requires instructions on how it’s to be used is ridiculous. If it’s not intuitive right off the bat, it’s badly designed.” | No | “If the City is serious about its Clean City, Beautiful City campaign, it should pony up the money to pay for garbage receptacles that are obviously garbage receptacles -- and that are easy to use.” | “In Sydney, Australia, the garbage bins are designed to conform to other civic ‘furniture’ (e.g. bus, shelters, fruit and news stands, light fixtures). The bins have no advertising; are obviously for waste; and are circular, with three clearly-marked pie-shaped openings at the top (one for garbage, one for glass/bottles and one for newspapers). Toronto should be following suit and designing easy-to-use, advertising-free waste receptacles that fit into a unified streetscape (e.g. designed to match the new bus shelters).” |
| 644 | 08/10/2005 12:14:58 PM | Yes | bathurst and college | No | [Blank] | Yes | they are far too large and obstruct pedestrians views. | No | [Blank] | I’m sick of advertising and KNOW you will end up plastering ads on both sides. These bins are a horrible idea. |
| 645 | 08/10/2005 12:15:10 PM | Yes | bathurst college | No | very confusing | No | they are huge and ugly and are take up too much space | No | “we have too much advertising as it is. they are not functional as garbage cans, who cares if the city gets them for free?!!” | I think they should be stopped and I will do all i can to stop them! |
| 646 | 08/10/2005 12:17:39 PM | Yes | Christie and Bloor St W | No | “I didn’t even realize it was a garbage. I really thought it was just an ackward, lone standing billboard. I didn’t look very sturdy. When I got up close, I thought it was a thin vending machine. Then I realized it was for garbage. But then, I wasn’t clear to me where to put the recycling. So I just left it. I didn’t find it inviting enough, to figure out, and use.” | No | “I think our streets are too wide, and sidewalks too narrow to begin with. I live at Markham and Bloor W, and find it difficult enough to navigate through store signs (the V-shaped free-standing ones), and the tree holders (large cement blocks) enough as it is. This thing is huge! Shouldn’t we be looking at making the sidewalks something we actually want to be on?” | No | “This is a confusing question. The city would not be receiving these bins for free – because there is a cost. If the mayor wants to beautify the city, then this will not help. Toronto becomes uglier because of them, and to me, this seems like a loss. As for the increased revenue, I would rather pay, out of my own pocket, to see these things go away. I would rather pay, through a levy or fee, for the production, distribution, installment, maintenance and garbage removal, of a bin that is at a human hight, that is well color coded, and that has no ads on it.I was in Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto), Thailand (Bangkok, Chiang Mai) and Austria (Vienna, Linz) this past summer, and never was I ever confused. And this is remarkable, considering English or French were often missing). I know the City of Toronto can do better than this.” | “Please make it mandatory for the designers of these “bin-boards” to read: “The Design of Everyday Things,” by Dr. Norman. There are some very well known, and easy ways for everyday objects and environments to become more intuitive and interactive. If you insist on bringing in revenue through ads, the ads should definitely not be placed on these big thin boxes.One thing the book speaks to is a user’s perceived impression of what things are for, or can do. These “bin-boards” look like they could fall over, wind permitting. there is no doubt they would not fall over. this is not an engineering problem, but a psychological problem – in other words, not what something would actually do in reality, but what a person may perceive in their minds. I am a graphic design student, and even I know about these basic design tenets. surely, the company you are hiring is well-versed in the design of everyday things too?,Also, there is an idea called “user testing.” Surely the information you are seeking in this survey is the type of information sought by the company making them before the “testers” were even installed. Shouldn’t this stuff have already been worked out?” |
| 647 | 08/10/2005 12:18:00 PM | Yes | Ossington & Dundas | No | “The openings are too small. The rubber flapping is going to get destroyed. The capacity is way too small. Every time I pass it is overflowing. ,One side of the bin is so close to the curb that it would be dangerous to use. Its basically useless.It seems to be very practical for displaying advertising.” | Yes | “At first I didn’t even know it was a garbage can. I thought it was some kind of advertisement. But then I realized that stuffed in between the two signs is a little garbage can. ,I think that the new garbage bins are too large and too close to the road. They create a visual barrier that is dangerous. They block the visual connection between people on the street and vehicles. I often run past that garbage can and now I have to slow down because I can’t see if cars are at the intersection. If the bin was below eye level (like the existing ones) it would be safe.” | No | “I can’t believe the City is entertaining this experiment. These bins:,are dangerous,are ugly,waste electricity ,produce paper waste ,interrupt views,block views to private taxpaying businesses,opportunistic,private occupation of public space,corporate not local,Please take them out of the public realm.” | “Our taxes are supposed to pay for garbage collection. So collect the garbage without creating more advertising garbage. If the city can’t afford it – raise the taxes.The businesses right behind the bin have signs that are regulated by city bylaws. They are on private property where they should be and perform a necessary function: letting people know what the business sells. These signs typically express the personality of the shop. They make our streets unique.These ad bins are anonymous. They typically display corporate messages for mass produced goods. They devalue public space by making every street look the same. The more space they take up the more the street looks the same as anywhere else.It is unconscionable for a public agency like the City of Toronto to sell our public streets to private interests under the guise of providing a service they are already obligate to provide.Why not adjust the commercial property tax to pay for the garbage collection? Most of the garbage on the streets comes from shops on those streets.Keep our City local not global.” |
| 648 | 08/10/2005 12:29:49 PM | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | “I couldn’t understand where to put garbage vs. recyclables, and I even had to be told that this was, in fact a garbage can, not just an space for advertising.” | No | “They aren’t easily identifiable as garbage cans, yet seem to take up more space than the standard city bins.” | No | “Despite there being a larger capacity, I can’t see how much of said capacity can be used effectively. I think this will lead to an increase in littering as well, since the bins are designed ineffectively (ie. I shouldn’t need a legend to tell me where to put an empty pop can).” | [Blank] |
| 649 | 08/10/2005 12:30:54 PM | Yes | Bloor and Christie | No | “Not only was the bin full, but the instructions required too much time. It seems that most people agreed – all three recepticles were mixed.” | No | The bins are placed in such a way that one side is invisible to pedestrians. But I can certainly tell you that there were ADVERTISEMENTS on both sides. | No | “The last thing this city needs is more advertisements. Please, do *not*. This will be a terrible mistake.” | END THIS MADNESS! |
| 650 | 08/10/2005 12:43:19 PM | Yes | Bloor & Christie | No | “Too high, poorly labelled.” | No | “The bins block pedestrian space.The intent is clearly to advertise,,as opposed to providing a public service,(i.e. garbage collection).” | No | “These bins intrude on public space, block sight lines, and provide a poor quality garbage receptacle.The city should not approve their use.” | Leaving the illuminated ads off the pilot bins is intentionally deceptive. |
| 651 | 08/10/2005 12:50:08 PM | Yes | jane and bloor | No | over poweringly large | Yes | too big | No | do not wish to be bombarded with human sized ads. | ads are waaaay too big. |
| 652 | 08/10/2005 12:58:22 PM | Yes | Danforth between Pape & Broadview | No | [Blank] | Yes | “UGLY. “Useless”. The first two words that can to mind when I saw them. ,They don’t hold much, they aren’t easy to put garbage into. They are ,unattractive. they’ll be worse with the regular advertising. The only ,good purpose I saw one put to was the one on the Danforth. A mother sat ,her small child on the ‘lip’ of one to wipe his face and hands off ,after the food sampling he’d been doing. They were stuffed full and ,while the street bins were being regularly emptied (? privately), these ,weren’t.In fact, to put garbage in, you needed to actually step onto the ,roadway at the curb (one of the 2 sides). So, whose idea was that???? ,And, as first concern, when approaching, it would be easy for someone ,to be waiting on the other side -- totally obstructed from view. And, ,they’d not be practical in placing near bus shelters --- one large ,source of garbage that I see,I trust there’s still time to reconsider the design of these ,_monsters_. (The Taste of Danforth was not the only location I saw these.)” | No | see #4 | see #4 |
| 653 | 08/10/2005 01:12:15 PM | Yes | Dundas and Ossington | No | [Blank] | No | I think they should be positioned off the sidewalk in the garbage dump. Who wants so much advertising in the city? | No | “-- We have enough advertising in the city already.-- It detracts from the supposedly beautiful city we have.” | Get rid of them. |
| 654 | 08/10/2005 01:13:53 PM | Yes | don mills and lawrence | No | too many things on it to get your attention. | Yes | they’re too large. they blocked my view while meeting someone. | No | they’re an eyesore. | make them smaller. |
| 655 | 08/10/2005 01:22:39 PM | Yes | Roncesvalles and Howard Park | Yes | “Practical in the way that any garbage can is practical. But it seems like more of a billboard than a garbage can. It’s quite grotesque. Plus, I seriously doubt that all that space is for waste.” | Yes | “huge, EXTREMELY ugly, i hardy want more advertising polluting the urban landscape, PLUS it blocks my line of sight when I’m riding up Ronces. to turn onto Ritchie.” | No | “Really, I am just so sick of every surface in the entire city being plastered with advertising. I really don’t think we need more 7-foot billboards stuck in the middle of our sidewalks. It’s offensive. There HAS to be a better way. Maybe they could have art on them instead?” | “I really like David Miller, and I am all for more projects that increase recylcing and reduce pollution. But advertising IS pollution. These enormous, impractically designed bins are an eyesore and a step in the wrong direction.” |
| 656 | 08/10/2005 01:31:53 PM | No | danforth | No | too tightly configured. | Yes | I found them to be a hazard as they block sightlines – I cucyle to and from work eveyday. | No | see below | “Here is the letter I sent to my Councillor:,Dear Councillor Fletcher -,I am writing to express my concern regarding the oversized garbage bins that are currently being piloted by the City.I am concerned about the negative impact these bins have on our neighbourhood streetscapes, specifically as follows: ,The bins are out of scale with the pedestrian; ,The bins draw attention away from trees, storefronts, and other street landscaping; ,The bins are generally not attractive; ,They have reduced garbage/recycling capacity; ,They block sightlines for cars, cyclists and pedestrians, making them a safety hazard; ,They are electrically powered garbage bins (can we not take a cue from the solar power parking meters?); and finally ,We live in a City which is becoming more and more overwhelmed by advertising and branding. Our buildings (both heritage and new) are being used as backdrops for advertising. This is something that is acceptable at specific locations such as Dundas Square, but should not be the model for general advertising in the City. Our City is full of beautiful and culturally significant buildings, both old and new, and we should be showing them off, not covering them up to advertise the newest cell phone company.I would like to be involved in any future community consultations or public policy regarding this matter.” |
| 657 | 08/10/2005 01:36:45 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | I think they are intrusive and ugly. I think the idea of having more advertising on the streets is obnoxious and unpleasant. They obstruct the view of city. | No | “No I’d rather pay higher taxes then have these things on my streets. I mean technically I’ll probably have to pay higher taxes anyways. These things are drawing extra energy as they are illuminated, which I think is foolish, the city should be trying to conserve energy not use more.” | “I would rather just have regular garbage and recycling bins. These things are not easily recognizable as garbage bins, especially for tourists.” |
| 658 | 08/10/2005 01:39:11 PM | Yes | dundas and ossington | No | It is confusing as to where seperate garbage/recycling go. If it wasn’t for the giant ad telling me I would have put everything in the one hole. | Yes | I thought it was a poorly placed bus shelter for weeks until I noticed the ad was describing the bin and where the various types of garbage goes. It seems awfully large for such a seemingly simple thing especially on a busy crowded street corner. In the city smaller is usually better I think. Also the can is placed so that the one end is facing traffic and is not really accessible unless you are standing on the curb right beside traffic-unsafe. | No | I would be in favour if they weren’t so large and if I felt they were well designed. They seem awkward. I’m not sure I’d know they were garbage cans if I was looking for one. It seems like you’re just looking for an excuse to put up large signs to make a bit of money. I think that the garbage and recycling side of the project should the primary concern. | “I really love walking the city and do so daily as a letter carrier and pedestrian. It seems that people walking are constantly pushed to the side, whether by cars parking on the sidewalks, cyclists riding on the sidewalk, and an endless variety of advertisments, whether sandwich boards or now these supposed garbage cans. If they were well designed and worked I think you might have an arguement, but I’m afraid you don’t. It would be unfortunate if we had to settle for something far below our city standards just because we’re strapped for cash.” |
| 659 | 08/10/2005 01:45:06 PM | Yes | Dundas & Ossington | No | It caused a jam in pedestrian traffic. | Yes | “They are overwhelming large for the streetscape, and caused there to be a “traffic jam.” They are impractical and unwelcome.” | No opinion | No. I would rather pay for this service through our tax system or user fees or something. It is just not worth it to have these on our streets. | “Please, please stop this project.” |
| 660 | 08/10/2005 01:45:16 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “The photos and dimensions are hideous and intrusive. In particular the height is offensive. No amount of revenue can compensate for how invasive these bins are to our sightlines. Other formats or options for revenue must be investigated. ,These bins are plain shameful.” | “These bins of garbage and advertisements are out of scale, out of line, out of the question.” |
| 661 | 08/10/2005 01:48:40 PM | Yes | Danforth and Broadview | No | “The bin was positioned awkwardly, to acsess one side you almosty had to be on the road. The recycling portion was up too high and not easily identifable.” | Yes | “Agai, you have to stand on the street to get to the other end of the bin, which no one will ever use” | No | They are too big. The money amount of money the city will collect it is in no way woth it. | “Because the bins are free is not an intellegent stratgy fo urban planning and development. Our city should be looking for more creative and usefull soultions to handel waste in our city. ,Like the toronto bike ring we should be coming up with thoughtfull soulutions that will serve the city and the people” |
| 662 | 08/10/2005 01:48:43 PM | Yes | Near the Long Branch TTC Loop at Lakeshore and Brown’s Line. | No | I didn’t even know what it was until I got right up close to it. | No | “They are humongous for no good reason and the one I used is in the middle of nowhere, which is stupid. If you want people to not litter, the garbage receptacle needs to be conveniently placed.” | No | “We already see advertising everywhere. The exterior of them should be esthetically pleasing, not covered in ads!!! Maybe if they were more sculpture-like, they’d blend in to the surroundings, and not look so much like a garbage can with an ad on it!” | “Too big! And the location of them make no sense, like the one I used. There’s no real pedestrian traffic there as the transit loop is about 300 feet east of it’s location. If you really want people to use them, put it in a location where people will pass it! And there’s no need for them to be illuminated at night – a complete waste of electricity/solar power!” |
| 663 | 08/10/2005 02:03:26 PM | Yes | roncesvalles + high park | No | “a bit confusing, not what i am used to. i was distracted by the hideousness of the bin.” | No | “i think they are in a akwardly placed, and in the way. it looks like a bus shelter. takes up way too much space, too tall, too ugly, too much advertising!” | No | “see above, plus not user friendly = more litter on the street.” | [Blank] |
| 664 | 08/10/2005 02:03:59 PM | Yes | Broadview and Danforth | No | “The input areas for litter and recyclables were completely full. I had to jam my litter inside. In this sense, the bin was not practical.” | Yes | “Like the City’s new “InfoTO” map stands, the bins are obviously positioned in a manner highly complementary to their use as an advertising surface, with the garbage function secondary. The bins block significant amounts of sidewalk space, and seem quite obviously designed with maximum advertising exposure at top of mind, and garbarge disposal a distant second. I think that the only decent ‘position’ for these monsters is off of our streets.” | No | “This question is what political researchers refer to as a “push poll,” or simply a loaded question in lay terms. No, I am not in favour of the bins even given those circumstances, because I believe that the injury to public space--which is a valuable commodity--far outweighs any financial gain that might result from the adoption of the bins. Similarly, I have serious concerns that a device so obviously designed for advertising first and garbage collection second will be effective in helping to keep our streets clean.” | “What I believe Toronto needs most in order to create a cleaner, more beautiful city is a coherent streetscaping programme. Such a programme can certainly incorporate advertising as a way to raise revenue. However, when new street furnishings are, a: primarily billboards, and b: injurious to the physical public use of large amounts of street space, the city is the poorer for it. I believe that these bins should be rejected after the trial period.” |
| 665 | 08/10/2005 02:04:45 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “- No cost,- Collect garbage vice the street” | Suggest you consider bulletin board on some sides so that people have an area to advartise for apartments etc instead of using telephone poles. |
| 666 | 08/10/2005 02:08:30 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | I find them extremely visually disruptive and don’t think the revenue is worth the ugliness they’ll bring to our street. | They don’t have any sense of continuity or cohesion with the fabric of our city streets. They form a huge obstruction and possibly a security issue since they’re large enough someone could hide behind them. Don’t the ttc shelters create enough of a visual clutter? Do we really need more? |
| 667 | 08/10/2005 02:08:34 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | The height will make looking out for pedestrians difficult in the downtown core. People walk everywhere and cross the street all over the place – that’s just a fact. The sightlines from the road will be affected... |
| 668 | 08/10/2005 02:12:15 PM | Yes | christie and bloor | No | the spaces to put stuff in is too small | No | They are UGLY and HUGE. They’re incredibly impractical and I don’t want these giant ads on a garbage can. | No | [Blank] | “Get rid of the ads on them, make them smaller.” |
| 669 | 08/10/2005 02:16:44 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “I do not have a problem with the installation, just with this horrible design. Why not have a competition to design one to the required specifications???” | “why are they sooooo ugly!!!! With all that they collect, I understand that they have to be large, but there is nothing interesting, clever or specific to Toronto about the design.” |
| 670 | 08/10/2005 02:19:44 PM | No | i will not use them on principle. i would rather bring my garbage home with me. | [Blank] | what kind of a question is this??? | No | “they are too big and an eye sore. many sidewalks in toronto are narrow enough, the last thing they need in is a gigantor garbage bin.” | No | “no, no, no. we as inhabitants of this city are bombarded by useless and distracting advertising ALL the time. who will make the $$ from this project and where will that money go?? it is a disgusting project. please do not embarrass torontonian even more.” | they are disgusting and an embarrasement. only in toronto would such a disgusting piece of city landscape be placed. |
| 671 | 08/10/2005 02:20:54 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | HIGHLY OBSTRUSIVE--ALLOWS FOR MORE THAN JUST DOGS TO PEE ON THEM. | No | tHE CURRENT DESIGN IS QUITE ELEGANT AND IS ONE OF THE FEW PIECES OF STREET ARCHITECURE THAT WORKS WELL. | THE CURRENT STAINLESS STEEL DESIGNS COULD BE INSTALLED AT PARKS. |
| 672 | 08/10/2005 02:23:19 PM | No | only seen photo | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | “Based on the photo it looks terrible. It is a disgrace to the profession of architects and designers, and an insult to the ability of the Mayors office and administartion. Thank you for giving us the oportunity to respond to this.There has to be street design guidelines which does not allow this to even go this far, and these guidelines could possibly be developed between the city and various institutions as well as the profession of design, urban planning and architecture.” | No | “These bins have to be easy to empty from the street side. Otherwise they are not being emptied regularly.They have to be smart and beautiful. I personally know about 1000 designers who can do this design about 5 times more attractive. Being one of them my self, I find this design an embarrassment to the city, and part of the junk already filling up each foof of this great city.Some of the design by private companies can do excellent design to the streetscape if challenged properly.” | “Contact me, architect, Carl Madsen M.Arch, at Diamond and Schmitt Architects, Toronto.However these comments are my peronal views and does not necessarily represent any view of this great office. Personally I have worked with city of Toronto on other similar city profiling (steetscape)issues, and this office can certainly provide input on this, and urgent if need be. Carl Madsen” |
| 673 | 08/10/2005 02:23:49 PM | Yes | Danforth & Playter Ave. | No | Way too much writing; confusing layout | Yes | The location of the cans seem to capture the attention of drivers more than the actual convenience of positioning the can close to pedestrians | No | “When I first saw one of the cans from a distance, I thought it was a transit shelter. When I walked past it I was stunned that it served the purpose of collecting garbage. In actual fact, the main purpose of the cans is to advertise, as the justification for a garbage can seemed to have been an afterthought. I am well aware of the budget crunch the city is in, but I feel that this particular project will open the way for more marketing firms to take advantage of public taxpayers domain. What will be next? Advertisements hanging off of street lights? A much more feasible option would be to drastically reduce the amount of advertising space on the garbage “cans” and make the total advertising space even less than that on the grey steel Eucan bins. The end result would mean some additional revenue for the city, but a slightly less reduction of advertising in the city domain.” | [Blank] |
| 674 | 08/10/2005 02:24:13 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | They are much to large. Any solution should attempt to minize these structures. ie. put main housing underground and make above ground unit smaller. The advertising is awful. Our streets are to cluttered with this kind of media. | No | “I am not in favour. The city is not in the advertising business. Nothing is “free”. The city dweller will pay for this through crap advertisement. Lets clean up our street not fill it with clutter.” | They should incorporate the newspaper stands. |
| 675 | 08/10/2005 02:37:00 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | From the pictures it seems the bins project into the sidewalk. This will greatly reduce the usable (for walking) width. This is not desirable. Currently too many sidewalk ‘accessories’ block the sidewalks. | No | [Blank] | Do not use them. The St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association has already stated their objections to them to Pam McConnell’s office. |
| 676 | 08/10/2005 02:53:53 PM | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “They are hideous. They are simply cluttering our streets. They are far too huge and they’re clearly there for the advertising benefits, not to better our Toronto neighbourhoods. If these monster advertising bins (illuminated at that!) are placed all around our city, they will detract significantly from the beauty of our city.” | No | “These bins will make the city even more inundated with advertising than it already is. It significantly detracts from the appeal of the city. Unlike beautiful cities like San Francisco and countless others in Europe, Toronto is fast becoming more ugly due to the commercialization of public space.” | [Blank] |
| 677 | 08/10/2005 03:05:12 PM | Yes | “Dundas and Pacific,Keele and Dundas,Dundas and Clendenan” | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “I find the bins offensive in that they are too high and obstruct views of shops and roadways. At Dundas and Pacific the corner of West Toronto Paints is completely hidden. The building is a nice one and it’s front is ruinned by the can. I’m sure the owners of the store are not appreciative as well. At Keele and Dundas, the view north from the southbound TTC stop is obstructed unless you stand close to the curb.” | No | “I am not in favour of the City leasing property and space to companies for advertising rights. I find these bins especially offensive because they are so vertically large and obstructive and causing the advertising they display to be “in one’s face”. I’m really not sure that they would promote more disposal of garbage because they seem more like a billboard than a garbage can.” | I prefer the current black lower horizontal cans that have several holes for sorting (although there is no space for cigarette butts which would be a helpful addition. I thought these cans were attractive. |
| 678 | 08/10/2005 03:22:39 PM | No | [Blank] | No | It’s a ridiculous scam to get the city into the business of selling ads. | No | It’s a ridiculous scam to get the city into the business of selling ads. | No | It’s a ridiculous scam to get the city into the business of selling ads. | Don’t put up billboards masquerading as recycling depots. Just recycle. The city should not be in the business of selling ads. |
| 679 | 08/10/2005 03:24:19 PM | Yes | Bloor & Christie | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | Enough plastering our city with advertising! | Using energy to power ads on city garbage bins is a terrible idea! |
| 680 | 38574.65836 | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | They are too large and very imposing. They block sightlines of traffic and cyclists. There is already enough ad space in Toronto. | Use a smaller bin. It is far too tall. |
| 681 | 38574.65852 | Yes | king & Strachan | No | opening are small and awkward | Yes | “they are too large for an urban setting, as our sidewalks are small and crowded to begin with.” | No | we are bombarded with enough ads already. | get rid of them. there must be a better solution. we also need to rid the city of those horrible recepticles we have currently. |
| 682 | 38574.67186 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “They are too big! As well, we don’t need more advertisements in our midst!” | No | I don’t think that we should have to be exposed to advertising everywhere in our environment. There must be a better way than to pollute our view! | [Blank] |
| 683 | 38574.67365 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “I think these are a complete eyesore, block people’s view of our wonderful city! Please REJECT this proposal in order to save the aesthetics of our city! They are ugly and they should go!” | [Blank] |
| 684 | 38574.67618 | Yes | “south side of Danforth, east of Broadview” | No | “it just looks like a big billboard; it is difficult to recognize that this is also a garbage can, not clear what types of recyclable material goes into each slot” | No | “the sidewalks are already too crowded (eg. the new solar powered parking meters take much more space than the old parking meters),the bin is positioned to maximize visibility to motorists, which also means that it blocks pedestrian movement on the sidewalk” | No | “The city should provide basic services, and the residents expect that these services are paid using tax revenue. There is already too much advertising on public sidewalks (eg. the new bus shelters). The city should pay for its own public garbage cans, and forgo the limited revenue from advertising space.” | [Blank] |
| 685 | 38574.67634 | Yes | In front of McCowan RT station. | No | I didn’t even see where the place for garbage was until I realised that I had to walk INTO TRAFFIC to reach the garbage hole. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t see where to put regular litter since the organic and recycling holes were filled with regular litter. | No | I think it’s really unsafe and impractical that people have to circle a garbage can on a busy road to find where to put their trash. There was no space on the sidewalk to access the garbage holes on the side closest to the street. I thought it was really dangerous and incovenient. | No | “It seems like these bins are more about advertising and less about collecting garbage. They’re confusing, impractical, poorly designed. Imagine the bins without advertising on them, wouldn’t you think that’s a terrible design for a garbage can? Of course you would! Why doesn’t the city start with a good design for a garbage can and then find ways to put advertising on it (if they must) instead of trying to convert a billboard into a garbage can. | “I think these new garbage cans are the worst garbage cans I’ve ever seen in my entire life. I have travelled to over 30 countries, so I’ve seen plenty of different garbage cans. They are way too tall, it made me feel uncomfortable to even approach the thing. They take up way too much space visually, even though their footprint is small. They are not easy to understand and therefore I don’t think they will ever be used properly. All the holes for garbage should be on the side of the sidewalk where people walk. I would much prefer a longer garbage can than a taller one. The only thing I did like about them is that there’s a space for batteries. How about you modify the garbage cans we already have (with the three holes) to have a little place for batteries. |
| 686 | 38574.67819 | Yes | King & Strachan | Yes | “I could find where to put the garbage, once I knew it was a garbage can -- it looks like a billboard and not a garbage can until you get up close.” | Yes | “I’m afraid they will cause a hazard for people as they reduce visibility. They provide a place for a potential mugger to hide. Also they produce light pollution. Finally, having to walk to the far end, by the sidewalk, could put one too close to traffic, especially if it is raining people will get splashed. Also, they take up too much room on the sidewalk and will cause pedestrian traffic jams on busy streets.” | No | “Increased revenue should be gotten by increasing taxes and taking the city staff’s recommendation to simply buy Toronto some garbage cans that do not further visually pollute our City and do not place hazards on the sidewalk. Some things should be kept in public hands, for the overall aesthetic of our City.” | [Blank] |
| 687 | 38574.67869 | Yes | outside McCowan RT station | No | “I found it difficult to use – different receptacles for different things placed in non-obvious ways (unlike the current bins that are widely in use). Upon peering in, I noticed a lot of the wrong things were in the wrong slots – lots of contamination. People were obviously not using it properly. Most people probaby don’t have the time to stand around looking at the far too complex diagrams above the slots.For question #3 below, I was only aware because I was waiting around for my drive and so had time to figure it out slowly. I didn’t realize it for quite some time at first. The design is very bad.” | Yes | “One side was facing the road – I had to go around to put stuff in it, putting me in danger of being hit by a vehicle! It was obvious that having the ads facing both sides of the street where pedestrians and cars can see them was more important than placing the bin in a way that was safe for users to use. This really bothered me.” | No | “The bins are difficult to use, placed in ways that are dangerous for people to use, and I have no interest in being forced to look at HUGE ads as I walk down the street or toss my garbage and recyclables into it. It seems a huge waste of energy as well to have lights illuminating the unnecessary ads. I do not want ads on my garbage and recycling bins, much less illuminated ones! They also take up way too much space on the sidwalk in an unnecessary way since the thing is HUGE (a real eyesore)! Despite this, upon peeing into the different holes, I notice that there is actually not a lot of space for the supposed real purpose of the bins – waste and recyclables. Most of it seems to be unnecessary waste of space (ads?).Free is good, but these bins are unsafe for users, a waste of space and energy, and very impractical for its supposed intended purpose.” | [Blank] |
| 688 | 38574.68484 | Yes | “Ronsecvalles, south of Bloor” | No | “It’s nuts that the openings are on the narrow sides, and they seemed pretty high for a child to use.” | Yes | I hate them. They take up way too much of the sidewalk and are very intrusive. They should be positioned so that the long side parallels the road AND contains the slots for the garbage and recycling. And they are way too tall. | No | “Collecting waste is a basic municipal service that we pay taxes to enjoy; there is already quite enough advertising littering the streets of toronto (not to mention those awful bilboard trucks that do nothing but advertise, congest the roads, and spew out exhaust). These new bins are far worse than the old ones (that *also have advertising on them) as their entire design appears to be aimed at creating an effective ad space rather than a useful waste receptical. | “The city needs more waste bins but these are not a good solution. Even without the ads they are already eyesores, rising so high up and blocking the sidewalk. |
| 689 | 38574.68742 | Yes | King and Shaw | No | sideways entrance ackward – not bit enough openings BUT HUGE size of these monsters look HORRIBLE on the sidewalk. | Yes | “they are too big – at least if they were against a wall ,but stuck out like that they are so big and ugly” | No | NO NO NO! They are truly imposing and ugly and seem to cry out – toronto needs money so we are putign thse bilboards becuase we’re desperate – BUT can someone please design one that is more attractive and not so INVASIVE | truly uninspired decision by the city t-- very disappointing if they stay |
| 690 | 38574.68841 | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | “look great, like the design alot” |
| 691 | 38574.69311 | Yes | Main and Danforth | No | “Easy to understand, but openings kind of small. Openings on side of street not practical.” | Yes | “The bins are in the way on the sidewalk. They are a physical obstruction, in the way of pedestrians. They are also a visibility obstruction.” | No | “Surely, there must be a better way for the city of generate some revenue. City residents are bombarded enough with advertising. It is not necessary to put it in our faces.” | “Please remove these new bins.I noticed that the old bins are of a similar size to the new ones, but because they are lying on the side (not standing up like the new ones) and placed parallel to the street, they are less of an obstacle (physical and visual), and seem to contain as much garbage.” |
| 692 | 38574.69348 | Yes | Dundas and Ossington | Yes | [Blank] | No | too close to pedestrians | No | Sales from ugly billboards of advertising is a sick way for the city to make money. The fact that they are illuminated is even more disturbing. What kind of a message does this send to the citizens of Toronto in our stretched and desperate Hydro system? | What is wrong with what we are currently using? |
| 693 | 38574.70177 | Yes | Gerrard Sq. | No | “Better labelling on the sides where the holes are might help. Not sure garbage area is as big as it could be, although I assume the City has a better idea of what’s necessary than I do.” | Yes | “Good visibility from the side, but since they’re so high, they’re quite sight-blocking.” | Yes | “Although preferably without being quite so sight-blocking. I’d like MORE garbage cans rather than newer, but... | Larger ‘garbage’ capacity seems prudent. |
| 694 | 38574.70376 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “I think these new bins are disgusting, and it is no “benefit” to the city to receive free advertising – just another easy lead for companies to brand public space, and urge us to continue to consume. I believe that we are clever enough to develop alternative ways for the city to receive increased revenue, and that we most definitely do not have to resort to selling commercial advertising space to earn money for our city.” | PLEASE KEEP THESE BINS OFF TORONTO STREETS!! |
| 695 | 38574.70953 | No | I live near Danforth & Logan. | [Blank] | I don’t understand opening towards the street. Are pedestrians supposed to step in the street to use this? Is it meant for drivers? The garbage containers also looked very small. | Yes | “Very intrusive to pedestrian traffic -- it’s hard enough having to go around restaurant patios and trees. Stark visual pollution. Will impair safety by blocking vision for cars turning and pedestrians crossing streets-- even if the bins are not near corners, delivery and other vehicles often park near corners making ANY other visual blockage especially dangerous.” | No | “The City should focus on reducing garbage and disposable containers (by revenue-neutral tax, though that may not currently be within its powers) or enact by-laws requiring establishments who sell products in disposables to provide garbage removal nearby. I have visited parks in other cities where signs posted tell people to take out their own garbage.” | “I have heard that the bins are illuminated. This ESPECIALLY should not be allowed. With the provincial gov’t threatening blackouts to the GTA unless we conserve electricity, overtly spending energy to encourage more consumption subverts the public interest.” |
| 696 | 38574.71751 | Yes | “Southwest corner of College/Bathurst, near the hotdog stand” | No | “I was looking forward to this process of evaluating these new controversal cans, but after trying them, they ultimately disappoint as they are neither very easy to use or practical. The height of the openings are okay, but they are awkwardly shaped and are too small for most refuse. The height of each opening is okay, kind of interesting too. But because they are so tightly stacked, it’s a little confusing. The flexible black plastic bits that keep trash in and flies out is, in my opinion, a good idea. But I tend to think any such barrier keeps more people from using the bins (cear of ‘contaminating’ their hands, however brief the contact) than encourages. But overall, I think this idea fails because it IS stacked. People think in linear fashion when walking along a street. They want a solution that won’t slow them down. With the (ugly but functional) stainless steel bins, people can see at a distance where they need to put their trash and do not have to break stride. With these new bins, you simply cannot. You must stop and figure out the visual maze that is the layout.” | No | “Well, I like that it was set back from the street, so that it isn’t a billboard right on the street. But as a pedestrian, I have to say it’s pretty dumb to put up a wall that runs perpendicular to the sidewalk it sits on. It simply takes up a LOT of space. Can’t it be more squat, wider and not so deep? | No | “Not at all. I’m torn on the ad side of things....the City needs more revenue. Perhaps if exactly half of each side of advertising was for City initiatives, I would fall firmly in the pro-ad camp. But the cans themselves, they simply do not work well. It’s form far far above function, which isn’t wise for public furnishings.” | “Again...a much more squat design with bigger refuse/recycling areas/openings, clearer explanations of what the functions are, and split the ad space down the middle and have one half to be public-oriented. Perhaps this could be the area where people could put up personal postering for lost animals, etc.? |
| 697 | 38574.71899 | Yes | Bloor and Christie | No | It is not practical to have such huge ads on public bins. | No | “I think they provide a huge obstruction. They not only block the view from the sidewalk, but the ads they display are ugly and intrusive...especially because they are right at eye level. I thought you guys wanted to make the city more beautiful!” | No | The amount of money the city would get is not worth the visual obstruction and the eyesore of ground-level advertising. It is pretty obvious that these things make the streets of our city far more ugly and offensive. How much money would make that worthwhile? | Please get rid of them! There are already way too many billboards on Toronto streets. |
| 698 | 38574.72581 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 699 | 38574.74225 | Yes | Jane & St. Clair | No | “At first glance, I didn’t realize it was a garbage can.” | No | “I feel they are kind of imposing, and they block your vision down the sidewalk.” | No | “Well, since the openings are about halfway down the side of the bin, it seems like the fact that they do block vision is unecessary. If not for the ad space, which is much bigger than the bin, the bin wouldnt be so imposing.” | “They don’t look like garbage bins. When I first saw it, because I thought the sidewalk was being invaded by billboards. It seems the ad space has overrulled the praticality of these bins. And due to the fact that it doesnt look like a garbage bin, we will see a lot more garbage and recyclables on the streets. |
| 700 | 38574.76106 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | They are way to big and very ugly. | No | Absolutely not. Toronto needs better design. The OCAD and new AGO is a good start. Don’t ruin it by adding these no matter how gimmically improved they are. | Start with a people first design rather than a corporate first media vehicle. |
| 701 | 38574.76707 | Yes | Bathurst | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | There is enough advertising in Toronto already to make it look like a bad version of New York – all the advertising and not the charm that was unqiue to Toronto |
| 702 | 38574.77678 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | They are too large- | No | “These garbage/recycling bins are TOO LARGE- and even more disgusting is that they are covered in ADVERTISING- I think they detract from our city-- well the city I want at least, which is a cityscape that is as organic as possible, allowing for the architecture new and old and the green spaces to help to make Toronto a community based city- rather than one that is dominated by advertising- such as Dundas Square- | “I am disgusted that the city first try a re-design the current sized bins, to allow for larger openings, perhaps a circular bin- allowing for more garbage/recycling with a tree planted in the middle would have been met with less resistance. I hope there is sufficient resistance to these new bins that they are removed from the city.” |
| 703 | 38574.77741 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | “I think they are ugly, oversized, and inapproprate to our cityscape. They interrupt the visual sightlines. This is very different from the current bins which are functional and acceptable as a tradeoff for advertising/garbage collection. The new bins are not.” | [Blank] | “I am not in favour. We cannot be this desperate. We are trashing the way the city looks. Clean and beautiful is the direction to go, and these bins INTERFERE with that goal. let’s find the income the city needs in different ways.” | “As above in #4 – they interrupt sightlines, are ugly, and unacceptable.” |
| 704 | 38574.77994 | Yes | roncy and howard park | No | you have to be kidding me if you think these bins are good!!!! | Yes | they take up the whole sidewalk!!!! | No | once again i think these bins are a waste!!!! | please get rid of these bins!!!!! |
| 705 | 38574.78196 | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | They are way too big. | No | Return on the advertising is likely only partial. | Just way too big. They are an unnecessarily large. Much too large. |
| 706 | 38574.79602 | Yes | Bloor and Christie | No | It was difficult to tell that it was a garbage bin. It looked like an advertising billboard. | No | “No matter where you position them, they will be too tall and block the view. This is a serious problem. As a woman who often walks alone, I worry about anything that obstructs my view or provides a “blind spot” for people to hide in. I think they would be a safety hazard for all pedestrians.” | No | “I am abolutely opposed to these bins, no matter how much revenue they bring. The streets and sidewalks are our public spaces and no part of them should be offered as billboards for advertisers. I would rather pay higher taxes than to sell out in this way. If city garbage bins are to be used for communicating, it should only be for public messages in the form of local maps and information about the city.” | “The bins are a mistake. They are ugly, they block sight lines, they are not even recognizable as garbage bins, and for all their looming largeness, they do not appear to hold very much garbage. I’m also concerned about the fact that they light up; the city needs to be smarter on the matter of both energy conservation and light pollution.” |
| 707 | 38574.7983 | No | “I work near the one located on Lakeshore, just before the bridge into Missassauga.” | [Blank] | “People still throw stuff on the street or,the co-op garbage bin. I’ve not seen,anyone go near the ad bin.” | Yes | “Its location on Lakeshore, west of the Go,Station exit and jsut before 43rd street,is a place with very low pedestrian traffic.The only reason for it to be there seems to be as a advertising billboard.” | No | “This is a taxpayer subsidised display,billboard, not a real source of additional,revenue. We pay for the upkeep of,the area around the ad, for the security,of the ad, etc.---which costs more than,the money the city receives.” | “Be honest. These are for the benefit,of corporate advertisers. The garbage/,recycling bin is an effort to make the,intolerable less offensive.” |
| 708 | 38574.79999 | Yes | Dundas Ossington | No | Does not look like a garbage – had to wander around to find openings | Yes | “Obstructing vision, ugly, monstosities, unnecessary” | No | “This errodes our public space and is not functional. Create garbage bins, not more advertising in our public space.” | Create garbage bins and perserve our public space. |
| 709 | 38574.80198 | Yes | QS near Jamieson | No | Distracted by huge advertising board – couldn’t believve this was garbage bin | No | “The proximity of the bin to the sidewalk seems dangerous. Also, I saw it late at night and feared someone could be behind it.” | No | I don’t want to receive more advertising – we have too much already. Please do not do this. | I don’t want my city to sell advertising on the street in this way. |
| 710 | 38574.80306 | No | I’ve just seen the one on Danforth at Broadview | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “They take up valuable sidewalk space and block your view when you are out for a stroll. They could even be dangerous as a car might not see someone standing behind one, which could be fatal if that person then stepped out onto the street.” | No | “I’m in favour of the city receiving increased revenue, but not at the expense of having to look at these very large, very ugly bins. They are much too tall and in your face and make our streets look cheap and too commercial. | “Could a new design – ie. shorter bins, be considered?” |
| 711 | 38574.80622 | Yes | Gerrard Street East of Carlaw in front of Gerrard Square mall | No | “very confusing.one of the sets of openings would only really be accessible if I steped into the street.” | Yes | “blocks views of trafic (a safety issue) ,placement is for ad visibility not useability as a garbage bin.” | No | There are far better sollutions to the litter issue | please get rid of them. They truly make the City look tacky and cheap. I can’t imagine that this would impress a tourist. |
| 712 | 38574.81058 | Yes | “Bathurst and College, Jane and Bloor” | No | “Not really, the labels weren’t very clear. The recycle section is also pretty high up, I think it would be diffucult for children or people in wheelchairs to use. | Yes | “I don’t understand the logic of puting half of the receptacles either facing the street (Bloor and Jane) or facing a parking lot (Bathurst and College), they won’t be used as much. Not only that but I’m guessing those receptacles will often be unaccessible during the winter time because of slush and snow. I also don’t like the fact that their size blocks the sightlines on the sidewalk. I can just imagine a kid running onto the street from behind one of them. | No | “I think it would be great if the city could make some money with garbage bins, BUT these bins don’t make sense. Also I doubt that in the grand scheme of things the revenues would be that much.” | My main suggestion is that they be redesigned. These bins really don’t seem to have pedestrians in mind. I know there are problems with the current bins but in terms of collecting garbage they’re alot better. Also when we’re trying to work towards city beautification these cans are a real eyesore when walking down the street. |
| 713 | 38574.81995 | Yes | McCowan RT station | No | Simply too large and cumbersome. | No | They are an absolute eyesore. | No | There is already too much advertising cluttering public space. | No one I’ve spoken to is in favour of these monstrosities. Please reconsider the plan to install these bins in the city of Toronto. |
| 714 | 38574.82469 | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | [Blank] | Yes | “They are terribly positioned, as they directly block sidewalk traffic. They should be parallel to traffic flow, not perpendicular to it. It’s practically a safety hazard” | No | [Blank] | Get rid of them! |
| 715 | 38574.83818 | Yes | Avenue and Eglinton | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | They are too big and too unnattractive. | “Impractical ugly garbage bins, keep them away from my neighborhood.” |
| 716 | 38574.84149 | Yes | Danforth and Pape | No | “One side practically requires the user to stand in the street, it’s so close to the curb.” | Yes | See #2. It’s also a terrible visual obstruction for pedestrians. | No | They are extremely ill-conceived. The city does not need more advertising and certainly doesn’t need illuminated sidewalk billboards that form a visual barrier to traffic. | Remove them all. |
| 717 | 38574.85064 | Yes | Danforth and Main | No | “One side of the openings would require me to stand in traffic in order to put anything in it. The openings are small and the bin is not obvious as a trash/recycling/cigarette disposal. If i hadn’t been aware of the publicity surrounding the new bin, I would have had no idea that’s what it was, as it looks like it’s just another billboard. We also had trouble figuring out what openings to put the garbage versus the recycling. It seems as though the bins are an afterthought to the advertising and are therefore not prominent enough to be easily used.” | Yes | “Unnecessarily large, eyesore, take up too much space on the sidewalk, block the view down the street.” | No | “If they were installed as part of bus shelters, where the advertising space is essentially the same, they would make much more sense as an integrated bin/advertising vehicle, would not obstruct pedestrians, and would be close to where people associate these bins to be already. Why not modify bus shelters to accomodate the bin within the structure – in that case I would be in favour of the new bins.” | “From a ‘beautifying the City perspective’ I personally find the continual encroachment on public space by more and more commercial advertisements to decrease the attractiveness of the City. ,I also find being constantly bombarded with visual ads as i walk around the City to be very stress inducing – again, i don’t believe this is conducive to the image of Toronto as a global city and a prime tourist destination and a place to live.” |
| 718 | 38574.85557 | Yes | Roncesvalles & Howard Park | No | “Small bin width for the garbage. If it wasn’t for the giant ad on the side telling me it was a garbage bin, I wouldn’t have known. Thus, when real, paid ads are placed there, I’m sorry to say that the bins will be mistaken for bus shelter ads.” | No | “This bin was placed diagonally, which lessened the impact. It still takes up more apparent sidewalk space (width) than the silver bins. Also, if the bin can collect garbage on the end facing the street it would be very dangerous indeed to use it!” | No | “No. This is visual garbage through and through: The advertising is intented to sell us things that in the end produce garbage which must then be disposed of anyway by the city. Looking at the big picture, I don’t see the overall monetary benefit for the city.” | Too tall! And in absolutely no circumstances should the ads be illuminated. |
| 719 | 38574.86084 | Yes | Danforth | No | If it were a garbage bin it would 1/4 the size and the openings would be in front. | Yes | “Way TOO big!,These things are ugly!” | No | “We already have bins.We do not need new ones that are double the size and 4x as ugly” | Don’t do it! |
| 720 | 38574.87431 | Yes | College and Bathurst | No | The design should be more streamlined. Not aesthetically but functionally. | [Blank] | They’re obtrusive. | No | No. I would prefer that the city found ways to generate revenue in ways that didn’t have detrimental (increased calls for overconsumption) effects on my neighbourhood and the environment (energy used to illuminate advertisements). | The bins are rather obtrusive. They use energy to illuminate the ads at a time when we should be concerving it. I’d rather not have more advertising messages polluting my neighbourhood. It would be a shame to see the city go ahead with this initiative. |
| 721 | 38574.87885 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | awkwardly and ugly | No | this is a horrible act of uglyfying our streets and all for advertisements who corrupt the society | remove the bins |
| 722 | 38574.89639 | Yes | “outside of the Science Center, beside the bus stop” | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | the bin seemed to be placed in order to maximize advertising exposure (to the cars driving by) as apposed to being easy to access from both sides | No opinion | that depends on a few things: what percentage of the advertising revenue will the city recieve? where will this money go? will the advertising be illuminated at night? where will the electricity come from ? (I would like to see solar pannels on the top) | “the bins are very easy to confuse with bus shelters. I ran for (what I thought was) a streetcar stop, but found it to be a garbage bin. I would also like to see some of the bins’ advertising space dedicated to local artists, public messageboards, or public service announcements. If the public is going to be forced to consume advertising, there should be an effort made to counteract this exposure with art etc.thank you,Liam” |
| 723 | 38574.90466 | Yes | I used the one on College Street at Bathurst. | No | The recycling slot seems too high to be comfortable to use. It seems to have been placed high to justify the extreme height of the overall unit and to have a huge advertisement on it. | Yes | They are huge and in the way. They are a visual obstruction and are unsightly to look at. They are a really bad idea. What’s wrong with the current garbage/recycling bins other than the flap is too small? | No | “I am really embarassed that the City would consider having 1500 of these unsightly units installed on our streets. I am an architect and am appalled at how the $$ issue is always getting in the way of good judgement. What about David Miller’s Beautiful City drive? This certainly doesn’t fit that mandate and I was just shaking my head when I saw it. You should be ashamed to even consider these “free” units that generate money for the City. Always selling out, aren’t we?” | “The thing about these “garbage/recycling bins” that is particularly bad is that they will consume electricity to light up the panels on both sides.While we are all being urged to cut back on our power consumption to avoid,brown-outs in the summer and to simply reduce pollution at any time of the,year, the city is proposing installing 1500 of these bins which together,will consume as much electricity as a small town, 24/7. ,Please make us proud... say no to these horrible things, and get them,off of our streets. Pay a little money to purchase some well-designed,,unobtrusive recycling/garbage bins-- they can’t be that expensive. Don’t sell out.” |
| 724 | 38574.91213 | Yes | in front of Gerrard Square | No | It was impossible to read the gray side of the bin to find out what went where without standing in the lane on busy Gerrard Street. (and for that matter use anything except the main receptacle from the sidewalk) | Yes | “One side is too close to the edge and therefore unusable. The other side is okay but they still take up too much space on the sidewalk, and the height is menacing to pedestrians.” | No | “You cannot sell out our public space. If advertising revenue is important, can the city not continue with the normal height and much more usable for garbage bins?” | “I like that there is a place for batteries. (also like the butt place though I’m not a smoker and I’m skeptical smokers will use it) Against the illumination. I feel its also somewhat complicated and most people will just throw everything in the closest receptacle, which in this case is the organics container.” |
| 725 | 38574.94373 | Yes | “Dundas and Ossington, Danforth and Pape” | No | “Had to look at the giant ad to figure which goes in where, and the design itself encourage the use of only the main bin. Also half were unavailable for use in normal use because it faces the road.” | Yes | “See above, but the current position is not usable because they face the road. Also, it makes it hard to see oncoming traffic when crossing the street.” | No | “Aside from the lack of clarity about which bins do which, they also block sightliness, and are not obviously garbage bins (for example, at the Taste of the Danforth the ones I saw were empty as regular trash bins are overflowing). The garbage aspect of it seems an afterthought -- more like a means to serve ads. That being said, if they were combined into the new transit shelters, they’d be quite good.” | “Redesign them so their purpose is obvious, remember the priority is to collect garbage and recyclables not serve ads. In fact, the blatant nature of the device as an ad serving mechanism overwhelm even the streets they are on. Furthermore, the size destroys the sightlines of the traffic on the roads and sidewalk and disrupts the open feel of many of our streets. Please, please don’t adopt these bins -- we’re try to clean the city, not pollute it.” |
| 726 | 38574.98557 | Yes | Don Mills and Laurence | No | “The older garbage cans are very easy to use. These monstrosities made it very awkward to get rid of garbage during walking. They are also very very ugly, hard to find whats where, and are eye sores.” | Yes | “They get in the way (the ones I have seen), and get in the way of padestrians. They are bad enough without power, so I imagine they would be very invasive with power (and leeches).” | No | Most advertisings are very ugly and an advertisment of this size make them very invasive and an eyesore on the public landscape. | They are stupid in every single way. We don’t need more items on the hydro grid constantly sucking power. |
| 727 | 38574.98583 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | Created for advertising and not for aiding waste management. | No | [Blank] | “A city of commercialism with a population of puppets is a high price to pay for “increased revenue.”” |
| 728 | 38575.0073 | Yes | Dundas & Ossington | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | “Ces poubelles sont vraiment affreuses, elles,prennent toute la place sur le trottoir.” | No | “Non, Il est dommage de detruire l’esthetique,de la ville.Il y a surement moyen de creer,des poubelles pratiques et esthetiques sans avoir a etre agresse par des publicites. | [Blank] |
| 729 | 38575.02453 | Yes | Don Mills and Lawrence | No | The openings were placed inconveniently and difficult to access in a rush. | Yes | “They block walking space, making it harder for people in wheelchairs. They could also be a safety issue in the more remote areas such as this--someone could hide behind the bins easily. The accessibility of the openings seems completely secondary to the bin’s visibility.” | No | The city doesn’t get enough money from the company to justify such visual and environmental pollution. | I’m very disappointed in my councillor for having passed this. The last thing we need in this city is more advertisement. Especially hydro powered advertisement. I hope Toronto gets rid of these seven-foot-tall monsters and work on making the city less cluttered/more beautiful. |
| 730 | 38575.3236 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “Deplorable. If the city can’t afford its own garbage cans, why are we paying taxes?” | No | “You’re asking a loaded question. The answer, nonetheless, is no.” | “Since you seem unwilling to speak plainly about these monstrosities, let me do it for you: The City is so pussywhipped by Eucan, which already debased the cityscape through its hard-to-use, ugly, advertising-laden garbage cans, that it actually contemplates these giant illuminated billboards masquerading as garbage cans. Install these things and each and every one of them will be vandalized. Then, when they’re repaired again, they’ll be vandalized again.Oh, and quickie question: Isn’t it true that Eucan hasn’t actually paid the city all the money it owes for the *existing* advertising billboards masquerading as garbage cans?” |
| 731 | 38575.34807 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “While I can appreciate the city wants/needs the revenues, these things are eyesores. What happened to the “Beautiful City” idea? If we are going to arrest grafiti artists and posterers, then we cannot allow these bins to invade our streets.” | No | “If my taxes don’t pay for waste management, then what are they being spent on? New computers for council?” | [Blank] |
| 732 | 38575.36233 | Yes | pape & danforth | No | [Blank] | No | Other options could have been explored. This one isn’t as effective as it obstructs views. | No | “we don’t need the clutter on the sidewalks,,I am apposed to the pedestrian size scale of the advertising bin.” | [Blank] |
| 733 | 38575.36875 | Yes | King St | No | [Blank] | Yes | “Very obnoxiously placed in the middle of the sidewalk, couldn’t be more in the way if you tried.” | No | These things get in the way of pedestrians’ view of the city -- you can’t see over or around them. They detract from the positive experience of this city. | Stay with the old horizontal format -- the city has no business ramming these new ones in peoples faces. |
| 734 | 38575.36949 | Yes | Victoria Park & Danforth | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | Well positioned. | Yes | This is a good way to raise revenue. | “Look modern, will help discourage litter” |
| 735 | 38575.37044 | Yes | Dundas West and Pacific | No | [Blank] | No | “They are too big, given that present sidewalks are small and already seriously cluttered with obstacles.” | No | “It’s a bad deal, since we would have to live with their intrusion into our space. Our space in this city is at a premium and doesn’t need to be debased and sold off yet again.” | “Let’s not have any of these. They are ugly, crassly commercial, and privatize a precious non-renewable resource: our space.i” |
| 736 | 38575.38905 | Yes | Warden and bridletowne circle (North of Finch) | No | “The height is ok, but is not very easy for everybody to understand which hole is for which kind. I think there should be symbols or words near the holes.” | Yes | “I like the idea of collecting batteries to recycle. If government can also promote the idea of collecting old computer parts for recycling or reuse or even second handed, then it would be wonderful.” | Yes | “It is a win win situation. We need both garbage/recycling bins (it is also one kind of education to Torontoians) The commercial needs ideas and a place to advertise (they have to spend the money anyways, why not to the good of the city)” | Is there a reason that it is so tall? |
| 737 | 38575.39417 | Yes | Gough and Danforth | No | “Understanding their use is the problem, there is a graphic instruction above the openings that does not catch your eye. I am a person who will stop and read such information but most people in my observation are in a hurry to get rid of their garbage and the lack of clarity is a problem. Also, the positioning favours the garbage receptacle which is prominent and at the standard height, the recyucling is higher and somewhat cryptic in how it should be used. | Yes | “The positioning is an obstruction to visibility and another lement of clutter. Despite the fact that the Danforth has a very wide sidewalk, it is already cluttered with huge numbers of obstructions, this new bin significantly contributes to the problem.” | No | Just because they are free doesn’t mean they are good. The city should invest in this significant element in the streetscape an take ownership instead of relying on advertisers designing the public environment. | “Why do they have to be internally lit. Why can’t they be solar like the parking tag dispensers? The City, government and citizens should do better” |
| 738 | 38575.42942 | Yes | Ossington and Dundas | [Blank] | Its design does not imply garbage bin. | No | “They are inappropriately sited. They are too large, and out of scale on the sidewalk. Pedestrians are forced to walk around them to avoid. Their size and position hinder visibility and safety.” | No | “The city should focus its efforts to save money elsewhere. The city’s responsibility should be to enhance public realm, not to profit from it. If profits are needed, focus increasing development fees from condos and maybe even an additional fee to contribute to public transportation specifically. I strongly disagree with the proposed garbage bins.” | These bins still fall short of creative ways in which the city can benefit from public space. Milking our city’s public realm for advertising profits renders Torontians as nothing more than an unsophisticated consumer citizen. We are much more than this. This degrades our city and is embarassing. Please stop. |
| 739 | 38575.43269 | Yes | King & Strachan | No | Openings difficult to find | No | “Take up too much room, hide too much of the sidewalk from pedestrians, too big and bulky overall” | No | “From what I have read, the revenue would be very little” | “It is so annoying having advertising garbage cans that are so obviously designed for drivers of cars, which ignore pedestrian’s needs completely, even though they are encroaching on sidewalk space. And these proposed bins are too big and bulky, and would be a real hindrance and eyesore” |
| 740 | 38575.43315 | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | “I found the arrangement of the openings did not help me to identify where my item should go. I had to spend a couple of minutes puzzling over the somewhat confusing directions. I think the three separate, clearly labelled openings on the existing stainless bins are more user-friendly.” | Yes | [Blank] | No | “I do not like the bins very much. I find them somewhat unattractive: they are visually imposing and block sightlines on the street. Also, I’d prefer not to have to look at more advertising (with or without fluorescent lighting) and don’t think the City should be turning more public space over to advertizers. Dundas Square’s unavoidable advertizing is not something I would like to see repeated elsewhere in the City, even on a bin.” | “I appreciate the City’s efforts to support recycling and garbage collection in innovative ways. However, I don’t see the 7x5x2 bins as an improvement on the current stainless steel bins, which are attractive, user-friendly, and do not obstruct sightlines. I would prefer that the Eucan bins not be brought into general use.” |
| 741 | 38575.43564 | Yes | Bathurst & College | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | “These bins are an eyesore, their towering vending-machine asthetic is unappealing and intimidating. I understand that advertising money would help the city, but at the cost of the charm of city streets. Looks aside, I think the bins are unlikely to be used properly by most pedestrians, as they appear complicated in their many sorting options.” | “It is my understanding that the advertisements will be lit at night. This is absurdly irresponsible, in a city where we are being asked to reduce our electricity consumption. |
| 742 | 38575.47567 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | “I could not use these bins. I own a house and keep my “stuff” under my porch and need lower built bins. I don’t have a front yard nor a garage to put these.” | Yes | I don’t understand this question. Does it block the sidewalk? Are these to be left on the sidewalk for the advertising to be seen throughout the week! I hope not. | [Blank] | “Are we asked to replace the advertizing or do you expect these bins to stay out all week?,I can’t really answer the question as stated. I am not opposed to advertizing dollars IN THIS EXAMPLE but can’t approve the design.” | “What other options did you have? This system seems a bit extreme. Is it so tall for the advertizing poster? or the pick-up trucks?,I wish I had more information.” |
| 743 | 38575.49235 | Yes | Bathurst and College | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | The fact that they are lengthwise across the sidewalk is the biggest problem with them. Why make a wide sidewalk if you are just going to block it. | No | The old ones were better | The bins are too small – they were already overflowing and it was still a weekday. |
| 744 | 38575.50826 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | “intrusive, block signs for pedestrians, must we be bombarded by ads everywhere we turn?” | No | “While the premise of this idea is good, its implementation falls short of its purpose as a waste disposal system. Perhaps the shorter bins would be a more useful path to pursue.” | Consult environmental agencies and develop more efficient openings for the waste. |
| 745 | 38575.51797 | Yes | Near Ontario Science Centre | No | The bins are confusing and I had trouble figuring out what went where. | Yes | They’re huge and in the way. They need to be put way off to the side where they dont’ block anybody’s view or pedestrian traffic. | No | “Our city is overgrown with advertisements. They’re like weeds that seem to pop up in every available space. We need to start thinking of other ways to generate revenue besides giant, bilboard-sized advertisements in the middle of our sidewalks. Between these and the new platform video screens in the subways, our city’s starting to get cluttered and is about to seriously go downhill.” | I’ve said all I need to say now it’s up to you to act on it. Not that our opinions matter to you. |
| 746 | 38575.53654 | Yes | King and Strachan | No | “the bin is poorly designed for recycling – there is a prominant gaping mouth for garbage, and hidden holes for recycling. this will inevitably lead to lazy people throwing everything into the garbage, and will reduce recycling. Very poor design.” | Yes | They are awful. They obsure the sidewalk and the road. They are intrusive. They are completely in the way. | No | “No. When I visit a city, I do not remember “Boy, ____ sure had some nice garbage bins”. What I remember is how beautiful a city looked, how pedestrian friendly it was, how clean, and how the landscape isn’t cluttered with, literally, garbage.” | “These are an awful idea, which discourage recycling efforts, and make our city sidewalks into prostitutes. They are someone’s bad idea at short term cash grab, but do not reflect the very sould of our city. They block us in, rather then open us up. Please to not do this to our city.” |
| 747 | 38575.53709 | Yes | king & strachan | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “i have seen several of them, and some seem quite obstructive since they are essentially blocking the sidewalk with advertising. the old bins are far superior in this regard since they sit off to the side and are not in your face.” | No | “i’m sure it’s nice for the city to save some cash and hopefully use the money to improve other aspects of the city, but they are quite invasive. they also don’t seem to have much storage capacity compared to the old bins.i definitely prefer the current style of bins .” | “they are clearly designed more with advertising in mind than actual garbage storage. i like the cigarette section though, hopefully that will give smokers somewhere to put their butts, other the street.” |
| 748 | 38575.53709 | Yes | king & strachan | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “i have seen several of them, and some seem quite obstructive since they are essentially blocking the sidewalk with advertising. the old bins are far superior in this regard since they sit off to the side and are not in your face.” | No | “i’m sure it’s nice for the city to save some cash and hopefully use the money to improve other aspects of the city, but they are quite invasive. they also don’t seem to have much storage capacity compared to the old bins.i definitely prefer the current style of bins .” | “they are clearly designed more with advertising in mind than actual garbage storage. i like the cigarette section though, hopefully that will give smokers somewhere to put their butts, other the street.” |
| 749 | 38575.5475 | Yes | “Actually, right at bathurst & college” | No | “It didn’t make immediate visual sense. But I mean, I stuck my can in the slot. It worked.” | No | “kind of invasive, like a big billboard.” | No | “No, MY visual field is NOT up for sale. I really really object to selling the space around me for ads. I’M THE ONE WHO SUFFERS. I DO NOT CONSENT TO THIS.” | “Keep it low, keep it out of eye’s way. I don’t want it to smack me in the face. I don’t want it to light up to get MY attention. My attention is MINE. NOt yours to sell to a compnay.” |
| 750 | 38575.55593 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | they are in the way | No | “Our beautiful is being ruined with this proliferation of advertising. Everywhere you look, there are hideous. Soon it will be the City of Toronto sponsored by... Who is the City for, the people or the advertisers? Stop the insanity. Let’s clean up this city and remove the ads. Don’t add to the problem. | Ugly. Too high. An eyesore. This is really advertising disguised as a garbage can. |
| 751 | 38575.5648 | Yes | Gerrard and Pape | No | “The bottles and plastics deposit was to high for my children and I also noted they were to high and akward for elderly or disabled in wheelchairs, especially the side positioned to close to the main road.” | Yes | “They were dangerously close to the busy road where my children tried to walk around to use the different sides.The deposits should be lined up more on a horizontal basis rather than vertical. I understand the need for the advertising wall but it was as big as a bus shelter and took up way to much room on the sidewalk. | Yes | [Blank] | “I do love the idea and the cleaner, sleeker look. I also love the cigarette and battery deposits. ,The idea is great but the saftey ,efficiency and concerns for hieght, age and dissabillities should be looked at more carefully” |
| 752 | 38575.56977 | Yes | Dundas & Ossington | No | It was a little confusing and difficult to figure out what type of trash went where. | Yes | They take up too much space and partially obstruct the view of traffic. | No | “While I do like the idea that the revenue from the sale of ad space would go to the city, I think that too much of our urban landscape is already cluttered with advertising. | “They are far too large. There is no need to turn a garbage can into a mini billboard. I think they ruin the look of the street. They look a little too much like the monolith from 2001 with posters stuck to its sides, which is kind of creepy. I might object less if they were half the size, but I’d likely still think that they’re damn ugly. (Also, the ashtray feature is less than ideal. Smokers aren’t going to carry their burnt out butts to the garbage when they’ve always just chucked them into the streets. Not that I am pro-litter, I’m just realistic.) In short, the bins are far too big, ruin the look of the street and assault the passer-by with yet more advertising. I’d prefer to see Toronto, not just a giant ad. |
| 753 | 38575.579 | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | too confusing too many small compartments | Yes | Placing the bins against the flow of sidewalk traffic seems like a good idea for advertisers but not for pedestrians. having to walk around the bins is rediculous not to mention the huge blindspot behind the bins which could be a potential nightime safety hazard especially for women. | No | The bins are too obtrusive to sidewalk flow. They clutter Toronto’s already cluttered and ugly streets. | “back to the drawing board...they need to be redesigned, better positioning and smaller profile” |
| 754 | 38575.58188 | No | “I found one of the bins on the Danforth, and I could not believe its size, and also how awkward the entire thing appeared. | No | “Because one entire side of the bin, the one facing people is a gigantic glowing billboard. The fact that it is a recycling bin seems to be secondary. | No | I think their positioning is terrible. | No | I don’t think we should be renting out more of city space to advertisers. I think revenue should not justify every move. | “I heard about these months ago, and I could not believe that Mayor Miller would seriously consider putting in new 7 ft advertising blocks into the city. This is not the vision of Toronto I know or support. ,-Ian Daffern,601 1/2 College Street,Toronto Ontario ,M6G 1B5” |
| 755 | 38575.58344 | Yes | Bloor and Chrisite | Yes | Found garbage hole | No | Take up too much space | No | Too much outdoor clutter on the streets | no |
| 756 | 38575.59384 | Yes | The Danforth | No | At first I thought it was just another bill board. Had to look for the openings. | Yes | They block the streetscape. | No | Assisting in further commercialization of our city’s public space is not at all wise. | don’t do it. Please. |
| 757 | 38575.59538 | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | “They were easy to understand b/c of the large arrows which I presume will be replaced with ads. Also, people on the run might not notice the different openings. | Yes | “The placement on the sidewalk is horrible. One of the openings is all but useless (one side faces a parking lot, not exactly a highly trafficked part of the sidewalk) and I’ve seen similar asinine placements on other bins.” | No | “The city receives extremely little in advertising revenue for what the company gets in the end. Also they are a blight on our already threatened public spaces and sidewalks. The new bins are not designed with the city’s best interests in mind but with the ad company’s. I strongly urge the city to not go forward with these bins. They are not what I envisioned when I think of a “clean and beautiful” city.” | “Although some of these bins are not illuminated, it is my understanding that they will be when implemented. How can the city contemplate contributing to air pollution through such a wasteful project when this city will have well over 60 smog days this summer and threats of brownouts loom daily? Shame on the city for even considering such a project.” |
| 758 | 38575.60794 | Yes | “Bloor West Village, I think – can’t remember exactly where.” | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “I thought they’d be monstrous and ugly – instead, they’re significantly less eye-sore-ish than the current bins, and I predict that they’d be less likely to have overflow falling into the street. My only question, now that I’ve seen them, is will they hold the same quantity of garbage & recyclables as the old ones? They seem rather slim.” | Yes | “Yes, I’m in favour, but I would prefer it if at least a portion of the money garnered from this venture could be put towards a compatible project. Perhaps creating more solar-power roofs in order to decrease the city’s dependence on coal, hydro-electric & nuclear power? Or a bursary program to help more Ontario companies switch to reuseable or recyclable packaging for their products? | Here’s to a cleaner & greener Toronto! |
| 759 | 38575.62328 | Yes | Bloor and Indian Road | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | I find they are obstructive in that they block the view of the street and cars | No | What’s the catch? It seems too good to be true. I think the city should be looking at ways to decrease the amount of advertising around. | I was truly shocked at the size of them. The top two feet of them are a complete waste. get Shring the size and it will be great. |
| 760 | 38575.62455 | Yes | Christie Pits | No | “No. The openings for the recycling are not easily noticable. I took note of the fact that there were recyclables in the garbage bins, evidence that people didn’t even notice the rubber recycling slots. Also, the garbage bins are surely not big enough to hold very much trash. That being said, the one upside I noticed was that the garbage bins don’t have any annoying flaps that require touching to be opened (yuck!).” | Yes | I found the structure to be intrusive and gawdy. The billboard simply gets in the way of pedestrians and detracts from the scenery. The placement of the old bins is much more sensible-out of the way and easy to use while passing by. | No | “NO! Even the use of the term ‘commercial advertising space’ is misleading and insulting. This is not commercial space, it is public space. Not only does it offend my morals but it also seems impracticle to build such large structures that privatize our public space yet hold such little garbage. At least the old bins, although plastered with advertising, were not nearly as imposing on the scenery. The sheer size of these new poster sized billboards is disgusting. Please, feel free to use my tax dollars to pay for bins that provide no ‘commercial advertising space’. If the new bins are going to provide a giant canvass for advertising, why not create actually useful ‘designated postering spaces’ out of them? -A far cry better than postering in a foot and a half between collars on utility poles.” | “Please do not commodify our public space any further with these impracticle eyesores. ,Thank you.” |
| 761 | 38575.63036 | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | “Tiny interior volume, gigantic exterior size. Aren’t just regular garbage cans with volumes that match their exterior size a better long-term investment?” | No | “they take up far too much space, I like being able to see more of actual toronto.” | No | I doubt that things would work out that way based on how poorly other sub contracting at city hall has gone. | [Blank] |
| 762 | 38575.63405 | Yes | Danforth and Logan | No | They were confusing | Yes | The bins take up far more room on the sidewalk than the current bins. | No | “I would prefer to not be forced to look at any more advertising, even if it does help with revenues. The new bins are too big – they take up too much room on the sidewalk, which is especially a problem in an area like the Danforth where you have so many patios. The bins are also eyesores. They’re far too big. | “Go back to the drawing board and come up with something better. In the meantime, stick with what we currently have. |
| 763 | 38575.63632 | Yes | Main & Danforth | No | The litter compartment was overflowing and it was hard just to put a Tim Hortons cup in the compartment | Yes | I think the bins should have a deeper litter compartment and a wider openning | No | as above | no |
| 764 | 38575.63935 | Yes | Dundas & Ossington | No | “Their design and size makes it clear that they are simply a conduit for advertising, not a practical and useful receptacle for streetside waste. Completely impractical.” | No | They are positioned in a way that enables maximum advertising visibility on both sides and not easy accessibility to the actual functional parts of the unit. Sad. | No | They are hideous blights on our public space. They are completely impractical and offensive to the eyes and the spirit. | “I was so appalled that council voted these in and they are even worse than they seemed on paper. You have made OUR public space so much more commercial and ugly, so thanks for nothing. |
| 765 | 38575.63971 | Yes | roncesvalles and howard park | Yes | “yes, a bit too small.” | Yes | “The bin was excessively large although it seemed that most of this size was devoted to advertising rather than as a garbage receptical. It also took up a lot of space on the sidewalk. It is an eyesore, infringing on my public space. Frankly, i’m quite tempted to vandalize it. | No | [Blank] | Please remove them. |
| 766 | 38575.64308 | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | Openings were quite small and their positioning on the sides were difficult to spot. | No | They’re too big and in the way. They block the sidewalk excessively. | No | “Lets not kid ourselves. These aren’t garbage bins with ads attached. They’re billboards with garbage bins attached. The difference is substantial. These new billboard/bins are an eyesore, are not convenient to use, and take up much more public space than the ones currently in use.” | [Blank] |
| 767 | 38575.64448 | Yes | Danforth and Chester | No | “I found it odd that the bulk of the bin is taken up by a billbaord, and that the actual garbage part is very small. | Yes | “The bins are wide and high. Because they are opaque, the way they are positioned on the sidewalk could have adverse consequences. They could make it difficult for cars to see pedestrians, and vice versa. ,I also believe that it is more logical for garbage bins to be placed on street corners. But, as I understand it, these particular bins are so large that Public Works will not allow them on street corners.” | No | “I am not in favour of the new bins. The garbage bins are illuminated. This will place increased demand on the power grid and, more importantly, on the environment. At a time when we are experiencing rising temperatures, I believe it is improvident to introduce more non-essential energy-consuming items. Especially when we as private citizens are constantly being reminded to conserve electricity.” | “I recognize that Toronto needs to increase its revenue. I also recognize that we need to promote recycling. But cities are about people. Toronto should be enhancing public space by centering them on people. Flooding public spaces with huge advertisements signals, in a way, that corporations ‘own’ our public space. This is not a good thing. Would there not be a way to make the new garbage bins less obtrusive, perhaps with smaller advertisements, which would not block sight-lines and would have less impact on the urban landscape?” |
| 768 | 38575.64598 | Yes | Dundas | No | “It was kind of hard to recognize that it was a garbage bin at all, so much space was dedicated to advertising.” | No | “I think they are overly large, an eyesore, and pretty much just a terrible advertising ploy that someone put holes in for garbage as an afterthought.” | No | “I understand that the city needs money, but I wouldn’t go about getting it this way.” | [Blank] |
| 769 | 38575.64866 | Yes | I have not ‘used’ the bin at Dundas and Ossington. I have had to wait my turn to walk by it in the face of oncoming pedestrian traffic. | No | They are too bloody big and high. | Yes | They are too bloody big and high. They obstruct the flow of the sidewalk to say nothing of sight lines. | No | The revenue streams suggested don’t seem sufficient to justify the size and imposition of these boxes. | These boxes are designed to create more space in the city for advertisements. The streets and sidewalks are not property that the city owns and can use at their disposal. I’m not a lawyer but even the legality of this seems suspect to me. |
| 770 | 38575.65582 | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 771 | 38575.66096 | Yes | Howard Park and Roncesvalles | No | it seemed overly convoluted and impracticle | No | [Blank] | No | “There’s got to be more creative, less intrusive ways to increase ad revenues for the city while maintaining a more dignified urban landscape.” | [Blank] |
| 772 | 38575.66212 | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | What is the point of having one of the receptical openings not accessable from the sidewalk? | Yes | “Horrible, at least the one i saw was positioned such that it occupied half of the sidewalk space... why couldn’t they be positioned so that they were unobtrusive?” | No | Why not allow billboards on the roof of city hall? | Why not find a solution that has a bigger garbage/recyclables capacity and is less obtrusive? Do we really need more huge billboards lining our streets? |
| 773 | 38575.66432 | No | [Blank] | No | I was not sure if I had to pay to put my garbage in. | No | Why are we oddly celebrating garbage? They are much too tall and quite hideous. | No | They are embarrassing and it would be sad to see that Toronto’s claim to fame is its glowing garbage vending machines. | “The ones we already have are fine. We can still advertise on them, and there is no reason for a waste bin to be so tall. It also seems like a waste of power, especially in a city that should be conserving energy.” |
| 774 | 38575.68267 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 775 | 38575.68361 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “These bins are an obtrusive eyesore, and the city is not justified to have them installed as a means to increase revenues. ,Our city is becoming one large garbage can, with all the trash that is casually left or deposited anywhere and everywhere by people at random. ,The boxes that have been in place for several years now, owned and managed by the same company that owns the newer, bigger eyesores, have never been maintained properly.They are usually so full that garbage is sticking out from all the openings which looks disgusting. ,In fact, these beens have often posed safety risks because their metal backs are not infrequently left unclosed and sticking out onto streets or sidewalks.Even when they are properly closed, their position is often presents an obstacle to sidewalk view and traffic. ,In my opinion, the city’s money would be far better and more effectively spent by hiring more bylaw officers to enforce the anti-littering bylaw that was brought in a few years ago, but which is rarely enforced. | “Why does city council pass bylaws that are rarely enforced, such as the anti-littering and anti-idling bylaws? |
| 776 | 38575.68363 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “These bins are an obtrusive eyesore, and the city is not justified to have them installed as a means to increase revenues. ,Our city is becoming one large garbage can, with all the trash that is casually left or deposited anywhere and everywhere by people at random. ,The boxes that have been in place for several years now, owned and managed by the same company that owns the newer, bigger eyesores, have never been maintained properly.They are usually so full that garbage is sticking out from all the openings which looks disgusting. ,In fact, these beens have often posed safety risks because their metal backs are not infrequently left unclosed and sticking out onto streets or sidewalks.Even when they are properly closed, their position is often presents an obstacle to sidewalk view and traffic. ,In my opinion, the city’s money would be far better and more effectively spent by hiring more bylaw officers to enforce the anti-littering bylaw that was brought in a few years ago, but which is rarely enforced. | “Why does city council pass bylaws that are rarely enforced, such as the anti-littering and anti-idling bylaws? |
| 777 | 38575.69515 | Yes | bathurst and bloor | No | “no, it was completely overflowing with garbage, actually. | No | the edge facing the street is too close to the street to safely use. | No | their poor design is simply not worth it. keep the old ones (and their respective revenue). | increase their capacity for garbage please! |
| 778 | 38575.71478 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | the new bins are positioned very aggressivly. | No | “I think that an effective media campaign aimed at not littering,for instance the current ‘farmer snot’ television commercial would be more effective than bigger uglier more numerous garbage bins. In Japan there is a culture of not littering and there are very fer garbage bins, people carry their garbage and dispose of it privately. | What is wrong with the current 4’ high model that was introduced within the last few years. |
| 779 | 38575.71927 | Yes | Danforth @ Playter Blvd | No | “You don’t realize that it’s a garbage cna until you’ve walked past it, unnecessarily confusing.” | Yes | “They’re placed terribly, pedestrians can’t see the road, traffic can’t see pedestrians coming out from behind them.” | No | [Blank] | “They stink:,http://www.publicspace.ca/monsterreportcard.htm” |
| 780 | 38575.72067 | Yes | Roncesvalles and Howard Park | No | “I hate the bin. It’s too big, it’s intrusive, there is nothing wrong with the old bins (from my perspective). | Yes | “They couldn’t possibly be any other way. Horizontally they wouldn’t allow for sidewalk space, and vertically they would block the street entirely from the sidewalk. The way they are now blocks the sightline of hte road from many angles. THis is unecessary and dangerous” | No | I feel the advertisment is invasive and I’m totally against the city recieving money for advertising private companies. | Leave them as they are. THey’re just fine. I HATE the new ones because they are enormous and dangerous. |
| 781 | 38575.74498 | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | “Not really. Most of the garbage can is taken up by ads. I feel as if I have to stop and examine the compartments to figure out what goes where, on both sides no less.” | No | “Horribly. They are obviously positioned to maximize advertizing exposure and not to serve as a practical way of throwing away garbage and recyclables. The fact that waste is collected at both sides complicates things particularly when there is about six inches between the curb and the can. Furthermore their height actually reduces visibility down the street. I felt amazed to be dwarfed by a garbage can (I’m 6’2”) as I walked down the street.” | No | “Not in the least bit. The city already has enough advertizing and clutter as it easy. The last thing we need is small, illuminated billboards masquerading as garbage cans.” | [Blank] |
| 782 | 38575.77633 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “The garbage bins are dangerous. They obstruct the view of drivers and pedestrians, creating a hazard for cyclists, motorists, and pedestrians crossing the street.” | No | “They are a waste of energy. When everyone else attempts to conserve energy, Toronto plans to install thousands of illuminated advertisements that stay on all night? Way to set an example!” | “You have gone against the general consensus of the CITIZENS of Toronto. The ads are an invasion of public space, especially in a time when you are trying to minimize the amount of harmless COMMUNITY advertising by introducing your IDIOTIC poster by-law. The city belongs to the CITIZENS! These “garbage cans” are an eye sore, hazardous and UNWANTED!” |
| 783 | 38575.83231 | Yes | liberty and dufferin | No | only understandable becuase of the massive poster explaining it. | Yes | 3 major problems 1) perpendicular to the street blocks the sidewalk causing bottlenecks 2) streetside bin slots are practially on the street. 3) act as blind spot to oncoming drivers. | No | the return is not worth it. less obtrusive advertising could probably earn sufficient advertising. | I will be deeply disappointed if these are implemented...the old garbage cans were poorly designed but they weren’t such a completely negative addition to Toronto’s streetscape. |
| 784 | 38575.86367 | Yes | Bloor West Village | No | “trash door to small, the other end was on the road side.” | No | “It’s just a another billboard, crowding the sidwalk” | No | “The homeless rumage through the current bins and leave the door open. Business that generate paper, bootle waste should provide their own Bins outside of there establishment. Bin can be allocated to park and recreation areas where bins are few and far between” | “Too tall, smaller capacity then existing units, lack the three compartments for paper, waste, bottles. The |
| 785 | 38575.89543 | No | “I’ve seen them though, at Bathurst and College and at Roncesvalles and Howard Park. It wouldn’t occur to me to ‘use’ them – they’re obviously billboards.” | No | “??? There were some small openings on the side of the billboard in the middle of the sidewalk. Perhaps they were for workers to use, to pick up the billboard and move it so that its giant advertisement could be displayed more prominently, right in the middle of the sidewalk. So that no pedestrian might escape. Garbage?” | No | “Boy, they’re effective at making it impossible for cars to see when they’re making turns. Can’t see oncoming traffic, but you can sure see that shampoo ad! They will make a lot of people see ads, up really close, right in their faces as they’re walking down the street. I assume this is what they’re for?” | No | “Please raise my taxes by the few cents or dollars per capita these bins would raise for the city. Call it a ‘freedom from advertising tax’. I will pay it, and smile at the thought of not having to tune out any more giant ads right in my face as I walk down the street. (Also, please instate road tolls for commuters coming into the city who don’t pay taxes here, so that we can have less pollution and better public transit. But that’s another issue.)” | “I feel spammed. Like the City of Toronto has sold my personal information to a list so that I can be sold things I don’t want. My consciousness is being rented out to advertisers for money by my local government. I really object to this. Seriously, raise my taxes instead, if you’re that strapped for cash. |
| 786 | 38575.97957 | No | I have seen one at the South East corner of Christie Pitts Park and it is right in the middle of the walkway. | No | “The huge ads completely take over and provide needless and ridiculous distractions that take away from the purpose of the bins. I had no idea they were for garbage and recycling until I actuallly went up to them and inspected. I only realized what they were when I got close and read the signs. Good design means you don’t have to explain to people where things go. Garbage and recycle bins should be intuitive, not fancy and full of needless distractions. As for #3 below, I am aware that garbage and recycling is collected at both ends, but that was certainly not obvious to me at first. | Yes | “The bin at Christie Pitts is in the way, and it’s hideous. It does not make for a nice entrance into the park.” | No | “Advertising has become nothing but hideous visual and physical pollution, and is detrimental to the wellbeing of our society and culture. It has completely taken over the landscape and I am not convinced that adding more huge ads will make for a better city. For the most part, advertising does not encourage community, responsability, or taking care of our earth. Isn’t the point to create less garbage so we can reduce landfills ie: trips to Michigan? What happened to the motto “reduce, reuse, recycle”? That’s not what your ads on these bins will be telling us. Giant plastic and non-recycled paper posters promoting the latest disposable product on a recycle bin is clearly a mixed message. I’m sure there are other ways for the city of Toronto to make revenue and encourage people to recycle that do not include creating more garbage while preying on ours and our childrens insecurities.” | I do not support this project. |
| 787 | 38575.98478 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | The decreased visibility on these corners make it very dangerous for both drivers and pedestrians. | No | Increased revenue is no excuse for making our city streets unsafe. | What’s wrong with the ones we currently use? |
| 788 | 38575.98824 | No | [Blank] | No | I will not come close to one. Get them out of my neighbourhood! | Yes | “They’re position in such a way that the only purpose is to provide crappy advertisement.Get rid of them!” | No | “I’m sick and tired of advertisers polluting our public spaces.I’ll pay an extra buck to help the City’s finances but please GET RID OF THESE MONSTERS!” | “Yes, take them away and recycle them” |
| 789 | 38575.99939 | Yes | Eglinton Ave. and Avenue Rd. | No | “Easy to understand, once you understood that this was a garbage bin and not an advertisement. The garbage bin was overflowing, so, no: not easy to use.” | No | “Once again, the garbage function seems to be minimal, and the advertising function seems to be maximal. | No | “From a practical point of view, the bins are too small. The stretch of Eglinton this bin sits on is not very well travelled, but still it was overflowing with trash. (I’d hate to see the ones on Yonge Street.) From a quality-of-life perspective, I feel that public space belongs to the people of the city, and not to the highest-bidding advertiser. (Besides, doesn’t the city make enough money from its rabid parking enforcement?)” | “Please, please, please don’t install these bins. In a very real way, they will diminish the quality of life in Toronto. Public space should not be for sale. |
| 790 | 38576.01456 | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | too big | No | they get in the way | No | “Toronto already has too many ads, and if you ask the average person they would say they wish there was less ads not more. The last thing we need is the city putting ads on recycling bins.” | “Please, Please do not put more advertising in this City – if this is a democratic city you will respect the opinion of most people in the city – which is that we want less advertising, not more.” |
| 791 | 38576.08215 | Yes | Christie & Bloor. | No | The bin was not that difficult to use. But clearly it wasn’t practical. It’s a 7-foot-tall monstrosity. Practical things are things that are have a convenient form that reflects their function. This is a giant billboard. It would be practical for garbage bins to look like bins (how will the tourists know what these are?). It would be practical for them to not obstruct my view. These bins are not practical in any way. | Yes | “There is little one could do to position these well on the sidewalk. They are too tall. If they were installed sideways they’d be a more acceptable height, but then they’d become impossible to use. There is no way that I can think of to position such an object on our streets in a convenient way.” | No | “I am not in favour of the City allowing any more advertising in our public spaces.Also, I am not in favour of the City installing these bins under any circumstances.” | “I find it upsetting that the City would consider installing these bins on our streets. ,They are ugly and obtrusive. They also would provide more space for advertising, which is the opposite of what we need.I am in favour of bins that are short and carry no advertising.” |
| 792 | 38576.325 | Yes | Near Eglinton West and Avenue Rd. | No | “They look intimidating. They are too large, the openings are much too small and impractical. From afar, although they do attract a lot of attention, they do not resemble garbage bins at all. | Yes | “Horrible design. At the one I used, one end was placed directly perpendicular to the road, and since a car was parked directly in front of that particular opening, it was extremely impractical and non-functional. Please consider using something more easily accessible. | No | “No. Absolutely not. The only advertisements I would ever condone on public garbage bins are ones which advertise community or public services, (e.g. shelters, health programs, environmental initiatives). I DO NOT want to see other types of advertising, promoting products such as internet services or fashion which is something that has already thoroughly permeated our city. | “These bins are too big. As a cyclist, I can tell you that other cyclists and drivers do not need more objects blocking our view; especially so close to the street where they might block our views of pedestrians hoping to cross the street. Their placement is non-functional. They seem designed solely for the purposes of displaying large and unattractive ads, furthermore, by using public energy to power and illuminate these intrusive images. I DO NOT want my public space sold to be used for more advertising. Please reconsider this design. Think lower to the ground, non-commercial, and more functional. Thank you for considering my opinion. |
| 793 | 38576.33733 | Yes | dunds and ossington | No | confusing | No | obstrucionistic | No | Its only for advertising – the trash is a second thought. I don’t like it and think the city should not use them | Replace with regular trash bins |
| 794 | 38576.36891 | Yes | Danforth and Pape | Yes | the bins were easy to use and practical because th containers were at both ends of the bin and instead of being horizontal they were vertical. | Yes | the idea/concept is a great one but the bins are very wide and tall | Yes | earning extre revenue from teh advertising could help the city to fix teh roads for example and reduce our debts | a littel shorter in height so that pedestrians and motorists do not have a blocked view |
| 795 | 38576.38447 | Yes | Roncesvalles and Dundas Street | No | “The number of spots and the placement of spots was confusing, probably because I’m used to normal garbage bins.” | Yes | “They look awfully huge, they seem out of place, and are clearly for advertisers. The only thing I noticed extra on the new bin is the place to put a cigarette butt.” | No | “Firstly they should not use electricity, secondly they are ugly monstrous things and ironically seem to hold less or the same as the convential silver bins. Thirdly who wants more advertisements in public space, this only leads to new more invasive ways of advertising in the future. Don’t sell our public space to advertisers, we are just fine without them.” | “PLEASE take them down, there are ugly monsters, I will not be using them. Clearly the city’s priority is to snuggle up to advertising bucks and not serve the public.” |
| 796 | 38576.43326 | Yes | Howard Park & Roncellvalles | Yes | If they are easy to use or not is irrelavant. They are no easier to use than our current garbage bins. So why switch? | Yes | “I am completely against these HUGE UGLY bins. The Mayor ran for election under a platform to Clean and Improve our City, these bins do neither! They are an eyesore and we do not want them in our neighbourhood!” | No | “I would gladly continue to pay for our current garbage bins, instead of polluting our streets with these huge hideous garbage bins. Torontonians do not want to fill our beautiful city streets with this ugly bins just to save a fee bucks. Lets not sell our public spaces to the highest corporate bidder.” | Please remove the huge tower of advertising garbage from our neighbourhood. The businesses in our area rely on pedestrian traffic on street for their livelyhood. By installing these huge corporate billboards on our streets you are ruining our small town neighbourhood look. They imped the flow of pedestrian traffic and are an eyesore on our streets. If anything I would like to see even smaller garbage and recycling bins with NO ADS whatsoever. |
| 797 | 38576.44701 | Yes | Roncesvalles... | No | It is far too complicated. I imagine a old person thinking it had just come down from outerspace. | No | They are much too big – it wouldn’t matter how you position them. they are monstrously huge and take up too much space. | No | “It is as if advertisers feel they can just buy off the public every time. I can understand the city’s financial needs, given the flimsy provincial and federal support it is receiving. The city’s current administration are doing a good job of taking government to task by demanding funding proportionate to what Toronto’s population needs. Advertising will not meet these needs; coke machines in our public schools do not improve the quality of education. Increased advertising will not improve the quality of life in Toronto – it is as if as a society we take all that is vulgar,flaunt it recklessly, ask everyone to buy in, and call it advertising. | “I like the idea that the new ones collect cigarette butts, but what we really need are more public ashtrays close to insections and entertainment establishments. Nevertheless, the old recepticles are far more practical. I am not in favour of having advertisers sponsor the new bids; advertising is becoming increasingly invasive and unpleasant to live around. What I DO appreciate is that you are running this “test phase” to gauge a public response. Please don’t can that – just do away with the new bins because they are quite ugly and with Yonge & Dundas as it is, we have enough ugliness in our city.” |
| 798 | 38576.46819 | Yes | Eglinton & Braemer | No | “I didn’t even know it was a garbage can...thought it was an adbox, but then realized it had a garbage can in it...so I used it...” | No | “Monstrous, ugly, and reduces sightlines for both pedestrians and drivers. Can only imagine what some women must think as they pass them in bad neighbourhoods at night. Really bad design.” | No | “Complete waste of hydro, invasion of space, and sellout of the city. Be more creative than marketing these things.” | “Didn’t think you could make anything worse than the old stainless steel ones. But they are, and that must have been hard to do. Kudos!” |
| 799 | 38576.47939 | Yes | Warden Ave & Lawrence Ave | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | fine positioning as long as sidewalk and boulevard are wide enough | Yes | “1)you can never have too many garbage cans,2)it’s free,3)the bins are attractive | “-paste better pictures on the bins so people know which garbage goes into which opening,-it is not intuitive,-if you are unfamiliar with the bin, you have to stare at it for 40 seconds to figure out which garbage goes where” |
| 800 | 08/12/2005 11:36:31 AM | [Blank] | Dufferin south of King | No | I find it unattracive and offensive. | No | They make me feel unsafe at night as someone could hide behind them. | No | I find this commercial use of public space offensive | Please don’t!!!! |
| 801 | 08/12/2005 11:47:56 AM | Yes | Dufferin and King | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 802 | 08/12/2005 11:53:53 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | “There is enough advertising everywhere. I am tired of seeing ads. I don’t even read the daily newspapers or any magazines, or watch TV, but I can’t escape the ads!” | “Please, just give us a place to put our garbage/recycling. That’s it. Nothin’ fancy.” |
| 803 | 08/12/2005 12:24:29 PM | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | “they are not good for people walking in the city because they are too big to see over, i like the shorter ones better because they don’t block the view.” | Don’t get them. Maybe put them sideways. |
| 804 | 08/12/2005 12:26:44 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | I have seen the design and I understand it and think it’s awful | [Blank] | I want them taken away immediately | No | “The City is completely on the wrong track, PLEASE GET OUT OF ADVERTISING” | [Blank] |
| 805 | 08/12/2005 12:40:57 PM | Yes | Bloor and Windemere | No | The bins are far to small. Most of the time they are not useable because garbage is overflowing the bin. | Yes | But to use the one end of the bin I would have to be standing on Bloor street in the traffic. This make the second bin rather useless. | No | “I would like to see large gargbage bins that would help keep the city cleaner, that is the main objective. Advertising should only be a secondary consideration.” | The units are basicaly sidewalk based billboards for commerical advertising space. Is that what we want on your sidewalks? |
| 806 | 08/12/2005 12:52:07 PM | Yes | Roncesvalles & Howard Park | No | “There seemed to be a lot of instructions. Very “busy”, not simple enough. As for question 3 below, the reason I was not aware of that was because the other end of the bin faced directly into the street.” | No | The height of these things is terrible. Too high! It’s hard to position them so they’re not in the way of something. Also hard to make them look as thought they haven’t just been dumped in the middle of the sidewalk. Very unattractive. | No | “Personally, I don’t need to see more advertising. Advertising seems to be the primary goal here and not making it easier and more attractive for people to recycle.” | “Get rid of them. Awful, awful ugly.” |
| 807 | 08/12/2005 01:08:08 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | N/A | No | N/A as I have not seen one yet. | No | “I find that we are bombarded enough by advertising and I also find the bins too big (7 feet!)-I would be okay with the advertising if the bins weren’t so big. The ones that we have now are a good, unobtrusive size.” | [Blank] |
| 808 | 08/12/2005 01:12:43 PM | Yes | King and Strachan | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “Whoever heard of electrical trash bins, I thought we were trying to conserve our grid.” | We don’t need more advertising. Let them do it on the existing recycling/trash ones. |
| 809 | 08/12/2005 01:22:11 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 810 | 08/12/2005 01:27:30 PM | Yes | Roncesvales. | No | “It is 90% billboard and 10% garbage bin. The proportions are wrong. The recycling portion of the project is clearly secondary. On the bin that I used, one has to look hard to notice the the garbage and recycling openings.” | Yes | “The proposed adgvertising bins are too large and take up too much of the sidewalk. They are also an eyesore. Instead of helping the environment, they are increasing visual pollution.” | No | I am opposed to reducing every surface in the city into advertising space. | “Overall, this an ill-concieved project which, if adopted, we will come to regret. If private companies waht to advertise, there are already many otgher methods of doing so without further adding to urban clutter.” |
| 811 | 08/12/2005 01:46:05 PM | Yes | bathurst and College | No | Too big and confusing | No | They are obnoxious and offensive and too big. A blight on the city that needs to be removed immediately. | No | Very Offensive | Get rid of them now. They are really threatening and ruin public space |
| 812 | 08/12/2005 01:54:36 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 813 | 08/12/2005 02:00:38 PM | Yes | Bathurst and College | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “They appear to me unsafe, being the most dominant visual stimulus at the intersection, they reduce visibility significantly, their size and placement forces pedestrian traffic into one half of the sidewalk while not allowing one to see what is on the other side of the enormous sign until passing it, and I have amplified concerns that when advertisements are in place, images will further distract attention from the vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic in the intersection.” | No | “For the above mentioned safety concerns, and they disfigure the beauty of Toronto, being the most significant visual stimulus at the intersection.” | Do we need 7’ garbage stations? |
| 814 | 08/12/2005 02:10:54 PM | Yes | Gough and Danforth | No | “It was overly complicated. I saw several people try to use it, but put things in the wrong area.” | No | “They are way too big! Even though they take up mostly vertical space, they overwhelm everything else on the street. It is like a giant billboard on the sidewalk. | No | “Why allow your formerly attractive city to be turned into a tacky eyesore? In the end, it won’t be a boon to the city. ,I can only imagine how much worse it will be when the advertisments are in there. | [Blank] |
| 815 | 08/12/2005 02:58:12 PM | Yes | Queen & Jameson | No | “No, it was impractical: I got jostled while standing on the sidewalk side and I nearly knocked a cyclist off their bike while on the curb side.” | No | They obstruct pedestrian traffic and sightlines from fast-moving vehicles like cars and bikes to the sidewalk where pedestrians may be crossing. | No | Just because it means money for the city doesn’t make it okay. The city is selling my attention to advertisers. Public space should be kept as ad-free as possible. It’s a less valid (but equally pitiful) way to make money than selling advertising space on one’s own forehead. | “These things are monstrous, ugly and laughable. It is a disgrace that the city is so hard up that it would accept the presence of these advertising monoliths on our streets. It indicates only that our city is so poor that it will contradict its own urban design guidelines and compromise the safety and comfort of its pedestrians to make a cheap buck. Don’t sell our public space. Visitors to our city will take one look and laugh. They’re an embarrasment to Toronto and to whoever designed them.” |
| 816 | 08/12/2005 03:10:07 PM | Yes | Ossinton and Dundas | No | No easy indicators as to where to stuff. | Yes | Poor placement of bins. It looks like it is made for advertising and not garbage. | No | “I don’t believe these bins are the way to go. I know they are similar,to the bins we have now, but the difference in Design ie: where the,garbage and recycling is collected and the positioning and size of the,ads is quite substantial. I already feel the advertising is an,unnecessary evil on the silver bins we currently have. I don’t think,we need to encourage this.” | “The,bins will create more waste (with huge throwaway posters) and it’s,really just a giant elaborate ploy for corporations to lease more real,estate for their advertising campaigns. I don’t think we need to,fashion bins in such a way that puts the collection of garbage and,recycling secondary to the pushing of more needless product on people.I think this is a huge contradiction and goes against all aims in the,recycling mandate. I also feel that the city is riddled with ENOUGH corporate advertising,as it is. Grassroots organizations promoting positive values, creating,community, and practising freedom of speech don’t have the same,operating budget as these corporations and are being pushed entirely,out of the picture. I think that the effects of corporate advertising on our community,,culture and the individuals within need to be properly assessed before,adding more corporate visual chaos to the streets.” |
| 817 | 08/12/2005 03:21:35 PM | No | I walked to a regular garbage can! These bins are absolutely hideous and a waste of space... | No | I walked to a regular garbage can! These bins are absolutely hideous and a waste of space... They are monsterous and ugly and block the view. They could also be a potential safety hazard. Someone could easily hide behind them and wait for their victim! | No | I will repeat again... HIDEOUS! | No opinion | “Yes I am repeating myself, but how else can we get this point across...I walked to a regular garbage can! These bins are absolutely hideous and a waste of space... They are monsterous and ugly and block the view. They could also be a potential safety hazard. Someone could easily hide behind them and wait for their victim!” | “GET RID OF THEM and use the monies to help solve the homeless issues in this city! Or better yet, use the money to figure out how to get guns out of the city.” |
| 818 | 08/12/2005 03:28:18 PM | Yes | “Roncesvalles, north of Howard Park” | No | “I don’t think people want to read up on where to throw their paper, cigs, recyclables, etc. Much better to have visible labels where the waste/recyclable is to be placed vs. instructions above or below.” | Yes | One big eyesore. Who wants to marvel at a bohemeth garbage bin? | No | “What’s wrong with the other bins? While they’re still billboards/receptacles, they’re less intrusive and don’t dominate the space they take up.” | “The plastic makes them look cheap and prone to getting really dirty and broken. They don’t seem to carry as much waste as the old models, either. While I like the cigarette butt receptacle idea, it’s not all that clear and the butts could just be put in the regular garbage (provided their not on fire).” |
| 819 | 08/12/2005 04:56:49 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “They are too big, at least the advertizing part.” | No | Why does the city need to plaster even more adveritizing on our streets? We are bombarded with ads everywhere we look. | They are completely inappropriate. |
| 820 | 08/12/2005 05:22:27 PM | Yes | can’t remember. sorry. | Yes | [Blank] | No | “they seem really dangerous to me, blocking the view of the sidewalk. Biking in the city, you already have enough things to worry about, like doors opening in front of you, getting around illegally parked cars, and watching for people darting out into traffic. Having to also watch for people stepping onto the street from behind gigantic garbage cans just seems like a recipe for disaster. Is the city prepared to pay for a lot of lawsuits resulting from these collisions? seems like that could cost a lot more than a few garbge bins.” | No | “NO! I don’t think that advertizers should be able to dictate the design of garbage bins on public property. If you want to sell advertizing space on the regular sized garbage bins, then I’m all for it, but making them gigantic and dangerous is just plain stupid. The advertizing revenue is not worth anything even remotely close to the human lives that are being endangered by these bins. In fact, my safety shouldn’t be sold off at any price.” | “get rid of them now, and smarten up. this idea is just stupid. I’m all for reducing littering, and I have no problem with the city selling advertizing space on things like garbage bins, but the design of these things should be informed by what would be the best in terms of pedestrian, cyclist and motorist safety, plus efficiency in getting garbage off the streets. There’s no way that the first priority in their design should be maximizing advertizing space, especially not if that means reducing the volume of garbage they hold AND endangering people’s lives.” |
| 821 | 08/12/2005 05:43:52 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | They reduce visibility at street corners (harder for drivers to see pedestrians or other cars turning). | Yes | [Blank] | “I’m largely opposed to advertising, but I think it’s a good idea if the city will collect revenue from it. However, I worry that the bins are designed so that they look too much like billboards and not enough like garbage bins. Will people really use them?” |
| 822 | 08/12/2005 05:47:43 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “While it seems like a nice deal to get the bins for free, what is the point of providing one way to keep our city beautiful while filling it up with advertisments? Lack of litter is not the only thing that keeps a city looking good. Please do not let Toronto be invaded by these eyesores.” | “There was a postal bin of some kind at the corner of College and Spadina that someone covered with old wallpaper. It was unique, blended surprisingly nicely with the streetscape and didn’t stand out. Now that’s a real way to keep the city looking good!” |
| 823 | 08/12/2005 05:57:49 PM | Yes | Dundas/Ossington | No | [Blank] | No | “An absolute monstrosity and eyesore. I thought they were cash machines. They look ugly, they obscure sightlines for cyclists and motorists.” | No | Hasn’t the City covered enough of downtown with advertising? Is there any end to this? A great city is a beautiful city. Surrounding people with aesthetic ugliness creates ugly attitudes. See also excessive condo development. It seems like the city is actively trying to destroy community | Do not install them! |
| 824 | 08/12/2005 06:28:02 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “these bin are massive and block visability. the ads are visual pollution. this is a no brainer, they make the city look like crap and take up too much space, get rid of them.” | No | absolutely not. | “they are a sad testament to the priorities of this city.wake up, Toronto.” |
| 825 | 08/12/2005 07:43:03 PM | Yes | dundas ossington | No | No it was not. it was confusing. I just thought it was a billboard. It looks like the garbage part of it was an afterthought. | No | It was in the way. This corner is busy and this made looking at the sidewalk and the street difficult. I think it is too tall. | No | “I don’t think the revenue is worth it. we need more plain mesh style, low teck , environment friendly garbage containers. There needs to be more garbage cans in busy spots. It looks like the city wants to make fewer cans that always seem to be full, and leave them in places that are easy for the trash collection company, not for citezens.we need a lot more trash cans in city parks. people want to poop scoop and be responsible and there are no trash bins when you need them. do we need advertising in the parks? I think not.” | Can we have some advertising – free areas in our world please?? It isn’t appropriate to have advertising in every single place we look. |
| 826 | 08/12/2005 08:09:21 PM | No | [Blank] | No | they’re stupid. | Yes | why can’t there be normal garbage cans? | No opinion | [Blank] | get rid of them. |
| 827 | 08/12/2005 08:27:22 PM | Yes | Near Ontario Science Centre | No | Bin too small | Yes | [Blank] | No | Absolutely not. They are complete eyesores -- two huge advertisements with a bin stuck in the middle as an afterthought. They are even worse than the metal three-holed bins we have now. It is not worth any extra revenue to have more visual pollution on our streets. | “I hate them so much, I would feel justified in knocking them over with my car if they appeared in my neighbourhood.” |
| 828 | 08/12/2005 08:30:29 PM | No | [Blank] | No | maybe practical but useless to have advertisements on | No | no advertisements please | No | i am not in favour of them because the advertisements are polluting | get rid of them and work on something more progressive. you can do better. |
| 829 | 08/12/2005 10:31:47 PM | Yes | Bloor and Christie | No | The ads were the primary view. Initially I thought this was some sort of map or info booth. I didn’t realize it was a garbages can until the fourth or fifth time I saw it. | Yes | I think that they are positioned to show the ads to the car instead of providing a practical place to dispose of waste. | No | I think that it takes away from the look of our city. I would rather the city put in conventional waste bins. | [Blank] |
| 830 | 08/13/2005 12:12:44 AM | Yes | Ossington and Dundas | No | Very confusing. | No | “It is absolutely ridiculous -- too high, blocking sightlines and the street. A garbage can does not need to be this high and wide. An eyesore. Much worse than the old bins” | No | “It is not worth it to have the streets cluttered with more ads, and these cans seem dangerous (sightlines for motorists, pedestrians, cyclists).” | “These bins are terrible. A waste of electricity. The pilot project is misleading and dishonest -- on the current bins, there is no word about the illumination or the fact that there will be ads.” |
| 831 | 08/13/2005 02:23:40 AM | Yes | Danforth and Broadview area. | No | It’s just an odd and unintuitive design. | Yes | It’s rather intrusive. | No | They’re extremely intrusive – it feels like advertising is being forced on you. | “They’re far too big, impractical, and just a bad idea.” |
| 832 | 08/13/2005 07:57:05 AM | Yes | Don Mills and Lawrence | No | “I was distracted by the sheer size of the thing, and disgusted by the design. It’s hideous and I hate the huge space for advertising.” | Yes | “I don’t like their size and the way they point out at the traffic. They take up a lot of pedestrian space, block lots of sunlight, and are generally ugly.” | No | “Can’t you choose a similar option which is less...monstrous? THEY’RE UNNECCESSAIRLILY HUGE, if you haven’t noticed.” | “Choose something smaller please, and perhaps a little less advertising on our streets.” |
| 833 | 08/13/2005 11:02:07 AM | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | “the openings were far too small, and it seems as if they have hardly any capacity to hold waste and recyclables” | Yes | I think that they are designed mostly to deliver advertising to people. they are far too large and impractical to be used for waste collection. in my opinion they are an eyesore. | No | i am tired of public space being encroched upon by private capital and interests. those bins dont seem like they were designed with the interests of trash collection in mind. | Get rid of them. |
| 834 | 08/13/2005 11:18:04 AM | Yes | ...? | No | “no they were it , it would be much easier to understand simply a location for garbage or recycling, i don’t understand why it is so massive, and has a huge disgusting ad on it. | No | “it would be nicer if they weren’t there. they are major obstructions on the sidewalk, they limit the space for people, (who are the reason for having sidewalks), they are a total indication of the decrease in the quality of our city and our quality of life. | No | “adverstisments have been subjected to us in enough places, that there is almost no escape from them. this is simply another step towards our entire city becomming a glowing advertisment for shit we don’t need or like. | “drop the ads. garbage cans are for collecting and containing garbage, not displaying it. |
| 835 | 08/13/2005 11:31:30 AM | No | [Blank] | No | i get confused with all the advertisements | No | they look like robots | Yes | “but they would have to be changed, more of an eco friendly atmosphere, i mean just because we live in the city does not mean everything has to be futuristic looking, a big green bin, simple and inexpensive.” | Ask local artists to design a new one |
| 836 | 08/13/2005 12:11:31 PM | Yes | chrisit pitts park | Yes | [Blank] | No | “regargless of the way that they are designed and set up, they are ugly ,why do there need to be illuminated adds on them ,thats definately not the kinda of thing that i want to see when im at the park | No | this is something that is going to make the city look more trashy | loose the bins |
| 837 | 08/13/2005 12:57:12 PM | No | bathurst and college | No | [Blank] | No | having to walk around them in the middle of the street is a huge nuisance. | No | [Blank] | they are inconveniently placed and are huge eyesores. |
| 838 | 08/13/2005 01:34:54 PM | Yes | Ossington and Dundas | No | “The openings were not very visible, in relation to the overall size of the structure. The openings are small. There should be a compost collection area.” | No | “I’m NOT impressed. They block sightlines, are too tall, and are too intrusive. They take up important sidewalk space. I find that I can’t see down the street, and the advertising is way too big! Maybe they could be located in the car lanes, rather than in the people lanes.” | No | “A free solution to garbage on the steets sounds like a good iead; however, these bins are very unpleasant, danergous in terms of blocking sightlines, and increase the already out of control advertising in our public spaces.” | Don’t do it!! |
| 839 | 08/13/2005 01:39:08 PM | Yes | Danforth at Playter Bl | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “The bins are so long, they take up over half of the width of the sidewalk. It makes it highly inconvenient to walk by them if there are other people on the street. Not to mention their impact on more standardized-width sidewalks. Have you considered putting them parallel to the road, or at a slight angle (maybe 20-30 degrees)?” | No | “No. They block the pedestrian traffic. They don’t seem to be able to hold much garbage. Judging by some of the older receptacles (the ones with 3 containers side-by-side), which I assume are cleared once a week with the street garbage pick-up, these new ones will probably have to be cleared every second day or so.” | “Given the amount of real estate that the billboards take up, perhaps you could make them wider (double or triple width). That way, you could also put some garbage in them. Alternatively, has the ad company considered using the old garbage receptacles, and adding a 7’ poster to the back of the container? This way, you could have a 7x5’(?) ad on the back, and a slightly smaller one on the front, above the garbage cans.Alternatively, perhaps make the banners narrower, make two, and put a bench on the third side? This should give you quite a bit of room for garbage.Or put the banner parallel to the road, and put a bench on one side, with another ad above it.At least make these things a foot or two wider. There’s hardly any room for garbage.” |
| 840 | 08/13/2005 01:48:59 PM | Yes | Bathurst and college | No | “The openings are too small, they were covered with sticky garbage juice! Fills too fast. Only one of the sides is useful.” | Yes | They block off half the sidewalk and I don’t want to look at one more goddamn ad in a day. K thx | No | Get money elsewhere! Don’t sell our STREETS. | Shitcan this idea!!!!! |
| 841 | 08/13/2005 02:02:13 PM | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | [Blank] | No | They’re too large and intrusive. The old bins were more appropriate. | No | [Blank] | Please don’t place these eyesores all over the city. They’re clearly billboards on the sidewalks. |
| 842 | 08/13/2005 03:38:54 PM | Yes | queen&lansdowne | No | not obvious where recycling and garbage went... signs on the bins just made it worse | No | they are way too big and block the view for pulling out of driveways | Yes | ... except that make the bins smaller... they’re huge... worse than bus shelters | who’s responsible of cleaning them out? i hope not the city! |
| 843 | 08/13/2005 04:34:57 PM | Yes | Dundas and Ossington | No | “The spaces for garbage and recycling seem too small, almost like an afterthought to compensate for the billboard on the sidewalk.” | Yes | “It is in the way of pedestrians and it looks horrible. It blocks the sidewalk, and I worry about it obstructing the view of drivers at this busy intersection. Bike riders, pedestrians and other drivers could be endangered.” | No | “We obviously need garbage cans and recycling bins on the sidewalk, but these devices are not designed to be functional bins, they are designed as advertisements. They are too tall and too wide.” | “Please start from the perspective of garbage and recycling collection, not from the perspective of creating more advertising space. There are enough commercial advertisments (too many actually) on the inside and outside of TTC vehicles, at TTC stops and billboards. Build a proper garbage can/recycling bin.” |
| 844 | 08/13/2005 06:02:25 PM | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | Excellent – about time. | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 845 | 08/13/2005 06:11:19 PM | Yes | College and Bathurst | No | It wasn’t apperent where the recyclables went. In fact many folks who had used it previously had put recyclables in the trash receptacle. | Yes | “They’re pretty obtrusive, but given the size, I don’t think any positioning would stop that.” | No | These aren’t garbage bins – they’re billboards that happen to have slot for garbage. | TOO tall. TOO obtrusive. TOO ugly. TOO much like a billboard. A blight on the city. |
| 846 | 08/13/2005 06:22:50 PM | No | Jane and Bloorg | No | “I wasn’t even aware of the fact that it was a garbage “can.” If tourists are looking for a garbage can to use they will not identify this as such. | Yes | “They are out of the way, however I find that they are to large and damage the image of a community. It looks like a giant billboard! | No opinion | “Although it is great to have the bins paid for, I think they are both ugly and obtrusive. The city has done a great job at improving communities such as the Junction in adding new street phone poles that are designed to suit the community. I think these bins would take away from our communities. I couldn’t imagine them in parks or on our streets. If the city of Toronto is planning to sell advertising in other public space we will really cheapen the look of our city. Citizens don’t need to be subjected to advertising any more then they already are. Finally, spray-paint in this city is all over buildings and public space. These “bins” are going to be a PERFECT target to spray and will be hard to clean. Please do NOT use these bins.” | I think if we do not have the budget for bins we can use ones that advertise like we currently have. But the design of these new ones are far to large and ugly. |
| 847 | 08/13/2005 09:07:46 PM | No | “No, because they did not accept compost.” | No | A garbage bin of this size should be able to handle much more garbage (and recyclables). | No | They distract drivers and obscure pedestrians from a clear view of the road. Deadly effects for children. | No | [Blank] | “If the anti-postering bylaw is applied, advertisements like these should not be allowed. If the postering bylaw does not pass, then the garbage bins will make a great surface for postering.” |
| 848 | 08/14/2005 12:51:43 AM | No | [Blank] | Yes | n/a | No | “I think they are fine, anything would be better than the ones we have now. | Yes | [Blank] | I think the city would be irresponsible if they turned this offer down. I definatley think we should get these for free! |
| 849 | 08/14/2005 12:56:11 AM | Yes | college and bathurst | No | “they were not easy to understand,our city is multicultural and a tourist destiny, especially in this district. Once the large advertising explanation is replaced by rented advertisements many of these people will not understand the peculiar set up. We had to read it several times and everyone we have spoken to has said the same.Now on several occasions the bin has been overflowing with garbage. When this occurs in a regular garbage can it is bad enough, but these are higher and so the visual impact is worse and at some point the smell will be closer to our nose. In the winter this small opening will be easily covered up by snow and ice. ,The heavy rubber openings for the recyclables are an interesting idea but they will get covered with the filth of what goes in and will be dirty and unpleasant to touch eventually | Yes | “In terms of using both ends of the bin, the positioning of the bin at College and Bathurst is not effective for using both ends. In fact the end facing south is barely accessible. Further, once the large explanation on the advertising faces is gone very few people will even know that there is another accessible opening because it is not visable. It is also inconvenient to use and will therefore rarely be used.Most important they are DANGEROUS. No matter how they are positioned on the sidewalk, they are wide enough and tall enough to hide behind completely and obstruct the view of what or who is further ahead of them or to the side. ,They are particulary DANGEROUS for women walking at night or for elderly people or for children. Any person who is street smart knows to scan their surroundings as they are walking and will pay particular attention to obstructions behind or within which someone may being hiding. They will also be paying attention to who else is on the street or side walk who provides safety by their presence. These bins obstruct the view of who is approaching and increase the places where someone can be in hiding to attack or rob a person (OR ABDUCT A CHILD which we have sadly learned in the last few years happens and happens very quickly) approaching these bins. ,They are also DANGEROUS because whether right or wrong, cyclists do use the sidewalks and accidents are normally prevented or at least decreased because both pedestrians and cyclists can see each other approaching from a distance and have time to slow down or move out of the way. ,These bins are much too tall for anyone to see past and of course except if parallel to the sidewalk much too wide to see around. People will often therefore have to step around them, (without the advantage of information gathered by the the conscious or often unconscious scanning of the environment that all people do) and are at increased risk of being hit by a cyclist, jogger, roller skater or fast walking larger person who “suddenly” appears.They are dangerous for anyone who is visually impaired. They are one more obstacle on the sidewalk to run into, no matter how they are positioned. As described above, they also increase the probability of a visually impaired person being knocked over by another pedestrian or cyclist as either one or both of them “suddenly” appears from behind one of these bins. Visually impaired people depend on other people being able to see them and move aside. Visually impaired people will be less visable.Remember we taught our children not to run (or walk) out from between parked cars... without stopping to LOOK because the cars obstructed their view of what was beyond the cars. These bins obstruct peoples view of what is on the other side of the bin and coming towards them.Please speak to the police, to women’s groups, to teachers and parents with small children,to advocacy groups for handicapped and in particular visually impaired people and for advocacy groups for the elderly or frail and for whatever municipal or other committee or individuals who understand and are are responsible for designing SAFE public spaces and thoroughways. Please speak to the city’s legal representatives to determine if the city is liable for the results of this decreased safety.Sidewalks should be as free from obstructions as possible and should be designed to allow maximum visability and ease of traffic flow. Nothing permanent on the sidewalks should ever be too wide or too tall to see around or over unless it is absolutely essential. Seven feet tall and two feet deep and five feet wide garbage bins are NOT absolutely necessary. | No | “Please see the discussion in response to question 4. These bins are an obstruction on the sidewalks and for the reasons outlined in question 4 decrease the safety for anyone using sidewalks.The bins may be free but who will remove the garbage and who will pay for the removal? How much will that offset the profits from the sale of commercial advertising space?,Do we really need extra garbage cans? Where does the evidence for this need come from? (ie was it independently determined?) | “1. They are DANGEROUS ... too tall, too wide ...an obstruction that decreases the safety of the sidewalks for everyone but in particular anyone vulnerable: women at night, children, elderly people, visually impaired people,Please see question 4 re safety. AT some point the city and or the company providing these bins will be sued because they caused or contributed to an accident, assault or robbery.2. They are ugly and obstruct the view of the buildings, landscaping and people which make the cityscape enjoyable and visually pleasurable.3. Keeping the streets and sidewalks clean and free from litter makes our city beautiful. Garbage bins/containers should reflect this asthetic principle. They should be accessible but discreet. ,4. What evidence is there that we need more garbage bins than those that we have?.5. Who will collect the garbage and who will pay for the collection of this garbage? Are they ergonomically designed for the removal of garbage? Is the garbage that goes in really kept separate?” |
| 850 | 08/14/2005 01:16:49 AM | Yes | Bloor & Christie | No | “Although I had read about these bins in the newspaper, I didn’t at first realize what I was looking at when I saw it. It looks like a very intrusive piece of advertising, not a way to keep the city clean.” | Yes | “The bin made it hard to see if the bus was coming (the blue line bus – this was at night), and people had to walk around it.” | No | Totally opposed. There’s already advertising on nearly every surface in the city. | “It’s ridiculous to have a recycling device that uses electricity for no purpose except to encourage people to buy more things – what ever happened to REDUCE, RE-USE, and recycle? And how about conserving electricity? These bins are ugly, intrusive, environmentally unsound, and a bad deal for the people of Toronto.” |
| 851 | 08/14/2005 06:20:24 AM | Yes | Bathurst & College | Yes | Very good layout | Yes | “a little to far out, but it’s better than nothing” | Yes | Put them everywhere | [Blank] |
| 852 | 08/14/2005 10:58:57 AM | No | [Blank] | No | (I have not used a bin) | Yes | “While physically not intrustive, the bins are an eyesore. | No | We should not sacrifice the aesthetics of our city streets for just a couple of bucks; I would be extremely embarrassed for our city if these bins were installed. | “If these bins WERE installed, I would find them much more palatable if reduced in height to be more squarish than vertically rectangular; but most of all, I would find them less objectionable if the lights were removed – due to the city’s recent brownouts and environmental situation, it would be extremely unwise for the city to endorse such an obvious and utter waste of energy.” |
| 853 | 08/14/2005 11:25:11 AM | Yes | Avenue & Eglinton | No | “You really have to go up close to figure out where to put things, I’m pretty sure I actually put my trash in recycling by mistake. Also, there was already trash pouring out onto the sidewalk, with people unable to actually dispose of their garbage!” | Yes | “The positioning is terrible – only one end of the bin is actually accessible to pedestrians, that is unless you step out into traffic!” | No | “The unfortunate fact is that when the garbage cans are owned, designed, and installed by a for-profit ad firm, the first priority is NEVER going to be waste disposal and city beautification.” | “I think that the bins make the city look very tacky; they really destroy the whole “Clean & Beautiful City” initiative, and they will do nothing to help dispose of waste more easily. I’m sure the City could design far better (and more unique) bins that would fit in way better in Toronto.” |
| 854 | 08/14/2005 11:38:34 AM | Yes | Bloor & Dovercourt | Yes | “Yes and No. Height was good although I am tall. Pictures helpful but categories a little hard to understand. If I remember correctly, one says, “no household waste”. What does that mean?” | No | Seemed wasie from the prespective of not disrupting the flow of pedestrian traffic along the sidewals (i.e. close to the street). Conceivably could block young children from view of cars as they moved to cross the street (jay run). | No opinion | Not really no opinion. I’m torn. Saving money and generating revenues are laudable and practical objectives but commercializatio of public space is a detriment. I like to think that we can have an island of non-comercial space where governments own items. Perhaps we could mix advertizing with a free spce for local poets as has been done with TTC ads at times. | locating them in front of pizza or similar fast food outlets with lots of quckly discarded garbage seems like it is happening and seems wise. |
| 855 | 08/14/2005 11:58:33 AM | Yes | Ronsc. at Howard Park | No | Had to walk around the monster to assess its use.People in a hurry or litter bugs wouldn’t take the time | No | .It is like a towering skyscraper and is not comfortable to be around because it is out of proportion with the pedestrian sidewalk-scape. | No | “Asthetically they appear to be designed for shopping malls , highway truck stops, or amusement parks.” | “They are a hideously ugly eyesore in their design to look at in this inner city setting.They block to much of the view as I can’t see up or down the street past it.This area has a character that is built on a pedestrian streetscape.Size of storefronts and objects that make the streetscape in proportion to each other as well as to the PEDESTRIAN they serve are not served by these bins in the inner city landscape(ie this is not a shopping mall or roadside car dominated streetscape)Think “villiage streets” and redesign the existing bins themselves to be more beautiful.” |
| 856 | 08/14/2005 12:10:53 PM | Yes | Don Mills & Lawrence | No | “The design is confusing, even with the instructions offered.” | No | “They are an eyesore. Especially when busy buses come and go, a number of people are forced to move awkwardly to go around them.” | No | “Again, they are an eyesore and so confusing, most people don’t seem to be using them. As well, their capacity seems to be much less than the regular ones.” | What was wrong with the old silver garbage bins? |
| 857 | 08/14/2005 12:51:51 PM | Yes | I think on St Clair west of Bathurst | No | Openings too small and like the present bins one needs to push a (dirty) flap to insert garbage. | Yes | They are fine on WIDE sidewalks but will not be good in narrow ones. | Yes | “Yes but only in suitable locations (wide sidewalks) and possibly only if they have same design features as other “street furniture”. Any chance the wretched newspaper boxes could be consolidated into the same kind of better-looking and less obtrusive one-piece object. Chicago and NYC have very nice consolidated newspaper boxes and seeing these makes our great variety of very messy ones look even worse!” | See #5 |
| 858 | 08/14/2005 02:58:47 PM | Yes | Bathurst & Sheppard | Yes | I found the containers easy to use. | Yes | I think they can constrict an already congested sidewalk. They are far more obtrusive then the old trash bins. | No | The private sector owns enough of our city already. There are beter ways for the city to make money. | The power costs of the bins seem counter-productive to creating an eco-friendly urban landscape. I think the implimentation of these bins would be a bad idea. |
| 859 | 08/14/2005 03:05:34 PM | Yes | ossington/dundas | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | It really obstructs the sidewalk. It could be turned vertically and it would make a little more sense (who’s throwing out garbage from the road!) | No | its assaulting to my senses and my personal space. I feel angry when I see them! Its impersonal and unimaginative advertising that creates tension and overstimulation even if people aren’t conscious of it. | smaller! |
| 860 | 08/14/2005 03:52:20 PM | Yes | Ossington & Dundas | No | “didn’t know where to put the dog’s poo there is no compost?! Isn’t this supposed to be a new and better system? Not accessible on one side,unless your in traffic etc, etc.” | Yes | “rediculous, impractical and all about ads. for ie.why couldn’t they be designed into the new streetcar stops since it’s the same type of thing. They are placed where they obstruct taffic sightlines. Not accessible at the back!” | No | “We should consider all of the factors not just advertising dollars and it seems to me these are poorly designed, poorly placed, poorly thoughtout ads. They are only about advertising dollars and using ‘recycling’ to sell the idea.” | “Incorporate these bins into already existed or newly desinged stops. The placement is more useful, does not obstruct traffic, and has more space to negotiate both sides. They are the same design as the stops therefore I don’t get this idea of adding another thing. The new minimal design (stops)could still have two sleek ads on one side and the bins hidden between them. Do we really need more advertising space in this city? It seems to me that covering strretcars nad buses completely, having 1000’s od huge billboards, and every bus and streetcar and subway and oh yes turnstile in the subway is enough already!!!” |
| 861 | 08/14/2005 04:37:27 PM | Yes | “Danforth and Greenwood, Danforth west of Pape” | No | It was not immediately clear that it was a garbage can. | Yes | “I am not in favour of anything that blocks the street-level sightlines in our city, at least we could see over the old Eucan design.” | No | “While I realize that the city has its financial difficulties, I think it is more important to promote pedestrian friendly streets. These really seem to be designed to reach people in their cars at the expense of pedestrians” | “Drop the height down to one metre and make it so that garbage is deposited into the top of the cans. In other words, make its main purpose the collection of garbage, not advertising. ,I appreciate the chance to give my opinion! I hope that these signs are quickly removed from our streets.” |
| 862 | 08/14/2005 05:59:08 PM | Yes | Ossington & Dundas | No | “The functions of the openings are not easily legible, certainly not compared to the current cans, due to the narrow design.” | No | “What I saw was INCREDIBLY obtrusive and potentially dangerous, reducing visibility for pedestrians and drivers alike. | No | “In a cityscape already overrun with advertising everywhere, I do not elect public officials to make the situation worse. I actually expect the city to recognize that the landscape is part of what increases a sense of community and connection, making the city a safer place. The cynical sale of this space – by councillors too afraid to raise taxes or mount a much more serious campaign about the appropriation of funds from the city by the provincial and federal governments – increases citizens’ sense that Toronto is just a box full of disconnected people and businesses.” | “Again, these things are monstrosities. Why spend all the money the city’s currently spending on re-branding etc. etc. and then greet tourists with the ugliest street furniture imaginable? It’s a short-sighted, boneheaded decision that I hope dearly the city will reconsider.” |
| 863 | 08/14/2005 06:22:09 PM | Yes | “danforth & pape, danforth & carlaw” | No | garbage bin far too small. holes for bottles & cans awkward. Ashtrays useless. The fact that half the useful space is located on the curbside is ridiculous and could be hazardous to pedestrians who come in contact with traffic. | Yes | They block the view down the sidewalk and block pedestrian traffic. The only real purpose of these ‘garbage bins’ is to sell advertising – the garbage function is obviously a guise. | No | “The city should not sell out the rights of its citizens and their public spaces to corporate interests. There are other, more civically minded ways to generate income. Once the project takes hold, there will be no turning back. | “Do the right thing. I have listened to many people on the street who are puzzled by, or ridicule these things, but are not likely to voice their concerns. Do not assume that silence indicates approval.” |
| 864 | 08/14/2005 06:24:24 PM | Yes | “danforth & pape, danforth & carlaw” | No | garbage bin far too small. holes for bottles & cans awkward. Ashtrays useless. The fact that half the useful space is located on the curbside is ridiculous and could be hazardous to pedestrians who come in contact with traffic. | Yes | They block the view down the sidewalk and block pedestrian traffic. The only real purpose of these ‘garbage bins’ is to sell advertising – the garbage function is obviously a guise. | No | “The city should not sell out the rights of its citizens and their public spaces to corporate interests. There are other, more civically minded ways to generate income. Once the project takes hold, there will be no turning back. | “Do the right thing. I have listened to many people on the street who are puzzled by, or ridicule these things, but are not likely to voice their concerns. Do not assume that silence indicates approval.” |
| 865 | 08/14/2005 06:31:13 PM | Yes | Main & Danforth | Yes | “However when I first saw it, I thought there was just one opening. I wondered what meant such a big thing for such a small opening.” | No | The one I had the chance to see is well positioned on the sidewalk. | No | “I would be in favour of that just in case other sidewalk elements are taken out: visual pollution should always be considered.Also, more money to the city by alternative ways should directly mean less taxes to people. | “I am in favor of a cleaner city BUT taking into consideration that a clean city also means less visual pollution. So many ads, so many bins, so many painted marks on the sidewalk . . .” |
| 866 | 08/14/2005 09:01:01 PM | Yes | Danforth and Pape | No | “The bin for garbage was obvious, but it wasn’t immediately clear that the bin where the recyclables were meant to go.” | Yes | “The end of the bin closest to the curb strikes me as impractical, as there wasn’t a lot of distance between the bin and the curb. There’s far more pedestrian traffic at the sidewalk side of the bin than the curb side.” | No | “No, no, a thousand times no. These bins strike me as little more than an excuse to accommodate commercial ads, and that seems to have been the priority. That last thing Danforth Avenue needs are these ‘sidewalk billboards’. They are an intrusion and severely cut down on the sightlines: one’s view is blocked, and you’re left with the feeling of being sandwiched between two small ‘walls’ that prevent a clear view of the street life that is unfolding behind or ahead of us. They are far too high, and I can just imagine how much worse it will be when they carry ads. Ultimately, they are unnecessary. There are enough roof-top billboards on Danforth Avenue as it is; we don’t need this ‘in-your-face’ approach, which is what these bins are. They are also laughably impractical. The bins for collecting garbage are far too small for the amount of garbage generated by the high level of pedestrian traffic. It’s no surprise the bins would be free; they’re an advertiser’s dream. Please give priority to the people who consider streets like the Danforth an integral part of our neighbourhood. Find other sources of generating municipal revenue that aren’t at the expense of those of us who enjoy strolling on city streets without feeling we’re being assaulted by ads. These bins have got to go, or the flavour of our streets will.” | “They are poorly designed. Far better to go with the OMG (if that’s the correct name) bins, which were a decent height (nothing like the overwhelming, overbearing size of the proposed bins) and are much easier to use (i.e. each part of the bin was clearly marked as to whether it was for litter, recycling or newspapers). My hunch is pedestrians were putting litter as they saw fit, and paid no heed to what items (i.e. recyclables) should have gone where. But that’s another challenge for city planners. Meanwhile, I urge you to remove the eyesores you are proposing and replace them with bins that are functional but don’t force us to face intrusive advertising. |
| 867 | 08/14/2005 09:10:44 PM | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | They’re ugly. |
| 868 | 08/14/2005 09:22:00 PM | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | There is a problem with the size of the containers; specifically the garbage. It fills up quickly and spills over. | Yes | “I dislike them immensely. They take up too much room. They are way too tall and having them positioned perpendicular to sidewalk traffic just adds another obstacle in pedestrians’ paths, not to mention blocking their view.” | No | “I am highly opposed to the installation of these garbage/recycling bins. The bins that we have now already have advertising space, and they don’t block the sidewalks.” | “The only real advantage that I currently see about these new bins is the addition of the ashtray. However, this is not a big enough advantage that I feel we should implement the new bins. As I mentioned before, the new bins are way too tall. They block not only the view down the road, cluttering the sidewalk, but they are so broad and positioned across the sidewalk, that they create a gigantic obstacle on a pedestrian’s path. The garbage recepticle alone doesn’t seem to accept a satisfactory amount of garbage and soon spills out onto the street. Our city is already overrun with ad campaigns. We don’t need 7 x 5 foot posters looming over us at street level as we walk down the street. The bus shelters fill that need quite adequately already. It seems to me that the size and positioning of the current bins is just fine. They don’t block the sidewalk nor the view, and aside from high-volume areas (ie. Chinatown) they seem to have an acceptable amount of collection space. I am really against these new bins.” |
| 869 | 08/14/2005 10:28:44 PM | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | Smaller openings than the other bins. | Yes | “they take up too much space, and because the ads are too high they obstruct viewing. | No opinion | Don’t sell out to smaller receptacles with bigger ads. They are an eyesore and an embarrassment. We shouldn’t be drawing attention to the trash in our city. | “There should be more options of things to throw out. I like that there is a slot for cigarette butts, but what about organic waste? We’re encouraged to separate organic in our home, but never anywhere else. |
| 870 | 08/14/2005 11:05:13 PM | Yes | SW corner of Bathurst & College | No | “one side of the receptacle was at the “back” of the sidewalk, and was incovenient to use. it would have made more sense to have the bin run parallel to the street, but that would have defeated the purpose of the huge eyesore of an advertising space.” | Yes | “i think the different partitions are a good idea, but the stacking of them on a narrow axis for the benefit of advertising space is foolish. they will fill up so quickly if there is any delay in collection, and i believe they will end up not helping the beautification of our city if garbage is spilling out of them. perhaps if the bins were configured similarly to our current bins they could hold more, and allow for even greater separation to assist in the delivery of the various recyclables. also, they do hinder motorists vision if placed near an intersection, which they seem to be all too frequently” | No | “these particular bins do not seem to be the most effective model. on a better design, i would consider supporting it. i feel the space would be better suited to showcase artwork of community artists, or announcements.” | [Blank] |
| 871 | 08/15/2005 12:14:03 AM | Yes | King West & Strachan | Yes | “Although the openings were marked, I am concerned that once advertising is put on the outside, the instructions will no longer be available.” | Yes | I believe that the new garbage bins are an eyesore and possibly can’t be worth keeping. They are oversized for mere garbage cans and seem to hold less garbage than the old bins. | No | “I would hope with the new “City Beautiful” campaign that the Mayor is spearheading, that other more tasteful ways can be found for garbage receptacles.” | “While I am not against having ads in the public space, but there must be a clear deliniation between corporate grandstanding and tasteful waste receptacles.” |
| 872 | 08/15/2005 12:43:21 AM | Yes | Danforth and Chester | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “This is my major concern with these bines. They obstruct traffic, a problem on busy streets such as the Danforth, but more worrisome I think, is that they obstruct view, which I believe is a safety issue, as pedestrians cannot necessarily be seen by traffic, and also, pedestrians will be unable to have a clear view of who or what is ahead, a key issue in keeping safe, especially while walking alone at night. | No | I don’t believe that the traffic flow and safety issues as mentioned above are outweighed by the potential for revenue increases. It is a key part of the city’s responsability to its citizens to help maintain as safe an environment as possible. Surely an increase in car-inflicted injusries and muggings is not worth the extra cash in your coffers? Did you ask your civil engineers about this project?!? | Trash the bins! Please! |
| 873 | 08/15/2005 03:04:37 AM | Yes | Eglinton & Braemer | No | Very impractical. I’m not going to risk getting my hands chopped off to dispose the items on the side facing the road. | Yes | “Some pedestrians might die jaywalking, as cars would not be able to see them.” | No | “For the stuff that’s put on the road, there has to be a balance between practicality and aesthetics, and revenue. In this case, the balance is tipped way towards revenue. | “Sorry, don’t like it. I could design something much better myself.” |
| 874 | 08/15/2005 07:29:14 AM | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | “It was hard to understand what went where. I had to go around to the poster side of the bin to read what went where and then back to the narrow side. Plus, I am on the short side and found the recycling part too high.” | Yes | “I don’t like the bins. And the way they are positioned on the sidewalk means that the street side is inaccessible to the pedestrian – or at least invisible and therefore forgotten about. The actual garbage bin part is small and although theoretically there are two, only the side facing the sidewalk is likely to get much use.” | No | “I really do not like these bins. They are way too large. It’s like having a billboard on the street. Too much more visual “garbage” on streets that have plenty of visual activity already. Plus, I think the recycling/cigarette butt/garbage part is hard to understand and most people will put everything in the very small garbage part. Also the cigarette butt part is large in the overall scheme of the thing. | I think you should go back to the drawing board. The bin should not be taller than average waist high. The recyling part should be extremely obvious and easy to use – as should the garbage part. A slender part seems to me all you need for cigarette butts. I sincerely hope I never see these bins adopted. It makes Toronto look clunky and ugly and like it thinks only of advertising revenue. Put advertising on the smaller bins that I hope you will be designing!! |
| 875 | 08/15/2005 08:43:11 AM | Yes | Roncesvalles | No | [Blank] | Yes | Blocks the sidewalk!! | No | Too hard to see over the top of it -- can’t see around it. | “Get ones that are shorter so you can see over the top of them. These things screw pedestrians in favor of advertisers. Isn’t it Council’s job to make this city a nicer place to live, rather than making life a bit worse for shoppers and other pedestrians? |
| 876 | 08/15/2005 09:41:12 AM | Yes | Bloor & Christie | No | Some openings to high for those using a wheelchair. | Yes | They seem to be positioned in a way that allows them to be best seen by passing vehicles rather than for ease of use by pedestrians. | No | “I feel that these bins would be an abominable pollution of Toronto’s visual space. They are hideous and repulsive. Furthermore, they represent no great functional advantage over the current Eucan bins.” | “Eucan bins were bad enough; the new bins are even worse. How about ad-free bins to collect garbage and recyclables (e.g. those used on the University of Toronto campus).” |
| 877 | 08/15/2005 09:59:13 AM | Yes | Bathurst and college | No | “The openings are hard to get to. ,The one on the north side is hard to enter and the south side one blocks pedestrian traffic ‘cause it is too close to the street. There is garbage piling up on the outside of this bin--its not pretty.” | Yes | It is good that there is a safe place for butts; however over-all the other bins were easier to access and therefore better for recycling. | No | “I understand that the city is financially strapped but I am have concerns about such large ads appearing on our streetscape. What is gained in adversising $$$ will be lost as the city character is lost in a sea of big, bright ads. In the end this may cost the city more money if the city losed tourism $$$.” | “I think that they city is doing a good thing by trying encourage people to drop their garbage in bins instead of on the street or sidewalk. However, the bins should not create their own type of untidiness. These bins obstruct pedistrian traffic and really don’t fit with the city character. This is not the way to go.They city should provide bins that blend into the environment but are obvious enough that people will see and use them. They also need to be maintained regularly (see comments about over-flowing garbage at bath and coll). |
| 878 | 08/15/2005 11:54:55 AM | Yes | Danforth near Pape | Yes | It was an obstacle. | Yes | They block the sidewalk. | No | “Because they were designed primarily for advertising, they must be deployed in such a way to make them visible but this causes them to block a large part of the sidewalk. That they are so huge and block the sidewalk to increase the onslaught of advertising is particularly offensive to me.” | “Make them smaller and don’t block the sidewalk with them.We don’t need more advertising on the sidewalks.” |
| 879 | 08/15/2005 12:05:56 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 880 | 08/15/2005 12:09:11 PM | No | Roncesvalles and Howard Park | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “These new bins are huge, and take up a lot of the sidewalk” | No | “I find these bins unsightly. You can no longer look anywhere without seeing advertising. They are too tall and look out of place on a nice local high street. If anything I can see them downtown on one of those bigger streets with large sidewalks. Roncesvalles village is a nice quiet community, no yet touched by big retail stores. I would hate to see these bins installed here.” | [Blank] |
| 881 | 08/15/2005 12:22:42 PM | No | [Blank] | No | Did not use. | Yes | They are too large and unsightly. There should be some other solution that incorporates existing garbage/recycling locations (i.e.: the silver bins on street corners). | No | “For the reasons stated above, they are simply too large and unsightly. I’m all for more recycling but there must be a simpler way. These just look like the simplest way to implement the ideal because there is advertising space. While I appreciate the city looking for more ways to get money, this just seems too much. And, I actually work in advertising as an art director. While it may seem strange coming from someone in the business, I believe there are already too many forms of advertising on the street.” | “I wish I knew what the answer was and I hope you find a better solution. Unfortunately, as I’m in the advertising business, I know that the pull of ad dollars will likely put these bins on street corners.” |
| 882 | 08/15/2005 12:47:41 PM | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 883 | 08/15/2005 01:15:01 PM | Yes | Windermere and Bloor | No | The holes are too small. And the one end is anchored so that one has to step off the curb into the street to use that side. So we have only one practical side. | Yes | One is required to step into traffic at a point where cars are coming around a corner and trying to jockey for curbside parking. Not very safe! | No | The negative effect of these large bins with advertising in your face outweighs any potential benefit in my mind. | “Too big. Too much emphasis on the advertising and the holes for sticking in the garbage should be bigger. How about reversing the holes and the advertising, ie have the ads on the ends? |
| 884 | 08/15/2005 03:06:15 PM | Yes | Cannot recall | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “They felt too tall, almost monolithic and imposing. The ratio of advertising (on the broad side) to actual garbage disposal (on the narrow side) made it feel as though the ad took priority over the real function of the bins.” | No | “I think that it would be better for the city to use a less intrusive option, even if it means bearing the cost independantly.” | I am very happy with this e-consultation process. |
| 885 | 08/15/2005 03:15:50 PM | Yes | Bathurst College | No | “The openings are tight and there is [STILL] necessary hand contact to the garbage openings. We shouldn’t need to touch the garbage, should we?” | No | “Totally inadequate. Without the huge ad displaying what to do [and people generally dismiss them as regular ads and pay no attention anyway] it is entirely unclear that the huge box is anything but a poster case. the bin is too wide and leaves little room to pass by, especially in downtown areas. it is still a visual barrier, particularly when close to intersections. Please note that the next similarly sized public ad display [the shelter] at least offers a sizable amount of inhabitable human space. These things simply block the path, and at the passable side you’re adjacent to what? Garbage.” | No | Please read above. | “Please stop taking proposals from Eucan. Obviously, they are not up to the challenge. The bins are poorly designed and poorly thought-through. It would have been better if they just ripped off another city’s garbage system.” |
| 886 | 08/15/2005 03:41:48 PM | Yes | Danforth ave. These bins are hugh and really ugly please do not litter city streets with these eyesores | No | One of the small gargage openings is difficult to reach as it faces traffic. These bins are hugh and really ugly please do not litter city streets with these eyesores | No | They seem badly placed for garbage though they are well placed for advertising. These bins are hugh and really ugly please do not litter city streets with these eyesores | No | These bins are hugh and really ugly please do not litter city streets with these eyesores | These bins are hugh and really ugly please do not litter city streets with these eyesores |
| 887 | 08/15/2005 04:34:06 PM | Yes | 300 block Danforth Avenue | No | It is not entirely obvious that these bins are for garbage and recycling as they look more like the side of a small bus shelter given the prominent ad space and the fact that the receptacles are only visible from the narrow sides. | Yes | “The view of the promenade is completely blocked. The Daforth is esteemed as a lovely stroll, with unusual shops instead of the regular mega chains. Now all you see when you look down the street is a big ad, not the trees and flowers the DBA pays for, and certainly not the sandwish boards and business signs.” | No | There must be a better way. These signs are too lrge for the scale of their surroundings and they are not terribly user-friendly. | [Blank] |
| 888 | 08/15/2005 05:36:43 PM | Yes | Dundas and Roncesvalles | No | It was difficult to find the correct opening | No | “I don’t like the fact that they block sightlines because they are so tall; as a woman, I don’t feel safe walking down the street at night not being able to see if someone’s standing behind one” | No | too much advertising on our streets already | [Blank] |
| 889 | 08/15/2005 05:53:17 PM | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | I’ve never seen such an instruction-heavy garbage can. Using the bin instead of littering requires stopping a conversation to read instructions. | No | “I dislike the height of the bin because, as both a pedistrian and a cyclist, I find they obstruct vision much more than a bin of lower height.” | No | “I applaud the city’s attempts to become increasingly environmentally responsible in our dividing of garbage, but I find these bins are a step in the wrong direction. Whoever heard of a garbage can THAT CONSUMES ELECTRICITY? How does a choice for such bins model the “reduce, reuse, recycle” theme we’re trying to get Torontians to adopt?” | “Please dump them before others are built and return to non-energy consuming, non-sightline impeding garbage cans. Thank you for asking for our input.” |
| 890 | 08/15/2005 06:40:48 PM | Yes | near Leslie St. by Eglinton Ave E. | No | “There are no indications for the intended purpose for each slot right next to the slot, only on the front of the bin and on the top of the sides. I looked into the trash and saw several cans and papers.. obviously your machine is failing to let people know just what the top slot is for right when they look at the actual slots to throw their trash. People don’t look at the fricking instructions, for cripes sake, it’s a trash can. Put labels right by or around each slot.” | Yes | “There are no indications for the intended purpose for each slot right next to the slot, only on the front of the bin and on the top of the sides. I looked into the trash and saw several cans and papers.. obviously your machine is failing to let people know just what the top slot is for right when they look at the actual slots to throw their trash. People don’t look at the fricking instructions, for cripes sake, it’s a trash can. Put labels right by or around each slot.” | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 891 | 08/15/2005 08:36:43 PM | No | I only saw the bin (Finch & Vic Park) while riding TTC bus. | [Blank] | Didn’t try it | No | These bins might cause visibility problems for drivers trying to exit a driveway from a gas station or shopping plaza to get back onto a main street. Need to be careful not to place the bins too close to driveways. | No | Please! No more advertising! People are bombarded with advertising wherever they go. There is too much visual pollution. | “Do they have to be so large? Is there really any benefit, any efficiency, or any cost savings to having such large bins? Smaller would be better.” |
| 892 | 08/15/2005 09:01:12 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | They are obtrusive and ugly | No | The fact that they are free is irrelevant. They are ugly and we should have garbage bins that blend into the community instead of sticking out like sore thumbs. | Make them smaller and more acceptable to their neighbourhoods. |
| 893 | 08/15/2005 09:55:35 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | There is more to this than simply generating revenue for the City as these bins are located in public places and the ad space is being sold to private concerns. Shall we sell our souls as well? Why not sell ad space on the sides of City Hall or Metro Hall. Why not hang a banner from the CN Tower. Think of the revenues that might generate. | “I’m all for efforts to generate additional revenues for the City of Toronto, but I wonder about the psychological costs caused by this visual pollution. We have already seen enough of this, littering OUR PUBLIC transit system. Why not link the ad space use with a mandatory commitment of money to visually improving other public areas such as the TTC or the already heavily billboarded Dundas Square. Where is the creativity in this, the cultural capital of Canada? Where are the efforts to distinguish our city from “Anywhere, USA”. It wouldn’t suprise me to hear the city considering using the large walls on the City Hall Towers or Metro Hall as gigantic outdoor ad space. Think of the revenue possibilies!” |
| 894 | 08/15/2005 10:21:39 PM | No | [Blank] | No | “I like the current ones with the 3 openings: garbage, newspapers, bottles. They’re the right height, have good space for ads, and are placed so they don’t interfere with pedestrian traffic. The new ones that you are testing do NONE of the above.” | Yes | “They interfere with pedestrian traffic. Turn them sideways, so they don’t get in the way. If the ad company gets one good ad instead of two, TOO BAD. I WANT MY SIDEWALK.” | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 895 | 08/15/2005 10:46:48 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 896 | 08/15/2005 11:17:41 PM | Yes | Christie & Bloor | No | “It looks like a billboard not a garbage/recycling bin. The openings are very small and generally awkward and some sizes of recylcables don’t fit. In fact, this particular bin was overflowing with garbage and recyclables. They don’t seem capable of fulfilling their primary task of collecting.” | Yes | “I don’t like how they are positioned perpendicular to the sidewalk. They take up a lot of space and block my view of the street and sidewalk. I prefer to look at people, not ad billboards.” | No | I am greatly dissatisfied with the new bins. There is already too much invasive advertising filling Toronto’s street space. These are particularly annoying because they’re directly at pedestrian level and essentially blocking the walkway. | “Another important reason these new bins must never be fully deployed is because they are illuminated. In a time when the province is very often using more electricity than it can produce, these bins are a poor solution to a basic and essential municipal service. Even if they were powered by renewable energy sources that still would not make up for their gross overuse of pedestrian space. Toronto already has very little sidewalk space. These ad billboards posing as garbage bins only exasperates the problem.” |
| 897 | 08/16/2005 03:30:44 AM | Yes | High Park | No | “No labels were on the openings indicating what waste is to go where. Also, one side of the receptacle was practically on the curb and is thus completely unusable. | Yes | “One half of the bin is basically on the street, making this side absolutely useless unless one should wish to have cars and cyclists brushing by.” | No | “The last thing our beautiful city needs is more advertising -- especially 7-foot high billboards on the street, on bins positioned to increase exposure to the ads and not ease of use for pedestrians. Additionally, with all the energy-saving initiatives we are currently undertaking as a province, it is appalling that the city would consider installing backlit billboards on every garbage can in the city, absolutely wasting our already overused electricity system.” | “These new bins will waste electricity, introduce a new traffic hazard with their obstructive height, ensure the mixing of garbage and recyclables with their difficult-to-understand receptacles, and essentially further pollute our city’s streets. Instead of facing all these issues simply to generate a few advertising dollars at the expense of all citizens and our city’s beauty, we should purchase new bins without the obstructive and wasteful advertising. Any display space should be reserved for public messages regarding waste management and maintaining the cleanliness of our streets, and/or a space dedicated and available to local artists. This is how we will truly be able to clean up our streets and keep our city beautiful.” |
| 898 | 08/16/2005 09:08:28 AM | Yes | Just east of Broadview and Danforth | No | “Wasn’t sure where to put my bottle at first, and am concerned about the rubber “flap” that you have to push the bottle through. Over time this flap will get dirty and disgusting, and no one will want to have to touch it to get their bottles in there.” | No | “The one I used, it was placed the wrong way on the sidewalk, blocking a bunch of space, and I could only use it by going out onto the road.” | No | “These might be okay if they were up against a blank wall (the inside side of a sidewalk), because they’d be out of the way, yet still provide a receptacle for garbage, etc, and one side would be visable (if the money is THAT important to you...). As it is now, it’s a billboard with a garbage can added.” | [Blank] |
| 899 | 08/16/2005 09:18:40 AM | Yes | [Blank] | No | “Openings are good, they don’t have those flaps on the front to get scummed up. However, the large size of this thing is not so good for such a small amount of openings.” | Yes | They seem to be positioned to block as much of the walking space as possible. | No | These are unfriendly to pedestrians because they obstruct your vision. They take away from the enjoyment of a nice walk / shopping because they chop up the space -- you can see left or right but not straight ahead when you’re dealing with one of these things. | How about one that goes left-to-right instead of up-and-down? That would be o.k. since then you could see over them fine. |
| 900 | 08/16/2005 09:56:24 AM | Yes | Bloor & Christie; Runnymede & Howard Park | No | “Openings are not clearly marked and are too small. If I recall, graphics are only on stickers. | Yes | “The bins are so large, that no matter how they’re placed, they become an obstacle. This is especially true in the Bloor/Christie location where the bin is placed in the middle of a large open, paved area.” | No | “If the bins were designed for collecting garbage and recycling, the trade-off of public space for revenue might be worthwhile. These bins are clearly non-functional for anything other than giant billboards. | “These are enormous, poorly designed eyesores! Reject this proposal! |
| 901 | 08/16/2005 10:06:21 AM | Yes | ossington and dundas | No | “the openings were too small, and you actually had to “cram” your items in there. not a big improvement at all over the old omg bins with the three small slots. also, i did not even realize that this was a garbage bin--it just looked like a big ad.” | Yes | “They are entirely too wide and tall. For instance, they encroach onto the sidewalk to a very noticeable degree--they jut our uncomfortably and I witnessed a group of pedestrians having to re-arrange themselves to get around it. Also, the way they are angled, you would have to step off of the sidewalk and ONTO THE STREET (dangerous) to use the second end of the bin. They are also distracting for drivers and the awkward way that they are positioned cuts off views for both pedestrians and drivers, leading to potentially dangerous situations.” | No | “I am all for the city getting money, but it is obvious, from the design of these towering ads, that the concern of these bins is not to provide citizens with improved garbage containers, but rather to give advertisers yet another place in which to encroach on so-called public space. A more thoughtful, frankly less crass, design could easily be thought of. Just from a design stand-point, these bins are very poorly considered, aesthetically offensive and--worst of all--do not serve their main function as garbage repository.” | “The city needs money, but this is the wrong way to go about it. These cans seem thoughtless and even offensive. They are a blight on our city streets. They stop the flow of pedestrian traffic, and obscure sight lines--and for what? So we can see another ugly ad for gum? Please reconsider installing at least this (monstrously ugly) version of the garbage bin/ads.” |
| 902 | 08/16/2005 10:25:43 AM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 903 | 08/16/2005 10:44:10 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 904 | 08/16/2005 11:06:23 AM | Yes | Bloor Roncy and Bloor Christie | No | “Too high,Hole too small ,Bin too full – had to ram the cans in” | No | “The holes are too high for my kids to access. The holes are too small. Ash trays get in the way of reaching into the garbage if you are short or in a wheelchair. ,Why would you use the short ends of the bin when you have a 5’ expanse on the other side to make better use of the space. If maximizing ad space was the primary motivator in the conception of the design, then you started with an flawed premise. Garbage cans should be mostly about temporary storage of garbage.” | No | The bins don’t work well and then garbage will be on the ground. | “What’s wrong with what Toronto currently uses? The silver and black containers with 3 holes seem fine, although often full. And again the holes are too small, but at least they are easy to reach.” |
| 905 | 08/16/2005 11:18:17 AM | Yes | Roncesvalles + Howard Park | No | “It was clear that people weren’t paying attention to any instructions. Cigarette butts still littered the ground around it, and I saw someone throwing a can into the wrong hole.” | Yes | “Possibly the most horrible position I can imagine. It blocks the flow of traffic, and forces people to detour around it to throw out their waste (or to simply walk down the street).” | No | “It is clear that the purpose of these bins is not efficient waste disposal, but increased ad space. Instead of making the street seem clean, it makes it seem garish and cluttered, and people can’t understand it anyway. Any revenue this advertising makes for the city would be lost in tourism as the reputation of our city sinks.” | There is a way to gracefully place advertising in public. These bins do not make use of it. Blocking peoples’ paths with a giant ad will make them frustrated. They will loathe these things. |
| 906 | 08/16/2005 11:19:22 AM | Yes | Lawrence and Don Mills | No | Very confusing system. | Yes | TAKES UP WAY TOO MUCH PUBLIC SPACE! GARBAGE COLLECTION DOES NOT NEED TO TAKE UP THIS MUCH PUBLIC SPACE! THESE MAKE OUR CITY AN EYESORE! | No | What an embarassment to Toronto. Do not corrupt our sidewalks any more. | Get rid of them. Now. Period. |
| 907 | 08/16/2005 11:44:34 AM | Yes | “Bloor/Christie,Eglinton/Keele” | No | “The bins were impractical and not accessible.The openings for each type of waste were confusing and overly complicated. I believe that they deter people from source separating their waste.” | Yes | They are intrusive and block the flow of pedestrian foot traffic. I do not like the design of the bins on either end of the poster. The bins seem like a way to legitimize the oversized poster space for advertisements. | No | I believe the City should focus its efforts on generating revenue from its business and residential recyclable/reuseable waste. | [Blank] |
| 908 | 08/16/2005 11:46:45 AM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | “I just noticed the new ‘bins’ on the Danforth. They appear to be billboards with a small and possibly ineffective attempt at recycling collection. I did notice a big ashtray device. Can’t understand why....fewer people are smoking these days. My impression is that this is just advertising, with a “green” gesture, and useless at that. Keep our sidewalks clean and free from corporate crap. Thanks | No | see above | What’s wrong with using real bins. Like the ones we already have? |
| 909 | 08/16/2005 12:21:00 PM | Yes | Port Union and Lawrence avenue. | No | No – I walked past it before I realized it was a garbage bin. I thought it was just another advertisement. | Yes | “I don’t like it. They block my view of the street and the oncoming traffic. They are too big, too tall. They are less a garbage bin than an advert. | No | “NO. It is not worth the sale of advertising to poison our streets with even more advertising. i would like to see our beautiful city, not maybelline’s newest lipstick. | They aren’t garbage bins! They’re adverts and I don’t want them on my street. |
| 910 | 08/16/2005 12:55:11 PM | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | It was too awkward and I didn’t like the place for the advertisements. | No | I don’t like the advertisements. | No | I think that would be very wrong for many reasons. I stand by the same reasons that most people believe we shouldn’t have advertising our our children’s schools. | No advertising. |
| 911 | 08/16/2005 01:20:52 PM | Yes | Bathurst & College | Yes | Yes but they seemed to hold very little garbage. | Yes | They are standing right in the way of pedestrians! | No | They are hideously ugly and out of place. The only thing uglier is the advertising on it. | “Get rid of them! Stop commercializing our public space! If you want to keep the city clean, start enforcing the law on those who litter and add a cigarette butt sidebin to the currently existing containers.” |
| 912 | 08/16/2005 01:25:58 PM | Yes | Lakeshore in Mimico | No | Very confusing. Openings too small. Overwhelmed by size of box. | Yes | “Can’t stand that aspect. They destroy the line of vision to gaze down a street. They obstruct the view, too.” | No | Definitely NOT. We would be placing commerce over aesthetics and making Toronto an unbelievably ugly city. We are trying so hard to make Toronto more beautiful. This seems to be three steps in the wrong direction. | “Many sidewalks are narrow. They would not work there. Even when the sidewalks are broad, we don’t want to sacrifice beautfy for bucks. I think we need to rethink this or simply keep the bins we have and look for a new source of revenue.” |
| 913 | 08/16/2005 01:30:28 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | I don’t like that they are right in the middle of the sidewalk on a very busy street. They are an eyesore and it seems ridiculous to me that they are right in the middle of sidewalk when the old ones are closer to the curb. The curbside ones just make so much more sense. | No | “Advertising is absolutely taking over this city. It is offensive to the landscape and to the sensibility of Toronto’s citizens. These new bins are one of the most “in your face” forms of advertising I have seen yet.” | [Blank] |
| 914 | 08/16/2005 01:30:47 PM | Yes | college & ossington | No | “the openings were too small and people were placing items in the wrong containment on purpose. While that may be expected, the design of this monstrousity does not help hide or alieviate that problem as a garbage can should” | Yes | “These big billboards are totally cumbersome. They take up over 1/3 of these small sidewalks. It would obviously be better if they were aligned so that their lengths run parallel with the street. But then you wouldn’t get the money from advertisers and that’s more important to you than public safety or ease, isn’t it?” | No | “There are a multitude of ways that the city can generate revenue from advertising that doesn’t encroach on the very few public spaces available. The space taken away and the time spent maintaining and cleaning these things takes away from public commerce and cleanliness,and contributing to an increased amount of funds to maintain and take care of them. This totally defeats the purpose.” | Learn from larger companies. Take Apple for example. A simple user interface adds beauty and ease to the public space. You do not have to even sacrifice generating revenue for the city. |
| 915 | 08/16/2005 01:45:04 PM | Yes | Bathurst and college | No | It was very easy to figure out where things went because there was a giant sign indicating the directions for use. I think that the need for having a huge sign telling people how to use a garbage bin indicates that the garbage bin is poorly designed. Everyone should be able to figure out how to use a garbage/recycle bin without a giant how to guide in front of their noses. | Yes | I think it is a mistake to call them garbage/recycling bins. My first impression was that it was a billboard. You should call them billboards. I think the billboard was placed in a very offensive way on the sidewalk. I don’t understand why the streets need more advertising/visual noise. | No | No. I don’t believe the city needs to get garbage bins for free. What is the point of a governing municipal body that needs to beg for garbage bins for its inhabitants? If the city weren’t getting the garbage bins for free would there be no garbage bins? | “Why does a garbage bin need electrical power? I could understand it if you added a wifi hotspot to every garbage bin, but for an illuminated billboard? Citizens don’t need more advertising. Who needs more advertising? Private enterprise. So what is the message being sent out by the city here? |
| 916 | 08/16/2005 01:47:27 PM | Yes | DAnforth | No | “openings too small.......not clear it was a garbage bin at first,,looks more like a billboard plunked down,in the middle of a sidewalk” | Yes | “very disappointed....mayor is talking about,beautifying the city....by sticking oversized garbage cans with load noisy advertising along our sidewalks...I vote NO” | No | “very disappointed....mayor is talking about,beautifying the city....by sticking oversized garbage cans with load noisy advertising along our sidewalks...I vote NO” | [Blank] |
| 917 | 08/16/2005 01:58:35 PM | Yes | Neilson & Ellesmere | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “They are good but are small.i have seen the bins full and people dumoing over it.” | Yes | [Blank] | “They are good but are small.i have seen the bins full and people dumoing over it.” |
| 918 | 08/16/2005 02:02:43 PM | No | [Blank] | No | Have yet to use one. | Yes | These billboard-garbage cans are an offensive eyesore. | No opinion | “I hate them, but if the city really cannot afford to place regular garbage cans around, I suppose they’re better than more trash in the streets. Is the company also taking care of trash disposal?” | [Blank] |
| 919 | 08/16/2005 02:13:50 PM | Yes | Danforth & Broadview | No | It’s not really clear that they are actually garbage/recycling bin. The focus seems to be on creating yet more advertising space in the disguise of an environmental cause. | No | “They take up too much space. Why are they positioned perpendicular to the edge of the sidewalk? They infringe on the space available for the pedestrian, a true environmentalist. | No | “I am not in favour of these new bins. I would prefer not to be “bombarded” with yet more advertising.” | I don’t like them. They are too big: take up too much space: obstuct the view of the sidewalk/street: do not hold much garbage/recycling: are confusing to use. I don’t appreciate giving up so much of the sidewalk space to advertising. |
| 920 | 08/16/2005 02:29:01 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | They are big. They are ugly. They are hideous. | No | “who came up with these things? bad idea. you’ve probably have heard a lot of negative response towards this installment, so you might as well listen to those opinions and take them out.” | please take them away. |
| 921 | 08/16/2005 02:30:08 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 922 | 08/16/2005 03:46:20 PM | Yes | bathurst and college | No | the bin was not practical! Only 50% of the bin’s total volume (the lower half) holds the garbage! | No | they sure take up alot of the sidewalk. | No | these bins are really intrusive. Their design impedes pedestrian traffic flow. | Please do not continue these after the pilot concludes! |
| 923 | 08/16/2005 03:57:22 PM | No | “Didn’t use it, but I did get a good close look at the one on Dundas West at Ossington.” | Yes | “Since the bin blocks most of the side walk on Dundas West at Ossington, it’s really easy not to miss the receptical openings ... unless your squeezed between the building another person trying to pass the bin at the same time.” | Yes | From my responce in questions number two you might guess that I’m not very happy with this intusion of public space. And as a motorist I’ve notice that this bin also has a negative affect on my view of other traffic at this intersection. | No | “They are way to big for most downtown side walks. There are already too many things on most downtown side walks that interfer with the flow of foot traffic. The garbage receptical parts should be added to the transit shelters. The city should think about charge compaies for postering on poles, construction site boards and boxes [mail, newspaper and other types] to raise extra money.” | Get ride of the ones already in downtown and don’t put any more up. |
| 924 | 08/16/2005 04:09:31 PM | Yes | Broadview and Danforth | No | “They are coutnerintuitive to use, and particularly confusing for people who are visually impaired.They one I used was already overflowing with trash that had ben shoved into the slots at awkward angles.” | Yes | “They serve to block pedestrian sightlines along the sidewalk, as well as sightlines perviously available to motorists. This poses a hazard to both motorists and pedestrians.They also violate parts 1.1.8, 1.1.9, and 1.4.9 of the City of Toronto Accessibility Plan, 2004 by intruding on the sidewalk, and for a number of other reasons.They will also add to the visual clutter on the sidewalks of the city, since they are essentially billboards placed on the sidewalk.” | No | “First of all, they are unsightly and will detract from the overall beauty of neighbourhoods in which they are installed. Also, they violate the city’s own acessibility guidelines. ,Further, they are counterintuitive to use, and this discourages people from using the receptacle, with the result being more litter. What’s wrong with plain, round, side-by-side garbage and recycling receptacles, which are placed at regular intervals, emptied regularly, and easy to use?,It is also unnacceptable that the city would increase electricity usage by providing illuminated advertising on these bins.” | “The city should purchase and use straightforward, basic receptacles that conform to the city’s accessibility guidelines, that do not block pedestrian and motorist sightlines, and that do not detract from the aesthetics of the streetscape. They should do so without entering into an advertising partnership partnership with an outside company. The previous OMG partnership did not work out well for the city, and there is no indication the EUCAN partnership will, either.” |
| 925 | 08/16/2005 05:36:30 PM | Yes | Yonge & Dundas | No | [Blank] | Yes | They should not exist in the city. | No | [Blank] | Nothing is ever for FREE. |
| 926 | 08/16/2005 05:52:21 PM | No | “But I have seen the one outside Christie Pits Park, and had a look at it.” | No | “It didn’t look like a garbage bin to me. It looked like a billboard. Walking towards the “bin” (walking across Christie towards the park) I was faced with a visual/poster, but no opening. The opening was to the side as I walked, and behind. | Yes | “No. The opening should be facing the pedestrian as the pedestrian walks towards it, thus suggesting to the pedestrian that they should consider throwing their trash into it. Rather, the poster side faces the pedestrian. Unless the poster reads “Throw trash and recyclables in here!” then I don’t think it will be very effective.” | No | “I do understand that the City is in a financial crunch and I am sympathetic. However, there is way to much ad space in the city as it is. Too many billboards are stressful to the brain, and are distracting to drivers and cyclists, who need to be paying attention to the road. There is a lot of activity on downtown streets and it is hard to stay focussed on the road – further distractions are not helpful. These things are trying to replace physical clutter with visual clutter, which in my mind is much more harmful. Please reconsider these bins. | “In PEI (Charlottetown) they have very nice, wooden bins for recycling, garbage and compost. They are attractive, inoffensive, and practical. Seems like a fine idea to me. And really, must everything in Toronto be for sale? No! It must not. |
| 927 | 08/16/2005 08:03:18 PM | Yes | Christie and Bloor | No | “How t is designed with the recycling up high will make it difficult for shorter people and children. Lazy people will just toss their recyclbles it into the garbage.The garbage container part seemed small and could easily overflow.LOVED the cigarette butting place, but isn’t it a little “fire hazardish” to have it right abive the garbage? What if someone misses when flicking out their cigarette? It could cause a fire.” | Yes | “Ideal for both pedestrians and motorists/bikers/rollerbladers. How the garbage bins are now, sometime you have to wait for the traffic to move before getting to the garbage. With this design, you can just walk to the other side and not disturb the traffic flow.” | [Blank] | Depends on if the revenue was used for good and not some ‘pet projects’. | “Whoever designered the poster advertising the bin did a nice job. It really peaked my interest (as much as interest can be peaked about a garbage bin, that is.)” |
| 928 | 08/16/2005 08:04:03 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “The bins are large, ugly, and block the view of people walking on the sidewalk. They obstruct the sidewalk.” | No | “There should be a better way to collect trash. It is handy to collect all types of garbage in one container, but the size of these bins do not improve the streetscape. While trash collection is important for the “Clean and Beautiful City” initiative, I feel that these bins do not make the city more beautiful.” | “If we want a clean and beautiful city, do we really need 7-foot high bins protruding out onto the sidewalk plastered with advertising?” |
| 929 | 08/16/2005 08:56:51 PM | Yes | york mills and yonge | No | i had to dance around the bin to find the tiny openings. They look more like giant billboards than garbage cans! | No | “i think they are horrendous, they block too much of the sidwalks making it difficult to see over them.” | No | “I think this is a cheap ploy in getting a little quick cash. Would you see these bins in London, Pairs or perhaps along the canels in Venice. Why is Toronto “trashing” our streets.” | I would be very upset if the city put these bins in. They are wrong on so many levels. I’m tired of our landscape littered with advertisments! Stop selling our public spaces. |
| 930 | 08/16/2005 11:09:41 PM | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | “The openings were at the right height. However, it is unclear to me why the openings themselves aren’t labelled: the only indication as to which slot is for what is from the legend above the slots. This seems to be a waste of space.” | Yes | “The positioning of this particular bin causes the rear slots to be completely inaccessible. However, positioning the bin perpendicular to the way it is now would cause the advertisement to face the street, which would be very unsightly.” | No | “No, I do not support the City supplementing its budget by increasing urban blight in the form of added commercial advertising space. It would be particularly ironic if the funds so raised were then used for other “clean up” projects such as litter removal or parks maintenance when the origin of the funds were blight itself!” | [Blank] |
| 931 | 08/17/2005 03:31:20 AM | Yes | Kipling & Albion | No | “I wonder how well the bins would work in winter, and how far the bins will withstand disuse and vandalism.” | No | “The bins are too prominent and ruin the scenery. Yet unfortunately they are too small and will be overloaded quickly in busy intersections. Also, the busiest sidewalks and intersections (e.g. downtown and midtown) are too narrow for them. | No | The stainless steel OMG bins are fine. Placed parallel to the road they use less sidewalk space. More of these will be awesome. | “Consider fining those free dailies and magazines -- many major intersections have dispensers for these dailies but no garbage cans. They’re making a good living while littering the city. Those free dailies also cause much litter in the TTC.Regarding cigarette butts, “Studies show that more ashtrays will only help a little. The only way we will prevent this form of litter is through changing people’s behavior through education, peer pressure or enforcement of anti-litter laws.”[redacted] |
| 932 | 08/17/2005 07:53:21 AM | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 933 | 08/17/2005 09:11:33 AM | Yes | South of Dundas on Roncesvalles | No | Openings were nice but not very many of them compared to the size of the bin | Yes | The sidewalks on Roncesvalles are not wide enough to support this type of bin. The bin blocks the sidewalk too much. Furthermore the bin is not suitable for placement on brickwork (such as that on Roncesvalles) due to the ratio of small footprint to tall bin which will result in too much leverage being applied to the paving block when the bin is knocked or experiences a strong wind. | No | They are too tall for the function they perform. I understand the argument about size of the advertising poster but this could be accomodated by placing the bin sideways rather than vertically. | A horizontal placement would improve the visibility for foot and car traffic and would make the bin more stable / less subject to tipping. |
| 934 | 08/17/2005 10:32:58 AM | Yes | King & Strachan | No | “It is not obvious that these are garbage bins. They appear to be giant billboards first, garbage recepticals second. It would be a much more effective garbage can if you made them shorter and squater – but you already have those and this is really about increasing advertising sales, right? | No | “There is garbage bins already on both corners facing this monstrosity you call a garbage bin. In addition, there are also two street car stops on both corners that also contain enormous billboards. These new garbage bins seem excessive and unnecessary. How about improving upon the already exisiting garbage cans at each ttc stop so that the openings are larger and the doors do not flop open as they often do?” | No | “Absolutely not. These things are enormous and are an obvious means to increase advertising sales, not to inprove upon the waste recepticals in the city. I am tired of the visual pollution in the city as it already exists. Must we always be faced with a commercial advertisement once we step outside our homes? | I would be happier if you used your efforts to increase public art in the city – not on more commercial advertisements. |
| 935 | 08/17/2005 10:51:40 AM | Yes | College & Bathurst | No | I could see no labels indicating what kind of material goes into what hole. The slots were too small as well. Obviously it was designed as an advertising billboard first and a garbage can second. | No | Too in-your-face. | No | “I take pride in the aesthetics of our city. Allowing this extremely bulky and ungly advertising-garbage bin only takes away from any aesthetic this city has left and it leads us into a bigger hole. If this is allowed, then what next?” | “It is obvious that a city needs to get money from somewhere. However, if it is a matter of ruining our streets with more ads and a poorly designed garbage bin (that appears as if it won’t take alot of trash), the city needs to look somewhere else. The beauty of Toronto shouldn’t be compromised.” |
| 936 | 08/17/2005 10:56:08 AM | Yes | Queen & Jameson | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “One of the garbage, recycling & cigarette receptacles are right at the curb; you have to step on to the street to use them. The Eco-mupi is positioned to provide maximum ad exposure for on-coming traffic, but this causes a hazard for pedestrians trying to use the receptacles.” | No | “I think the City should create a system of allowing artists to put art in the ad spaces in the Eco-mupi’s, and allow community groups to advertise there as well.” | [Blank] |
| 937 | 08/17/2005 11:17:14 AM | Yes | dundas keele | No | “other than garbage, tough to figure out at first glance” | Yes | They block pedestrian passage | No | “The city should not be in the advertising business. It is also not a good vehicle for collecting garbage, only for advertising” | “Question 5 is leading. If the old style lower bins don’t work well, get a company to make them right and make them work well.” |
| 938 | 08/17/2005 11:17:53 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | Dont see the harm to having advertisements | [Blank] |
| 939 | 08/17/2005 11:39:22 AM | No | Have seen the ones at Colleg and Bathurst and Dundas and Ossington | No | It was confusing to find out what goes where. | No | “They are placed offensively, but with the size of them there is no “good” way to place them on the sidewalk.” | No | they are an eyesore and no money goained by the city would be worth. I have a friend visiting from Germany right now and it’s an embarrassment. | “I believe that this survey is extremely undemocratic -- luckily I have a computer at work to voice my opinion. Obviously, The City desn’t care about those less fortunate.” |
| 940 | 08/17/2005 11:45:04 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “way too large, obstruct view” | No | the city should pay for bins that are well-designed additions to our public space; these experiments with exchanging ad space for essential city amenities pollute our visual environment and are usually poorly-designed and inadequate (note the current bins that are forever popping open and spilling their contents; gross and disgraceful on our city’s streets.) | “see above. pay for well designed, attractive, well and strongly built bins which will be a signature of Toronto’s desire for beautiful public spaces (and which will last more than a few years before falling apart.)” |
| 941 | 08/17/2005 12:16:28 PM | Yes | East of Leslie on York Mills | No | “Why is there an opening facing the road? Why such a small opening? Most people huck garbage in the DIRECTION of a garbage bin, rather than in it. Help them out! | Yes | “They’re too big. Garbage bins should be unobtrusive. Why advertise trash? It doesn’t make people want to recycle. If these are being funded, the City should demand that they be made “fun” ie basketball nets with a trash bin beneath, to encourage people to actually throw stuff out. These just let people read ads and don’t offer much in the way of trash disposal.” | No | “The City should demand more. The bins don’t really offer much in the way of garbage disposal. Just HUGE ads. Demand that the holes are bigger, better oriented (ie not towards the street). And that companies pay towards trash removal. That is to say, don’t just get excited over a few extra bucks. Be shrewd. | “For chris’sake, don’t just capitulate to these bins because they’re free. Make them better! Try them out. Do they encourage trash disposal? I hardly think so. Unless people are throwing coffee cups from their cars, and THEN the trash will just end up on the road because of the MINISCULE openings in the HUGE bins. Like a fat man with a little mouth. |
| 942 | 08/17/2005 12:42:03 PM | Yes | keele and lawrence | Yes | [Blank] | No | “I think this bins are ver practical and easy to use, not only they help keep our city clean, but they make their surroundings look nice (the bins are pretty!) | Yes | “Even though i dont really like the idea of using these bins as advertisement, i understand that the city would receive the bins for free, therefore i believe the idea stated is good. | [Blank] |
| 943 | 08/17/2005 12:49:29 PM | Yes | Christie & Bloor | No | “I wasn’t aware it was a garbage can at first. The openings aren’t as convenient as the ‘regular’ garbage bins, which are pretty shafty as it is, let me tell you.” | No | “They’re massive! They look disfigured and out of place in Christie Pits, which has big sidewalks; I can’t begin to imagine how cumbersome they’d be anywhere slightly more downtown.” | No | “I’m somewhat confident the added hydro bills and the deterioration of our sidewalks oughtweigh any “increased revenue from the sale of commercial advertising space”, whatever that means, the city might incur.Doesn’t the city already receive money from the non-iluminated ads on the regular bins as it is?” | “I rarely bike across Christie nowadays but these things could also be pretty annoying when biking across town, I’d imagine.” |
| 944 | 08/17/2005 01:35:59 PM | Yes | Lakeshore | No | the bins were too small and east to confuse. | Yes | the advertising side is way too large and blocks the sidewalk. it is UGLY. | No | “though the city needs the money from advertising, I think its greedy to benefit from disadvantaging those who use the sidewalks.” | an octagonal or triangle shape would take up much less space and you could put your ads on top. I do agree with the area for collecting cigarette butts though. |
| 945 | 08/17/2005 02:08:43 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | “they are far too big, blocking traffic and pedestrian visibility and invade public space with more advertising. they are grotesque!” | No | “they are far too big, blocking traffic and pedestrian visibility and invade public space with more advertising. they are grotesque!” | “they are far too big, blocking traffic and pedestrian visibility and invade public space with more advertising. they are grotesque!” |
| 946 | 08/17/2005 02:19:03 PM | No | [Blank] | No | “Small garbage slots, hard to find with all the ad junk.” | No | Take up too much space. Are ugly. Block biker/driver/ pedestrian visibility. | No | Public space should remain public. There is already too much advertising in every conceivable space in this city. They are too large. What will the increased revenue be used for? | “They also take up electricity which is already being drained at such high rates in this city. I think a consultative process re: the bins is important. This is a first step, but should be extended more publicly and to far-er reaches of society – i.e. those without internet access...” |
| 947 | 08/17/2005 02:19:08 PM | Yes | “Sorry, I can’t remember” | No | “Openings were easy to use but I had to go through the diagrams several times to understand what should go in which opening. (I have a university degree and a technical background -- what about people with less education?) I think it would be much better if the labelling was nearer to the openings – e.g. ‘batteries’ beside the batteries holes with an arrow pointing directly to them, etc.At the moment I’m afraid people will look at the diagrams, shrug, and dump stuff in whichever opening is nearest.” | No | “I can’t remember noticing any problems. I think the only thing that matters is that the openings face the sidewalk, parallel to the curb. And the bin should be clearly visible at the corner -- not hidden by newspaper bins etc.” | Yes | [Blank] | No |
| 948 | 08/17/2005 03:54:42 PM | Yes | McCowan & ?? | No | [Blank] | Yes | I think they are a debaucle. They block view of the street and people walking the other way. Why are you ADVERTISING on GARBAGE? | No | Absolutely not. There are already too many hideous billboards all over the place. | “Are we not bombarded by enough advertising in our lives? Why keep adding to it? It is not attractive, it invades our mental environment...honestly give it a break. DON’T DO IT. We do not need every single public area covered in advertising. TACKY TACKY TACKY!! DON’T DO IT, I urge you.” |
| 949 | 08/17/2005 03:55:15 PM | Yes | Dundas West & Keele | Yes | Signage where advertising space is makes it fool proof. | Yes | “They do take up more space, but I don’t mind, it’s not more of an obstruction than a bus stop.” | Yes | [Blank] | “Good job, I’m all for them. Although I doubt the cigarette disposal will decrease the amount of butts on the ground.” |
| 950 | 08/17/2005 05:20:45 PM | Yes | superior and lakeshore | No | “it doesn’t look a recycling bin, and it’s too narrow” | Yes | “it’s almost blocking the sidewalk, only one end is really accessible” | No | “it doesn’t look like a recycling bin, it looks like a billboard; there are enough billboards around already...” | “the emphasis should be on recycling, not on advertising” |
| 951 | 08/17/2005 05:37:22 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | Whatever....... | No | “I feel that we are completly inondated with advertising already. Please make it stop.If you were to ask me if it was ok to use these ackward things to adverstise local artists or even if yu were just gonna stick up a picture of a tree I would say yes yes yes.But please please stop with the advertising.Toronto is a great place to live if you don’t mind living in the absence of natural beauty, don’t make it worse.I” | “I think I’ve said enough.No, wait. Stop with the advertising.Take it off the buses, take it off the billboards, take it off the bus stops, take it away.” |
| 952 | 08/17/2005 05:41:55 PM | Yes | Jane and Bloor | No | “The logotypes used are confusing, very confusing. The openings also weren’t “clean”, from the point of view of not getting “ick” on my hand when pushing something through the opening.” | No | “In this case, one end faced the street at the curb. I don’t think that one would reach around to that end to use the bin. Thus, the double endedness was not of value.Another installation at Pacific and Dundas blocked the view of a retailers window (his right to display merchandise was diminished) and it also blocked traffic site lines for the motorists Northbound on Pacific.” | [Blank] | “No. The height obscures site lines badly, but the heigh is purely for advertising. The previous model was somewhat more acceptable from a height perspective. The openings could have been designed a bit better as well. Overall, the capacity seemed ok and I liked the “bumper bars” at each end to protect them from damage. The silver or black models were equally ok.” | “1. They are ugly.2. They offer no new functionality over the previous generation other than advertising square footage.3. They disrupt site lines for motorists and retailers.A question back – are they more efficient for the crews that have to empty them?,Paul Nielsen [redacted],As well, much as traffic signals have a phone number and identification code on them, can the waste bins have a phone number with ID number on them so we can inform the city when one is unfortunately filled to overflowing?” |
| 953 | 08/17/2005 08:52:25 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | “We are already bombarded with advertising everywhere we turn – the city doesn’t need to add to this problem! I am totally against these “new” garbage bins!” |
| 954 | 08/17/2005 08:56:03 PM | Yes | Bloor and Windemere | No | It was not convenient to use the side of the bin close to traffic | Yes | “Too big, blocks sight lines of cyclists and cars, cannot use the side close to traffic.” | No | “Absolutely against. It is a billboard, not a trash can.” | “I will be very disappointed if the city adopts this design. I will be sending this comment to the mayor and Councillor Saundercook as well. I can be a single issue voter, and this issue could be it.” |
| 955 | 08/17/2005 10:37:55 PM | Yes | Jane & Bloor | Yes | “However, it seems overly large – due to the billboard” | Yes | “I find them a bit overwhelming – too “in-your-face”” | Yes | “The only reason I’m in favour is because there’s a place for cigarette buts – I think it’s horrible that smokers litter as much as they do. However, the size of these bins is definitely going to be an eyesore on our city streets. Especially in neighbourhoods like Bloor West and the Annex that still have some personality.” | “Make sure you correct the spelling of the word “cigarettes”” |
| 956 | 08/17/2005 10:43:44 PM | Yes | bathurst and college | No | “The different openings were not clearly marked when viewed from the end. The opening for the recycling should be next to the opening for trash, not above the receptacle for cigarette butts. | Yes | “The bins should be positioned lengthwise rather than how they are now. If their long side was parallel to the street they would not be as much of an impediment to pedestrian movement. Also, both sides would be accessible for depositing refuse.” | No opinion | Only if they were installed with the long side parallel to the street. | The new bins should include a location for wet garbage (compostables). |
| 957 | 08/17/2005 10:47:07 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | They are UGLY!! They take up too much space on the sidewalk. I don’t feel we need even more advertising. It’s in our faces everywhere we go!!! | No opinion | “Again...it’s another form of advertising. Do we need more of that.How can they not cost the city anything????” | Keep the ones we already have and spend the money on something else!! |
| 958 | 08/18/2005 08:45:05 AM | Yes | Bathurst/College | No | “overflowing beyond belief, openings too small and awkward” | No | “They are too big, offensive and invade our public space” | No | The city should not sell out to advertising to this degree. These are billboards and are anti-green and anti-public space. Garbage and recycling are the city’s responsibilities. | “Get rid of them! Install basic, easy to use garbage and recycling bins without the offensive advertising. If the city needs money, implement an inner city car toll.” |
| 959 | 08/18/2005 10:30:04 AM | Yes | Danforth and Broadview | No | It is very confusing as to where to put recyclables versus garbage and one side of the bin opens onto the street where you can’t see it if you’re a pedestrian. | Yes | They are awful. They are huge and take up too much space on the sidewalk. They ruin the sightline of the streetscape and are generally obnoxious. | No | Absolutely not. The sidewalks are for pedestrians. | “Please do not implement these.Thanks.” |
| 960 | 08/18/2005 10:45:38 AM | No | [Blank] | No | direction signage not big enough | No | They are too big and block views in a dangerous way... I almost walked in a cyclist when trying to cross the road | No | make them smaller... this is more of a vehicle for advertising than a garbage bin... how about this idea... why not create smaller paintable bins and invite artists to paint designs on them with a area that notes the advertising sponsor of the bin. | [Blank] |
| 961 | 08/18/2005 10:54:42 AM | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | Didn’t like the layout of the openings. | No | “Oh look, a new excuse for visual litter/advertising.” | No | [Blank] | “Do we not have enough advertising clogging up our lives that we don’t need to see more of it while we recycle, butt out, or toss something in the trash? Why does every space have to be used to sell us something? Can’t I just be a citizen instead of a consumer?” |
| 962 | 08/18/2005 11:01:23 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | Too obtrusive | No | “There must be creative revenue generating possibilities for the city other than giant, ugly, intrusive advertising cubes. Please, I don’t want Toronto to be like cities I have visited in the U.S. where advertising and billboards complete dominate the city landscape and overwhelm the sitelines of viewers. At the very least can there be a smaller, more attractive design optioned? | See above |
| 963 | 08/18/2005 11:01:31 AM | Yes | Dundas & Ossington | No | I had to read instructions to use it; if I was in a hurry I wouldn’t have bothered. | Yes | They are counter-intuitive for pedestrian use. Why have one end face the street? So cars can stop on the road and use it as a drive-thru garbage can? You don’t even know what it is unless you pay close attention to it. It looks like it’s just a giant sidewalk billboard. | No | We could probably also make money by selling the space on our foreheads to advertisers. Sometimes it’s just not worth it. | “If placed at a street corner, they pose a significant traffic hazard since it obstructs the view for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. If placed away from the corner, they are less useful to pedestrians since street corners are high traffic areas.” |
| 964 | 08/18/2005 11:15:28 AM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | they are an eye sore | No | “we have enough advertising – maybe if the city spent their money more wisely instead of on corrupt computer scams, we wouldn’t need such an embarassing attempt at revenue-generation cluttering our sidewalks. | Please get rid of them – I had a friend visit from new york who took photos and sent them back home to show how pathetic we are since americans tend to get a bad wrap for having advertising everywhere. |
| 965 | 08/18/2005 11:17:59 AM | Yes | jones and gerrard | No | [Blank] | Yes | “I think the 7 foot garbage bin is a disaster, the size of it alone is very problematic. The height of the bin seems more convenient for advertising than making a garbage bin accessible for use. I very much object to the use of this bin.” | No | “no I am not in favour, nor should the city be considering using them any further. This becomes a slippery slope where advertisers dictate the means and terms of advertising, its ugly and the citizens of toronto do not need more advertising space. | go back to the drawing board |
| 966 | 08/18/2005 11:18:45 AM | No | i wouldn’t use them out of principle – i think they are a hideous waste of space and an insult to the citizens of this city. | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “i’m all for revenue for the city, but come on, these garbage bins are just horrendous. our sidewalks are not big enough to justify the use of such over-grown hunks of metal. they disrupt views, they are ugly, and they are not proportionate to the urban design of the city. i don’t think that they are a good investment, i don’t think they make it easier to find garbage bins – the bin is masked so cleverly by so much advertising – and i think that even if there are areas in the city that could sustain these large bins, it is a small percentage of the city, which makes the revenue negligible. | “While my disdain for the bins may seem misplaced and perhaps over the top, i see these details of city life as a microcosm of how our municipal government views the city. any forward-thinking member of council would see that these bins are unpleasant, uncreative, useless excuses for a “recycling program” designed to get more advertising on our city streets. Don’t get me wrong, i’m all for advertising, but this is just the wrong vehicle for it. |
| 967 | 08/18/2005 11:23:04 AM | Yes | Roncevalles and Howard Park | Yes | [Blank] | No | The positioning wasn’t bad...but it’s just so big and such an eyesore. It also provides a visual block. I couldn’t see across the street with it in the way. | No | “This whole city is losing its uniqueness because every space is for sale. You can’t achieve a beautiful, livable, public city if every public space is filled with advertising. I appreciate that the City needs money, but this time the cost is too high. | “If they were 1/2 as tall, I might be okay with them. But they are over 7 feet tall! |
| 968 | 08/18/2005 11:31:48 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | “I do not believe that introducing these enormous bins accords with the Mayor’s goal of beautifying the city, and would like to see bins that work with public space as opposed to cominating it. I would be in favour of adverstising as a cost-savings measure if the bins were radically scaled down and did not have such a huge profile or footprint (vertical or horizontal). In consider this an important issue that affects the quality of life of Torontonians, and I urge council to insist on a re-design of the bins.” | [Blank] |
| 969 | 08/18/2005 11:51:44 AM | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | maybe put the bins with the ads into the bus stop shelter |
| 970 | 08/18/2005 11:53:40 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No opinion | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 971 | 08/18/2005 11:58:22 AM | No | not used but seen. For a long time I didn’t know what it was or that it was actually a garbage bin...I thought it was just more excessive advertizing littering our city street-scape | No | I could not easily tell what bin was for what garbage | No | “they block my view, creating a lack of safety as a pedestrian. ,As a driver, there are already too many blocks to my vision when I am turning from 1 street to another (eg. newspaper boxes), so these new bins only compound the problem.” | No | “Doesn’t the city already receive revenue from commercial advertising space from the current 3-way bins? The current bins are already unsightly enough, but at least they are not high and they encourage recycling, so I am prepared to live with them (although they are not ideal and do block my vision when turning from 1 street to another). The new proposed bins I think would discourage recycling and encourage littering because they are not easily recognizable as garbage bins, which could ultimately drive up costs to the city for garbage removal and litter clean-up. ,Also, would not the ligting required for the new bins cost the city more money? If not, at the very least they would contribute to more power usage, rather than promoting energy conservation.” | “I don’t like them.I don’t want even more advertizing littering the streetscapes of our fine city. I want the city to be a leader in energy conservation, not an energy hog.” |
| 972 | 08/18/2005 12:00:31 PM | No | I saw the bin at St. Clair West but did not use it. | No | n/a | No | “Too overpowering, waste of space, caused safety issues with line of sight.” | No | “Too overpowering, waste of space, caused safety issues with line of sight.” | “Please keep in mind the simple fact that this is an area to put garbage in – nothing more, nothing less. Why waste so much thought, time and resources? Basic functionality is necessary and I do not believe that these bins achieve this.” |
| 973 | 08/18/2005 12:06:30 PM | Yes | “Christie Pits park, south corner, Bloor & Christie.” | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “I like that they have spaces for cigarette butts, but that’s about the only thing I like about them. They are too big and the fact that they are lit up seems like an unnecessary waste of energy. I thought we were all supposed to be doing our part this summer to conserve hydro? | No | “At least the huge ads on the other trash bins are below waist level to the pedestrian. More huge, eye-level ads are the last thing we need on our streets, especially in residential neighbourhoods.” | [Blank] |
| 974 | 08/18/2005 12:09:24 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | They are large and assuming. We are bombarded everyday with enough advertising. I would like to see initiatives that are green and pedestrian-friendly rather than more concrete/plastic/advertising. | [Blank] |
| 975 | 08/18/2005 12:21:23 PM | No | Only saw 2 on the Danforth | No | from what I could tell it looks like a poor design | Yes | “they are too big.... the city wants to ban SANDWICH boards for small business and these are much smaller still then the new “bins”.” | No | Do we not have enough advertising from bus shelters? Billboards?... | “When I fisrt saw the new “bin”, I thought to myself “oh my. just like in Paris... we have new public washrooms!!” At 1st glance they sure seem big enough....” |
| 976 | 08/18/2005 12:22:32 PM | Yes | Eglinton West / Avenue Rd | No | Only one end of the garbage bin is accessible from the sidewalk. The other is only accessible if the user were willing to step out into the street. Which strikes me as a dangerous situation. | Yes | I think they are positioned to create advertising space and not be a convenient garbage receptacle. | No | “Not really. Nothing is ever free – the garbabe bins do block the view down the sidewalk and limit the feeling of space in a dense city. I’m not sure that they are the blight on the sidewalk that everyone claims they are but the design has been done backwards. The city should determine its streetscaping needs first (seating, garbage, planting) and then approach the business community for proposals. For instance, if the streetscape had been considered as a whole and from the pedestrian perspective instead of an advertiser’s perspective, perhaps some of these bins could have been built as part of the newly designed bus shelters instead of yet another piece of street furniture.” | “The city is viewing this as an opportunity to get something for free instead of determining the needs and limitations first. We might end up with these, but I think the city should go back to the drawing board.” |
| 977 | 08/18/2005 12:29:03 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “No – they’re too large, especially their height. It’s bad enough that all the bus shelters have ads, and that the existing newer garbage bins have ads -- but these are monstrosities!!!” | Why not actively create new methods of garbage disposal under the leadership of urban planners/deisgners and drawing on lots of community input? -- rather than passively responding to proposals from commercial enterprises! |
| 978 | 08/18/2005 12:29:21 PM | Yes | midland and finch | No | “no, i had no idea what it was.. i only examined it because it was an eyesore. i had no idea where to throw out what and it was much too tall; i could barely reach the upper container.” | No | they’re too big and too tall. | No | Absolutely not! especially because the ads use electricity (which isn’t stated clearly in this preamble!) aren’t we tryign to reduce consumption?? | get rid of them! asap! bring back the old garbage cans that are accessible and user friendly and don’t have ads taller than me on them. |
| 979 | 08/18/2005 12:33:35 PM | Yes | Runnymede and Bloor | No | “Advertising easy to spot – receptacle functions much less obvious. As you walk by, you see the adds almost all the time and the waste/recycling openings only very briefly.The Runnymede/Bloor bin is stranegly situated in that it is perpenducular to the street. In other words, you need to step on to the street to get to one set of trash openings. It means, essentially, that only half the receptacle gets used.” | Yes | “Where do I start? I’m copmpletely opposed to this new advertsining in public space (another in a long list of such intrsions). These are billboards masquarading as waste/recyclking bins. Unless the city plans on emptying them every other day, they will fill and icreased litter will result. I realize the cash-strapped City is looking for any kind of new revenue or savings, but this crosses the line. DUMP THE BINS! | No | As above. The above question is presented in a leading fashion as if to imply opposing this new revenue source obligates one to find alternate revenue. Our role as citizens is to define the bounds – councillors (and City staff) are paid to come up with acceptable solutions. | “As above.The bins introduced a while back (3 ft high, 4-5 ft wide, with adds on the broadside) were bad enough and were, in cases, obstructed pedestrian flow. These new mega-bins are far worse. Like the saying goes ... give ‘em an inch ...Thanks for listening!,Paul Bubelis” |
| 980 | 08/18/2005 12:39:23 PM | Yes | Danforth | No | Small labels. People will just throw everything in the garbage hole and not recycle. | Yes | “They are obviously designed primarily to advertise. One of the collection sides faces the street, making it dangerous to use. They are too large – they are billboards first, collection units second. The bins currently in use work fine. | No | “Garbage collection should be garbage collection, not advertising. This city has a deplorable garbage policy, from recent strikes to bi-weekly garbage collection to shipping all trash to Michigan. ,Build a new, clean and efficient incinerator like the one in peel region and burn are garbage, using the energy to produce electricity, which the city needs. There. Two problems solved.” | Get rid of them. They are an embarrassment to the city. |
| 981 | 08/18/2005 12:55:22 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | ugly | No | they are hideous | [Blank] |
| 982 | 08/18/2005 12:59:12 PM | Yes | islington and finch | No | “I think that they could use a little help in explaining where what is supposed to go. For eg. maybe draw pictures near the different garbage openings explaining what must go in which opening. | Yes | They could be more strategically placed assessed according to the places where most people would have waste to throw – this needs more work. | No opinion | [Blank] | They could be designed to be more good-looking and could use a more solid body. Could be made more smaller too if possible – they seem too bulky. |
| 983 | 08/18/2005 12:59:30 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | I find that they are in the way of traffic and block sight lines and entrances to buildings. They are a great place for criminals to hide behind. | No | [Blank] | “I prefer the older style garbage bins, which face the side walk and still provide advertising space while people can see over them. I think that the city should look to Chicago for ideas regarding trash cans,news paper stands and phone booths. The later 2 could use a redesign and leave the waste alone.” |
| 984 | 08/18/2005 01:02:27 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | “I think that this would blend into the city better if it was combined with a bus shelter, all as one unit. This why the height would make sense.” | No | [Blank] | try again |
| 985 | 08/18/2005 01:18:12 PM | Yes | roncesvalles and howard park | No | [Blank] | No | The bin was very large and obstructed the sidewalk space. | No opinion | “I do not support the city creating more opportunities and surfaces for more advertisements in public space. Unlike many Canadian cities and towns, Toronto has a vibrant street and pedestrian culture. I expect the City to nuture to this culture for people not for products and profit. These garbage bins make the sidewalks less welcoming and open spaces for people. | “I think the bins are needlessly large and unsightly. ,They obstruct movement on the sidewalk and views of the stores from the street/curb and views of the street, cars, movement from the sidewalk. ,The character of local neighbourhoods is in large part derived from the look and feel of sidewalk/street culture. These bins take away from the character of communities. This detraction is not beneficial to local businesses and services. |
| 986 | 08/18/2005 01:33:10 PM | Yes | Bloor & Christie | No | “Confusing, small openings.” | Yes | “They are an eyesore. They are far too tall, they could obstruct the view of pedestrians and motorists. | No | “It seems like the new bins won’t hold as much trash as the old ones, the slots are small and could be confusing. I also feel that they could pose a safety risk.” | “I do like that there is a spot for cigarette butts, however I think it would be better to just add an ashtray-type container to existing bins. Please don’t put more of these huge eyesores in the city.” |
| 987 | 08/18/2005 01:34:08 PM | No | [Blank] | No | the height of the box makes it a terrible danger for women/children -- someone can easily hide behind it and make the streets unsafe. | No | the safety issue for women/children outweighs the other benefits -- make them shorter so no one can easily hide | No | make them shorter and I’d be ok with them | [Blank] |
| 988 | 08/18/2005 01:40:00 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | “THey are a major problem. We do not need more obstacles on the sidewalk. They could, however, be moved to the street and be used as an inexpensive traffic-calming device.” | No | [Blank] | “It’s an unnecessary intrusion into pedestrian space. It makes the city of Toronto look like one large commercial billboard. It’s tacky, cheap. I know TOronto is desperate for cash, but is that the signal you want to give tourists who will be bumping into these monstrosities all over the city.” |
| 989 | 08/18/2005 01:50:06 PM | Yes | RONCESVALLES & QUEEN | No | “TOO HIGH, WHO KNOWS ITS GARBAGE BIN?” | No | UGLY MONTER ADVERTISING LITTER BOXES | No | WILL THE CITY SELL OUT FOR ANYTHING THESE DAYS? | “TERRIBLE IDEA, BUT I SUSPECT THE CITY WILL DECIDE IN FAVOR NO MATTER HOW MANY COMPLAINTS ARE SENT” |
| 990 | 08/18/2005 01:51:58 PM | Yes | Pape and Danforth | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | Too much obstruction. A huge advertising board sitting sideways to the curb gets in the way of pedestrian traffic. | No | The advertising revenues are not worth the cost to the streetscape. Don’t we have enough billboards already? | I’m highly doubtful the bins for cigarette butts will see much use. |
| 991 | 08/18/2005 02:00:38 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | I think these garbage bins are an eyesore and add to the already overwhelming visual pollution on our streets. | No | “Please see above. They are a type of visual pollution that is forced upon people. We already have enough advertising, i.e. the awful video billboards at Yonge and Eglinton and at Yonge and Bloor. | Remove them from our streets! There must be a better way for the city to gain revenue! |
| 992 | 08/18/2005 02:08:25 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 993 | 08/18/2005 02:13:11 PM | Yes | Don’t remember | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 994 | 08/18/2005 02:23:15 PM | Yes | Christie & Bloor | No | “Too many openings, receptacles too small for the amount of garbage collected.” | Yes | “Interfered with pedestrian traffic, distract drivers and cyclists with size and positioning.” | No | We do not need more advertising blighting our public spaces. We have too many billboards and bus shelters covered in advertising already. It is an eyesore. | “what is wrong with the ones we already have? Can’t Eucan make garbage bins at a more appropriate, human, scale?” |
| 995 | 08/18/2005 03:53:57 PM | Yes | Bloor and Christie | No | “Unless the sides of the bins permanently direct people to the proper openings, it would be confusing to use. When the panels are replaced with advertising, I suspect they will not be recognised as garbage bins at all.” | Yes | I find their orientation perpendicular to the curb to interfere with pedestrian traffic. They seem to have been positioned for maximum visibility of the advertising as opposed to convenience of use. Just like any existing street furniture any new installments should be aligned parallel to the curb. | No | “There are many ways to receive municipal revenue, and we are already advertising on every verticle surface in the city. Besides what’s wrong with the bins we already have? I suggest improving the capacity of the recycling system rather that the shape of the bins.” | “What is the sense in a seven foot garbage container that has its openings at four feet of height which a) renders the top half of the bins useless except as advertising space, b) kids can’t reach the recycling opening so they can throw it in the garbage instead, and c) are so thin they will need constant emptying or will overflow constantly.” |
| 996 | 08/18/2005 04:27:12 PM | No | Weston & Lawrence. It’s ugly. | No | This is more of an ad than a functional bin. | Yes | They’re positioned to display an ad to traffic. They are an eyesore. | No | Have this company install a smaller more functional bin more similar to the current recycling bins with advertising. This is an excuse to flood our communities with even more ungodly adspace. | Please do not make this city internationally known for these ungodly advertisments standing in the way of pedestrian traffic in an otherwise beautiful city. |
| 997 | 08/18/2005 04:37:11 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | Never seen one | Yes | [Blank] | No |
| 998 | 08/18/2005 05:02:46 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | Seven feet is too tall for a garbage can. I live at Pape and Danforth and the bins obstruct the view down the street. Please do not install these garbage bins. | No | All we need is more advertising cloging up our city. The signs are too tall! | Make them shorter. As I have said in my other comments the bins are too tall. |
| 999 | 08/18/2005 05:24:40 PM | Yes | Roncesvailles and Howard Park | No | “Too many options just for garbage.Many options are only accessible if you step into traffic to decifer the openings on the street end.” | Yes | The problem with the position of these ridiculously large bins is that anyone thought they should be on the sidewalk in the first place. Anywhere on the sidewalk for a 70 cubic foot trash bin is crazy. | No | Can the city be so strapped for cash that they would consider cluttering up our streets with more advertising for a meagre 1 million dollars per year. | “From the first introduction of this EcoMupi I have been discussing this with design professionals, city planners, architects, graphic designers and lay people and everyone seems to be opposed to these misguided eyesores.” |
| 1000 | 08/18/2005 05:57:43 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “Have not seen one, but form picture, looks awful” | No | Unsightly huge things interfere with line of sight. | [Blank] |
| 1000 | 38582.74841 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “Have not seen one, but form picture, looks awful” | No | Unsightly huge things interfere with line of sight. | [Blank] |
| 1001 | 38582.76174 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “I am against the installation of these bins. Our sidewalks are already overpopulated with newspaper boxes, parking meter machines, store sandwich boards, bicycle racks and transit shelters. These bins are much too large for the streetscape.” | No | As above | “The old bins are fine. We do not need the extra display of advertising. ,Please do not consider these bins.Janis Ford,203 – 51 Alexander St.Toronto, Ontario M4Y 1B3” |
| 1002 | 38582.81714 | Yes | Dundas and Ossington | No | “I found it a little confusing as to what goes where, and other people find them impossible; every time I walk by, there’s someone using it incorrectly, or straing in blank imcomprehension at it.” | Yes | “Unlike the old bins, these are kind of in the way of pedestrian traffic.” | No | “I totally understand that it would be a help to the city, but to my mind, these things are way too ugly, noticable, and confusing. I appreciate that the company wants a prominant display of the advertising, but it totally puts me off, having a billboard in the middle of the sidewalk. I can stand it when an ad is that big because it’s on a structure that big, but to make a trash can gigantic so that one can have gigantic ads seems a poor strategy to me.” | [Blank] |
| 1003 | 38582.84492 | Yes | on the danforth | No | I had to go through alot of reading to get it right | No | I hate them as they just look like ugly billboards. If you insist on using them at least put art or poetry on them. Have a contest to get art to display or poetry. Involve youth in this then they could be at least palatable. | No | Again because they are just more ad space in an already overly saturated visual clutter of ads! | [Blank] |
| 1004 | 38582.93353 | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | they were confusing – the openings were small and not clearly marked – the old ones are fine | No | they are ugly! the old ones are fine – WE NEED BENCHES | No | There’s too much advertising already everywhere – the old bins are fine – we need to be more creative and inspired about our public space | MORE BENCHES – we need to sit in this city – we’re tired |
| 1005 | 38582.97019 | Yes | danforth & pape | No | Too many different openings in too small a space. The fact that half the disposal space is only accessable from the streetside of the bin is also very inconvenient (and potentially dangerous) for pedestrians. | Yes | These bins are positioned horribly. They dominate the entire sidewalk for blocks in all directions. The advertising is VERY intrusive and obstucts lines of sight in terms of the streetscape as well as traffic. | No | “Regardless of the savings, the city should absolutely NOT install these new bins. They are ridiculously intrusive to pedestrians (physically and visually), have much less capacity to store garbage/recyclables than the existing bins. The preservation of this last little bit of public space is worth the cost of paying for our own bins, if need be.” | “The existing bins are a good example of compromise between a genuinely functional design and the need to generate revenue whereevre possible. The proposed new garbage bins are not garbage bins at all; they are billboards. Perhaps the city could design a garbage container that is condusive to advertising and not the other way around. No matter what our financial state is, I cannot take pride in a city that willingly installs enormous billboards along its sidewalks. Our public space is encroached upon enough as it is. Please do not take even more of it away! |
| 1006 | 38582.98331 | Yes | pape & danforth | No | “garbage versus recycling was not clearly labelled. The bins are not practical because they seem so small. Our garbage is already overflowing at times. Also, why would one of the bins be 1cm away from the street? For pedestrians who walk on the road?” | Yes | “I can no longer see that the upcoming street is indeed Pape, and must trust my instincts (i.e. they are VERY tall). I also hear that they will be illuminated which is very ridiculous. Bottom line: if you want to put up billboards then do it. But don’t have billboards masquerading as garbage bins.” | No | ““Free” does not always equal “best thing for Toronto”. I also do not view the bins as free because they cost me space on the sidewalk, ease of recycling and reduce my sightline. | The garbage bin part seems to be an afterthought. These are clearly billboards and nothing more. |
| 1007 | 38583.00052 | Yes | Bloor & Runnymede | No | A bit unusual but interesting concept | No | Too fucking big! Get out of my face! | No opinion | [Blank] | Don’t make them so ‘in-your-face’. This is a good concept but needs a dramatic redesign. Subtle advertising is good advertising. |
| 1008 | 38583.01475 | No | king & strachan | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | “Too tall, they block sightlines unnecessarily.” | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1009 | 38583.04081 | Yes | Jane st & Steeles | Yes | Very practical and easy to use. | Yes | perfect | Yes | of course | modern and great |
| 1010 | 38583.06111 | Yes | Not sure. Around Yonge & Dundas I think. | No | [Blank] | Yes | They are ugky and offensive to me as a human being who does not believe that blocks of my visual consciousness should be sold to advertisers by the city. | No | See above. | “The new bins make Toronto look like the cold, heartless, culturless city that people expect it to be. They devalue our streets.” |
| 1011 | 38583.28557 | Yes | morningside and kingston | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | Becuase the city of Toronto spends its money in stupid ways. I rather not have any more ads thrown in my face when i walk down the street knowing that the money generated from these is being wasted. | [Blank] |
| 1012 | 38583.31808 | Yes | Danforth and Pape | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “They take up a lot of space on the sidewalk. They seems as though they’re designed to make advertising visible and not to make it easy to put garbage/recyclables in. For example, who is going to use the side of the bin that is right next to the street?” | No | “These bins seem to me to be more billboards than trash cans. The existing bins are not perfect, but they’re not as obtrusive as these new ones. | I can’t imagine how bad our streets would look if they were covered with these huge advertising billboards all over. |
| 1013 | 38583.36646 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “I feel very strongly opposed to the addition of 1500 more surfaces used for advertising. The city seems to be transforming quickly into a space over-saturated with advertising media. I recognize that these units are partly used for garbage and recycling, but frankly I think their primary function is to sell product. There is no denying that! This is the brainchild of an advertiser, not an environmentalist.” | “If corporations/ad agencies want to promote environmentally conscious behaviour, why not have them produce a series of sponsored ads that encourage responsible garbage disposal, and display them on existing advertising surfaces? It’s about time we had an aggressive “don’t litter” campaign. The production and placement of waste receptacles is the city’s responsibility, that’s what tax dollars are for... not for having more advertising eyesores.” |
| 1014 | 38583.37508 | Yes | Ossington and Dundas | No | Hard to figure out where the hole is for putting garbage away...you have to walk around it. It also blocks a view of the street. | No | “I’m not sure if position matters, they’re just too big. The advertising completely takes away from the culture of the corner.” | No | I don’t think that the air above the sidewalk space should be clogged up with advertising. It’s a billboard right in a person’s pathway. It takes away from any neighbourhood feeling. | “Please take them away. Raise my taxes instead, if it comes to that.” |
| 1015 | 38583.38177 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | I am quite sure that it is. | Yes | No comment | No | There is way too much advertisins on our streets already. There is no escaping it. It just seems to get bigger and more in your face all the time. | “Just stay with what is there already. At least it is lower in height and less in your face.On a broader front now is the time to clean up the city sidewalks. Get rid of those lines of free newspaper boxes, excessively big transit shelter ads etc.Thanks for asking.Jim” |
| 1016 | 38583.38238 | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] | No – confusing | No | “They are a visual distraction, create a hazard to pedestrians. One more dangerous obstacle on the sidewalk, creates visual block for both pedestrians and motorists. | No | “It is purely and simply the brain child of an advertising company. They are ugly, a visual distraction and completely unnecessary. The current stainless 3 door bins are sufficient (and do offer advertising opportunities – though a little more subtely) | “Is the city not already getting enough revenue from parking tickets, higher and higher gas tax revenues. We have diminished garbage service in neighbourhoods (to site 1 issue)and out taxes are constantly going up.I am totally fed up with the way this city is run. ,I would like to hear the opinion of an independant enviromental agency. I doubt they see this as a valuable addition to our enviroment.” |
| 1017 | 38583.3977 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | We are already bombarded with advertisements everywhere. Please don’t contribute to more advertisement pollution in the name of ‘cleaning up’ the city! | [Blank] |
| 1018 | 38583.40088 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “They are incredibly intrusive – far too large, and take up far too much space.” | No | We are already inundated with advertising. Putting intrusive ads at face level would be a nightmare. | “New recycling bins, if they are to contain images, etc. should use images about recycling!” |
| 1019 | 38583.41355 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “They are hideous. A brainschild of an advertiser, not an environmentalist.” | No | [Blank] | Please don’t do it. |
| 1020 | 38583.43211 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | I find the garbage bins to be an eyesore and have specifically stayed away from them for this reason – they block street visibility and seem to be less about garbage than about advertising. | “I think the current garbage/recycling bins that are placed throughout the city are useful (even if too often full) and even though they also contain advertising they do not dominate the street space the way these new upright garbage bins do. Please do not place these throughout the city, there is enough dominating advertising as it is.” |
| 1021 | 38583.45225 | Yes | Ossington & Dundas | No | “The openings are too obstructed. Children will not be able to deal with garbage disposal. I do not see the need for cigarette disposal, this will become a hazard. The bins will be full in few hours and then what? | Yes | “Well, on Dundas one side is facing the street, I would not use that side even when crossing, that bin is too far away from the x-walk. I do not like the big advertisement, This is to keep the city cleaner, not so people buy stuff, make the bins big for what it is ment to do not for turning on the shopper. Or just give it to campains to emprove the quality of living in this city!” | No | “I generally do not trust things that came for “free”, there is always a price tag. I am not willing to pay for this by having to deal with ads I do not wish to see and bins overflowing.” | “Whey are they soo tall. This particular bin location will become a great hiding spot for unsuspecting old ladies, coming out of the bank, feebly holding their bags loosing it to some ill person. |
| 1022 | 38583.45466 | Yes | Pape & Danforth | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | They are too tall. Cut down by one metre. | No | I am if they are made less monstruous | “I feel that the way they are currently built, they dominate the areas in which they are placed, cutting down on streetscapes and even the ability to watch for oncoming traffic.” |
| 1023 | 38583.45837 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | “They are overbearing and they’re ugly. They are a corporate vehicle first and foremost.. the environmental aspect is secondary. People who pay taxes shouldn’t have to look at them. Toronto, and it’s mayor should choose self-respect and a healthy way of life over corporate dollars.” | No | “There can’t be a price on people’s eyelines. Toronto is already over-run with iant billboards, (yonge and dundas square), concrete (same place) and tampered views. | “If you are going to agree to this, the companies that you’re dealing with should have to do more than pay you. They should have to pay for the installation of trees and plants in the areas of these monsters. Stand at the corner of Yonge and Bloor, a landmark in Toronto, and try and find the colour green in your eye line. You can’t.If you’re gonna build these ugly, manipulative outdoor monsters... Then you should do something good for the city when you’re doing it.Where does the revenue for these things go anyways? At the end of the day, the company that buys these things aren’t the only ones paying for them.. The people of Toronto are. |
| 1024 | 38583.46906 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | make sure the detritis placed in the bins is properly seperated rather than mearly being collected to gether which has happened in the past with the intergrated garbage/recycling bins. |
| 1025 | 38583.47301 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1026 | 38583.47751 | Yes | King and Strachan | No | “No i had no idea it was even a garbage bin at first, it merely looked like an advertising billboard” | Yes | The ‘garbage’ bin section of what is essentialy just another billboard is too skinny and hard to see at night | No | [Blank] | Remove them ASAP. Find a better design. |
| 1027 | 38583.49941 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “oh great more advertising space to clutter the mind. don’t we already enough in bustops, other garbabge cans, stores etc. they are kinda ugly. but i do like the idea of somewhere for those messy lazy smokers to but those butts. but guaranteed – standing by one of those – they will still throw their butt on the ground.” | No | they are big and ugly. i wonder what is in it for the company? there must be a catch – otherwise i can’t imagine some company doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. as we all know – companies don’t have hearts. they have wallets. if the city could be more transparent about what each side is getting i might reconsider. | [Blank] |
| 1028 | 38583.50206 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1029 | 38583.50317 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | they impede pedestrian traffic and are exremely ugly | No | no more advertising in public space! I am opposed to corporate sponsorship of government services. the info kiosks are horrible enough as it is. | [Blank] |
| 1030 | 38583.54118 | No | But i passed one near the intersection of Keele and Bloor. | No | [Blank] | Yes | The bins aren’t accessable on both sides. Motorists aen’t going to slow down to use the new trash containers. | No | “Isn’t that nice, we can make money by installing enormous eyesores that block pedestrian traffic and waste electricity.What’s wrong with what we have now? If Eucan wants the contract, get them to hire a designer with a functional knowledge of ergonomics, cut the height in half, put covers on the slots and don’t have one access side facing the road.” | “I’m all for trash collection, a place for used batteries and recycling but these eyesores are not functional, or make use of most of the space they take up. They are without a doubt enourmous posters. And i was under the impression that the city wants to make postering illegal. Why then is okay for a big company like Eucan to put up posters that light up? |
| 1031 | 38583.55169 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | “It is a sad day when we are not able to cover the cost of refuse containers without resorting to advertising to pay for this essential public service. ,We are bombarded with enough advertising in our environment without adding any more in this way. |
| 1032 | 38583.55946 | Yes | roncesvalle and howard | No | to close to the curb. Places pedestrians at risk of street traficc when using. | Yes | Roadside access is inconvenient. The bins are entirely too tall. | No | “They are really ugly, too big and obscure the sightlines of the street. I as a member of the community will prpbaly not not see the revenue generated by these bins; I will however see the bins on a daily basis and have to deal with the ugliness. | The bins are an eye sore. Why are they so big? The function of a garbage bin is being sacrificed advertising space. Keep it simple. |
| 1033 | 38583.55954 | Yes | roncesvalle and howard | No | to close to the curb. Places pedestrians at risk of street traficc when using. | Yes | Roadside access is inconvenient. The bins are entirely too tall. | No | “They are really ugly, too big and obscure the sightlines of the street. I as a member of the community will prpbaly not not see the revenue generated by these bins; I will however see the bins on a daily basis and have to deal with the ugliness. | The bins are an eye sore. Why are they so big? The function of a garbage bin is being sacrificed advertising space. Keep it simple. |
| 1034 | 38583.60572 | Yes | Bloor & Christie | No | “They are wedged in between two huge advertising panels and are hard to see. Also they are poorly labeled, making them hard to understand. | Yes | The one at Bloor and Christie obscures a sign explaining the history of Christie Pits Park. | No | The bins are ugly and they add even more ads to a cityscape that is already glutted with advertisements. The beauty of our city is worth more than this cheap cash-grab. | Find a design that is more in keeping with the Toronto aesthetic. Maybe a design competition could help to accomplish this goal. |
| 1035 | 38583.65561 | Yes | 1420 Bloor Street West near Indian Road. | No | “I hate having to go to one side or the other and the complexity of the thing.But most of all I hate the huge size of these things that intrude into the public view.” | Yes | “With their height they will make a great place for muggers to hide behind.I think they will be a big threat to public safety.” | No | “There are far too many such advertisements in public space already such as the new Tourism Toronto ads.These ads are an eyesore and are a good indicator of the continuing deterioration of the quality of life in this city.” | “Don’t allow any bins that block the publics view both for safety and aethetic reasons.Nothing much above waist height and definitely nothing of chest height or higher.” |
| 1036 | 38583.67782 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “As a culture we are bombarded with advertising. I cannot imagine that more advertising is what our city needs. If anything I would support messaging generated by the City of Toronto, or other environmental messages (for example the posters encouraging homeowners not to dump soap or other chemicals into the storm sewers). | “Regardless of how (dubiously) useful these new garbage containers are, they will be a blight and an eyesore, and a further contribution to our already over-advertised public space. I am in complete opposition to the project.Thank you for your time and you interest in public input.” |
| 1037 | 38583.70336 | Yes | Bloor & Windemere | No | The existing cans are much clearer. | Yes | “Horrible, they are too high and I find the advertising space offensively large. Also, the openings on the street side are completely useless.” | No | It’s not worth the price of adding more visual and physical clutter to our sidewalks. | “We are being bombarded by advertising in this city, we do not need more. Please do not implement these billboards that act as garbage cans.” |
| 1038 | 38583.70438 | Yes | Pape & Danforth | Yes | [Blank] | No | Anything this large will impede pedestrian traffic. | No | These new bins are detrimental to both the flow of pedestrian traffic and the look of our city. As a Torontonian I find it incredible to discover that council would consider making our city both less attractive and more difficult to navigate. | Refuse containers should be as inconspicuous as possible. These new bins are awful. |
| 1039 | 38583.72762 | Yes | Kingston Road/Main Street | No | “I found the openings to be too small, and the directions were confusing” | No | “TERRIBLE – they’re too big, they obstruct traffic, they take up too much sidewalk space” | No | “N-O! They’re too big, too intrusive, and they’re commercializing our public space.” | “See #4. Clearly the first purpose of these bins is to generate advertising revenue. Why, oh why, do we have to put up with so much commmecialization of our public spaces, all in the name of generating revenue. I know that the city is strapped for cash, but this is such an unimaginative, ugly approach to the problem.Who’s driving this agenda, anyway – the public, or Eucan??” |
| 1040 | 38583.92556 | Yes | bathurst and college | No | placement of the bins seem awkward in some locations. they seem to face the wrong way | Yes | they need to be set back and placed differently from the way they are now. they are taking up too much space and take up sidewalk sightlines | No | “if the city is serious about creating a more beautiful city then it should look into non-advertising bins. I’ve seen these large bins in european cities and they seem to work there, but they don’t here” | when will the city not have to be bought out by advertising agencies? |
| 1041 | 38584.05297 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | They will block pedestrian traffic in older downtown areas. | No | There is far too much graphic advertising being thrown at citizens already in downtown Toronto. They are a GOOD match for the ugliness of Dundas Square. Put them ALL there as art spectacle. | “Perhaps the large bins could be used in the wide-street suburbs like Scarboro or North York, but they are too big for downtown streets, and not designed to complement the older areas like Queen West, College West, Danforth,Beaches or Chinatown/Kensington Mkt.” |
| 1042 | 38584.16258 | No | I looked at it and couldn’t figure out where things would go if I had garbage to throw away. | No | It was unnecessarily complicated. | No | “They are awkward, tall and thin, block the view behind them.” | No | “I like the idea of the city saving money and earning advertising revenue, but I don’t like the design of the new bins.” | “How about more advertising on the regular garbage receptacles or a different, more practical design?” |
| 1043 | 38584.51606 | Yes | roncesvalles & howard park | No | it took me a while to figure out where to put the recylcables | Yes | they take up too much space and are too tall | No | [Blank] | “the advertising is much too intrusive, and it’s evident that this bins were designed spelcifically to display a tall advertisement. |
| 1044 | 38584.52322 | Yes | Dundas & Ossington | Yes | “It’s easy enough for me because I took time to read about them. However, everyone else just dumps everything in the trash bin.” | Yes | They are oriented the wrong way. I (and many ohters will never use the garbage/recycling facing the road. It’s right on the curb! Too dangerous. | No | Too big and the advertising is pretty ugly. Do we really need more advertising? | If there is going to be any electricity run to the garbage bin to light up the advertising I think it should be halted. The city should be trying to conserve energy (have we learned nothing from the blackout?). The time for energy waste and overconsumption must stop. |
| 1045 | 38584.54877 | Yes | Ossington-Dundas | Yes | The problem with these garbages is not this one. | Yes | “I find them quite ugly and using an enormous visual space on the sidewalks. I do not understand why so much space should be given to commercial ads. I am convinced that visitors to Toronto will find them ridiculous and an object of derision. They might end up symbolizing the city for some tourists, and Toronto will not gain much from being ridiculized.” | No | Definitely NO. | “Please design more discreet garbages. Originality in this domain (of “garbageing”) can be great, but only if the result is not “monstrous garbages jumping to everybody’s eye-sight”. Garbages should disappear in the city landscape (except to the eyes of individuals suddenly looking for them), not appear like huge warts deforming the city’s looks. I can only imagine what a young Woody Allen would do with these garbages in comic movies.” |
| 1046 | 38584.59208 | Yes | Don Mills and Lawrence | No | The recyclable hole is quite high and would be difficult for children and disabled people to reach | Yes | “I think they are too far back from the sidewalk. I drove past the one outside the ,Science Centre and it seemed to be in the middle of nowhere.” | No | “The good news is – they do not look like a garbage bin. The bad news is – they do not look like a garbage bin.I think they are too high. There is no reason to have such large units if they are not going to be used to hold garbage.” | “I understand these garbage containers can be lit at night (I was there in the daytime). I don’t see a need for lighting in these days when energy conservation should be a high priority to us all.I found the style more pleasing than the old garbage bins, but I don’t believe they need to be so big.” |
| 1047 | 38584.59675 | Yes | Dundas West & Quebec Ave; Dundas West & Pacific Ave. | No | The garbage & recyclable collection areas are far too small relative to the advertising signage. The advertising signs are far too large. | Yes | “They are far too large and obstructive of view of sidewalks and retailers’ storefronts. They create a safety risk becuse cyclists, inline skaters, skateborders and pedestrians will have obstructed views of sidewalks and will be vulnerable to collisions. The combined height of the bin with sign should be no higher than 4 feet. As well, the signage should not obstruct or detract from retailers’ storefronts. | No | The advertising signage is far too large. These are essentially street level billboards that obstruct the view of sidewalks and of retailers’ storefronts. Having these very large signs at eye-level is overwhelms and diminishes the combined public and private investments to improve Toronto’s streetscapes. If the signs are illuminated it will make them even more obstructive and offensive. | “Remove the overhead, eye-level signs. Do not let the signs be illuminated.” |
| 1048 | 38584.63764 | Yes | dabforth & logan | No | very very confusing -- more like a billboard | No | seems like an advertising tool – not a garbage can | No | “i don’t think toronto needs any more advertising space -- it would be better to have easy to use, convienent garbage/recycling cans so the the litter stays at a minimum” | awful idea |
| 1049 | 38584.657 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | “It is important to the city that the public is treated as citizens, not consumers. Public spaces, by their nature, must be free of private, commercial use. I profoundly oppose these bins. Do as Paris does, with small trash cans all along the street; pretty, useful, and generators of employment.” | “Coupled with the new map dispensers, the city is sliding down the slippery slope which will end in diminished affection by people for their city.” |
| 1050 | 38584.66515 | Yes | queen & lansdowne | Yes | “picutres explain everything, even if you can’t read” | No | “they are really big and kind of obtrusive, but maybe that’s just to make us looka t them and notice something different. will the real ones be smaller?” | No | ENOUGH advertising in the city already! | [Blank] |
| 1051 | 38584.81863 | Yes | christie & bloor | No | “The openings are at the right height BUT too small, hard to find, & not intuitive.” | No | “They block the view and visibility-- especially as a pedestrian approaching an intersection, I want to be able to see as much going on around me as possible. On busy sidewalks, they use up valuable space. I do *not* want more billboards everywhere I go!” | No | “I recognize that the city does need to find new sources of income, but these bins are an eye sore and are not practical as waste bins. | “Please do not adopt them. I *strongly* oppose their presence on my streets.If they were shorter (less than 4 feet tall,) I would not feel so strongly against them. ,The bins do not look as though they can contain the same volume as the bins presently in use-- would the city have to collect the garbage more often? |
| 1052 | 38584.82081 | Yes | south-west corner of Bathurst and College. | No | I had to inspect the bin for some time to figure out the recycling and cigatette openings. It was late at night and dark and the openings were not obvious. | Yes | I didn’t even realize it was a garbage bin until somebody pointed it out to me. I just assumed it was a new sidewalk billboard. | No | “I’m not against the idea in principle, but the design of these particular bins is really bad.I also think the city could get more revenue by installing more functional bins and selling the advertising space directly.” | I would like to see the city inspecting how well the garbage is seperated in these bins compared to the traditional bins. I suspect that the fact that there is one large obvious opening means that most of the recyclables are going to end up in with the garbage. |
| 1053 | 38584.83118 | Yes | North Side of Eglinton west of Avenue Rd. | No | Too small – overflowing with garbage while two neighbouring traditional bins had lots of capacity. | Yes | Stupid. Have to go on road to access that side of the bin. | No | Illuminated advertising is overwhelming visual pollution and conceals purpose of structure. | Scrap them. |
| 1054 | 38584.83237 | Yes | Danforth and Gough | No | “i found there were a lot of colours, text, to navigate. and at first, it simply looked like a billboard | Yes | “it blocks views of the street. They are too tall, too broad, and hold too little garbage” | No | “if they were squatter, i might feel differently” | “i understnad that advertising is necessary, but I’d rather the bins were less of a blight on the streetscape. I’m concerned for safety reasons as well as aesthetics ones....” |
| 1055 | 38584.83616 | No | bathurst and college | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | Far too large and obtrusive | No | “This bin is far too large, obtrusive, and impeding to be on a sidewalk” | This is such a bad idea in terms of visual pollution and pedestrian impediment I am astonished the City is even considering it. |
| 1056 | 38584.85417 | Yes | Dundas and Pacific | No | The ads were highly distracting – difficult to recognize as a bin. | No | The bins block sightlines – which is a concern regarding both safety and aesthetics. | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1057 | 38584.9602 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | n/a | No | “From the pictures posted, I think that they take up too much room on the sidewalk and would obstruck pedestrian traffic flow as well as obstrucking the view of the sidewalk and store fronts for drivers” | No | I’m not in favour of private advertising on public property. | I do not want to contend with even more bus-shelter type advertising in the city |
| 1058 | 38584.98963 | Yes | dundas and high park | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “Too tall. Overbearing. Ruins the street-scape. Blocks my view of people, cars, and the local shops.” | No | I much prefer the old three slot bins. They form a pleasant barrier against traffic rather that obstructing the sidewalk. The new ones scare my wife because several people could hide behind one. | “It is very obvious that the redesign is entirely driven by a disire to block my view of my nabourhood with large, lit ads. All of the new collection slots could be accomodated in a bin parallel to the sidewalk, shorter than chest hight.I hate them, and I will call my councillor to express my opinion.” |
| 1059 | 38585.47685 | Yes | keele and dundas | No | “no, it was not that clear what was for what...unlike the other bins. when i was at the new bin, a mother was explaining to her children which slot was for what because they could not yet read ---being literate and being literate in english should not be a pre-req for recycling.” | Yes | they take up so much room. the positioning on the road may max ad space for passing cars but isn’t ideal for the pedestrian. | No | please install more of the other bins from this company...it is not worth it. | this trial is inaccurate due to the fact that the bins are not lit up.....this will make the bins even more intrusive and ugly. |
| 1060 | 38585.53729 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | It’s not worth covering Toronto in more ads. Leave public space to the public. | “They are too high. They are ugly. They waste electicity. We need less advertising, not more.” |
| 1061 | 38585.55549 | Yes | “Roncesvalles, north of Howard Park” | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “I think they obstruct views, look ridiculous, take up too much space, and are too high. There is no reason why a garbage bin needs to be that high. because the extra height, does not all the container to hold more garbage.” | No | These garbage bins are obstructive and irritating. They are visually unappealing and we’ve got enough advertising in our city as it is. | “Get rid of them, invest in some better ones that don’t take up so much space, and add a compost section.” |
| 1062 | 38585.59128 | No | Didn’t use (I had no garbage) but bin I saw was near Pape and Danforth | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | Block sidewalk | No | These bins take up way to much space on the sidewalk. I would rather the city pay for smaller bins that don’t need advertising. | I do like the idea of bins to collect cigarette buts. Small recepticles however would be better than these new monster bins. |
| 1063 | 38585.60293 | Yes | Danforth Avenue (by the Chrch at Pape) | No | The opening was too narrow. | Yes | They are in the middle of the sidewalk! | No | “There is nothing wrong with trying new ideas, but these are not really garbage bins, they are just big advertising spaces. | “They block the sidewalk, there was a box of trash next to the one I used and people were just tossing their bits into that. They are a poor design.” |
| 1064 | 38585.67978 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | ugly – just a case for more street advertising | No | see above | don’t do it! |
| 1065 | 38585.7169 | Yes | “Dundas & Ossignton, Roncesvalles” | No | “Configuration encouraged throwing everything into the garbage bin, recycling opening wasn’t obvious or practical. Bin openings facing the street weren’t useful at all and potentially dangerous.” | Yes | “Dundas version created a significant bottleneck on the sidewalk and created a visual barrier. Strange size, doesn’t seem to suit a sidewalk at all.Roncesvalles version was placed on a diagonal which didn’t make it any more useful and made it seem even more out of place.” | No | “When I first saw pictures, I thought these might work but seeing them in person, it’s clear that this is a terrible design built around bus shelter ad specs and shows no consideration for sidewalks or how they’re used. ,Wanting to take advantage of this ad format is sensible, but these are much worse than the present bins -- which aren’t especially great. If some obvious effort had been put into the design of the trash collection elements, these bins would have been an easier sell. | “Back to the drawing board.Also, I think a portion of the ad space should be provided for free to charities and non-profits. It’s the least we can expect if our public space is being invaded by these things.” |
| 1066 | 38585.78074 | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | The garbage bin opening is too small. One side was overflowing. | Yes | “The bins are too high. They block the view on the street. Furthmore, if the ad space had not indicated that it was a garbage bin, I would have thought it was an advertisement only, and not noticed the garbage bin. One side of the bin I saw was overflowing. The otherside was not easy to reach and not overflowing. | No | “Too much visual pollution. Blocks views. Not obviously a garbage bin. Access to one side of the bin is limited. The way it perpendicular to pedestrian traffic, blocks pedestrian traffic.” | “If the bin was about 1/3 lower, and not placed perpendicular to the sidewalk, and had disposal accessible along its length – sort of like the old garbage recycling bins, it would be more functional. |
| 1067 | 38585.78451 | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | Height for garbage was good. Bin seemed confusing. I can’t imagine somebody that does not speak English knowing where to put things. Needs more graphics. LOVE the fact that I don’t have to get my hands dirty putting things in unlike other units that have been on the streets for a few years. | Yes | Seems VERY large. Seems like there is way more room for advertising than garbage/recycling. Too big for a garbage container! | Yes | But the advertising space is too big – needs to be smaller – obnoxious at current size. | Great concept but needs to be altered. Ad space should be smaller – entire unit should be smaller. I’d hate to see thousands of these at this size across our city. I would be embarrassed. |
| 1068 | 38585.81828 | Yes | Danforth & Logan | No | The openings are too small. | Yes | “Whoa! These bins take up FAR TOO MUCH SPACE.It is already crowded on this sidewalk, and it is clear that the purpose of having these are for advertising first, and garbage,second.” | No | “Absolutely not. (1) They take up far too much space. (2) They really aren’t free...that’s a leading question and should be changed. How long are they free? Who does the maintenance? How durable are they? Why are they so darn big?,Is advertising revenue the only alternative for adequate garbage collection?” | “Get rid of them. They are a bad idea, and are the wrong thing at the wrong time for this city. What about clean & beautiful? I really think we can do better than this. Please stop this madness.” |
| 1069 | 38585.82089 | Yes | “Danforth & Gough, Danforth & Logan, Danforth & Playter | No | “The openings are easy to identify, but the actual bins are tiny!! It doesn’t take much to fill up the garbage compartment, the ones I’ve seen on the Danforth are always overflowing.” | Yes | “Horribly unsafe. Why do we need to step onto the street (and into traffic) to use the far end of the bin? And since they are so tall, it is impossible for cyclists or motorists to see people stepping out.” | No | “1. On principle, I do not like being dwarfed by a garbage bin.2. We do not need additional garbage bins -- there are plenty already -- especially when these new ones barely hold any garbage.3. Not safe at all, forcing people to step into traffic, while completely hiding them from view. Besides, I doubt drivers will be any more alert when 8-foot tall lingerie ads start appearing.4. We already have enough advertising plastered over the city.” | “Please, please, take them away.” |
| 1070 | 38585.83863 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No opinion | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1071 | 38585.85427 | Yes | St. Clair and Keele | Yes | The dimentions were very good and easy to use but the directions need to be clearer especially in the initial phases. A lot of people were putting the cans in the garbage section. | Yes | Very good ...very space efficient | Yes | Provided that the city’s saving money somehow ended up in the citizens pocket and not in the various polititians we over pay already. | More advertizeing and clearer directions. |
| 1072 | 38585.86824 | Yes | broadview/danforth | No | “receptacle openings were far too small, and hard to locate, frequently jammed with garbage and therefore unusable” | Yes | “obstructive, ugly; inappropriate” | No | absolutely not. appropriate advertising on a functional bin would be perfectly acceptable; these bins should be removed at the earliest opportunity | the design (obviously intended to maximize the area of the advertising surface) means that it also maximizes interference with pedestrian traffic. toronto deserves much better. |
| 1073 | 38585.9861 | Yes | Danforth and Playter | No | “confusion about which slot for which, so much ad that it obscures the purpose.” | Yes | “it blocks the view and it is impractical to use the street side of the unit, unless you imagine that motorists will pull over and drop off their trash?” | No | there has to be a better way for us to pay for trash disposal than these huge over sized units. Too much ad not enough bin. | “The unit at Danforth and Playter is often crammed to over flowing with fast food containers. It makes me see that the problem is excessive packaging. The older trash units with the three separate slots for trash are complicated enough. The new ones seem to put form over function; I recently saw a woman butting a smoke out on the sidewalk at the base of the unit and was oblivious that the ‘ad’ on the sidewalk was where she could dispose of her butt. Too much ad not enough bin. I suggest we just swallow the costs and pay for clean streets and simple, easy to use, unadorned trash units.” |
| 1074 | 38585.98699 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “They are too big and intrusive – they destroy the streetscape, and look less user-friendly than other forms of litter bins.” | No | “They look like billboards, not garbage bins. They create sight pollution and further privatize and commercialize public space.” | “While thay have ads on the side, the current multi-bins are preferable to these test bins, since the former are lower and effect the street less.” |
| 1075 | 38586.00331 | Yes | Broadview/Danforth | No | “Many Toronto residents are not that familiar with the English language, and even if they are, people do not bother to follow instructions (most people, anyway- it’s hard enough just getting them not to drop litter on the street),NEGATIVE MAIN POINT IS THAT:,The capacity is severely diminished – even the existing models which hold twice the amount usually are overflowing, esp. in summer months. I would not object to the extra ad display space if it also increased the garbage storage space – but these things are certainly NOT doing that.” | Yes | “Why both ends? I don’t think people are going to pull over to post their litter. Unless they feel like messing up traffic flow and possibly scratching/denting someone else’s or their own vehicle.Stupid.” | No | “See above. Unless they are emptied out every 2 hours they are a complete waste of space as they don’t hold enough waste. I cannot comment on how easy it is to empty them as I have no job doing so (wish I did, I have no job at all) but it looks as though it might not be that easy to do.” | “Priorities!!!,Garbage/Recycling 1st.Ads 2nd.That’s basically it. Want SPACE to PUT litter, don’t care if there is a big stupid ad on top but please make function first ,(FYI not many people are likely to dispose of cig. butts and gum separately from other waste – unless they are fined for not obeying),The existing model is far more easy to understand and could even be improved upon by using symbols rather than words.Additional Comment – the wire-basket garbage containers often seen in parks etc really are awful. If there are any plastic liners they usually are off centre and useless. Also, being open they attract wasps, flies, raccoons, and other life-forms. They must be a pain to empty as they are heavy and I have seen a few that have rusted-out, full-of-holes bottoms. Not good.” |
| 1076 | 38586.3553 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | not applicable | No | not applicable | No | [Blank] | “From everything I’ve heard, there is very little space for garbage and it really serves primarily as advertising.” |
| 1077 | 38586.40806 | Yes | Danforth Ave & Playter Ave | No | “The slot for garbage was too small and already overflowing with garbage, I really had to push to get my wrapper in.” | Yes | “I’m aware that there are slots at both ends but if I were to use the end closest to the street I would be at risk of being hit by cyclists or even motorists trying to overtake other cars at the traffic light. More importantly, The thing is way too tall and shouldn’t be perpendicular to the street. Danforth Ave’s sidewalks provide a beautiful vista of trees and shops and that is sharply truncated by these big bins.” | No | “Get rid of the advertising, there certainly is enough of it already. How about just paying for garbage pickup through taxes. All these schemes are unworthy of a city such as ours.” | “Please get rid of them. Something smaller, more simple. Bins should blend in with the surroundings not stick out like the eye-sores the current ones are.” |
| 1078 | 38586.41439 | Yes | Danforth and Pape | No | I did’t know where to sort out my trash because the signage was small | Yes | They don’t look like bins. They just look like advertising. | No | “The bins don’t seem practical. There has to be a redesign of them so that it can be a larger disposal unit rather than a huge advertising banner. Less ad, more bin!” | Redesign it. The city can still get revenue from advertising even when the advertising in a smaller medium. |
| 1079 | 38586.42777 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1080 | 38586.47668 | Yes | “My experience was at Bathurst & College, actually!” | Yes | “Practically speaking, yes. The multiplicity of options for waste disposal and sorting was a tad confusing, but nothing practically inhibitive.While the habit is certainly not something I want to encourage [even in myself, being a casual and infrequent smoker], I’m also grateful for the presence of cigarette disposal facilities. Attempting to dispose of cigarettes in previous systems has either meant a potential fire hazard, or street rubbish.” | No | “Firstly, the bins are enormous [I refer to the seven foot tall models, I’ve had no experience with these also-mentioned smaller bins included in the rollout]. Positioning on the sidewalk is complicated by the size of the bins, as disposal of garbage on the far side of the bin [street side] is nervewracking at times – while moving the bin farther from the street’s edge would only result in an almost certainly overcrowded sidewalk.” | No | “It is my understanding that the largest contributors to the overbearing size of the bins are the faces designed for the placement of advertising. Eliminate these surfaces, and the bins would not only more generally appease me in a busy urban environment, but would make actual bin-usage and sidewalk traffic considerably less strained affairs.” | [Blank] |
| 1081 | 38586.50765 | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | stick to garbage not huge advertising vechiles |
| 1082 | 38586.53108 | Yes | Dundas St. W. & Bloor St. W. | No | Openings are so small and it takes time to find a correct classification of your garbage. Putting garbage away shouldn’t be that cumbersome. | Yes | Bins are unnecessarly big and I think they create visual pollution on streets. One opening of the bin faces on the road which I found useless. | No | I wouldn’t prefer to see giant and ugly garbage bins on my street. | “I don’t understand why the city needs to change the existing garbage bins. I find them easy to use and they have advertisement panels on them as well. After seeing and using the new garbage bins, I am totally against the idea of changing existing ones. Only reason I can see to put those new bins out would be increased advirtesement profit at a cost of visually polluted streets.” |
| 1083 | 38586.53612 | Yes | Pape & Danforth | No | The recycling hole was difficult to use -- pushing container through rubberized slot was difficult. Exposed garbage in trash bin was smelly & surrounded by wasps. | Yes | “I think the end that faces in (towards the businesses) will get all the use. People will not notice the features of the other end. Also, using the other end will have people move too close to the edge of the sidewalk, presenting a safety concern.” | No | “These bins visually clutter our landscape and pose obstacles on our crowded sidewalks, while not providing any real improvement in trash collection capacity. They are too tall. The City should invest in an advertising-free solution which isn’t so huge and ugly.” | [Blank] |
| 1084 | 38586.55715 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | “Atrocious. Why do we ALL have to be exposed to yet more corporate advertising blight. Surely there is already too much that we cannot avoid seeing on bus shelters, giant video displays and large scale hoardings.” | No | I do not want to be assailed by more street clutter. Increase property taxes to pay for properly designed (with ease of use and ease of re-cycling and ease of emptying being the principal concern.) Not units designed with advertising and revenue as the main objective. | “Please, please no more selling out to the corporate powers. We all live here not just the corporate accountants. |
| 1085 | 38586.565 | Yes | Bloor & Chirsty | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | They look absolutely awful. They’re way too tall. | No | There is enough advertising on our streets as it is. | [Blank] |
| 1086 | 38586.57648 | Yes | on Danforth near Pape | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | They’re too tall and the garish advertising displays detract from the character of the neighbourhood. | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1087 | 38586.58164 | Yes | “Bloor & Christie,Dundas West & Keele” | No | [Blank] | Yes | “The bins seem imposing because of their height and placement, where they seem in the way. | No | “I am not in favour of increased advertising, particularly when it takes up sidewalk space and obscures views within my neighbourhood.” | [Blank] |
| 1088 | 38586.60617 | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1089 | 38586.62888 | Yes | Danforth and Broadview | Yes | “It was fairly easy to use – however on the one bin that I used, on one of the sides the garbage part of the bin was overflowing. I think that the garbage section of the bin should be larger – otherwise the bins are going to have be cleaned out rather frequently. Adding a place for smokers to put out their cigarette butts is a stroke of genius. It will encourage the more conscientous smokers to butt out in the garbage instead of just throwing the butts out onto the street.” | Yes | “The bins should be positioned facing the street so that the disposal is on both sides of the garbage. Yes that means that pedestrians will only see one side of the advertising, however drivers will see the other side. The way that the bins are positioned now – you have to almost walk onto the street to make use of the other side – it is not easily accessible.” | Yes | If there are companies willing to pay the city revenue than ultimately the taxpayers should benefit from it since the city will be generating revenue. As long as the advertising is regulated and tasteful I have no problem with it. It is no different from the billboards that line the Gardiner. | I think that is a very good initiative to deal with the problem of the garbage in Toronto. I was in New York City in April and the difference between Toronto and NYC was incredible. Coming back to Toronto I realized how dirty the city had become. NYC is spotless compared to the litter found in downtown Toronto. |
| 1090 | 38586.66164 | No | I tried to use the one on Gerrard St. but it didn’t quite fit the piece of garbage I had (McDonald’s bag). I had to actually put my hand inside the hole to push the garbage in. | No | The opening was too small. | Yes | It absolutely blocks the sidewalk. I felt my space as a pedestrian invaded. | No | They look horrible. THey are big but the actual space to put the garbage is really small. | Get rid of them. |
| 1091 | 38586.67367 | Yes | “Downtown, I forget where.” | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “I despise the idea of the City adding to the light pollution of our city, with the illuminated flashing lights. These will be nothing more than an eyesore and a distraction for drivers and pedestrians alike.” | No | “What price can you put on peace of mind? Bathrooms, benches, boxer’s backs – why are we constantly deluged by marketing? I say, enough is enough!” | Stop them now! |
| 1092 | 38586.75119 | Yes | christie pits park area | No | “the openings are hidden on the side – and quite small. if i didn’t know better, i would just think they were just adverstising structures.” | Yes | they are way way too big. they take up too much visual and physical space. there is no need for them to be so tall and imposing. | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1093 | 38586.76659 | Yes | Christie and Bloor | No | I was not sure were to put the various wastes. Only after scrutinizing the (already) faded and confusing instructions did I know were to put my garbage. | Yes | “I thought the location of the bin was very intrusive. When walking down Bloor, the bin blocked my view down the sidewalk, while blocking my path. I understand that they want to position it so motorists can see the advertisment, but I don’t think that it is acceptable to bully pedestrians by taking up most of the sidewalk. | No | “There are many more ways to increase the City’s revenue without allowing the visual garbage, pedestrian inconvenience, and trashiness that come with these bins.” | “It seemed a bit counter-intuitive that there be a cigarette waste compartment on these bins when smoking is being phased-out. Why not put emphasis on including an organics/compostable waste component instead?,I also think it is wrong that the eucan “pilot project” bins were not lit up or adorned with advertisements as they will ultimately be. ,I am very glad to hear that Olivia Chow has refused these intrusive and distracting bins from being installed in my riding.” |
| 1094 | 38586.93902 | Yes | Danforth and Pape | No | “It’s tiny and half of it faces the street, meaning if you want to put any garbage into the part of the bin which is NOT overflowing, you may get hit by a car. | Yes | See answer for number 2. | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1095 | 38586.9631 | No | [Blank] | No | They are an eyesore | Yes | They are clearly designed to be in the way as much as possible. They are unnatractive and will only become even more so when covered with advertising. | No | I can’t believe that this is an effective solution to whatever garbage problem we might be having in toronto. Litterers are idiots and aren’t likely to be any more likely to use a billboard shaped garbage can than any previous version. | Please get rid of them and make this city’s public space for the people and not corporations. |
| 1096 | 38586.96708 | Yes | Bloor and Christie | No | “It was not clear at first where the garbage should go, and what goes in what slots” | No | [Blank] | No | “Only a small amount of the area of the bin is taken up with accepting garbage/recycling. The rest will be for advertising. It seems its main purpose is to be a billboard, with garbage collection a afterthrough.” | [Blank] |
| 1097 | 38587.00446 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1098 | 38587.27662 | Yes | Don Mills & Eglinton; Pape & Danforth | No | “All of the receptacles are crammed together and, in my opinion, poorly labelled. These have not been on the streets long and they are a mess. I can see this from looking at each “chute” or slot.” | Yes | They block my view as a driver and as a pedestrian they are an eyesore. I’d like to get rid of them. Please. I hate them. | No | “I have seen this happen in many, many of the places where I work, work out, or study, and all of the brunt of the advertising is borne by the public while they receive none of the reward. We don’t need more giant ads.” | “If these bins effectively did their job without interfering with the look of an intersection or without blocking the driver’s view and causing danger, then it would be one thing. But these are inefficient as waste sorters and they’re just more giant ads I have to look at every day. When is it enough?” |
| 1099 | 38587.28718 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | “besides being redicilous and intrusive in the first place, they are improperly positioned, with one end too close to the road...” | No | These bins are insulting to the public and intrusive on our precious public space! | They CANNOT by any means be approved beyond this pilot |
| 1100 | 38587.30568 | Yes | bloor st weet & dundas // roncesvalles & howard park | No | the usability of the device was not readily apparent. | Yes | “i do not like where the bins are located. i have since nicknamed them “view-blockers”. What once used to be an enjoyable view down a sidewalk has turned into a frustrating walk toward yet another ad.Furthermore, I’ve seen people run towards a bin, mistaking it for a bus shelter. Imagine their disappointment when the streetcar failed to stop for them.” | No | We have enough advertising in our city. It is very apparent that these new garbage bins were designed for maximum advertising impact and NOT for recycling. We can do a better job in designing a bin that is easy to understand/use that doesn’t have the brutal visual impact that these monstrosities have. | “I suggest that the city open up a garbage bin design contest to everyone. Not just advertising media companies. The voting should be conducted by the poeople who are going to use them, not the people who are going to profit from them.” |
| 1101 | 38587.31735 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1102 | 38587.31913 | Yes | bloor and christie | No | “not as straightforward as old three bin bins. From any distance, bin looks simply like an advertisement.” | Yes | “don’t like how it is set back -- this continues the clutter of the street (cars, posts etc) and spreads it out, especially with that huge advert on it!” | No | you have to draw the line somewhere -- increased visual clutter and advertising is so prevalent in our city that we don’t need more on bins. what’s next? tv screens on the bins? it’s embarrassing enough that some trams are painted as promo items for movies etc. let toronto have some dignity. | we’re being told to constantly save energy and now we see that the city is going to be putting in huge bins with two illuminated signs??? what kind of message is that??? |
| 1103 | 38587.34896 | Yes | Main & Kingston | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | They are in good locations (eg very near a pizza shop where there wasn’t a garbage bin before) but they don’t look good. The display area makes them much larger than they need to be. | No | “There is too much advertising in our public spaces – TTC cars & buses wrapped in ads, bus shelters, now the bins. None of it makes the city look better. None of it makes the city distinctive, in the way that European cities are. We shouldn’t have to rely on private ad dollars to provide adequate public services.” | “Since we are becoming more security concious, has any thought been given to how these bins might make it easier/harder to hid a bomb?” |
| 1104 | 38587.3716 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | I believe they obstruct the sidewalk due to their height and width. | No | “The height and width take up too much space and it’s obvious that their purpose is to ram more advertising down pedestrians throats. By the size of the garbage bins on each side, the last thing that’s important with these bins is disposal.They’ll be yet another distraction for motorists and will be problematic during busy pedestrian periods. | [Blank] |
| 1105 | 38587.37743 | Yes | ossington and dundas | No | “complicated, the sideways design makes it confusing and the slot to put garbage in is too small” | No | in the way | No | “okay, you get the bins for free and get advertising money but these bins fill up quickly because of their sideways design, they are huge because they are meant more to hold billboards than to hold trash, and if one side is full the person isn’t going to know they can circle around to the otherside, they are just going to drop the stuff near the can, which means we will have a dirtier city with more ads, is that really worth the cash? in the end, smaller more accessible garbage cans are better and when you try and merge the billboard and the can, the can becomes first and foremost a billboard. finally, they are ugly and take up too much space on the sidewalk, not only obstructing pedestrians but they are so big that someone could easily hide behind one and leap out at someone passing by, not that i’m paranoid, but they are that big and the way they are positioned makes them perfect for cover. | get rid of them. i’m at [redacted] if you’d like to discuss this more. thanks. |
| 1106 | 38587.37775 | No | [Blank] | No | I didn’t even know it was a garbage bin until I saw it for the 10th time i just thought it was a billboard. | No | They tend obstruct my view of the streetfront businesses. | No | “I am strongly against these bins as the advertising is a blight to our public spaces. The older bins were bad enough, these bins don’t even look like bins and people will just end up throwing the garbage onto the streets. | I can’t believe the city of toronto would sell our public spaces like this. |
| 1107 | 38587.39966 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “These recepticals are a blight on the city’s already poorly maintained side-walks. Street furniture can and must speak directly to Toronto’s pre-eminence as a leading centre for industrial design in North America. To this end, the various street furniture elements such as lamp-posts, benches, planter-boxes, newspaper-boxes should provide consistency, creating a uniquely Toronto look. These boxes are a hideous eye-sore, and, if permitted, represent the final descent of Toronto’s public realm. City staff and elected officials ought to be ashamed of their actions to even allow such monstrosities from appearing on our streets. | No | Enough with the advertising already! | “Too big.Too ugly.Over engineered. Its a gargbage can!” |
| 1108 | 38587.40325 | Yes | Pape & Danforth | No | The garbage receptacle is so small that it’s not even clear that it’s a garbage can. The hole for recyclables looks more like a dispenser of some kind. | Yes | “The openings on the side of the bin that faces the street are completely inaccessible. On at least two of the bins that I’ve noticed (Pape & Danforth, Main & Danforth), the sidewalk side is stuffed to overflowing and the street side looks like it’s never been used.The bins take up too much room and interfere with pedestrian traffic flow because you can’t see past them.” | No | “First of all, the city isn’t receiving them for “free”: it’s giving away prime public real estate on sidewalks to an advertising company in exchange for a few garbage receptacles. A very poor bargain for the city; a steal for Eucan.I’d rather pay slightly higher taxes and have well-designed garbage cans that are completely free of advertising. At the very least, the garbage aspect of the garbage cans should be far more obvious.” | “I hate them. They’re ugly and they’re inefficient. Most importantly, they’re billboards, not garbage cans. You should be asking people if they want more billboards on the sidewalk.” |
| 1109 | 38587.4448 | Yes | ronchesvale and dundas west | No | “It is more of a billboard than a functioning garbage can. it is very hard to find where the garbage is sippose to go. you have to go to the edge of the side walk , close to traffic to access it.” | No | “the concern seems to be getting motorists to see the ads on the bins, not pedestrian safety, or cyclists for that matter. the bins are too high and are posistioned too close to the street, therefore marring sightlines for pedestrians and cyclists.” | No | “this is absurd. i pay property tax, but I have to have the City sell it’s soul for garbage cans? whomever agreed to this should serious have their head examined. what is wrong with the cans we have now? why must we have even more advertising shoved down our throats. This is a community, not a business. I believe in fiscal responsibility, but not is allowing big business to take over the sidewalk and roads for their fiscal gain.” | “The City likes to encourage people to conserve energy, but finds it nessecary to have electric garbage bins? Does no one see the irony in this. Smog days? Have we already forgotten about those. It is painfully obvious that the illumination is required to backlight the ads better.tsk tsk. Shame on you city council for even letting this pilot project leave the ground.” |
| 1110 | 38587.45139 | Yes | jane and steeles | Yes | PErfect | Yes | Perfect! They are great. | Yes | We need more garbage containers | They are beautifull. We need more ideas like this in Toronto |
| 1111 | 38587.45448 | Yes | danforth & chester | No | [Blank] | Yes | “they are far too large, block sitelines for motorists and pedestrians, and look terrible! looks like a bus stop.” | No | please do NOT install these gigantic monsters. the other ones were fine! | what on earth was wrong with the old ones? please don’t let advertising revenue ruin the appearance of our whole city!!! |
| 1112 | 38587.49801 | Yes | Christie and Bloor | No | “Openings are too small. Not clear what goes where. The bin is only accessable from one side which means people have to move around the bin to find the receptacle. ,For a garbage bin to succeed it needs to be so easy to use that a person will have no reason not to use it. A big open topped bin accessible from all sides (like the traditional park garbage bins) encourages people to use it. These new ones make it an effort to use therefore won’t bother.” | No | It is in the way and offensive. It blocks the view into the park and turns the corner into a bilboard. | No | I don’t think the generation of revenue is a good enough reason to turn our streets into an advertising platform. We do need more garbage cans but not this way. | “They are terrible. People won’t know how to use them, so they won’t, and they will become billboards only.I imagine that once they have ads in them they will be relentlesly vandalized. Who is required to pay for damages and maintenance? The City?” |
| 1113 | 38587.50396 | Yes | Jane & Bloor | No | Would not have known they were garbage / recycle bins unless I had been told to expect them. | No | Why are they so big? And why do they have to be illuminated? Especially with this summer’s increased waste of energy. | No | “This is a trick question. Yes, free bins would be great. But not free bins that are so big to block line of sight (not friendly for women at night or for cyclists or just people walkign down the street). Balance needs to be struck between community need for bins and the types of bins placed out there. They should be easy to use, focused on the purpose of them and NOT be so huge.” | What do the bins say to the community?? Buy more so you can throw away more? And where does our garbage go? It’s ridiculous that we truck garbage miles away – so no one can see the harm all that garbage does to our environment!!! |
| 1114 | 38587.5226 | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | The openings were small and difficult to find | Yes | Seems to osbtruct pedestrian traffic. | Yes | “It depends a bit on how much money, but I’m glad the city is creatively seeking sources of funding.” | It seems like the city has let Eucan have too much control over this project. |
| 1115 | 38587.5267 | No | [Blank] | No | I walked past the structure several times before realizing it actually was a garbage bin. | No | The bins seemed positioned to function better as giant ground-level billboards than as functional garbage bins. In my area (Bloor and Keele) the test-bin blocks about half the sidewalk. I only realized that it was also a garbage bin after walking past several times. | No | “I find them completely visually unnappealing. I applaud the city’s campaign to reduce littering, however these bins seem to add to unsightly visual polution.” | Does this mean we’ll have these billboard-bins in our city parks as well? |
| 1116 | 38587.53127 | Yes | Broadview & Danforth | Yes | “A cautious yes. For such a huge piece of furniture, one would expect a much more prominent opening for garbage. Also, I think the other side opening faces the street (where nobody will be able to use it).” | Yes | “They are huge and impede pedestrian flow. For such a huge piece of furniture, they hold very little garbage. They are often places the wrong way and not only do they make precious sidewalk space even smaller, but they also make it difficult to use as one of the opening faces the street!” | No | “They look very clumsy, are too big, aren’t placed correctly on the sidewalk, hold too little garbage and seem more concerned about their advertising abilities than their trash collecting abilities.” | “I’m not against the idea per se, but a re-gigging of these bins needs to be done that addresses all my above issues. If it can be done in a way that both makes sense for the company, the City and the people of the city, than go for it. As it stands, I think it only works for the advertisers.” |
| 1117 | 38587.54131 | Yes | Pape/Danforth Playter/Danforth | No | confusing | Yes | I don’t like them. They take up too much space. Are too bulky. | No | Why are we funding our city by degrading our public space | Please do not agree to put them in |
| 1118 | 38587.54491 | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | “The garbage can was overflowing on the one side, so I had to go around to the back to drop litter in it. That is not practical or easy. The newspaper receptacle is not very obvious, either. The only think I liked is that there was no gross flap that you have to touch, like on the older metal advertising cans.” | Yes | “I do not like the positioning at all. I don’t understand why anyone would think this was a good idea, except perhaps advertisers who will have prime visibility. I have seen a number of these -- some of the receptacles face into the street, others face away from the sidewalk and are aimed at places where there are no pedestrians. The Bathurst/College can has one side facing the sidewalk and the other facing a parking lot. The sidewalk side was overflowing with garbage for two days in a row (there was actually garbage coming out of the top of the receptacle), while the parking lot side was almost totally empty. These are just a bad idea altogether, and it shows that they are designed not primarily to be garbage cans but to be a delivery vehicle for advertisements. Everyone will notice the ads, but many will not notice or use the hidden garbage bin at the back (or on the streetside, as in some other locations -- I think I saw one diagonally placed on Roncesvalles). In addition, they seem to take up too much room -- the one on roncesvalles is very obstructive of the sidewalk.” | No | “I really think that there are too many big ads on the streetscape already, and the last thing that’s needed is huge, backlit ads taking up even more of the sidewalk. I would prefer that the city spent money to install garbage cans instead of taking a freebie on the provision of a public service. | “I think that these are a bad idea. Fundamentally, they are not good for the purpose that they should be serving – which is to collect garbage. The design, and the placement, are poor. They are clearly designed and placed to give the best ad exposure, rather than to provide a public service. Other cities, as part of their beautification initiatives, install lovely and functional street furniture and amenities that are not meant for advertising, but that enhance the streetscape. These garbage cans really seem to cheapen the street for me. And with their small containers (since only one side is really used), they are prone to overflowing, and may actually increase the amount of litter. I hope that they will not be approved.” |
| 1119 | 38587.54867 | No | Roncesvalles & Howard Park | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | I hate them! They are very large and obstruct view of the street and obstruct pedestrian space on the sidewalk. | No | I am not in favour of yet more advertising cluttering the cityscape. I think that the current bins are just fine – the size of the ads and the placement doesn’t obstruct all view. | “I’ve heard a suggestion that the city could tax existing billboard space – I don’t have a problem with the city receiving ad space revenue, but I don’t want to see nothing but ads every way I turn. I think there are other solutions.” |
| 1120 | 38587.56073 | Yes | neilson and ellesmere | No | hard to get an extra large coffee cup into it | Yes | “i think they are an eyesore, another attempt at getting advertising dollars. on one corner alone there would be a huge ttc bus stop ad, next to a steel box ad, with the new billboard to the side of it.” | No | they visually clutter the city and a few of the ones i’ve seen are overflowing with garbage. didn’t the city learn their lesson with those stainless steel garbage cans? | “they seem to only be in desirable advertising areas, and not areas where actual garbage and recycling needs to be collected.” |
| 1121 | 38587.56661 | Yes | Danforth and Pape | No | Garbage portion is wide open/no lid – too easy to through anything and everything inside. The standard circle hole used for recycling seemed to be replaced by a oddly shaped letter slot with a hole ??!! | No | The positioning on the sidewalk seems to be all about making sure the ads are seen. To use the other end of the bin I would literally have to stand in the road. This is a very dumb design!!! Mounting the bin in parallel might work – only then would users see both ends of the bin. | No | “Basic garbage capacity seems shockingly small for this type of space. I’m getting really sick of the city selling out our streets. Retail business taxes and home taxes pay for garbage pickup. Why do we need constand private alternatives. How about we replace your department with private contractors, no benefits, etc. since this decision seems to be driven by $$. Someone needs to remind City Hall that it serves “citizens”...yes, read that word a few times...”citizens” rather than consumers. Ideally you’re supposed to have the best interests of the city and its residents in mind when making decisions.” | As a life long Torontonian I am ashamed that the corporate world has been allowed this degree of access to City Hall. Compare what you are doing to how Chicago city hall has handled things – now there’s an enlightened department: http://lynnbecker.com/repeat/recycle/recycle.htm |
| 1122 | 38587.57845 | Yes | South east corner of Bloor St W & Windermere | No | One of the sides was too close to Bloor. | Yes | “I think someone is going to get injured or worse with the bin located at this intersection. The bin is a site-line hazard for the drivers turning right (E) on to Bloor from Windermere from the south. If a pedestrian decides to cut the corner, at some time, there will be an accident.” | No opinion | “I am a realist and I know that the city needs the money. Its just I feel there are too many signs, too many distrations and with this size of bin, there is a line of sight issue.” | The Bloor St W @ Windermere (SE corner) should be relocated to the middle of the block as to not cause a line of site problem. |
| 1123 | 38587.59713 | Yes | Near Yonge + Eglinton | Yes | No complaints | Yes | “They are illuminated at night, which I find repulsive. The city should be setting an example in energy conservation. The advertising is also a bit much.” | No | “I believe that advertising on city property should be reserved for community-oriented purposes – local businesses, non-profits, cultural and youth-oriented events in the area. This would be especially helpful in low-income / high crime areas.” | [Blank] |
| 1124 | 38587.60208 | Yes | Danforth ans Pape | No | unclear | Yes | too large and obstructing and ugly | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1125 | 38587.61302 | Yes | It was near the Christie TTC station at Bloor W and Christie. | No | “It felt as though the ads were hiding behind the ads. The size of the ads minimized the visibility of the garbage/recycling receptacles, and thus, their usefulness.” | Yes | “In one word: dangerous. Blocking sightlines by positioning ads taller than most Torontonians, not to mention higher than the sightlines of most drivers and cyclists, is absolutely dangerous. Much shorter garbage/recycling receptacles are required.” | No | “The financial cost of installing a more appropriate (read: smaller adspace, more clearly labelled, better constructed, not electrified) receptacle is far less, in my opinion, than the loss of public safety, public space, and general city beauty that is caused by these devices.” | I think my comments and suggestions have been clearly explained in the above passages. |
| 1126 | 38587.64273 | Yes | “Bathurst & College. It was, however, difficult to find one of the test bins, because there are none in the downtown core, where I live and work. There are also no test bins at City Hall, Metro Hall, or North York Civic Centre. These bins should have been tested in locations that are in areas of very heavy pedestrian traffic, where the garbage bins would get the heaviest use.” | No | “It is not clear that these structures are garbage bins. Even from a short distance, they look like giant ads, not garbage bins. I fear that people may not realise that there are receptacles on the side of the ads. Furthermore, the recycling openings should not be so high, they are unreachable for kids. The ashtrays are more accessable than the recycling. I don’t think that the openings are accessible to people in wheelchairs either. | Yes | “When I used the one at Bathurst and College, only one side of the bin was full of garbage – the other side was practically empty. This occurred because the garbage on the south side of the bin was not accessible, as it was located flush with the edge of the sidewalk. As a result, garbage was overflowing, and spilled onto the street around the bin on a Saturday night, while there was very little garbage in the recepticle on the opposite side. So the bin was only half useable. Someone in a wheelchair would only be able to use the one side of the bin. But if the unobstructed side is already full, where would they put their garbage?” | No | “I understand that the City has limited financial resources, and these bins would bring some revenue to the City, however, the negative effects of these bins would far outweigh the increased revenue. I do not want to see anymore oversized, illuminated advertisements on my public streets. I do not want to see any more litter on my public streets either. I think that this is a very important issue, and we should not make any compromises, just to save some money. Please reconsider these bins. | “The bins are poorly designed. In light of the Mayor’s Clean & Beautiful City initiative, I think that these bins are neither clean nor beautiful. They are not well designed as street furniture or as functional garbage bins, and they are effectively commercializing our public spaces. I fear that people will not use them, thinking that they are just billboards and not garbage bins, and resulting in added litter. I also think that these new bins will not hold as much garbage as the current bins, and will overflow onto the street. In fact, when I used the bin on a Saturday night, it had overflowed onto the sidewalk. I also feel strongly that these bins present a safety hazard for pedestrians and drivers. I know that the bin at College & Bathurst was set back from the street so as to not obstruct drivers’ views, but they become ineffective when pushed up against the opposite edge of the sidewalk. As a woman, I don’t like walking down a sidewalk where there are a number of large elements along the street that I cannot see around or over. On more narrow sidewalks, the bins would present safety issues for pedestrians – drivers are not able to see someone on the other side of the bin as they are stepping into the street to cross. Also, cyclists cannot see people standing on the other side. The bin that I used was not illuminated. I think that the bins will have a much bigger negative impact when they are illuminated. For the purposes of the test program, they should be illuminated so that the public can get a more accurate idea of how large, imposing, and bright these structures actually are. I am ashamed that my city, especially in light of the initiative to make Toronto cleaner and more beautiful, would litter our public spaces with giant advertising and ineffective garbage bins. It is clear to me that the priority of these bins is not to collect garbage and recycled materials, but it is to advertise products for private interests. Since when is the City more interested in commercialism than garbage collection, recycling and overall city beautification? I think these priorities are misplaced.” |
| 1127 | 38587.65884 | Yes | Christie and Bloor | No | awkward. | Yes | they’re simply too big and offensive. I hate their height and that the narrowest part is the part that actually takes the garbage. It’s not their position so much as their size! | No | “no more ads. please, please, please, no more ads. mY head can’t take it.” | They seem too large and not focussed on the garbage part enough. We don’t need ads or anything fancy. Just the right sepration and plenty of them. I’ll pay more taxes to NOT look at ads. |
| 1128 | 38587.67021 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | “No, the bins are too tall and encroach too much into personal space along the sidewalk. They block sightlines and offer little improvement except to the advertisers over the old style of garbage bin.” | The manner in which the bins have been displayed is disingenuous as they do not have the advertising on them that will be their true fronts; a pretty picture of recycling is not their true nature. |
| 1129 | 38587.69337 | Yes | Bloor and Christie | No | “It is clear the “bins” focus is advertising and not waste collection. When the giant ad changes from being instructional to product advertising I doubt waste will be properly sorted leading to all of the recyclables be treated as waste. | Yes | “These bins are TOO BIG they take up too much precious pedestrian space. Why would a City that says it wants to promote walking, create these huge impediments? I think that we are subjected to too many ads as it is, to invade our sidewalk space with a monster billboard that doubles as a trash bin is just plain stupid. | No | “If we truly want a “clean and beautiful city” why would we make imposing giant garbage advertisments a focal point on the visual sidewalk-scape??? Is the City really this hard up for money? Were we to employ a few more people to walk the streets and collect litter we’d have a more clean and beautiful city. ,Additional visual pollution does not a clean and beautiful city make!” | These bins belong in the trash!!! |
| 1130 | 38587.71344 | Yes | Bloor West & Jane | No | The recycling slot is a bit camouflaged and too high for children. The garbage don’t look like they can fit very much garbage | Yes | They obstruct space for pedestrians and are an eyesore. particularly once they have advertisments on them they will become a nuisance | No | “I would like the city to save money, but not at the expense of making Toronto an ugly city. Other cities around the world (particularly European and Australian cities) manage to avoid these large, ad covered boxes and keep their cities clean. We should look to a place such as Melbourne, Australia as an example.” | “When tourists come to Toronto, I for one don’t want it to be remembered as the city where everything was grey and covered in ads. When people come to see a city they like to admire the architecture and have an unobstructed view when observing the workings of the city. These will definitely obstruct and clutter up Toronto. I suggest that before resorting to this, more research should be done in terms of finding alternatives that might add to the allure of the city while helping to decrease litter. I was in Reykjavik Iceland recently and there they had local artists paint their garbage cans to make them something that passers-by would stop and admire. Something like that would be much more interesting and set us apart from other cities. |
| 1131 | 38587.72447 | Yes | Mccowan RT station | No | one of the openings was too damn close to the pathway of cars. | No | their too big. too abrasive. too much. | No | No. I don’t want these bins on our streets. I thought we were trying to keep the city clean? Your against graffiti but not this? This is pollution of our public space. | Please get rid of them. If we put them up our city will look worse then it already is. |
| 1132 | 38587.76612 | Yes | pape & Danforth | No | It was overflowing with trash. | Yes | They are intrusive. They take up more walking space than the other bins. | No | “No. They are unsightly, they are less practical, the space for garbage is less accessible. They are obviously simply a vehicle to further pollute our streets with more advertising. I find them very hard to stomach. | Please scrap this project. |
| 1133 | 38587.86998 | Yes | Pape & Danforth & athers along Danforth. | No | “Openings kinda small, other side is too close to the road. They take up too much room on the sidewalk.” | No | “All I saw was a big poster, didn’t look like a garbage disposal unit.... doesn’t look like they hold much garbage.” | No | I think that they’ll just look like big billboards and people won’t know that they’re for garbage.... will lead to more littering! | I don’t think you should do it!! |
| 1134 | 38587.88116 | Yes | Sheppard Ave E/Brian Drive | Yes | Figuring out how to use the bin by examining it is much more practical than trying to understand what the picture is showing me. | Yes | “I think the bins should be positioned parallel to traffic, and not diagnally.” | Yes | “the City might as well, TTC does it everywhere. As long as it’s free :-)” | “excellent idea/implimentation! Looks European and modern, I like it!” |
| 1135 | 38587.90028 | Yes | Windemere and Bloor | Yes | These had how to signs on them | Yes | “The Garbage Section seems too small. In this neighbourhood, it was overflowing on the weekend. Too many half drunken Starbucks ice coffee drinks. Garbage was falling on the ground.” | Yes | Not as intrusive as I originally thought. It would be nice to limit the number of tall cans though. Blocks the sightlines for all these businesses with their precious window displays which can entice people to come into their stores. Leaves more space on the sidewalk for bicycle stands if the city wanted to put more. | Limit the number of tall ones because they block the store windows which entice passersby in cars and on the other side of the street to come into the businesses. |
| 1136 | 38587.94458 | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | If I had not walked around the bin I would not have seen the recepticals at both ends. The average person will not bother to look. | No | The damned things are way too big and are ugly as sin. | No | They are *not* free. The light pollution is from these things are costly and bad enough as it is. Plus they go totally against the beautiful city initiative that the Mayor is trying to but together. | “It would make more sense to have smaller ones that are waste/glass/newprint and have MORE of them on the streets with more frequent pick ups. People are too lazy to bother sorting for themselves. Further, now that we have banned smoking in public buildings we have to accept the fact that people will smoke outside. Better to have a separate recepticles for cigarettes. Plus we need a campaign to make the flicking of butts uncool.” |
| 1137 | 38588.31347 | Yes | [Blank] | No | Openings small; far end close to edge of sidewalk; not initially apparent that there was an opening on far side; receptacle inside seemed small and garbage was overflowing on both sides | Yes | terrible; blocked off most of the sidewalk; blatantly more of an advertising board than a garbage receptacle; | No | “Even with these perks, the bins are ugly, obtrusive, ill-designed, ill-placed. I think it would be a shame to see these on our sidewalks. I am not surprised that the bins would be provided for free and generate revenue for the city. They are so unattractive and impractical in so many ways that I immediately thought that there could be no other reason for them. Other passers-by stopped when I was looking at the bins and we shared similar views.” | Please don’t go with this poor idea just to generate more revenue. It is not enough of a reason on its own and this idea just dosen’t have anything else going for it. |
| 1138 | 38588.42058 | Yes | Danforth & Playter | No | “It was easy to understand but it (and people depositing garbage) blocks too much of the sidewalk, making it hard to use. Things like garbage bins should go in the amenity strip, not in the travelled portion of the sidewalk.” | Yes | “It’s positioned for the best display of advertising, perpendicular to the flow of pedestrian traffic. It blocks over half the sidewalk, not including people stopping to deposit garbage. They’re very poorly placed.” | No | Free garbage bins and some ad revenue isn’t worth sacrificing public space. There’s no good reason for garbage bins to be as tall as a bus shelter. | “Reject this idea. Proper garbage bins, placed so they don’t block traffic, are needed. If the City wants advertising, the ads should conform to the size and placement of the bins, not the other way around.” |
| 1139 | 38588.4811 | Yes | Various places. | No | They just look like big advertisements. Which is what they are. | No | They are horrible. | No | More advertising space encroaches on our public spaces. At least the other recycling containers faced advertising outwards. These are just offensive | “Please, please don’t do this to our city.” |
| 1140 | 38588.48734 | No | Danforth and Pape | No | I thought it was a billboard. Which it is. | No | They are terrible. Who the hell was sucked off to get this monstrosity on our streets? | No | I think that a better idea would be to have city councillors wear sandwich boards. They are welcome to collect recyclables as well as trash on their routes. | If this goes through you are corporate shills and not the people’s representatives. |
| 1141 | 38588.49087 | No | but 2 are located on the same block near my work at Pape & Danforth | No | The bin is obviously for advertising. It’s huge! They look awful. It really takes away from our beautiful Danforth. | Yes | I think this test fails. None of my neighbours or I like them. Especially the one in front of the church. That’s disrespectful. | No | this is our community -it’s shouldn’t be about money over our neighbourhood | Yes. Please keep them away. |
| 1142 | 38588.49404 | No | Bloor and Indian Road | No | It looked like a big advertisement. The collection of recyclables and trash is at best secondary. | No | I don’t understand why you want to cram more and more advertising down our throats. Is it not enough that I can’t even recognize a TTC bus because of the advertising? Why don’t you do something creative to generate revenue rather than selling out our city? | No | It’s a horrible idea. I’d rather pay higher taxes than have these things on every streetcorner. | Please stop now. |
| 1143 | 38588.5203 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1144 | 38588.53038 | Yes | Queen & Lansdowne | No | holes were small and too specific | Yes | the huge advertising is yet another barrier -- both physical and visual -- on the sidewalks | No | “We already have enough advertising, and the sidewalks are already crowded enough. | [Blank] |
| 1145 | 38588.53831 | Yes | danforth and pape | No | they have been full every time I have gone to put garbage in them | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | they don’t seem to hold enough garbage |
| 1146 | 38588.551 | Yes | Roncesvalles and Howard Park | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] | “I think the bins are too large for placement on the sidewalk. This causes problems since visibility is reduced for drivers and pedestrians. I believe this could cause the City some liability issues down the road. Finally, it very ugly to see such a large bin blocking the sidewalk and the view up and down a street. The previous smaller ones (waist height) were much more asethetic and I really hope you stay with what you have.” | No | “Honestly, please just tax me more (I am a homeowner) if you need more revenue. This is a very ugly way to make money. From what I am hearing in my community you will hear many other negative comments on the bins if you make them widespread in Toronto. In addition, (as a lawyer) I believe you might run into some sticky liability issues when accidents (pedestrian/automotive etc.) start occuring around the boxes. These issues and the costs therein could seriously negate any revenue from the ads.” | “I really hope these bins are not adopted. I know alot of energy and money have gone into building them but they really are not suitable for installation and use due to the already crowded and oongested nature of downtown streets.Thank you,Isis Caulder,Partner,Bereskin & Parr” |
| 1147 | 38588.5537 | Yes | Pape & Danforth | No | “The recepticles were at the right height, but is the size of this thing absolutely necessary? As a pedestrian I cannot see around these bins. They add unwanted furniture to the sidewalk and make it more difficult to walk.” | Yes | What is the point of collecting cigarettes on the street facing side of the bin? Was one of the selling features supposed to be battery collection? What happened to that? I wouldn’t have known that slots were for cigarettes if it were not for the city poster explaining these boxes. What happens when the poster is filled with advertising? | No | I would rather have my tax dollars go towards a better designed solution that promoted reuse/recycling/trash (in that order) without causing the difficulties this design manages. I don’t accept that our streets need to be sold off to the highest bidder in order to achieve some basic level of maintenance. | “Why are the bins oriented perpendicular to the sidewalk? This impedes traffic flow, blocks sight lines. Are the ads made to target automobile drivers? Put them on the roads then. Why are all the bins situated at intersections? Place them in the middle of blocks away from situations where sight lines are important. ,If these bins pass the public scrutiny test my vote will be affected accordingly. |
| 1148 | 38588.55465 | Yes | “Dundas and Ossington, others.” | No | Much less clear than current bins. | Yes | The positioning of the bins makes it impractical to use both ends of the bin without venturing onto the street or much too close to it. | No | “The bins are impractical at best. While I’ve managed mostly to avoid the advertisement headache that Yonge and Dundas is becoming, having so many large advertisements across the city wherever a garbage can ought to be would not be worth the trade-off. Simply because advertising space can be sold doesn’t mean it should be, and it would be nice to see the occasional sidewalk not trying to sell me anything. There are other ways to make money.” | I expect better for Toronto. |
| 1149 | 38588.58684 | Yes | Leslie and Finch | No | Difficult to see where you actually put the garbage. Difficult to tell that it was a garbage receptacle. | No | “They look horrendous, monstrous.” | No | They are a major blot on our cityscape. They are hideous. They make Toronto ugly. | “Don’t use them. Instead, put garbage/recycling bins around the city that actually function as garbage/recycling bins first and foremost.” |
| 1150 | 38588.58789 | Yes | dundas & ossington | No | there was recycling in the garbage | Yes | “They are distracting for all travellers, they block the sidewalk so when more than one person is using the space it is cramped and are too brightly lit, distracting people as they pass.” | No | I don’t think selling off our puplic space to more advertising is worth the money (as I understand it the amount generated will be relativly small for what we’re losing). | “for this past summer of smog day after smog day is it really wise to have illuminated advertising blocking our sidewalks? What savings does the city really get when we are asking people to turn down lights in businesses but increasing usage for advertising, what will the excuse be in cases of brown or black outs?” |
| 1151 | 38588.60396 | Yes | “Bathurst and College, right in the middle of the sidewalk.” | No | Openings are too small. | No | “It’s very ugly and looks huge on the sidewalk. No one wants to see such giant ads. The entire top half of the box is unused for garbage!!!!,If they have openings on both sides of the bin, why are they positioned across the width of the sidewalk, so as to make one side unaccessible?” | No | “No way. They are way too intrusive. Much too tall and corporate.I do not support the use of electricity to light up huge ads. This is a terrible way for the city to set an energy-conscious example.” | “Get rid of them, please.” |
| 1152 | 38588.63145 | No | [Blank] | No | “I wanted to use them, however I felt that they were grotesque and horrific. I rather held on to my garbage. By the way, how come there is so little room for recyclables?” | No | “They are offensive. We already are bombarded in this fine city of ours, with too many adds. Why must the city further destroy the little ambiance Toronto has with these grotesque wasted spaces?” | No | “NO NO NO! I would rather pay more tazes. I HATE ads, they destroy our citys ambiance and allure. We already have too many. Toronto is quickly becoming the city of ads and billboards. By the way, being a multicultural city, why are only “white” young people, or the traditional family pictured in these ads. This is a juxtaposition to the multicultural facet of Toronto. | “Please, remove these from our fair city. They are offensive and degrade our city. |
| 1153 | 38588.64256 | Yes | Leslie and Finch | No | It is not evident that this is in fact a garbage/recycling receptacle. The ads overshadow its actual purpose. There is very little area in which to throw out one’s garbage. The labelling isn’t obvious. I doubt very much that people will take the effort to figure out if they’ve thrown their garbage or recycling in the correct opening. | No | “I honestly think that the positioning of the bins is irrelevant. I’m concerned that these bins won’t in fact be used properly, as they don’t look like garbage bins. Again, the ads and size of this eyesore overshadow its purpose.” | No | “I realize that revenue to the City is valuable; however, these bins are a horrific eyesore; they don’t seem easy to use or serve their function well; they require electricity to illuminate the ads!! After experiencing the energy crisis of summer of 2005, our focus should be on reducing energy consumption, not increasing it, particularly not for the purpose of advertising!” | “I’m disappointed that the City would consider increasing our energy demand (which means increasing Toronto’s smog) and contribute to commercializing our city, in exchange for possible revenue. I’d be curious to know how much revenue would actually be generated from this. What happened to the old-fashioned garbage bins, which look like bins and blend in better with the City? Overall, these bins are hideous, and I am not in favour of seeing them scattered around the city.” |
| 1154 | 38588.64653 | Yes | Avenue & Eglinton | No | “The variety of openings is clearer in the current designs, due to their horizontal seperation. Native English speakers tend to read left to right, and the horizontal spatial orientation of the older design draws the eye across the openings. The new ones fail to do so. In addition, the recycling portion does not appear to be a distinct entity; instead, it appears to be a part of the garbage receptacle. This is because most people don’t think of garbage bins are being stacked behind each other; rather, they think of them as being next to each other (cf the point regarding native English speakers).” | Yes | “At a distance, they appear to be TTC bus shelters (since their height is similar, as is the position of the advertising). This is not a good thing.” | No | “I’m not opposed to the idea of advertising on the bins, nor the idea of the city installing them. However, the current design needs improvement, and then a second round of public testing. The bins in their current incarnation should not be installed.” | “- I wondered why there was no organics bin, especially since the city is striving for such a high diversion rate.- The bins are simply too dominating. While I understand the need for additional revenue, I do not believe that such a gaudy and pedestrian unfriendly bin is a worthwhile solution.” |
| 1155 | 08/24/2005 03:32:09 PM | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | “Once I realized it was for garbage/recyclables, the deposit slots were not so obvious. It seems all rather compact for a big city where the old receptacles always seem to be near full.” | No | “The first time I saw the structure, I wasn’t quite sure what else was going on past the advertising--I thought it might house an ATM. | No | I am not in favour of adding more advertising to the streetscape. I especially don’t think garbage/recycling structures need to be higher than 3 feet! | “I understand that the city needs to generate revenue, but selling more advertising on our busy streets is poor city planning.” |
| 1156 | 08/24/2005 04:05:55 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “I see no difficulties with the current public bins, they are rarely over-used, and certainly do not need to be bigger. I am very opposed to them being used for yet one more advertising opportunity.” | [Blank] |
| 1157 | 08/24/2005 04:08:38 PM | Yes | King at Strachan Ave | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “I have a couple issues with the new design.1.) In light of recent world events and please note that the TTC has started to use clear garbage recepticles for disposal, I beleive the city of Toronto can follow suit.2.) Also on the topic of safety – the bins are large enough to conceal approximately 2 grown men from pedestrian traffic. This could be a perfect spot to hide and lurk around when looking to mug, rape or attack. As a female who often walks after night fall – I will not feel safe approaching these new garbage bins.” | No | “Safety concerns – ,1.) In light of recent world events and please note that the TTC has started to use clear garbage recepticles for disposal, I beleive the city of Toronto can follow suit.2.) Also on the topic of safety – the bins are large enough to conceal approximately 2 grown men from pedestrian traffic. This could be a perfect spot to hide and lurk around when looking to mug, rape or attack. As a female who often walks after night fall – I will not feel safe approaching these new garbage bins.” | “Safety should be paramount!!! ,1.) In light of recent world events and please note that the TTC has started to use clear garbage recepticles for disposal, I beleive the city of Toronto can follow suit.2.) Also on the topic of safety – the bins are large enough to conceal approximately 2 grown men from pedestrian traffic. This could be a perfect spot to hide and lurk around when looking to mug, rape or attack. As a female who often walks after night fall – I will not feel safe approaching these new garbage bins.These bins should not be tall enough or wide enough for anyone to hide behind!” |
| 1158 | 08/24/2005 04:30:11 PM | Yes | greenwood and danforth | No | Everything was squeezed together on the edge instead of spaced out properly across the wider areas. | Yes | They’re great if you want to have your neighbourhood polluted by even more corporate advertising trash... they suck as waste recepticles. | No | “We really don’t need more advertising in this city... don’t be corporate shills... plus, I’m certain they’ll be defaced and damaged in next to no time... costing the city and the ratepayers more in repairs.” | Bring back the old style bins that weren’t owned by Oh My God Media... |
| 1159 | 08/24/2005 05:07:32 PM | Yes | Roncesvalles & Howard Park | No | signage too confusing for easy throw-aways (comparing to the current bin signage) | No | thoughts on the positioning will be irrelevant as the whole concept is wrong | No | “already too much advertising on the streets – ,already too much persuasion to buy, buy, buy, we surely don’t need to feed our impulses any further ,I understand that the ads will be lit in the evening – waste of hydro – if I need an example of waste, I can go to Dundas Square,What’s the matter? – are you afraid to tax the homeowners (those of us who can afford to mortgage our lives for $400-700,000 homes, surely can afford to pay more for the privilage” | “yes, the one at Roncesvalles did not have any advertising which is one of the reasons put forward in opposing the bins – why not?,Are you afraid of the people you govern?” |
| 1160 | 08/24/2005 06:04:25 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “I do not agree with putting more advertising in public space even if it comes with free garabage bins. If we want to be a world class city, then we need to put more focus on aethetics, and advertising on garbage bins is the antitheses of this. I am a home owner in downtown Toronto and also work in the city. I find that there is much to much advertising in public spaces (subways, bus stops, billboards etc.) I pay substantial taxes and Canada is a high tax country yet we do not seem to be able to provide the services of comparable cities in other coutries without resorting to looking for extreme sollutions such as selling advertising on garbage cans.” | Where are my taxes being used? Why can’t Toronto afford to purchase attractive garbage cans and provide garbage service without selling out to commercial interests? |
| 1161 | 08/24/2005 06:06:01 PM | Yes | [Blank] | No | problem with the street side part – too close to roadway | Yes | They’re not positioned well and take up too much vertical space. | No | [Blank] | I don’t really like them at all. They’re eyesores. |
| 1162 | 08/24/2005 06:34:42 PM | Yes | Danforth & Woodbine | No | While I was putting something in the garbage someone was putting out a cigerate above where my hand was | Yes | “They are a monstrosity. They are way too tall, they impede my ability to see past them.” | No | I din’t understand what’s wrong with the existing ones that have ads on them. | I’ve seen two now. Both were stuffed and overflowing. The capacity seems much smaller than the garbage bins we have now. |
| 1163 | 08/24/2005 06:47:21 PM | Yes | danforth | No | it’s just a billboard | Yes | “they block trafic, and are very dirty – no one will use them, welcome to dirty streets!” | No | “they can’t even keep the old ones closed, these ones you can’t even see. | [Blank] |
| 1164 | 08/24/2005 09:12:35 PM | Yes | gerrard & carlaw | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “Excellent, I especially like how batteries and organics can be recycled. I always see batteries on the road, and hate to think about how bad this is for the environment. So, I pick them up and drop off a bag when I find a place that recycles batteries. Now, there is at least an option for people.” | Yes | But only if the city has some say in what advertising is displayed | [Blank] |
| 1165 | 08/24/2005 10:16:22 PM | Yes | Pape & Danforth | No | “The bin was overflowing, and for a structure which is so large it seems that scarce little space is devoted to actually collecting garbage.” | No | “They seem to be positioned to provide maximum exposure for the ads, not the garbage. By being so close to the curb, it would seem to me that only one side of the bin would be used anyway.” | No | “They are ugly and clutter the public space. Just because they are free does not mean that we are getting a good deal. If I am not mistaken, these bins are to be run by the same firm which runs the other ad-based bins. From my experience, those bins are equally useless and were infrequently maintained. They were ugly due to their design as well as due to the fact that garbage was spewing out of them.” | “We are bombarded with enough advertising. I understand that the city will receive money from the ads, but I don’t think its worth it. If we were to limit the amount of public spaces that allowed advertising, the city could charge a premium and could make the same, if not more money with the sale of less advertising. Just a thought. ,To be honest, I would not be as upset with these bins if they were providing a service that eclipsed the damage they do to the community. If the bins were linked into things like instant access to emergency services (like most universities have), video cameras triggered in emergencies, or other vital community services, then I would be pleased to have them a part of the community. ,At the end of the day they are billboards pretending to collect garbage, and that is simply not acceptable.” |
| 1166 | 08/24/2005 10:58:30 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | I am concerned that someone could hide behind the bins and attack some one. I suggest that rather than being positioned across the sidewalk they are placed along the side walk so that it would be harder to hide from someone walking along the sidewalk. | No opinion | [Blank] | If they cannot be repositioned (see above) then they should be smaller so that you can see under or over them. |
| 1167 | 08/24/2005 11:37:01 PM | Yes | Bloor West | Yes | It was after I realized I put my bottle in the wrong place!! | No | The Street side openings are not easily accessible...the bins should be spun 90deg. | No | “There is enough advertising in this city!!!,Strongly against it!!!” | They should have city maps with that neighbourhoods attractions highlighted!! |
| 1168 | 08/25/2005 01:02:54 AM | Yes | Dundas & Ossington | No | The openings on the side near the road seemed had to access without steping unfomfortably close to moving traffic. | Yes | They really block the view down the street in ways that seem unfortunate and ugly. | No | “The bins are ugly, and block the view down the street. Instead of seeing the city, other people, parks, etc, you see a big advertisement. | I hope these bins don’t make it beyond the pilot stage. |
| 1169 | 08/25/2005 04:12:18 AM | Yes | danforth playter | No | “the bin is turned broadside to the sidewalk to better display the advertising. this forces the donor to stop, turn and further obstruct the sidewalk. the other end isin the street” | Yes | “they take up half the sidewalk, and one end of it is dangerously close to the road.” | No | too much advertising is littering. lets stop whoring ourselves for free stuff. | lose them |
| 1170 | 08/25/2005 06:46:29 AM | Yes | Several | No | “The bin was too big and had signage on it, which is impractical.” | Yes | “They are too big and they have advertising on them, which is inappropriate for public space.” | No | [Blank] | Please abandon this idea. |
| 1171 | 08/25/2005 07:42:19 AM | Yes | King & Strachan | No | [Blank] | No | “The positioning of these bins is unsafe. They impede visibility of the street from the sidewalk, and vice versa.” | No | “I am not in favour of installing these bins. Their size is intrusive, and the advertising is also intrusive. I am tired of my city’s public spaces being sold out for advertising. I am a citizen, not a walking consumer/advertising target. | Just because something is free doesn’t mean there isn’t a cost. I’d rather the city focussed on obtaining more taxation powers instead. |
| 1172 | 08/25/2005 09:21:44 AM | Yes | Finch and jane | Yes | Very easy to use | Yes | It looks great | Yes | it’s a good way to keep the city clean | Put more around the city they are awesome |
| 1173 | 08/25/2005 09:23:18 AM | Yes | “keele & pacific, keele and dundas” | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “I’m not sure what the best way is for them to be positioned... because in order to maximize adverising space you need them to be flat on to pedestrians, but you block off soooo much of the sidewalk that way. PLUS, with advertising on the bins, I’m not sure if it is obvious enough that it is a garbage/recycling bin?” | No | “I am going to say no, based on the shape of thebin and the realestate space one of these requires... where would you place these on smaller city streets? You block the whole walk way. I like that there is a ciggarrette collector. The city needs to start cracking down on smoker’s litter. The unit’s just look like this gigantic wall. It’s too much.” | [Blank] |
| 1174 | 08/25/2005 09:51:06 AM | Yes | king/strachan | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | they’re intrusive to pedestrians on the sidewalk. large. overwhelming. possibly dangerous? – as a female I’m more likely to cross the street than to walk by one of those things by myself at night – you never know who could be lurking behind it. and the thing is ugly as sin – isn’t mayor Miller trying to instate a good design jury so our city doesn’t turn into an ugly heaping mess? | No | “we don’t NEED any more advertising. from bus shelters to streetcars to billboards there is ENOUGH advertising. these objects are large, intrusive and potentially harmful to citizens. we’re probably being offered them for free because they were rejected by other cities and the company who manufactures them has to get rid of them. we’ve always paid for our garbage cans... so why not continue to pay for them.” | please remove them... otherwise I think there will be a lot of money spent on repairs from people vandalising these hideous invasive things. |
| 1175 | 08/25/2005 10:02:49 AM | Yes | Danforth (from Pape to Broadview) | No | “It’s really an outsized advertising billboard hogging the sidewalk, impeding foot traffic and sightlines, cluttering my neighbourhood with more ads. The relatively tiny trash receptacles on its sides are completely inadequate. If that’s supposed to be its main function, why does it seem like an afterthought? SO TERRIBLY DESIGNED.” | Yes | “Positioning the thing perpendicular to the curbside means that it juts into pedestrian walking space. Its obnoxiously large ad space makes it difficult to look down the street or across the street, blocking views of traffic and of the general neighbourhood. It juts out like a bus shelter. Awful.Garbage bins should be waist high, capacious with wide mouths. They should be unobtrusive and plentiful. These are the exact opposite: the bins are small; the rest of the structure (the ad space) is tremendous; they’re ugly and obtrusive; they’re positioned to work disharmoniously with the streetscape and pedestrian scene. My sense is that their design reflects an advertising firm’s desire to catch the eye of passing cars rather than to help all of us keep the city clean.On that point, sticking big ads everywhere IS ANOTHER FORM OF POLLUTION. How about working to get litter off the sidewalks and curbsides WITHOUT glutting our city with big commercial placards?!” | No | It’s one thing to work cooperatively with ad firms to install garbage receptacles around the city. It’s another to be completely snowed by ad firms that are obviously seeking to exploit the city’s needs in order to install billboards throughout our neighbourhoods. The test bins are EYESORES and they are NOT EFFECTIVE GARBAGE CANS. To accept a deal with ad agencies to use this design would be a major giveaway (of our streetscape) without the desired benefit. These billboards are not garbage cans. I haven’t seen one that does not already show its utter inadequacy with a clogged mouth and trash strewn about the sidewalk nearby. | “I’m astonished that the city went so far as to proceed with a test of these AWFUL bins. I’m embarrassed for you and for the city. To seriously consider this terrible design makes us look like naive bumpkins, willing to accept anything in exchange for feigned corporate good-citizenship. BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD: bins should have WIDE mouths, ample capacity, and an unobtrusive sidewalk presence/profile. Smaller ads on them are fine, but these make the sanitation function of the things seem like a minor afterthought.I HATE THEM. And I’ve heard nothing but griping from my neighbours about them since they turned up.” |
| 1176 | 08/25/2005 10:37:21 AM | Yes | “Dufferin, South of King” | No | “I found the bins to be poorly labeled, and the openings confusing and too small.” | Yes | “With openings on both ends of the bin, one end is against the curb. This negates the effectiveness of that end, as pedestrians pass it on one side only. (Unless they step onto the the street to go around it).” | No | “No, I feel that the usability and positioning will make pedestrians less likely to use the receptical and more likely to litter. Also, I suspect many people will mistake it for a “billboard”, as I did at first glance.” | “These bins may be intended to decrease the clutter of litter in our city, but instead they increase the amount of advertising clutter. Increased corporate advertising subtracts from the culture of our landscape and neighborhoods.” |
| 1177 | 08/25/2005 10:48:02 AM | Yes | dundas west and ossington | No | one of the openings was only accessible by stepping out onto dundas street; the bin was placed right up against the curb | Yes | “well the bin I used, as described above, was placed right beside the curb, making it an extreme safety hazzard to use one end of it because to do so you would need to step out onto a busy road” | No | “I think it is ridiculous actually and embaressing that my City Council would even consider such an ‘option’. If it means the product would be more user-friendly, less visually polluting and generally less unobtrusive to the pedestrian then it is worth every cent for the City to spend money on. | “on a possitive note, the bin I used at ossington and dundas, being placed right against the curb, is ideally located for vehicle passengers to use the bin without having to leave the seat of their car. |
| 1178 | 08/25/2005 10:50:11 AM | Yes | “I haven’t used it, but I have passed the bin at King and Strachan many times.” | No | [Blank] | Yes | “The bins are ugly, too large, unsafe and look very “dated”. I am embarassed to have this in my neighbourhood.” | No | “I am not against the city selling advertising space on garbage bins, but these are not the right bins!” | Please try another design. |
| 1179 | 08/25/2005 11:19:41 AM | Yes | King and Strachan | Yes | It was confusing – too much to read. | Yes | “I couldn’t think of a worse use of our public space. You can’t see down the street into our beautiful city, you may not see if the streetcar is coming, you can’t see if there are people behind it – especially dangerous at night – and it’s a monstrous, domineering eyesore. Poorly envisioned, poorly designed, poorly implemented. Perhaps if it was moved right up against the building away from the sidewalk, that may be acceptable, but the advertisers surely wouldn’t like that.” | No | “The amount of “public” space that remains public is rapidly shrinking in Toronto. Is there anything not for sale? Whatever revenue is generated would not be worth the cost in such a capitalist wart on the city’s culture and charm.” | “Be honest, this was a joke, right? If the city, for even a moment, thought seriously about installing these monster bins, I would be surprised and a little suspicious of anyone who would back this plan.” |
| 1180 | 08/25/2005 12:41:33 PM | Yes | Bloor & Christie | No | at first I thought it was a new bus stop. It took a bit of time & reading to find out where to put the garbage | Yes | It seemed awfully tall and ‘loud’ for a garbage can. It impedes the flow of pedestrian traffic because it is inset from the road but still on the sidewalk. | No | I don’t mind some advertising for revenue generation – but these are so big and the garbage function seems secondary to the advertising one. I think people will not realize that these are really GARBAGE bins and we will end up with more litter on the streets. | “the covered rubber slots for recyclables were too high for my kids to use and the sides of the bin seemed a bit “dark and creepy” so I did not really want to put my hands close to those rubberized covers.HOWEVER – I like the ALL-IN-ONE concept. I just wish it was more user friendly.” |
| 1181 | 08/25/2005 01:03:11 PM | Yes | Windermere and Bloor St West | No | “At first I wasn’t even aware that it was a garbage bin, I though it was just a giant advertisement.” | No | “The bins are too large for the sidewalk. They are awkardly placed at intersections so as to impede pedestrians and block sightlines for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists.” | No | I don’t think that any increased revenue will compensate for the visual pollution that these monsterous bins create. | “The new bins are a blot on the visual landscape, not to mention ineffective as garbage recepticals. I think it is ridiculous that we are spending money and power to illuminate the ads during a summer that has seen Toronto/Ontario use a record amount of power and smog days. This seems utterly irresponsible. Please remove these ugly and useless blots on the urban landscape!” |
| 1182 | 08/25/2005 01:14:24 PM | Yes | Roncesvalles near Dundas West | No | “No, it was confusing and the slots were too small and there was already a back up of garbage in it.” | Yes | They are too big and placed in obstructive locations. There is too much advertising space given over to too little garbage collection advantages. | No | “I can live with some advertising to offset garbage/recycling costs. But the balance on these bins is way out of proportion. Even in this test phase I have seen overflowing bins, giving me no confidence that the increase in advertising eyesores will be compensated by better litter control. The design of the receptacles is confusing. What cigarette smoker is going to stand there and but their cigarettes by a billboard? This feature does not take into account how people actually behave.” | “If advertising must be used to offset litter boxes, you should find a design that improves garbage collection and reduces the unsightliness of advertising. How about something more post-like: as big around as a can, with advertising that wraps around a post about 7-feet high? It would be less of an obstruction, look less like a bus shelter and more obviously a garbage can.” |
| 1183 | 08/25/2005 01:20:38 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | i don’t like that they take up so much of the sidewalk. | No | “we are inundated with advertising enough as it is. it becomes just another kind of noise, and polution, an eyesore. i prefer plain and simple.” | “they are too tall, obscuring view, take up too much of the sidewalk and are ugly with all the advertising” |
| 1184 | 08/25/2005 01:53:04 PM | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | [Blank] | Yes | They take up too much space on the sidewalk and accessing the receptacle on the street side is too awkward. | No | They are a horrible aesthetic blight – we don’t need any more advertising on the street than we already have. They take up valuable sidewalk space for advertising. | They are awful and I really hope the city does not approve them. It would be a shame when so much effort is being put into improving the aesthetics of our city. |
| 1185 | 08/25/2005 02:01:18 PM | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | The bin was very practical.Easy to use. | Yes | They are angled perfectly for people to see from a distance. | [Blank] | very much so. They will bring more revenue to the city. | Excellent advertising medium. |
| 1186 | 08/25/2005 02:01:23 PM | Yes | Pape & Danforth | Yes | very easy to figure out and use | Yes | positioned well for optimal pedestrian traffic | Yes | great way to help the environment and make the city additional money | [Blank] |
| 1187 | 08/25/2005 03:40:18 PM | Yes | Pape and Danforth | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | They block off large sections of sidewalk and inhibit the flow of traffic. | No | “Our sidewalks are public spaces designed for the PEOPLE OF TORONTO not the businesses wanting to advertise to the people of Toronto. These bins are an eye-sore, they block off rather large sections of our already too narrow sidewalks, and they invade the right of a citizen to walk down a public street and not be bombarded with large invasive advertisements. THESE ARE NOT A GOOD SOLUTION.” | Get rid of them. |
| 1188 | 08/25/2005 03:54:46 PM | Yes | Eglinton W @ Braemar | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | Great | Yes | [Blank] | “Please make sure MANY are installed... There is a lack of garbage / recycling bins in the ciry – long stretches without any!,Also, (smaller) bins should be installed on smaller streets – not only arterial roads” |
| 1189 | 08/25/2005 04:44:10 PM | Yes | Danforth and Pape | No | No the garbage was full and looked disguting. Their were bees flying all around it. | Yes | I think that they obstruct the sidewalk. | No | There are enough ads in our public space. The city doesn’t need to sell out again and again. Regular trash cans are more effective and cost less. | What a WASTE of the tax payer’s money! |
| 1190 | 08/25/2005 07:00:36 PM | Yes | Bathurst and College | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | “the ads would be huge,I think the city to work to reduce ads in public spaces not contribute to them” | I am really against the new garbage bins because of the giant ad space on them |
| 1191 | 08/25/2005 07:01:16 PM | Yes | Bloor and Christie | No | Had to really look to figure out where the recyclables go -- it’s not as intuitive as the usual 3-slot rectangular bins. | No | “They’re so bloody big. I realize the city needs to save and make money, but I have real advertising fatigue. It seems like every public space is for sale. | No | They’re ugly and the design is lousy. I’d rather pay a few extra bucks in taxes. | “If you’re going to go forward with it, ask the manufacturer to revise the design so they’re not so intrusive. Ads don’t have to be huge to be effective.” |
| 1192 | 08/25/2005 08:44:04 PM | Yes | pape & danforth | No | Openings are too small and not clearly labelled. This contraption seems more like a massive billboard than a garbage container. | No | “They should be parallel to the curb not perpendicular, they look like a dividing wall.” | No | I am sure the city can work with a partner that is able to develop a more functional and sustainable alterative | “Make them self sufficient...ie solar power for reduced draw on the grid. ,Make them more garbage bin less advertising space.” |
| 1193 | 08/25/2005 09:20:00 PM | Yes | Bathurst & College | Yes | It was of no great exception. It functioned as a garbage can should. | Yes | Visually obtrusive and somewhat cumbersome on buisy sidewalks. | No | “No, I don’t belive that the City should allow these bins on the streets. I understand the need for cash in what is a very tigh budget situation but I do not agree with creating billboards which have the additional feature of being a garbage can. We are innundated with advertising and it needs to stop. I think taxpayers wouldn’t mind paying for add free garbage cans if it ment small less obtrusive fixtures, I know I wouldn’t mind.” | “Please, for the sake of our streets and communities, reconsider your use of these oversized billboard garbage cans. ,PS. Cigarette butt collectors are a great idea!” |
| 1194 | 08/25/2005 10:30:46 PM | Yes | King and Strachan | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “They are an eye-sore. They block the view down the sidewalk, making them both unpleasant, and potentially unsafe.” | No | “The problem isn’t with the strategy, but this particular implementation – too big, too gaudy, too much of an obstruction.” | “These are billboards first, and garbage solutions second – please consider something that doesn’t plaster such large, ugly ads all over our city.” |
| 1195 | 08/25/2005 10:37:32 PM | Yes | “kennedy & finch, other locations as well” | Yes | “while i had no problem using the bins, i noticed there were a lot of recycables in the garbage bins, and no one really noticed the ashtrays” | Yes | “i find the amount of ad space devoted to be an eyesore, and that the bins are limited in use. where do i recycle paper? styrofoam? organics? there could be ashtrays and paper receptacles on the front and back, elevating the ads, but also perhaps reducing them in size, leaving more room for garbage and recycling on the sides where they are already collected” | No | “i would prefer to see less space taken up by advertising in particular and don’t see what is prompting the change away from the present bins used at most major intersections. also, do those things light up? because that would be a terrible thing, and incredibly wasteful” | “i don’t really like them, but i guess if they’re what are going to be everywhere, what can one do?” |
| 1196 | 08/25/2005 11:30:19 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “horrible eyesores, blinding sightlines for drivers and pedestrians” | No | no amount of money is worth keeping these horrible eyesores | “ugly- barely half of bin is useable for trash,the worst thing this City has ever considered as far as I can recall” |
| 1197 | 08/25/2005 11:35:02 PM | Yes | Victoria Park and Kingston Rd | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | The bins are really ‘obvious’. You can’t miss them. But they are not necessarily easy to interact with. You have to walk to one end or the other and push stuff in. Just can’t toss stuff in on your way by. | No | We don’t need such big signs for adverstising on sidewalks. These bins are too big. They take away from the view and make being outside a less enjoyable experience. | “I thought the older bins with three holes along the top were great. They are lower profile so they don’t take so much away from the visual appeal of the city. If you still want new bins, make them more like the old ones.” |
| 1198 | 08/26/2005 12:13:44 AM | No | [Blank] | No | The bins are not practical. | Yes | The angled positioning of the bins is obstructive to pedestrians and only one side of the bin is easily accessible to people wanting to use it. | No | “Free or not the bins are big and ugly. They take up an enormous amount of sidewalk space no matter how they are placed. The bins are not bins at all but large sidewalk billboards that some corporation believes it can “sell” to the City by making us believe they are garbage/recycling containers first – it’s brilliant really and we should not buy into it. The streets of Toronto are already covered in advertising, we do not need any more.” | “If this is the same company that already has the current garbage/recyling containers located on many street corners, have them refurbish and improve on them. They are alot less obtrusive, they take up much less space and they actually were designed alot more for collecting refuse then displaying advertising.” |
| 1199 | 08/26/2005 03:26:47 AM | Yes | Bloor & Christie | No | “They were very confusing – poorly labelled and badly designed (butt can the same size as the reycling section?!). The tiny section for garbage was already overflowing after being in place for a day, and the open overflow attracted a cloud of wasps.” | No | “Anything that size is going to inconvenience pedestrians, and cut down visibility for drivers and cyclists, such as myself – the location at Bloor and Christie was far back enough to not be a factor affecting traffic, but I can’t imagine how that would be the case if these enormous, ill-advised contraptions became standard across the city.” | No | “Good God no. How can the city possibly justify giant illuminated garbage cans after a summer in which we came within a inch of having rolling blackouts due to energy consumption? Not to mention the inherent ugliness and oversized aspects of the bins. No amount of money is worth having these on our streets. The height of the current garbage/recycle bins should be the utter limit of any new designs – those bins are practical, and don’t reduce the visibility of our sidewalks and streets.” | “Please remove them as soon as legally possible, and for god’s sake scrap any plans to install more of them – they’re impractical, ill-advised eyesores, and clearly only in the best interest of the advertising company hawking them.” |
| 1200 | 08/26/2005 08:10:15 AM | Yes | Dufferin and Temple | No | “difficult to discern what goes where, the bin looks more like an advertisement than a garbage bin, there was garbage all around it as I was obviously not the first person confused, and they hadn’t bothered to dicifer the instructions.” | Yes | “poorly – there are enough distractions for drivers, they don’t need more ads directed at them – it blocks the drivers and pedestrians from seeing each other, not to mention blocking cyclists views as well.” | No | The City is desperate for anything they can get for free. Lets solve the funding problems another way please. | “scrap the idea, its poorly thought-out and the execution is awful – back to the drawing board – PLEASE!” |
| 1201 | 08/26/2005 09:02:47 AM | Yes | Strachan and King street | No | The bins are designed in such a way that you need to ‘work’ at figuring out where each item goes. The silver boxes are much easier to use | No | “It’s afwully unsafe for women walking by at night. In my opinion, there is a huge design flaw in that someone could be lurking behind these because they go completely to the ground. King and Strachan, by the way, is a sketchy area to a certain degree after dark” | No | “I am in favor of having advertising help cover the costs of installing new bins, but I don’t see this as the propoer design.” | Please remove them from city streets and redesign them. |
| 1202 | 08/26/2005 09:19:46 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “horrible eyesores, blinding sightlines for drivers and pedestrians” | No | no amount of money is worth keeping these horrible eyesores | “ugly- barely half of bin is useable for trash,the worst thing this City has ever considered as far as I can recall” |
| 1203 | 08/26/2005 09:19:49 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “horrible eyesores, blinding sightlines for drivers and pedestrians” | No | no amount of money is worth keeping these horrible eyesores | “ugly- barely half of bin is useable for trash,the worst thing this City has ever considered as far as I can recall” |
| 1204 | 08/26/2005 09:22:38 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “It’s terrible! Why would you possibly consider positioning the bins at a perpendicular angle to the street? They occupy a huge amount of sidewalk space – forcing pedestrians to walk around them and thus, provide less space for walking in groups or while pushing a stroller, etc. How are snow removing plows supposed to plow around the bins? It’ll mean more snow piled up around the bins. It’s simply bad implementation that makes advertising sight-lining more important to motorists than to pedestrians on the actual sidewalks. If the bins must remain on sidewalks after the testing period then please turn them around so that the advertising panels are parallel to the street. They are on sidewalks, after all, isn’t that space meant for pedestrians?” | No | “That’s a loaded question if I’ve ever read one! So advertising revenue is more important that garbage cans? Give me a break. I accept that advertising is everywhere, but the City of Toronto seems be be completley willing to give up public space to private interest. What’s next? Ads on the backs of city workers’ uniforms? Maybe huge ads on sidewalk surfaces in parks? Billboards on Nathan Philips Square? Anything for a buck.” | “Go back to the drawingboard. I like the modern design, they’re better than a lot of ugly trash bins around the city. But the bins you’re testing are badly positioned on the sidewalk and I’m confused about the primary use of the bin? Is it an advertising poster or is it a trash/recycling bin? The city’s primary purpose for the bin should be garbage/recycling, advertising is a secondary benefit, but you wouldn’t know it from the present bins you’re testing. |
| 1205 | 08/26/2005 09:23:41 AM | Yes | “greenwood and danforth,Pain in the ass. a real eyesore” | No | Can we located them near a bus shelter were are not a danger to drivers....They are a nusiance!!!!!!!!! | Yes | they should be posted horizontally next to a bus shelter. | No | How much is in for me? I know you city burecrats will get a piece of the pie if you approve this eye sore bins...So how much is in for my vote??? | get rid of them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
| 1206 | 08/26/2005 09:48:41 AM | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | “No. The recycling bins were not properly labled near the opening, therefore the main garbage bin was overflowing with recycleable items such as newspapers and plastic bottles. People prefer to simply drop their trash in an open garbage bin rather than stay around reading where to put their empty water bottle and shove it through a rubber opening.” | Yes | “They are obviously positioned in a way to maximize the profitability of the ads. This is a billboard with a hidden garbage bin on the side, not the other way around like it should be. In some areas, they block the sidewalk in busy areas.” | Yes | “Yes, but with the compromise that the orientation would be more favourable to people actually using the garbage bins and that they do not block sidewalks as much as they currently do.” | Please label each receptacle closer to its opening so it’s easier to understand what goes where. |
| 1207 | 08/26/2005 11:03:25 AM | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | They are ugly and obtrusive. | No | [Blank] | “I beleive that the program should be cancelled. Unlike the beautiful new bus shelters, these bins detract from an already aesthetically-challenged Toronto streetscape.” |
| 1208 | 08/26/2005 11:14:59 AM | Yes | “broadview and Danforth in the middle of the block, just where I would NOT expect to go to find a garbage can.” | No | “The labels were so small, they had to be pointed out to me; except for the butt bin all were full and overflowing. If I hadn’t been reading about the things in the paper, I never would have thought to look on the end of a billboard to find a garbage container.Frankly, a 45 gal drum with the top cut off and “keep Toronto clean” would have done a better job, held more, looked more attractive and been easier to spot. I would certainly prefer a couple of them at every corner to these things. But you can’t safely put them on corners anyway can you? We need more garbage cans and less garbage ads.” | No | “They block the sidewalk in a way that would be (quite properly) illegal if anyone but the City were to do so. They block the view and the traffic, and if there are containers at the other end, people would have to step into the roadway to use them. I won’t be so foolhardy. Danforth sidewalks are known for strollers, this bin destroys the view comletely and creates a chokepoint. God help us if you try to put them where the sidewalk cafs are.If we must have them, turn them parallel w/ the curb, and at the curb associating w/ the pay and display machine. Put all visual clutter in one place at least, and make it easy to ignore.” | No | “If they were public notice boards for the posting of local information, they’d serve an acceptable public purpose, and help to keep such posters off the lamp posts. But they would still have to be redesigned to not be the eyesore they are now.Who said that my city government has the right to sell our visual environment for any advertising at all? When are you leasing the blank sides of City Hall? The last thing I want is to live in a city where the sidewalks look like the view from the Gardiner. Instead of wasting your time and my money debating these monstrous bins (beyond a simple “No way!”) you should be discussing how to rid the city of that blight.” | “I amm amazed this inept design got this far in the process. I expect to pay taxes to keep the city clean. While I applaud the effort to do so at low cost, you have clearly been fast talked in the back rooms by these sanake oil guys. Not all costs are measured in dollars. By shoving their bloated pitches in our faces these things cost us the simple and essential pleasure of seeing our city. To say nothing of seeing on coming traffic.They send the message that the city’s for sale, pimping our public space, degrading our common experience. No wonder kids have a hard time connecting with higher social purposes. Thing about the young; they’re good at getting the message. What message are these sending?” |
| 1209 | 08/26/2005 11:33:50 AM | Yes | King & Strachan | No | I found the different openings a little confusing at first and not clearly marked. They also seemed very small. One end of the bin is too close to the road. | Yes | I don’t like that they are perpendicular to the road. They take up too much sidewalk room. I am concerned about sightlines for vehicles and pedestrians. | No | “I understand the need for new recycling bins and the cities need for money. However, I am not comfortable with my public spaces being sold off to companies for advertising. This is NOT what public spaces are for. What’s next? Ads in our parks to help pay for trail maintenance? The city should be putting money into these bins itself... take the money out of roads or put up some toll booths or raise taxes.” | “Make the bins lower in height, parallel to the road and limit the advertising space for non-for-profits and environmental messages.” |
| 1210 | 08/26/2005 11:50:22 AM | Yes | Danforth + Greenwood | No | The placement of the openings is confusing and seems limited. | Yes | They are intrusive and obnoxiously large. | No | “I think our public space is also important. Regardless, these bins seem to have a reduced capacity, are positioned in dangerous ways and are confusing eye-sores. | “Some of the other new “bins” are located dangerously close to the curb, meaning accessing one side invariably means that one has to step onto the street. That is unreasonable and dangerous.” |
| 1211 | 08/26/2005 12:16:40 PM | Yes | “South West corner of Bathurst and College. Corner of Dundas and Ossington. Also, Roncesvalles and Dundas (approx.)” | No | “It was extremely difficult to understand where garbage and recyclables went. The first thing I saw when I looked at the bin was the cigarette section. The hole for garbage was dirty and sticky – very disgusting looking. Most importantly, the recycling ‘door’ was sticky and stained. I also had to turn my bottle at such an angle that the liquid remaining in the bottle ran out. The recycling section of these bins is a disaster. Not only is it tough to locate in the box, but tough to use as well.” | No | “The worst part about these massive garbage cans is that they are much too large for the scale of a sidewalk. In particular, the one at Bathurst and College is not only an eye-sore because it is so prominent on the street but it takes up an excessive amount of space on the sidewalk. The one on Roncevalles is even worse because the garbage bin is so large it cannot fit on the sidewalk. The bin is positioned on an angle, like it has been shoved into a space much too small for it. These bins destroy the continuity and progess that sidewalks provide. They are a distraction to pedestrians and motorist. They should not be on sidewalks anymore than any other billboard.” | No | “The advertising revenue and free bins would be a disaster for the streets of Toronto. If Toronto is serious about trying to create peaceful and meaningful public space, then these bins should not be placed on city streets. They are obviously simply a way for businesses to advertise on the same level as pedestrians and to me, the garbage/recycling is secondary. The fact that the bins are designed so poorly makes me believe that these bins are purely for advertising. If we are trying to improve city streets by targeting grafitti, postering and billboards, then these bins should also be included as an offensive invasion to our public sense.” | “These bins are disgusting. I cannot say it any more clearly. Promoting more consumerism with massive street ads is completely contradictory to the goals of waste reduction, recycling etc. I would be severely disappointed if these bins were placed on the streets of Toronto one minute more than their test period.” |
| 1212 | 08/26/2005 12:39:22 PM | Yes | Bloor/Christie | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | There is a lot of space at this location so position was suitaable. | No | It is unclear that they are garbage bins – some people may think they are just billboards. They will use too much unneccessary electricity. The garbage containers themselves are ridiculouly small in relation to the size of the unit – at least 50% of overall dimension should be dedicated to garbage/recycling. A portion should also be devoted to community posters and flyers. How about if the city just efficiently and effectively takes care of garbage management rather than generating revenue from lame commercial projects. | Back to the drawing board please! |
| 1213 | 08/26/2005 01:36:47 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | never saw them | No | [Blank] | No opinion | [Blank] | the biggest issue is whether or not they actually get emptied – who will ensure this? |
| 1214 | 08/26/2005 02:11:54 PM | Yes | Danforth east of Broadview | No | “Really, what are the chances of smokers using these receptacles? Lose that whole bin. Larger, more clearly defined recycling areas would be an improvement.” | Yes | Frightful. To have come up with a further impediment to pedestrian traffic that also manages to bombard us with more advertising is the work of an evil genius. | No | Absolutely not. I thought the pre-existing sponsored bins were enough of an abomination (and highly-unconvincing as waystations in the recycling stream. C’mon. Do the contents REALLY get recycled?) but these are beyond the pale and without any redeeming features from a citizen’s perspective. | Dump this proposal or suffer the consequences. |
| 1215 | 08/26/2005 02:39:50 PM | Yes | Dundas & Pacific Avenue | No | Too many places to read to figure out what goes where. | Yes | “I do not like the height of the garbage bins, they block your view of the street & traffic. They are too tall & too wide. 7’ high by 5’wide, is an insane size for a garbage bin!” | No | “As above, I feel these bins are an eyesore. There is no need for a garbage bin to be tall enough and wide enough for 3 grown men to hide behind. They block your view of the street. The shorter wider bins already in use are simple & clear to use and already have advertising on them. Who gets the revenue from that advertising? I can’t wait for them to remove the garbage bin in my area ! (dundas & pacific) | “Please do not allow “Toronto the Clean” to become over run with these monster sized garbage bins. Whos function obviously is advertising medium first, garbage bin second.” |
| 1216 | 08/26/2005 03:16:35 PM | Yes | St.Clair/Keele | No | openings too small/bin too high and ugly!! | No | I really believe they can block one’s view on the corner....too high and large enough for a pedestrian to stand behind and enter traffic taking drivers by surprize. | No | As keen as I am to see the city be creative in its use of resources these bins are truly an eyesore....with so many proposed...Toronto is becoming more and more a city of billboards and advertising. Why not have companies sponsor flower beds or gardens or the naturalization of vacant lots??? | It appears that these could also be a fire hazard as people are throwing cigarette butts and garbage in container....butts could easily be misplaced in paper receptacle |
| 1217 | 08/26/2005 03:35:18 PM | Yes | Christie and Bloor | No | The rubber piece covering the recycling section was awkward to push a can through. It was easy to understand. | Yes | They are too close to the road and therefore could pose a danger to cyclists. They interrupt sightlines along a street and might be less disruptive if positioned at a 90 degree angle from their present arrangement. | Yes | Only if the actual receptacles for collecting garbage and recycling were larger and easier to access. | “They are an improvement over the totally hideous tin/steel cans on most Toronto streets, the low rectangular shaped ones. I dislike the large cigarette butt area and think more space for garbage would be better. Also – for a mayor and council promoting a “beautiful city,” it’s unfortunate that the city has to be filled with large advertisements in order to achieve that goal, apparently. I don’t think that filling a streetscape with ads makes for a very healthy or necessarily cleaner environment – unless the ads shown on the billboards specifically addressed environmental and cultural issues, upcoming events or energy saving and waste reducing products. |
| 1218 | 08/26/2005 03:45:51 PM | Yes | Danforth near Pape | No | “The recyclables “flap” was covered in disgusting residue and I didn’t want to put my hand anywhere near it” | Yes | “I think their size is ridiculous. I can no longer see down the street because it blocks a huge portion of m y line of sight. Not only is this annoying, it is dangerous because I cannot see if there are cyclists, large dogs, or scooters etc coming towards my children & myself. | No | “I don’t care if they are free or if the city receives revenue...they are ugly, not sanitary and down right dangerous. GET RID OF THEM!” | “I can understand the city’s desire to generate more funds without any cost, however, there must be a way to accomplish the same goal – even with advert garbage cans- that are less of and eyesore.” |
| 1219 | 38590.68961 | Yes | South side of Danforth at Bowdon. | No | It had to pointed out to me that these were garbabe recepticles. It looked at first like a billboard and then maybe an instant teller. | No | “Terrible. They block pedestrian traffic and when on corners block the views for cars and cyclists turning.I do not understand why the city would build such an obstruction for the sake or a few square feet or garbage can.” | No | “Are the city’s streets for sale? ,These things not only make for poor bins, they block veiws, traffic and the general enjoyment of sidewalks. They are adding even more clutter and dangerous obstacles while doing doing nothing to promote a clean city.” | “They are too tall, too narrow and de-emphasize the need for a cleaner city and proper recycling. They are nothing more than thick billboards. While it would be great for the city to get revenue, its plain by the design of these bins that the advertisers are the only beneficiaries. ,Can the city really no longer afford simple garbabe and recycle bins?” |
| 1220 | 38590.69366 | Yes | Warden and Finch | No | “YES it was practical but not very easy to use. I had to read the info located at the top section of the bin to figure out where everything goes. I don’t think people on the run would have that much time. Maybe you should stick a sticker right beside each opening indicating what is suppose to go in that specific opening. Everything was located at the right height, however it might be a little hard for children to use these bins (some of them might be too short).” | No | “The one that I passed by was well positioned. It was at a fairly busy intersection, therefore easily accessible for people who are waiting to cross the street or waiting for the bus.” | Yes | “They are a fantastic idea! Not only does the city receive money from advertising they also don’t have to collect the garbage/recyclable materials/compost/batteries as often; meaning less work for them and less pollution. I think these bins will encourage everyone to reduce garbage because now we can compost items in these bins. Before, if we had a fruit on the go, I would not have anywhere to compost it until I got home. PLEASE install these, they will be a great asset to our community. Thanks!!!” | “1) I’m not sure if there was a compost section, if there wasn’t, that should be added.2)They should be called disposal bins (it’s a shorter name and covers recycling and garbage),3) Maybe a little wider and less taller, so that children can use them as well.” |
| 1221 | 38590.77003 | No | [Blank] | Yes | But how does that set them apart from other receptacles that are well labled and easy to use? Furthermore they should have lids to hold the trash and recyclables in instead of having them overflowing and being blown onto the sidewalks. | Yes | “I would think that from experience in erecting bus shelters, city planners would realize it is a hazard to place such large, illuminated, view obstructing objects on street corners. Not to mention they take up much needed space without utilizing it much at all.” | No | “They will be WASTING electricity. Think about the shortages already, and then think about wasting more on uneccessary and unwanted advertising” | “I beleive this project is based solely on turning a profit and makes recycling, and energy conservation far more difficult than it currently is.” |
| 1222 | 38590.78098 | Yes | Bloor & Christie | Yes | “No, not big enough and not clearly marked. Its more billboard than garbage receptical.” | Yes | the side facing the road is too close to the curb to use practically. they are too wide and too tall. | No opinion | “I don’t mind the city using advertising on bins – advertising on bus shelters is also fine, but these bins are badly designed.so, i’m not in favour of the city using these specific bins, but would not object to a better design that also features advertising.” | “the design is terrible, bordering on non-functional. because they don’t look anything like a garbage bin, visiting tourists won’t use them. they are too big – too wide and too tall. obviously, the design is meant to attract the attention of motorists, but this objective could be achieved with a better, less obtrusive design.” |
| 1223 | 38590.78243 | Yes | “Bloor & Jane,Jane & St Clair” | No | “The garbage section is so small it is always overflowing.Recycling ends up in garbage because it is the most obvious place to put anything.You have to step on the road to get at the far bins.” | Yes | “You have to step on the road to get at the far bins.They are not in expected places at an intersection / TTC stop so you have to walk away from the stop to use them.” | No | “We get too much advertising as it is, let alone more. If every current can was replace with one of these it would be overpowering and if you just cut down on the total number of bins, people will not have anywhere to throw their garbage other than on the ground.The one at Jane & St Clair needed a separate concrete area (the size of a bus shelter) built just for it. Is that “installation” free too?” | “They have already attracted graffiti, as easy access,large flat areas seem to.My understanding of the current stainless bins is that they are serviced from the street side, while these will have to be serviced from both ends, doubling worker activity at each stop.” |
| 1224 | 38590.80749 | Yes | Pape and Danforth | Yes | “The main garbage receptacle was full and had several wasps around it when I used the can. The instructions of where to put waste are separate from the actual receptacles, which made it confusing to ascertain where to put the thing i was trying to dispose of.” | No | “I found it very surprising to see that one of the garbage receptacles faces the street. Not only is it hard to access, but could present a danger if someone was to step onto the street to dispose of something. The bins also pose a saftey hazard because they obstruct drivers’ ability to see pedestrians walking on the street. Obviously the greater concern when position the bins is the ability of drivers to see the advertisements.” | No | “The decision of where to put these bins, whether they will be iluminated, how they will be positioned on the sidewalk, etc. is being dictated by what is best for wooing prospective advertisers with a complete disregard and lack of respect for the needs of the citizens that are intended to use them.” | “It is disheartening to see that this idea is even being considered, but do appreciate this opportunity to provide input, I look forward to hearing what comes of it.” |
| 1225 | 38590.87196 | Yes | “Christie Pits (Northwest corner of Christie and ,Bloor)” | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | The bin takes up too much vertical space. | No | They are too big and use electricity which doesn’t make any sense. | Please keep the current garbage bins that we have on the streets of Toronto. |
| 1226 | 38590.8827 | Yes | Yonge & York Mills | No | It is not immediately apparent that these are trash bins. | No | They are awkwardly placed compared to the current bins. They are so much taller than the existing bins! | No | Do the advertisers also pay for the power required to light the ads? Or for maintenance for the lights? isn’t the city trying to reduce its energy consumption? | “these are really inappropriately sized obstructions, not really an improvement to the existing trash bins. it seems they will actually end up producing more waste and pollution because they are powered/lighted. The fact is that they are advertising first and trash bin second.” |
| 1227 | 38590.95682 | Yes | King and Strachan | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “They are way too big and therefore taking up too much room on the sidewalks. ,Also, I worry about personal safety. I often walk home from work late and night and it would be far to easy for someone to hide behind these and jump out at me. ,In fact, I find myself doing a detour around them at night for this very reason.” | No | “I am totally opposed to this. We are inundated with advertising already.What’s wrong with the current garbage/recycling bins we have?,They are easily identifiable and simple to use. ,It ain’t broke... don’t fix it.As for the ad revenue... how much does the city really want to prostitute itself out for corporate dollars? Show a little integrity. | “Er, yes. I really really really really hate them.Though you probably clued into that by now.” |
| 1228 | 38590.97543 | Yes | Bathurst & College | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | They should be turned so that they run the length of the sidewalk. The one on college with the wide side turned towards foot traffic is absolutely ridiculous. It cuts more than a metre of usable walking space from the sidewalk. What were you thinking? Seriously poor placement! | No | “We don’t need for huge advertising. Use the side or height of the container for something truly useful. In fact, just cut down on the height of the container. The top half doesn’t do anything useful anyway. Let’s use Toronto’s sidewalks in a more tasteful fashion.” | Accept batteries. What’s your excuse? It’s time that batteries were diverted to the hazardous waste stream where they belong. |
| 1229 | 38590.97856 | Yes | Not a well worded question. You should be asking if they have been seen by people. The one I have seen is at King & Strachan. These types of leading questions are not going to give you accurate feedback. | No | “These bin would be more practical if they had sufficient and safe garbage storage. The current advertising bins in the city seem to be overflowing on a regular basis, how is a smaller garbage can supposed to do any better? As far as secure, why are we encouraging enclosed garbage cans when most urban centers are using clear garbage bags and open bins so that potential spots for anything destructive are minimized?” | No | Poor. They actually block your views both as a pedestrian and a driver. They cause bottlenecks on the sidewalk because you have to walk around them. We have enough to walk around with all the advertising for housing and condos without adding more. | No | “The city is already saturated with advertising. What is wrong with a normal garbage can with advertising attached to it. Why must we have more bus shelter sized advertisments everywhere. I’m all for co-operation with business, but not when it’s more about the advertising than keeping the city clean. What is wrong with the current garbage cans that have advertising on them?” | They are simply not acceptable. Reduce the size of them and people will be more likely to accept them into their neighbourhoods. It should be more about the garbage can than the advertising. |
| 1230 | 38590.98821 | Yes | Bloor & Christie | No | Unnecessarily cumbersome compared to a normal waste-basket or recycling bin. | Yes | “They severely obstruct pedestrian thoroughfares and block views of pedestrians, cyclists and drivers (which is of course what they’re designed to do).” | No | “Installing garbage receptacles is among the most basic of city services. If the city can’t afford to install its own *attractive* street furniture that inspires some measure of civic pride, its priorities are badly misplaced. Also, will the ad revenue be enough to compensate every Torontonian for ruining their streetscapes? (Personally, I’d be willing to tolerate these monstrosities for about $200 per year.)” | “These are hideously ugly and an embarrassment. I haven’t seen crassness like this anywhere else I’ve travelled. Are we going for the “New Jersey Turnpike” look? This makes the “clean and beautiful city” initiative look like a joke. I hope city councillors have the good sense to reinstall attractive, ad-free garbage and recycling receptacles, and in the future find the fortitude to simply say “no thank you” to ad companies when they come knocking with hare-brained schemes like this one.” |
| 1231 | 38591.01667 | [Blank] | Danforth -I was dissapointed to see how they casue the appearance of the Danforth to deteriorate in specialness. | [Blank] | The bins already in existence are practical and easy to use and are less destructive to the sense of character of downtown neigborhoods of Toronto | [Blank] | “They are quite offensive. I walk, run and shop along the Danforth often. These ugly signs would make me avoid the neigborhood.” | No | “The bins make the Toronto streets look like an extended strip mall, they destroy character of the city, they are an eye sore, and they block the view of the streetscape, such as Danforth with its interesting shops.” | “The bins are not safe. I like the long, low bins, -the ones that are painted black are neat, unobtrusive, and allow one to enjoy the view of the neigborhood rather than being assaulted with lare advertising.” |
| 1232 | 38591.46058 | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | There seemed to be a lot of wasted space and the holes for the different items were too close together | Yes | “These “bins” are positioned for maximum advertising opportunities, not for the convenience of pedestrians. They block the view of the sidewalk ahead and because of where they are positioned only one side of the bin is practical to use.” | No | These bins focus more on advertising than on collecting garbage. There is too much wasted vertical space and they are an eyesore on the sidewalks. | I don’t understand why we can’t just keep the current garbage bins we have? |
| 1233 | 38591.46503 | Yes | Pape Ave. / Danforth Ave. | No | The bin was not practical in any sense of the word -- the amount of garbage that could be held looks VERY minimal compared to the old eucan trash bins. | Yes | “First off, I don’t like them. The height of the new bins not only blocks off people’s view of the urban landscape, but they also look very unappealing. Giant ads are *not* what people want to see, we have enough of those already.” | No | “Wtih the installation of these bins, Toronto has basically sold out to corporate interests. Yes, we had advertising before, but it was low-key and not as disgusting as metre-plus billboards. There is no reason to install these bins simply to gain money -- revenue can be had in other ways. Perhaps tolls to enter the downtown core in a motor vehicle? I have lots of ideas, feel free to e-mail me if you’d like to hear them. My e-mail address is: dsm.iv.tr (at) gmail.com” | “Replace them with the older bins, or possibly moderately-sized cylindrical, high-capacity bins that have advertising wrapped around the can, as opposed to shouting in your face and making a mockery of our local colours.” |
| 1234 | 38591.55764 | Yes | Danforth and Playter | No | “Worst design I’ve ever seen. I could understand it, but most would find it to complicated. Garbage and recycling were all mixed together, and the container was overflowing.” | Yes | “What a horrible design, honestly, you can’t even access the far side, which is about 6 inchs from the road...” | No | No this is the worst idea and design I’ve ever seen. They are completely unfunctional. | “Get rid of them. They’re useless, the old ones are so much better.” |
| 1235 | 38591.62552 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “I think they are a hazard to bicyclists, pedestrians, and small children. Visually, they disrupt the streetscape.They look like what they are – billboards or vehicles for advertising, not garbage and recycling bins. In fact, if I were a tourist, I would have assumed they were billboards (similar to bus shelter ads) and not garbage/recycling bins.” | No | “First, as a bicycle commuter I am concerned about how these bins immpede visibility. Second, Toronto is already becoming more and more full of advertising and corporate sponsorship (e.g. Dundas Square, the “Rogers Centre”). This takes away from the uniqueness of our city and the intrinsic features of our neighbourhoods. Also, the bins are just plain ugly. The bin in the St. Clement’s Parkette at Yonge and Eglinton is an excellent example of how a hideous bin on a concrete platform can take away from a lovely little patch of green. We need to preserve our green spaces for the health and enjoyment of everyone who lives here. | I sincerely hope you find an alternative. |
| 1236 | 38591.67326 | Yes | Danforth | No | “Why is it so complicated. What is wrong with a “normal” garbage recepitcal.” | Yes | “Any reasonable person should see that a 5 foot obstruction to the sidewalk causes problems, especially in busy districts. Consideration should be given to orienting them PARAELLE to the road as is when walking down the sidewalk you are only presented with a 2 foot obstruction.” | No | “Do not sell out our public spaces. This is a shame, stripping away free speech outlets such as wheat postering and selling massive bus shelter size ads on such mundain things as garbage cans.” | “Don’t sell out our city. Maybe reasonably sized cans with a nice little “Toronto” logo would suffice?” |
| 1237 | 38591.69595 | Yes | Bathurst and College | Yes | easy enough to spot the recepticles but the ‘garbage’ was left lidless and exposed. I also found the recycle port to small. | No | “To close to the road. They also cut off sight lines for pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles.” | No | There has to be a better reason then simply money. Although I do think the bin encourages more waste through the display of advertising I also think it is one own personal responsibility/choice as to how much they consume and how much waste is involed. That argument has become irrelevant. I would be in favour of the bin that is half the size – the one going in up in the area north of Bloor. | The Eco-mupis are simply an eyesore. There has to be a more attractive design and less emphasis on ad space. |
| 1238 | 38591.7401 | Yes | Danforth/Pape | No | The bin was full and it was difficult to figure out which recepticle to use for differnt types of refuse. | Yes | “They are monstrous eyesores. They also block pedestrians from view from passing cyclists and motorists, as such I find them to be a hazard. | No | “Regardless of the increased revenue involved, they are an ugly sight in a city that is struggling to brand itself as an artistic and vibrant city. They are so large and unseemly that would the next step be advertisments on our sidewalks and streets? There has to be a balance between public space and advertising, this crosses that line.” | I think they are a horrible idea and sincerly hope that they will be discontinued. |
| 1239 | 38591.76271 | Yes | Danforth & Pape | Yes | It was easy to put trash in... except that it was overflowing. | Yes | Blocked alot of the sidewalk. | No | “They are too large, and block a large amount of pedestrian traffic. They are also overflowing (the ones I have seen), and seem to have less space for trash than the older ones.” | [Blank] |
| 1240 | 38591.78306 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | I haven’t seen a real one but they look nice in the photo online. | Yes | [Blank] | “I think they are a great idea, they are large and organized!” |
| 1241 | 38591.95813 | Yes | Main & Danforth | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “The collection side that is closer to the curb (i.e. facing the street) will not be used. Only the side facing the sidewalk will be used. (I have already noticed this is the case for the one at Main and Danforth.) I guess they are oriented this way due to the advertising, but the advertising should not take precedence over the purpose of the bins.” | No | “My answer is really yes and no. I think we are bombarded with way too muych advertising as it is. However, the bins that the city already has have advertising. If those bring in revenue over and above the cost of the bins, then no, I am not in favour of the new bins. However, if the new bins will really bring in a lot more money for the city, then maybe I can look past the advertising...only if (as mentioned above) the usability of the bins takes precedence over the advertising. Either the orientation of the bins needs to be changed, or they should only collect things from the sidewalk side, yet still hold the same amount of stuff.” | “I love that these have the additional space for cigarette butts. I found the garbage compartment to be fine. However, the recycling compartment needs some work. I did not like the fact that the rubber comes back to touch my hand. That’s pretty gross actually.” |
| 1242 | 38591.9922 | Yes | “Bathurst, College” | No | Openings small. | Yes | “Obstrustive. Urban ‘visual noise.’ We are bombarded with enough advertising. If they were shorter (4 ft), they’d be less offensive.” | No | [Blank] | “I don’t see that they provide any additional benefit over the garbage bins we’ve been using, but I see a distinct disadvantage in their oversized and obstrusive nature.” |
| 1243 | 38592.00544 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | “A hazard, both to vehicular and pedestrian traffic” | No | There is far more space for advertising than for garbage collection. | “Plus, they are an embarrassing eyesore.” |
| 1244 | 38592.45765 | No | gerrard square i passed it for weeks and was convinced it was just a very confusing billboard about home recycling. | No | “never saw the garbage slots for weeks, just the gigantic confusing ad” | Yes | do we need to be told that everything can go into any hole? | No | why not have our city councilers wear t shirts with ads printed on them instead | “go back, go back to something less disruptive” |
| 1245 | 38592.48575 | Yes | danforth ave | No | it’s dificult to understand what should go where. The garbage openings are too small. | No | “These are a terrible idea. These are just billboards on the sidewalk with a small can attached. They impede pedestrian traffic, block sight lines, are far too big, and overall an eyesore. These monsters are the size of a bus shelter. And there aren’t even any bus shelters on the Danforth! Why? Because there is no room for them. | No | “Absolutely not in favour. See 4 above. In addition, the city is cluttered with enough advertising space already. If the city wants to generate additional revenue, use phone booths for smaller-sized ad space, as seen in New York City. | “The streets need more trash cans, I agree. The cans should be of a practical size and design, ie: shaped round, no more than 2 ft in diameter and 4 ft high, like a regular trash bin. Ads can still be placed on those, if you must. ,PLEASE DO NOT MAKE THESE TRANSIT POSTER ‘BINS’ PART OF THE CITY STREETSCAPE! |
| 1246 | 38592.56057 | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1247 | 38592.56653 | Yes | King W at Strachan | No | “Recycling openings, and those for cigarette butts, were not clearly labelled.Garbage bin opening was much more obvious and is likely to collect all throwaways.Recyling openings are too high eg. for children” | Yes | Bind should not obstuct the sidewalk – particularly should not ever be perpendicular to it (both the larger and smaller bins) At King and Fraser there is one of the new small bins set well back from the sidewalk | No | “Obstruction of sidewalks, distraction to drivers, visual pollution, not even well-designed for garbage/recyclable collection” | “The test is not adequate as it does not include lighted panels or commercial advertizing. The test is designed to get the most favourable response, not a fair test.” |
| 1248 | 38592.60405 | Yes | Keele and bloor | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “The positioning is absolutely rediculous, I can’t believe the city would allow these monstrostities to be placed PERPENDICULAR to the flow of traffic on the street solely to incrase viewability.” | No | “No way. David miller is getting rid of all the graffiti in town under the guise of beautifying the city, yet turns around and starts placing these unbelivably ugly things everywhere? David miller is nothing but a tool who will sell our city off to the highest bidder.” | If you decide to keep these ugly things then I will make a point of it to destroy as many of them as I can. |
| 1249 | 38592.60843 | No | [Blank] | No | “Too high, not handicapped accessible, not accessible by children – does not endorse good recycling habits” | No | “They should be green or another bright colour, instead of morbid grey. People are attracted to coloured things.” | No | “Advertising space should be used to advertise recycling. A recycling ad sponsored by a company would be acceptable, I suppose.” | “The plastic is likely to get smelly, gummy and dirty. The silver bins are very nice. They look good, they look clean (even if they’re not) and they’re attractive to the public. These new ones are almost intrusive, not to mention hideous. I wouldn’t approach a box that looked like a port-a-potty.” |
| 1250 | 38592.631 | Yes | Outside the McCowan RT station | No | Labels are not as clearly marked as they were on the old garbage cans. | Yes | Obtrusive and they do a great job of blocking the sidewalk. | No | “The city is alreadsy awash in advertising all over the place, and the last thing the city needs is more of it. As well, these new bins could potentially be a distraction for drivers as the ads are situated to catch the attention of drivers.” | Go back to the older ones. They were at least tolerable. |
| 1251 | 38592.72473 | Yes | Junction/Dundas St. w | No | The waste bin size is ridiculously small; the recycling you don’t want to put your hand through and no smoker is ever going to walk over and use it as an ashtray..the whole design is a joke..we know it is really a billboard so what not just make it one and stop pretending | Yes | “They are obstrusive in every way. They assault the city street landscape; they are impractical, difficult to use and in some cases block the windows and businesses and require you to step OFF the sidewalk to use one of the ends which really proves they are not meant for garbage.” | No | Please...the city is giving a bad design license to spoil our streets for a few schekels in return...don’t be connned again. this has MFP all over it..smooth talking salemen and gullable city managers who think making $2 is worth it in return for street eyesores. | “Yes, get rid of them. Time and energy and resources would be better spent maintaining and emptying the existing bins which are often over flowing and broken. These new ones will over flow in a day and the mess will create more clean up that the city will then have to pay for...what happened to the ‘world class’ idea..a cleaner Toronto?? this will not help.” |
| 1252 | 38592.7742 | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | “the billboard was too high,distracting and took away from the natural beauty of the cityscape. As well as being unsafe for pedestrian who can not see past them. The bins were poorly desighned and will not hold half of the old silver bins. The constuction seemed poor as compared to the stainless steel bins. To put it bluntly it seems like an excuse to put up big billboards on the sidewalk. | Yes | As they seemed to be placed with the ads facing car traffic I though they took up space that could have been used by pedestrians. | No | I don’t like the idea of whoring our city for more ads on the street. What is the problem with the silver bins we are using? They are functional and unobtrusive. | I’d say we should stay with the bins we currently use they are functional they don’t change sight lines and are recognisable as garbage facilities. while the new bins aren’t much more than billboards with a garbage can shoved inbetween as an afterthought. |
| 1253 | 38592.7745 | Yes | *don’t remember which one I used -- I have seen a number of them around the city | No | “*no cover -- disgusting,*bins too small (esp. compared to butt containers, which taken alone are actually a good idea), therefore overflow, hence the bins are an assault on the senses as well as being a public health risk” | Yes | “*obtrusive to pedestrians,*much too large,*offensive -- the last thing we need is more giant billboards on our streets” | No | “the “increased revenue” is actually not that much money -- what’s wrong with the functional and relatively unobtrusive bins we already have? they also have ads on them” | “*massive waste of electricity, not to forget that being lit makes them more of an eyesore,*thank you to those city councillors who won’t allow them in their ward, and voted against these awful bins” |
| 1254 | 38592.81542 | Yes | “Roncesvalles, by Sak’s.” | No | “It took a while to find the holes, and they were inconveniently sized.” | No | They look like simple billboards and are almost irrecognizable as garbage cans until you are nearly past them. Very inconvenient. | No | I think they are garish and unsightly and blight the city streets. | Trash em. |
| 1255 | 38592.89113 | Yes | Warden and Eglinton ave. | Yes | Yes they where at the right height. | Yes | My thought is they take up less space the sidewalks. | Yes | It would help reduce litter all over Toronto streets and sidewalks. | [Blank] |
| 1256 | 38592.97123 | Yes | College/bathurst | No | It was so large – I was blinded – it looked like a sign of evil from a distant galaxy. | No | “It looked like a giant piece of alien doggie doo. Sorry I sound like a madman, but it was out of contol! I thought the can was going to attack me.” | No | No fucking way asshole! | “If I had a hammer, I would smash the thing to bits!” |
| 1257 | 38593.0038 | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1258 | 38593.30124 | Yes | Roncesvalles | No | “The design is the worst example of “over-design” in an everyday item. Poor.” | Yes | “Not very practical, and certainly horrible aesthetically. Compelx re different items on each side, one side on the traffic side of the street. And the height is abominable. No wonder they are free – they’re not worth the price!” | No | “Absolutely not. We are trying to clean up our ciuty streets, not fould them with these atrocious, complex bins – never mind the lit factor.” | “Get rid of them. Not very well planned. Who is going to keep a but after they’ve finished smoking to put in the bin, anyway? (I’m not a smoker, but buts could be seen everywhere close to the few bins I’ve seen.),Get a more realistic, shorter, easy-to-use unit that doesn’t mkae it look like the City tries too hard.” |
| 1259 | 38593.35894 | No | Broadview & Gerrard | No | ““right height” is relative. Wheelchair? Elderly? Child? Basketball player? The permanent labelling of trash/cigarette/recycling was too small. Just an excuse to sell advertising.” | No | This particular one created a block for exiting the Gerrard streetcar. I am sure others do the same. | No | To make this program work the trash bins must have better designed signage and greater storage capacity. | “If city hall is so adamant about removing posters from poles, why are they themselves littering our streets with larger posters?” |
| 1260 | 38593.46134 | Yes | Danforth and Main | No | “The various openings are difficult to use, particularly when the bins are gull.” | Yes | “The bin at Danforth & Main is poorly positioned. For drivers turning south onto Main, it is impossible to see if there are pedestrians about to cross east-bound along Danforth.” | No | “We have already allowed too much of our city to be turned into commercial billboard space. I appreciate the city’s need for revenue, but bringing in dollars by turning all public space into commercial space is a mistake. | “1. Reduce the ad space,2. Increase the capacity to take garbage and recyclables (including batteries),3. Include a “green bin” slot,4. Do not install bins that block sight-lines” |
| 1261 | 38593.46196 | Yes | Roncesvalles | Yes | had no problem using the bin for garbage or recycling | Yes | they look great | Yes | anything that helps clean up the city and generate much needed revenue can’t be a bad thing | [Blank] |
| 1262 | 38593.48174 | Yes | Jane & Steeles | No | It took a minute to understand what I was looking at and what was to go where. | No | They look more like an advert tool than a recycling bin | Yes | “Sure, free is better than tax dollars” | They’re kind of ugly and a bit of an eyesore. |
| 1263 | 38593.48237 | Yes | Victoria Park & Kingson Rd. | No | Too complicated | Yes | “Ugly. An eye sore. Too confusing. Its all well and good to try and have an opening for everything, but this is not a garbage bin...this is a billboard.” | No | [Blank] | Ditch them. Don’t even bother wasting our time. |
| 1264 | 38593.48601 | Yes | I tried to use the one at Dundas and Ossington | No | Can’t reach from sitting position. Huniliating and insulting that the city would consider using these at all. | [Blank] | “Can’t reach, not accessible. Isn’t that illegal?” | No | don’t use these bins. | It astounds me that use of these bins is proposed at all. |
| 1265 | 38593.49147 | Yes | king dufferin | No | sucks for anyone in a wheelchair | Yes | “let’s see: they obstruct pedestrians, obscure sight-lines, and pollute our cityscape with more goddamn advertising. wtf?!? who gets paid to come up with this bs?” | No | stop feeding the already bloated police budget. there’s a few million in savings right there! | tear down the existing ones. put mini-depots in like they have in germany. that way everyone in the neighbourhood knows where to go to get rid of batteries and computer parts and paints and oils and other hazardous materials. |
| 1266 | 38593.49572 | Yes | Bloor & Windermere | No | “You had to look for the directions and read them carefully, and they were overwhelmed by all the other stuff on the bin.” | Yes | “It is useless to have garbage collected at both ends when you almost have to step out into the street to use the one end. So the one I used had a very full half, on the side closest to the stores. Also, these bins are too high – a person should be able to see over them. They are an obstruction to sightlines on the street.” | No | “I think their dominance and ugliness on the street is too much of a downside to warrant installing them, even if we get them for free. We want to beautify the city, not sell out to advertisers.” | “I hope that they don’t become a permanent landmark. I think they are unsightly, and we have been discussing them at church and neighbourhood gatherings over the summer. We all agreed – we would rather preserve the beauty of our city than have free garbage bins.” |
| 1267 | 38593.49976 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “The bins are too large and the design isn’t aestheticly pleasing. Also, it seems advertising is everywhere in this city already and again, the appearance of it doesn’t add any value to the appearance of our city.” | “From what I can see in the pictures, these bins do not appear to be easily accessible for people with physical disabilities; however, I have not personally used the bin yet, so I’m not sure about this point.” |
| 1268 | 38593.50964 | Yes | York Mills/Lesmill | No | I wasn’t able to use it because it had garbage spilling out of it. It was far too small for the garbage it needed to hold. | No | “They seem to take up a lot more room than the older bins (which also had advertising space on them and separate compartments for garbage and recycling--what’s wrong with them?) Maybe it’s just that they’re taller, so they impede visibility along the sidewalk.” | No | “I don’t mind the advertising, but I think if you’re going to get free bins, you should hold out for bins that actually HOLD garbage rather than simply having billboards with pockets.” | [Blank] |
| 1269 | 38593.52713 | Yes | Yonge/Wilson | No | “No the explanation was terrible. It took me about 10 minutes to read the whole thing and figure out what it collected. Even then, it was confusing which opening was for what.” | No | “They may block street signs, and therefore provide hazards for motorists.” | No opinion | This isn’t the issue -- I would be in favour of this project if the bins were better designed and more user-friendly. | They are terrible! The OMG ones are so much simpler to use. |
| 1270 | 38593.53794 | Yes | Bathurts & Wilson | No | “The holes were too small, and I had to look over it for a few seconds before figuring out what each hole was for” | No | “They are too big, and having ads on them would be just one more thing that would make our city, already plastered with ads, even uglier than it already is.” | No | “There are a million things the city could do to increase revenue – why not sell space for ads to be painted right onto College St. after all? The point is that Toronto is already flooded with ads – just drive up Bathurst St. in some places (between Lawrence and Eglinton) and you’ll see what I mean. Instead of auctioning off parts of our city to corporations who care about nothing more than money (as the TTC has already done with their buses and subway cars – both inside and out – completely covered in ads), the city should stirve to beautify itself by installing many more garbage bins – only smaller and moe ubiquitous ones.” | [Blank] |
| 1271 | 38593.54365 | Yes | Danforth & Chester | Yes | [Blank] | No | “If both ends are used, as mentioned above, one end would only be useful while standing in the path of oncoming traffic. Practical?” | No | They’re extremely obtrusive and extremely unattractive. They disrespect the neighbourhoods they are placed within. An increase in commercial advertising space is not something our communities need. | [Blank] |
| 1272 | 38593.56017 | No | Pape/Danforth is where I saw one most recently. | No | “While I did not use one specifically, I did look at them closely. The openings seem too small and the amount of garbage that could be held seems limited.” | Yes | “They are unsightly and add to the clutter of advertising already surrounding the city. PLEASE do not sign this contract!,Also, the receptcles seem to small to use. How much garbage can they actually hold? ,Finally, I think people will get confused once the “test” signs with large-print instructions go down. | No | There has to be a better way of cleaning up the city and increasing revenue. I’m sick and tired of always going to the private sector for solutions. Let’s get some T.O. govt brainpower involved here! | The bins are eyesores so I hope you will not use them in this city! |
| 1273 | 38593.58309 | Yes | Kingston Road near Main St. | No | “No, the garbage receptacle was overflowing – I think it’s much too small.” | Yes | “I knew there was a garbage receptacle on the other side but who would use it, being so close to the street? ,I don’t like how they take up half the sidewalk, creating a hazard for pedestrians and cyclists. | No | “I’m not in favour because they are hulking, giant, eyesores and hazards on the sidewalks. The bins are too small and hell, someone who wasn’t told what they were probably wouldn’t even know it was a garbage can. The commercial advertising only makes them look worse. Sure, the City would make some money, but is it worth it at the expense of the visual and environmental quality of the city’s streets? Even if the money made from advertising was put into ‘beautification’ projects to improve the city’s parks and walking space, the projects would be marred by the gigantic beasts looming over the sidewalks like ogres of consumerism. | “Please, for the love of all that makes Toronto so wonderful, don’t install these bins. They’re useless and disgusting and ugly. |
| 1274 | 38593.58352 | Yes | Laird & Eglinton | Yes | “Yes, this was easy to use but the receptacle is huge and blocks the visual sightline of the street! We have enough ads in this city, including from the City itself.” | Yes | They were overflowing and ugly. | No | Shorter bins should be used. Street sightlines should never be blocked by garbage containers. | [Blank] |
| 1275 | 38593.58972 | Yes | Spadina & College; Ossington & Dundas | No | “I could not determine where compostable items are supposed to go. ,The recycling opening is awkward to get to.There were wasps hovering around the garbage section because there is no lid.” | Yes | Ossington & Dundas: one side is too close to the street to be accessible without jaywalking. The other side blocks too much pedestrian traffic. As a cyclist it obstructs the view of the intersection. It is so wide that it constricts traffic & causes unneccessary congestion. | No | They are badly designed bins. They do not allow for disposing of compostable waste. The garbage bins need lids. The recycling openings need to be lower & larger. the signs for which type of garbage goes where need to be larger & clearer. They are a bad shape for a pedestrian area. They are too tall. | Do not use them. They are well designed advertising holders & badly designed bins. |
| 1276 | 38593.59053 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “It is too tall, blocks pedestrian views, creates a danger to those throwing something into the streetside bins, is distracting and creates clutter to Toronto streets.” | No | Not everything is about advertising and sales. Sometimes less is more. Maybe I’d pay more attention to the posters on the TTC shelters if I wasn’t distracted by so much on-street advertising. | “It wastes energy, in a time we are constantly reminded to conserve, it is a cash grab for the city.and realistically, if I were a smoker I wouldn’t hang on to my butt until I reached one of the bins, nor would tourists use it if Ads replace the information posters. I think it is shameful and embarrassing.” |
| 1277 | 38593.5949 | Yes | college & bathurst | No | the diagrams were confusing and i had to sit there and read it for a bit instead of just looking for a coloured label above the right slot. the old bins had more sections for recycling [cans vs newspaper] which i liked. | No | “it seemed okay, though it was pretty big and i think it’s more important to save vertical space than horizontal space. it kind of ruins the view.” | No | “why can’t companies buy the city new horizontal garbage bins? there’s ads on those... i have nothing against ads, i just don’t like more billboards that tower over me.” | “i don’t see why they need to be so tall. nothing can get put in that top part of the bin, can it? is there some kind of suction for the recycling to get stored in the top part? i like the old bins just fine, mostly because i am short in stature and they don’t loom over me. these new ones feel rather menacing, and i get the impression that someone said “look it’s 2005, we need to get with the future already... design us something futuristic, ok?” and this was the result. in terms of mental/psychological space in the city, i think the horizontal bins are way easier on the eye.” |
| 1278 | 38593.59782 | Yes | Kennedy and Sheppard Scarborough | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | Too tall. Because of its placement south of the bus stop. Commuters cannot see if the bus is coming because it blocks the view. Maybe if the skinny side faced the commuters instead of the wide side it would not be so bad. | No | [Blank] | I would be in favour of them if they were not so tall. I think being able to get them for free is good but they’re too tall. |
| 1279 | 38593.65758 | Yes | Bathurst and Sheppard northwest corner. | Yes | “The bin was well marked for what went where, and it was a good height.” | Yes | “The bin was positioned perpendicular to the road, which took up more sidewalk room. Perhaps if the bin was parallel to the road, less sidewalk room would be taken up, which is especially important downtown.” | Yes | “Although there would be more advertising on the street, the cost of these bins should be at a minimum to the city.” | They are much more attractive than the current OMG bins across Toronto. Perhaps this will lead to more people using them. |
| 1280 | 38593.67105 | Yes | Can’t remember. The west end somewhere. | No | A little high – and the recycling space is really awkward. | No | They’re huge and hard to walk around and the second opening faces the street where no one actually walks. And why are they so tall? You can’t see around them. | No | It shouldn’t come at the expense of sidewalk traffic. They’re more like billboards with garbage openings as an afterthought. | Make them less tall and more functional. |
| 1281 | 38593.70176 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1282 | 38593.72991 | Yes | Danforth Ave | No | “No, it was full.” | No | These bins are too large. They block a large portion of the sidewalk. This impedes pedestrians and also breaks up the sight lines along the sidewalk. | No | These are not really garbage bins; rather they are street level bill boards dressed up as garbage bins. Revenue from the advertisements probably played a larger consideration in the design then actual function of the bin. | re q2 – Are you suggesting that people should step out onto the street (and into traffic) to use the street side of the bin? Why would you expect anybody to do this? |
| 1283 | 38593.75595 | Yes | lawrence and warden | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | i think they are better than the other trash cans because they take up less space | Yes | they are a great idea | [Blank] |
| 1284 | 38593.79171 | Yes | Roncesvalles Ave. and Howard Park Ave. | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “Ackward. The taller bin is positioned on an angle, so one end faces the street. I’ve yet to see a driver stop to use it.The shorter bin is located too close to the buildings, and rather far from the curb. Due to the size of these bins, locating it so close to the building narrows the sidewalk unnecessarily at a busy intersection.” | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1285 | 38593.83247 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | I don’t know | [Blank] | N/A | Yes | tHAT’GOOD! | no |
| 1286 | 38593.869 | Yes | “Queen West, in Parkdale” | No | “The garbage part is narrow and not obvious. One half of the bins were right on the road, with hardly any sidewalk. This bin had hardly been used, whereas the other one was full.” | Yes | “They block and ruin the sidewalk. It makes no sense to have such a large piece of street furniture just for garbage. The one I used jutted right into the walking part of the sidwalk, rendering it unnecessarily narrow. It also makes no sense having them positioned perpendicular to the sidewalk, since it makes one of the garbage bins almost useless.” | No | The city should design and buy its own garbage bins with attractiveness and efficiency in mind. It can pay for these bins over time by managing the advertising space itself. | “It’s stupid that the garbage bins have no cover – they stink, and insects get in them. ,DO NOT INSTALL THESE BINS” |
| 1287 | 38593.87727 | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | I couldn’t figure out which of the many slots was for which. I had to walk around the thing to figure out where to put things in the first place. It was confusing when it really didn’t need to be. | No | “They block street signs, they’re ugly, they take up way too much space. One side of the bin will be inacessible once winter time coems and the snow is piled up high, so it will basically be a giant billboard with garbage piling up around it. | No | “They’re an eyesore, and they barely contain any garbage. make them easier to use and perhaps a bit smaller, and I will reconsider.” | [Blank] |
| 1288 | 38593.87782 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “They don’t look like garbage bins, they look like billboards. You are so overwhelmed by the massive ad that you don’t even notice the tiny garbage bins on the sides.” | No | They are ugly. They are too big. The garbage bins themselves are too small. The city should not be willing to sell off every square inch of public space for money. Raise taxes by 4% instead of 3% and use the revenue to actually take responsibility and care for our public spaces instead of mortgaging them off to the highest bidder. Put in garbage bins with *gasp* no advertising at all! | [Blank] |
| 1289 | 38593.90757 | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | Openings were confusing and they were jammed to overflowing (suggests they are smaller than the usual bins?) | Yes | Dislike how they impede sidewalk traffic. Also how they impede the sight lines along the sidewalk. Basically -- it’s a billboard on a sidewalk and -- sidewalks are for people. | No | See 4 above. The trade-off is too great. | “The old metal bins are as large as we should be going in terms of size. Also, let’s focus on the fast food outlets and their generation of litter. They need to be part of the solution to reducing litter.” |
| 1290 | 38593.91818 | Yes | Lawrence and Warden | No | Difficult to distinguish recyclables from garbage | No | Hazard | No | [Blank] | “Get rid of them. They waste electricity, they take up space and they are ugly.” |
| 1291 | 38593.93264 | Yes | along danforth | No | to narrow to stand in. smelled of garbage. bus driver could not see me from road | Yes | “why are the new bus shelters so narrow? given the lack of room for transit riders, people seem to be using them as trash recepticles | No | too many ads everywhere. | there was nothing wrong with the old bus shelters. please bring them back. |
| 1292 | 38593.97521 | Yes | main & danforth | No | “For all that surface area, one would think the openings could be bigger, lower, and on the primary surface- unless the primary purpose of these unsightly edifices is to sell advertising.” | No | “Great visibility for whatever coomercial message winds up on it, poor visibility for cyclists approaching the intersection. | No | “The previous design (garbage receptacle with room for ads) made its purpose clear. These ad banners with room for garbage are already on their way to being far more of an eyesore; far less practical, far less accessible from a wheelchair, etc.” | Whose bright idea was this? |
| 1293 | 38594.31557 | Yes | king and liberty | No | not easy to understand | No | takes up too much space and very ugly!!!! | No | Absolutely not | terrible replacement for the existing bins. The current silver bins should NOT be replaced. They are easy to use. |
| 1294 | 38594.32715 | Yes | “Danforth & Broadview, Bloor & Jane” | No | “One end of the bin requires that pedestrians step into the street to use it. In winter, this will be impossible, and in summer it is unsafe. It is very poorly designed.” | Yes | “The new bins block pedestrian traffic and force people to step aside, either into other pedestrians or into traffic. They are unsafe.In addition, every one I have seen is always overflowing because they don’t hold enough to be useful and people don’t use the end next to the road anyway because they don’t want to step into the road.” | No | Sidewalks are congested enough with advertising spaces. Blocking the sidewalk AND using city power to light up ads that only make neighbourhoods uglier isn’t a palatable thought. | “They are ugly and poorly designed. Instead, consider building bins into the ends of transit shelters, which already have garbage cans near them and ads installed. No new visual ugliness is created and no new pedestrian blockage results.” |
| 1295 | 38594.33645 | Yes | Ronscesvalle village | Yes | they were ok | Yes | “I hate them. The are offensive, obtrusive and ruin the character of the neighbourhood. They are taking over public space and subject taxpayers and voters to a negative experience. They block the sidewalk and a mere $2,000,000 a year, it is not worth the public backlash from them. They City should be looking at ways to eliminate, or at least reduce advertising in the city, not increase it.” | No | “I am definately not in favour and think the city should scrap them and look at non-advertising options, or least options that only convey a public message.” | Burn them |
| 1296 | 38594.33771 | No | Ugly. Awful. Never. Litter on the ground looks better than that bin. I live in the Pape/Danforth area. | No | Too little space for garbage. Half the disposal area is located too close to the street to use safely. | Yes | Half the disposal area is located too close to the street to use safely. | No | “The extra money is not worth the devalued property. That is, the bins (with their advertizing) cheapen the city landscape and monopolize too much sidewalk space” | “Get rid of them, or I’ll vote for someone who will.” |
| 1297 | 38594.3415 | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | “it was easy for me to understand because i am conscientious about trash, but i saw a number of recyclables in the garbage bin. the bins are not well marked and most people don’t care about sorting. the bins are not well designed for the average person. | No | “in order for the bin no to infringe on walking space on the sidewalk of College, the bin is recessed against a parking lot so no passers-by would ever see the other receiving side of the bin.” | No | “shorter, less imposing bins can be designed with the same incentives to the city. these bins are tall and wide and are not obvious garbage bins for people who are a hair’s way from littering.” | [Blank] |
| 1298 | 38594.35159 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | Why would you have openings at both ends when the one end is towards the street? Should I walk out in to traffic to put my trash in? | No | [Blank] | This design will be yet another blight on what USED to be a beautiful city. Stop the cash grab Miller! |
| 1299 | 38594.37046 | Yes | Gerrard / Pape | Yes | “Yes, but it’s not that hard to make a usable garbage can.” | [Blank] | They are ugly and obtrusive; I hope we can find a better solution than this! | No | [Blank] | The new bus shelters are beautiful and functional. |
| 1300 | 38594.37755 | Yes | Danforth and Pape | No | The openings on one side were facing the street and less than a foot away from the curb. The only way to put garbage in them was to actually stand in moving traffic. | Yes | “The bins blocked pedestrian traffic and the view down the street. They were a major obstruction. As well, one side of the bins openings couldn’t be used because it was too close to the street. If the bins were turned 90 degrees, they wouldn’t be nearly as much of an obstruction.” | No | The bins are too large for the location where I saw them on the Danforth. If they were smaller and oriented differently on the sidewalk I wouldn’t be against them as much. | The new smaller bins (one is outside Chester subway station) were much less obtrusive and didn’t block the sidewalk nearly as much. They seem to be a better alternative. |
| 1301 | 38594.39684 | Yes | Keele St and Dundas St W | Yes | [Blank] | No | Obstructive to pedestrian traffic. | No | “See above, obstructive to pedestrian traffic, obtrusive to city scape.” | Cheap look: advertising on bin cheapens look of the city. |
| 1302 | 38594.40447 | Yes | “Queen & Jameson,Roncesvalles” | No | Difficult to understand what goes where. | Yes | “Ridiculous. Are we supposed to stand in traffic to use the other end? Also, in this way it takes up even more (usable) sidewalk space.” | No | “I have a hard time believing that this money is significant enough to warrant the further visual pollution of our city. I wouldn’t accept “free” furniture in my home if it came with advertising, nor should we accept it in our city. Raise taxes, if necessary.” | I hope they are gone soon. |
| 1303 | 38594.40884 | Yes | downtown financial district | No | took about a minute to figure out which hole to use | No | I thought it seemed too intrusive on the sidewalk. Initially I thought it was tourist information or a map it was THAT large. | No | A garbage bin is a necessity but it should be unnoticable/subtle. Colourful advertising and the sheer size of these bins make them stand out like neon lights. Unattractive. Not want I want to see in my city. | They are too tall. THere are existing garbage bins with advertising (eg: Chaplin and Avenue) that are not as tall and not as visually obstructive. |
| 1304 | 38594.41057 | Yes | dundas and ossington | No | the openings are small and hard to notice compared to the size of the bin | Yes | awful. they block sight lines for pedestrians and cyclists. | No | They are way too obtrusive and garbage collection is only an excuse to place massive ads on sidewalks. | I can’t believe the city is considering placing these massive light-up billboards on the streets. This waste of energy is completely irresponsible and promoting these huge ads while trying to limit or ban postering is hypocritical. |
| 1305 | 38594.4124 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | They are way too big. Just try to hail a cab near one of those things--you can’t see down the street. | No | [Blank] | Please go back to something you can see past. Thanks. |
| 1306 | 38594.41825 | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | Too many holes to choose from. | No | “Dangerous, because they’re too big. You can’t see people at night while you wait for the streetcar. Traffic can’t see you at the corner. | No | see above. | Must everything have a message on it? Too much clutter the city already. |
| 1307 | 38594.41895 | Yes | Danforth & Main | No | It is difficult to see what goes where. The cigarette openings are just as large as the awkward recycling opening. | Yes | TERRIBLE! It takes up so much space on a sidewalk that isn’t very large. There is no way someone can access the openings on the street side unless they stand in the street. It is an eyesore. | No | No amount of money is worth selling off public space to these monstrosities. There has to be a better solution for urban garbage. | People that I’ve seen using them get confused as to where to put their stuff and it all ends up in the garbage recepticle. Recycling needs to be emphasized so that it is more important than cigarettes. The design just doesn’t work period and it is especially terrible on small urban streets. |
| 1308 | 38594.4203 | Yes | king & strachan | No | “the garbage part is too prominant, and the recycling is too hidden. Discourages intelligent garbage sorting” | Yes | “fantastically ugly, intrusive, and disappointing that we are whoring our landscape for ads.” | No | Absolutely oppose these ghastly things. | “Please do not worsen the city with these bins. They are a terrible idea. They pollute the viewscape, and promote laziness in garbage sorting.Smarten up.” |
| 1309 | 38594.42245 | No | Saw the one on Roncesvalles. | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | Too big. | No | “There’s too much advertising already. We don’t need huge billboards blocking the sidewalk. If the City is serious about finding someone to pay for garbage bins, they should look at those who create most of the garbage: fast food outlets and overpackaging by retail outlets.” | “The streets are already an obstacle course, with newspaper boxes, hot dog stands, panhandlers (both beggars and charity reps), advertising sandwhich boards etc. Toronto streets are ugly enough. Why is the City interested in making it look worse?” |
| 1310 | 38594.42403 | Yes | Windemere and Bloor | No | Labelling wasn’t clear – many recyclables ended-up in garbage section. Holes are misleading and difficult to see. | Yes | Take up a lot of space. Street side openings are not very practical – have to stand in street or squeeze by parked cars to use. | No | “Part of my job is to encourage approximately 10,000 staff at work to practice good recycling and waste disposal habits. In my experience, clearly labelled bins, with obvious openings (e.g. slots for paper, round holes for bottles/cans) are the most important factor in good waste separation. These new bins have none of these characterisits...and even confuse me...and I eat, sleep and breathe recycling.” | That these bins require electricity in this day and age of rising energy prices and the need to conserve is a mistake. |
| 1311 | 38594.42661 | Yes | “Danforth & Pape,,Dufferin & King” | No | “The openings are tiny and hidden. The open status of the trash section stinks to high heaven. Only one person can use an end at a time, and due to the alignment, you have to stand in the road to use the other end.” | Yes | “Terribly. I realise that the single purpose of these bins is advertising, so you want the advertisements to face pedestrians, but why not just rotate the current (sensible and simple) bins 90 degrees. See above comment re: standing in the road to use one end.” | No | “That was a horribly written and terribly loaded question (as has much of this survey been).I am in favour of the City installing _some_ advertisement-based bins. Strongly in favour in fact due to the horrible lack of public garbage facilities. What I am not in favour of is these monstrosities which seem to be a high-school design project, with little or no consideration for the garbage end of things.” | “As with the rest of Toronto, facilities do not seem designed for ease of use for those unfamiliar with the city (cf. the total dearth of signage in the TTC, especially maps).As someone who does not spend his entire life on the major thoroughfares of the city, but prefers the back streets, I would rather see garbage bins appearing in residential areas than 7 per block with billboard on the Danforth. ,I hope that this survey is not merely an effort to make us think we have a say. I doubt very much you will receive much positive feedback on these ill-feted behemoths, yet I fear I will see them rolled out City-wide anyway. Please prove me wrong.” |
| 1312 | 38594.42898 | Yes | Yonge & York Mills | No | “Openings are too small, all the space is dedicated to adverts.” | Yes | These are a monstrosity. They block sight lines for drivers (myself) and are generally just a pain for pedestrians as they impede the logical flow of people. | No | “Absolutely not. This is nothing more than a HUGE cash grab by Eucan at tax-payers’ expense. There is no justification for this and these are not necessary. If the previous bins were any indication, these bins will break, not be repaired, etc. There is no reason to sell public space for sub-par advertisements. If the city wants to sell the space, then by all means go ahead, but I’m sure you could get a deal for WAY more than 10% of advert revenue. | “Please, do not install these MegaBins. |
| 1313 | 38594.44551 | Yes | Dundas and Ossington | No | “The bin is enormous and blocks the sidewalk too much. The openings don’t all have stoppers like the old ones. I doubt that smokers will use the butt collectors, although that’s a good idea.” | Yes | “It’s just too monstrous, and I don’t see why a garbage bin that is supposed to eliminate waste is wasting energy with unnecessary electricity. I have garbage and recycling bins at home but they don’t need electricity.” | No | “I’m not against advertising, such as what we have on our existing bins, but this is a billboard that happens to have holes for garbage. It’s too much.” | ““Greed is a fat demon with a small mouth and whatever you feed it is never enough.”,Janwillem Van de Wetering” |
| 1314 | 38594.45596 | Yes | bathurst and college | No | make smaller ones with *no* ads | Yes | “And the thing that really, and I mean *REALLY*, pisses me off is how they mount them perpendicular to the flow of the street, solely for the purpose of increasing advertisement impact.IF your going to put something *THAT* big on the street. At lease for the sake of everyone’s safety and convenience put it in the least obtrusive manner possible.” | No | “IF YOU DO THAT, I will vandalise every fucking one.” | DONT OUT THEM ITS UGLY AS HELL |
| 1315 | 38594.4584 | No | [Blank] | No | The openings are small and hard to find. | Yes | The bins block pedestrian traffic and sight-lines. | No | “This is a wrong and illogical path to take. Not only is this more in-your-face advertising that people (myself at least) are getting sick of seeing, but these bins are not free. Advertising costs money, which people (as consumers) have to pay for when we buy the products advertised. These bins will be free for the City, and hence won’t require taxes, but we, the people who have to use the bins, look at the adds, and buy the products, are the ones who have to pay for them at the end of the day.” | “Use normal, open, cylindrical bins and upright ashtrays. Pay people to separate the recyclables from the garbage, and pay for this with tax revenue.” |
| 1316 | 38594.4656 | Yes | Bloor St | No | It is hard to tell it is a garbage bin. The slots are small. It was overflowing on both sides. | Yes | They are a visual hazard and an eyesore. They ruin public space. | No opinion | “I am not against advertising on bins in principle but these, in particular, are awful. I cannot stand the ones I have to walk by.” | Please visit other cities. It can be done so much better. These things make Toronto look like a joke. |
| 1317 | 38594.47159 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | They are too big! | No | [Blank] | Take them out! |
| 1318 | 38594.48213 | Yes | King and Strathan | No | “It’s not clear that it’s a garbage/recycling bin. It looks like a billboard or bus shelter (and that’s without the advertising). The opening for the recycling is too small to fit larger items, and it’s not clear that it’s even an opening for something to go in it. It’s also not clear that the ashtray is an ashtray. On the whole, the design is terrible, as the receptacles seem hidden, rather than open in plain view. Other than the big signage on the sides, which will go once advertising is up, how is a new Canadian supposed to understnad that it’s a waste bin?” | [Blank] | “The bins are a distraction for drivers and cyclists. They stand out as a big billboard, plus they are a hazard on the sidewalk – I’ve seen them in other locations than the one I’ve used. Anyone in a wheelchair, with a stroller or other large transport device will have to walk around them. They don’t make sense for the user, only for the advertiser’s audience. Have these things been tested for driving safety? Do they encourage driver distraction? If that’s the case, why would the city install garbage bins that make our streets unsafe?” | No | “No – we shouldn’t be selling off our city, just for a few cans. We already have lots of streetside cans. The issue with trash/waste in our city has more to do with the disposable items we consume every day, that end up on our sidewalks. We should be taking more action on that. The big ad-cans are visually unappealing, don’t contribute to a more beautiful city (how ironic since this is the new city mandate) and create a potential sidewalk and road hazard. I would take them off the streets as soon as possible.” | Remove them and consider putting in streetside furniture that is aesthetically pleasing and not covered in massive billboards. You should visit other US cities to see how they coordinate their street furniture and how their streets are visually appealing. I truly hope you don’t go with these new big billboard bins. |
| 1319 | 38594.48375 | Yes | Yonge/York Mills | No | [Blank] | Yes | “I am aware of the various functions because I had to read the whole thing before I knew where to put my pop can. Honestly, it would have been easier to just leave it on the step by the subway. | No | “I don’t care about ad revenue for the City. I bet the City hardly even gets any money from this company. Likely, this is just spin so that people will say, “Oh well, I hate them but at least the City gets some money.” Really, garbage cans should be provided by the city alone. | Garbage cans should be provided by the city. How can we give all kinds of money to art groups etc. when we can’t even afford garbage cans? Get your priorities straight please! |
| 1320 | 38594.4865 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | haven’t used it yet | Yes | None. Haven’t seen one yet. | Yes | “If advertising allows the city to receive the bins for free (or even just at a reduced cost) and provides a future revenue source, I think that this is an excellent idea. As a Toronto resident, I fully support any ideas the city has to bring in additional revenue.” | [Blank] |
| 1321 | 38594.49059 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Its the ugliest thing ive ever seen | No | There are enough ugly things in the city. | “My god, were these the best designs you people could come up with? |
| 1322 | 38594.50303 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | They are way too big. They block sight lines and are very tacky. | No | These are more like billboards than garbage bins. Except for the garbage flaps there was nothing wrong with the other bins. Why not keep those and still get some advertising revenue? | The bins should have a spot for organics. |
| 1323 | 38594.50587 | Yes | Pape & Danforth | No | I have used several of these bins and all seem to be overflowing with garbage. | Yes | “They are basically unusable from the street side as you have to walk onto the street to use those recepticles. Also, they are more billboard than garbage container. | No | “The old bins held more, were cheaper, and far less visually obtrusive.” | They are horrible. |
| 1324 | 38594.51461 | Yes | Danforth Ave. & Playter Blvd. | Yes | “OK to use, but the “doors” on the traffic side of the bin are almost inaccessable because they are so close to the curb.” | Yes | “The bins are fine, but they are a barrier to pedestrian traffic. The unit occupies half the width of the sidewalk and anyone using the “doors” on the end away from the traffic blocks another quarter of the sidewalk. Someone really was not thinking when they installed the unit across the sidewalk. Try turning them sideways. It will be easier to access the doors on both ends and the unit will not be so much of a barrier to pedestrians.” | Yes | “Sure, why not get the extra revenue. We already have adds on TTC shelters, shop windows, building sides etc. but turn the units sideways to make the adds less intrusive even if it means taking a bit of a revenue cut.” | [Blank] |
| 1325 | 38594.51554 | Yes | Danforth and Playter | No | Holes were too small – not clear where to separate recycling from waste | Yes | “THEY MAR THE SIGHTLINES DOWN THE STREET. I HATE THEM!! AND I BELIEVE WERE ARE OVER SATURATED WITH ADVERTISING AS IT IS AND EVERYTIME I SEE THAT BIN, I CURSE PAULA FLETCHER FOR ALLOWING THEM HERE.” | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1326 | 38594.51745 | Yes | Pape & Danforth | No | “In response to the following question, one would need to be standing on the road to use the other end. Instead of three easy to use seperate openings, everything is crammed into one small space.” | Yes | “They block the line of sight for drivers to see pedestrians entering the street, and block the views of pedestrians looking down the street (for oncoming traffic, waiting for transit, etc.) Also, they block double the amount of sidewalk the previous bins took up. Danforth in patio season is hard enough to navigate on foot without having to make my way around a 7 foot billboard masquerading as a garbage can.” | No | “They are unsightly, potentially dangerous, and less practical than the current advertising-coated garbage bins in use. They also block too much sidewalk space and cover up sightlines on the street.” | “If the City is so set on profiting from advertising in public space, why don’t they at least set up their own arm’s-length business to reap all the profits, rather than selling off our space to the cheapest bidder for a small percentage of the profits? The sole advantage of the new bins over the old ones is that there is more square footage for advertising. The new bin is innadequate in every other sense.” |
| 1327 | 38594.51951 | Yes | Bloor / Windermere | No | “The openings were too small. Also the opening on the road side seemed rarely used, and if used, somewhat dangerous due to its proximity to the curb.” | Yes | “They’re terrible and dangerous. They are they so big that they block the view of traffic when placed on a corner. For example, the Bloor/Windermere one makes it difficult to turn coming off of Windermere due to the obstruction of the garbage bin. Furthermore, they add clutter to an already cluttered street and hurt business by blocking views and slowing down/obstructing foot traffic on the street. | No | “See above. These bins are way too tall and take up too much space. It looks like someone tossed a refrigerator out on the sidewalk. They’re not even good garbage cans. The opening is too small and they have too little capacity.Further, who is really going to buy all this advertising? Seems to me you’re just creating competitors to your subway advertising and other garbage bin advertising. It doesn’t take an economis t to figure out that if you drastically increase supply of advertising, you’ll lower the price of all advertising. It seems silly to do create all sorts of competition for your current advertising.” | “If you people want to clean up the city, there is one easy solution that will have a very major impact: Just make the openings bigger on the old garbage cans. The slots are too small and covered. The covers for these slots are sticky and dirty. Many people would rather toss their trash on the street than touch these disgusting covers. It would take a simple chisel and hammer to knock the rivets out that hold these covers. All of a sudden it would make it easier for people to toss stuff in the current garbage bins. If you make it easier, you will most certainly see less garbage on the streets. ,If you’re looking for proof of this fear, just notice all the stuff wedged in the slots holding them open. This is because people are afraid to touch the covers. ,Also, in places like chinatown, why put slots there that are smaller than the average piece of trash?? i was walking by and noticed piles of empty coconut drinks around the bins. This was because they wouldn’t fit inside. Even though people wanted to make a reasonable effort to clean up, they couldn’t because the bins weren’t designed properly for the neighbourhood.If you are looking for any additional suggestions/comments/opinions, please email me at [redacted],-rob” |
| 1328 | 38594.52049 | Yes | Queen and Landsdowne | No | The garbage receptacle was full and overflowing. | No | “At first I thought it was a bus shelter, probably because it was so big. Then as I got closer I saw the little garbage receptacle, only because of the garbage sticking out in plain sight. | No | “The movie “Minority Report” comes to mind. This new idea is obviously more of an excuse to put more advertising in the path of drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. The garbage and recycling factor seems to be an after thought. They are an efficient way to advertise, but an inefficient way to get people to drop their garbage and recyclables into them.” | “If they were wider instead of tall I wouldn’t mind them so much. But all around I think they are an eyesore and potentially dangerous sight-blocker for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians looking for the next street car or bus.” |
| 1329 | 38594.52749 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “I think they are awfully tall, and could make for hiding places for muggers, or make it hard for drivers to see pedestrians behind them” | No | “I’m getting tired of all the advertising bombarding us daily, and these just add to it.” | [Blank] |
| 1330 | 38594.53194 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | “I work for an architectural office. We have reviewed the photo accompanying this survey. We have a simple question. Where does garbage larger than a toothpick go? Form & Function, people!!” | No | “They are visually obstructive to all traffic -- pedestrian, cyclists and motorists.” | No | “These bins will end up in the garbage the next time a bigger & better offer comes along. Where are the current bins going? Into a larger garbage pile?,Responding to each “revenue” opportunity doesn’t exactly promote good environmental practice.” | “We have to say that the word “design” should only be used very loosely in this context. They are not nice to look at, too large, and the capacity for actual garbage is too low (based on our calculations).” |
| 1331 | 38594.53647 | Yes | Bathurst and College | Yes | But since when is a garbage can hard to understand? | Yes | “I can do this with the trash bin under my desk as well, not exactly a marvel of modern design.” | No | “Please stop covering the city in advertisments. It’s bad enough that privatly owned high rise buildings fill the sky with banner ads, but now pedestrians must be dwarfed by garbage cans on their own sidewalks? Please don’t let this happen.” | [Blank] |
| 1332 | 38594.5384 | Yes | Main/Danforth | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | They are far to large to be placed on the sidewalk. There is enough stuff now on the sidewalks that should be removed. They use electrity which is an absolute waste. | No | I am tired of having advertising in my face all the time. The area around Dundas Square is disgusting and what a waste of electricity. | The present silver containers are not cleaned out frequently enough. I have seen so many overrun with garbage. Clean them out more often and wash them once in a while. |
| 1333 | 38594.54118 | Yes | Pape & Danforth | No | Not clear as to what goes into the bin. Garbage shoved in to overflowing. | No | Turns the sidewalk into advertising space. | No | It detracts significantly from the neighborhood appearance. | “Bus shelters, existing garbage cans: We have enough advertising occuping vertical space in our neighborhoods. No more please.” |
| 1334 | 38594.54516 | Yes | McCowan at Scarborough RT | No | openings on curb side unable to be used without either stepping onto McCowan or balancing on the curb at significant risk of being hit by traffic. | Yes | “Openings on curb side unable to be used without stepping onto McCowan, or balancing on the curb. I consider this to be dangerous and unacceptable.” | No | “Not in favour, unless design is changed to that all openings are accessible.” | I would question the amount of batteries that would be disposed of... |
| 1335 | 38594.55108 | No | [Blank] | No | The design is completely useless. There is virtually no hint that these monstrosities are for the purpose intended. They are simply advertising billboards. | No | They take up way too much space. There are enough obstructions and we have enough advertising in our way as it is. | No | [Blank] | “These are a dishonest design. The excuse that they are used for recycling is a figleaf cover for crass, offensive, advertising.” |
| 1336 | 38594.55681 | No | [Blank] | No | never used one | No | “looks pretty terrible, adds to the visual clutter of this city, blocks view of motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists. Now people will have to add these bins to the list of things they have to try and navigate around to get through the city...” | No | is toronto so desperate for cash that they have to cruddy up their city’s landscape just to get some funds? have some integrity! How many people in this poll have given a good reaction to these things? little by little this city becomes a less and less appealing place to live. | “Way to go, Toronto. These “bins” appear to be designed for maximum advertising exposure and not much else. Why not just put up more billboards, at least they’re thinner and wouldn’t block as much foot traffic on the streets! |
| 1337 | 38594.55714 | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | INCREDIBLY full all the time – disgusting – don’t even want to touch them! | Yes | “These are HORRID. They are an eyesore and block the many fantastic things about being a pedestrian in this city. They are nothing more than a corporate whore – a place to show MORE advertisements. Since when does my tax dollar go to allowing advertising in a public, city owned space?” | No | Absolutely not! I’d rather we make do with what we have than put up with these ugly eyesores. | “Get rid of them ASAP or have them redesigned so that they are the same height as the current bins. At least the current ones don’t look so hideous, they blend into the environment and look part of it – as good design should. These new MEGADUMPS look like something a 4 year old would design. Get rid of them ASAP!” |
| 1338 | 38594.56197 | Yes | king & shaw | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | They need to back further | Yes | As long as the advertisment does not promote waste. | “It would help if they dipensed deposit money for can & bottle returns..good idea,eh?” |
| 1339 | 38594.56997 | Yes | “bloor and christie, bathurst and college” | No | It took me a few minutes to figure out which opening was for recycling. | Yes | they take up a lot of space on the sidewalk. | No | “The bins are very large and very ugly. half of the bin does not appear to have any useful function besides advertising. They take up too much space and block ones view of the surrounding streetscape. Lighting the advertising at night will consume electricity, thus contributing to air pollution and global climate change. The bins are also unclearly labelled, making them difficult to use. | “Both of the bins I saw were overflowing with trash which was spilling onto the street. I’m not sure if this is a design flaw or a maintenance problem -- probably a little bit of both. In any case, it is appalling and unsanitary. |
| 1340 | 38594.57416 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “I am disheartened to see yet another surface intended to be covered in advertisements. The irony that people will be told to consume more, and therefore generate more waste does not escape me. Kind of a downward spiral, no?” | No | Public space should not be covered in advertisements. I don’t think the public needs further encouragement to consume more. We seem to be pretty good at that already. | “If the bins stay I would GREATLY prefer to see the anti-litter, water reduction, recycling guideline campaigns instead of adverts for clothing stores, beer, deoderant, gum, etc.” |
| 1341 | 38594.57537 | Yes | Bloor and Keele | Yes | [Blank] | No | “I think they are rather large.. I think it would make more sense to have two types, one which collects garbage and recyclables and another, smaller and more frequently seen one for just cigarette butts. I am sick of seeing cigarette butts all over the sidewalks and walkways. If these butt recepticles were all over the city, and well advertised, I think we’d see less.” | Yes | [Blank] | Kept as is they are a little large.. |
| 1342 | 38594.57997 | Yes | Warden Sheppard | No | frankly I found them to be rather small and not easy to distinguish quickly esp when trying to catch a bus at the stop before it leaves. | No | They seem rather large and imposing and actually I dread seeing more big advertisements on the street. | No | As much as the old former waste bins were a bit of an eye sore when they weren’t emptied regularly they were easier to use. | “not particularly, no.” |
| 1343 | 38594.58516 | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “they take up too much space, we don’t need more ads” | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1344 | 38594.58549 | No | [Blank] | No | “I saw one, didn’t use it, but did not understand the design. I think the fact that it is a trash can has been lost to the makers – an afterthought.” | No | Ridiculous – these are now just bill boards for pedestrians. You have forgotten that these are supposed to be trash collection units first. | No | “No. There are other places to sell advertising. Put some of the proceeds toward trash collection if you will. Also, we get them for free. Do we own them? Get rid of them when we want? Who maintains them? Bad idea! And UGLY. You are killing the city one bad cost savinf decision at a time. The painted street cars, were a new low – you’ll be replacing sidewalk squares with ads soon. Show some respect – take pride. Force these ad sellers to abide by rules that ensure well designed, clean and appealing displays. Visit Montreal – see the difference. Feel the difference. Think about tourism – the red street cars are an icon – not ones with corporate grafitti covering everyone square inch. Kill these trash can billboards and let people see more of the city insteas of crowding it out. And save your money in other ways. If you want suggestions on that, the public will be more than happy to help.” | “They are a sign that the city needs to do a bif rethink. See above comments. The city planners have lost pride and purpose. Things like these bins are going too far. I suggest you not keep selling out and start realizing the value that you have. You can easily say, no, we want something no bigger than what we have. We will allow a small, clean space for ads to go. If that is not enough for you, then we will find another media vendor who will take advantage of the offer thank you. If at all, but really the city will benefit more in the long run by looking cleaner and less crowded. This is a bad deal. I wouldn’t recommend taking it and I am not alone in that view. Most people laugh at it.” |
| 1345 | 38594.58654 | Yes | Howard Park and Roncevalles | No | They seem too small and you have to reach around to the side to find them. If they aren’t handy I don’t think people will use them. | Yes | No great. It looks like they are oriented for drivers to see ... causing distraction to motorists and blocks the view for pedestrians. | No | “All in all it, seems like these new ‘bins’ are actually just giant adds that happen to also collect garbage. ,I don’t mind paying for low profile garbage bins in order to reduce the proliferation of adds.I realize the old bins had adds too, but for the most part they were lower profile and the shape of the overall structure was much more attractive.These bins project a bad image for Toronto, suggesting that we are willing to sell off our public spaces and cityscapes in order to “get something for free”. ,Nothing is free, and I for one think the overall ‘price’ of these billboards masquerading as garbage bins is too high for our neighbourhoods and quality of life.” | “Keep the old design and maybe add a spot for cigarette butts to it.ps. It is great that you are asking citizen’s opinion on this matter ... I wish we had the opportunity to voice our thoughts on city planning more often.... Thank you!” |
| 1346 | 38594.58947 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No opinion | [Blank] | The bins seem space inefficient for storing garbage and have not seemed intuitive from the few times I have seen them. |
| 1347 | 38594.59516 | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | Any garbge bin that requires an owner’s manual is useless. | Yes | “These are not recognizable as garbage bins, just another advertisement.” | No | I assume that the city would get advertising money from any bin; this was is useless. | “How difficult are these going to be to empty? If it costs more to empty (and I expect it will), what benefit to the city?” |
| 1348 | 38594.60301 | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | These things are ugly montrosities. They insult my senses. | how about bins NOT designed by advertising companies?? |
| 1349 | 38594.60373 | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | “No, it’s huge and monstrous.” | Yes | “It’s kinda hard to position something so huge, isn’t it?” | No | I don’t think the eyesore is worth only $2 million. And I suspect the ad revenue will suck in such an undesirable place. | I think to most citizens of toronto garbage receptacles that double as unobtrusive ad spaces are more likely to get a message across. Then littering the street-scape with more monstrous advertisements. It’s getting a tad absurd. |
| 1350 | 38594.61084 | Yes | Danforth Ave around Logan/Pape | No | I had to check the instructions on the side a couple time to figure out if I was using the right slots. | Yes | My brother almost walked right into it. It took up alot of the side walk. | Yes | “I don’t mind if the garbage bins have advertisements. I am concerned that if the instructions that are on them currently are replaced by advertisements, they won’t be used properly.” | I think that the current design isn’t easy to use. I really like the idea of having the opportunity to recycle and divert waste from landfills but I don’t think people will be willing to take the time to figure out how to use them. |
| 1351 | 38594.61139 | Yes | Queen St E & Leslie (by 7-11) | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “I am surprised at how ugly and obtrusive this bin is. My first thought was that some sort of industrial machinery had been left by the side of the road. I feel that these bins are poorly designed and will detract from the quality of the streetscapes in which they are located. Moreover, I tend to,agree with the sentiment, expressed by the mayor at some point during his campaign, that Toronto can surely afford to install its own garbage cans! I also agree with another statment, which I have heard him make on a number occasions, to the effect that the quality of our streetscapes is,suffering from a proliferation of roadside newspaper boxes, street signs, etc.” | No | “No! I don’t believe that the fact they are “free” and that revenue would be generated outweighs the negatives associated with these eyesores. We need to be more attentive to the quality of our streetscapes and not let them become cluttered with advertising gimmicks. How expensive can it be to install durable garbage cans throughout the city? I imagine that the true savings in the waste management line of business would come from the city’s operations, not from Eucan trash bins.” | [Blank] |
| 1352 | 38594.61338 | Yes | dundas and ossington | Yes | “It takes a minute to figure out it is supposed to be a garbage bin, I also don’t think it should have an ash tray as we are supposed to be smoke free.” | Yes | they are too big and they look like crap | No opinion | I would be for it if I thought the money would be spent cleaning up this city that used to look great. Perhaps they should also consider stiffer penalties for littering | I don’t mind the advertising but the bins are too large and they will block the cars ability to see. I think that is dangerous |
| 1353 | 38594.61648 | No | Location: King St W and Strachan | No | The instructions are hard to read at night and hard to follow during the day. It’s not intuitive at all. | Yes | “I think it’s a big eye sore. I also think it welcomes people to hide behide the big structure and posses a safety issue. If the bin was raised about a foot off the ground you could at least see someone’s feet and be aware that someone/some people are behind the bin. But because it is so tall anyone can comfortably hide behind this bin.It’s doesn’t say “Welcome to our city” it says “Look we have garbage bins that are bigger than some washrooms”.” | No | The City already receives advertising space from the garbage bins that are already out on the streets. You know the ones that are harder for a rapist/mugger/murder to hide behind. | “keep them lower to the ground, well lit, clean and easier on the eyes.Did you know that in Monaco when construction is being done around a building that they cover it with plywood and paint a murral on it? It is much more pleasant to see a murral than regular ply wood...it’s cleaner and more welcoming to residents and visitors.One more suggestion...Please don’t use them!” |
| 1354 | 38594.62166 | Yes | Church and Alexander | Yes | [Blank] | No | They take up too much room on the sidewalk. | No | The bin I saw is always overflowing because there isn’t enough room for actual garbage inside it. | Bad idea! |
| 1355 | 38594.62427 | Yes | Bathurst & College | Yes | [Blank] | No | I thought it was another advertising post. Then I saw what it was. As I approached a noticed a noxious odour. | No | My thought was that the sidewalk now stunk and would continue to smell until winter and it would start again in the spring. I dread passing it each morning & evening. | I think they’re fine for recycling but not for other garbage. |
| 1356 | 38594.63339 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | we are already overwhelmed with advertisements in public spaces. i’d much prefer the run-of-the-mill garbage can. | [Blank] |
| 1357 | 38594.63572 | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | The position of the bins are fine | No | “ABSOLUTELY NOT!! Stop with the shameless advertising and selling out to “business”. Commerce is only one side of a community/culture. Give people something think about and foster ways increasing recycling. | If the city stoops to skimming from the profits of the advertising companies then the city makes itself no better than the companies and there products. As a public system the city should be held to higher standards than being on the grift from big business. |
| 1358 | 38594.63769 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1359 | 38594.6451 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “If the advertising dollars mean we’ll get more receptacles across the city, I’m all for it. | Yes | [Blank] | “How can I get one in my neighbourhood? I live in a high pedestrian traffic area and the litter is unbelievable. I want one! – michael keuken, 5 coleridge ave, toronto” |
| 1360 | 38594.64845 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | They look scary | No opinion | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1361 | 38594.65078 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | Just what the city needs -- more advertising polluting the visual space! | “The tradeoff between the visual pollution and the few sheckels the city would receive is not worth it. The city is being overrun as it is now with the offensive intrusion of advertising emblazoned all over the streetcars, the subway cars, and anywhere else I’m looking.If the city is so desperately addicted to the advertising revenue why not sell window space on City Hall? That way you can enjoy the revenue and the ads without having to inflict it on our public spaces. |
| 1362 | 38594.65622 | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | These bins are hideous. Absolutely disgusting. | [Blank] |
| 1363 | 38594.6595 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | They look aweful and are an excessive blemish to the streets. Look more like advertising than a garbage receptical | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1364 | 38594.6616 | No | Main and Kingston Road | No | The two I have passed have had their garbage slots full to overflowing. | No | “They block the sidewalk, block sightlines for drivers, encourage people to step too close to the curb to use the openings at curbside” | No | “While the city is budget-challenged, I cannot accept cluttering our sidewalks with unattractive and intrusive street fixtures is the solution. Unlike the existing advertising-based litter bins, the prime role for these new ones is the advertising message, and the needs of the community are a distant second place.” | “I am a media buyer, so I place advertising throughout the city, and I would probably use these signs if available, but it would be a case of holding my nose and putting my personal values aside for the needs of commerce. I would hope the city would have some values beyond the pure financial. Also, as a media buyer, these are not something I am asking for or see a need for. There are plenty of means of communicating advertising to Torontonians without these.” |
| 1365 | 38594.6627 | Yes | Pape and Danforth. | No | “The garbage compartment is too small and is usually full. The recyclables compartment is not easy to use. It is not immediately obvious what it is for. It is difficult to use without touching the dirty plastic surrounding the opening. ,It is tempting to try to quickly jam my recyclables into the filled garbage portion before hastily retreating from the receptacle. The receptacle does not make recycling easy or inviting. | Yes | They are too big and it is not obvious that they are garbage cans. It makes no sense to only have one side be easily accesible while the other is only accesible from the road side. The user should not have to veer off course and almost onto the road to access the far side of the receptacle. | No | “No. The City already collects revenue from their existing bins. The City should be looking to save/make money by making the existing program more efficient. More bins should be installed and more recyclables collected from the downtown areas to offset collection costs. Pop cans, PET bottles, and newspapers constitute a large portion of the materials dropped off on street corners. These materials make the City money. The City should focus on collecting as many of these materials as possible, with as little contamination as possible. More bins and more education will help them accomplish this. | Don’t use them. |
| 1366 | 38594.68193 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1367 | 38594.68972 | Yes | king and bathhurst | Yes | The height of the openings is fine – but why should the receptacle be so much taller than the openings?? | Yes | They block the view and clutter the sidewalks. | No | There is way too much advertising already littering public spaces – It’s quite ironic that billboards masquerading as trash receptacles would litter the streets as well. | Please get rid of the advertising. Also it makes no sense for all the wasted space inside the recptacle – why should it be 7 feet tall if the it only fills up to 4 feet??? One good thing about the receptacles is the cigarette butt openings – that is a good thing. |
| 1368 | 38594.70199 | Yes | Church & Alexander | No | Its way too skinny and small. The one on Church & Alexander was over flowing with garbage. How can the city save money if this is small than our current bins? Won’t they have to do more frequent trips to empty them? How is that saving money? Seems like it would add to our smog problem. | Yes | I think the focus on these is advertising and not really garbage collecting. There have got to be better solutions out there. What have other large cities done? | No | I personally do not like the looks of these. They are huge eye sores. If the city is going to make money then I suspect it doesn’t matter what the public thinks. | Go back to the drawing board. |
| 1369 | 38594.7105 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “Aside from the ugliness of these bins, they are much too high. If they must be that size they should at least be horizontal not vertical so they don’t become visual barriers.” | No | Please don’t turn this city into unlimited billboard space for commercial ventures. A city is about more than businesses | I can’t believe that you would have selected with these god-awful blights on our streetscapes. I have just returned from France where nothing is done without some consideration to esthetics. Please develop some standards in this department. These garbage cans are monolithic eyesores. |
| 1370 | 38594.71523 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | Public space should not be for sale. | [Blank] |
| 1371 | 38594.72475 | Yes | Queen St West and Jameson Ave | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “The receptacles on the street side are too close to the roadway, it’s too cramped and you almost feel like you have to step out onto the road to use it. Placing them farther into the sidewalk would be too much of an intrusion into the walking space. Turning them sideways would be a functional improvement but would block views from the street to storefronts.” | No opinion | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1372 | 38594.73234 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1373 | 38594.76532 | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | It took me quite a few minutes to figure it out | No | The positioning is fine – I just think they are too tall. | No | They are not easily understood and I feel they are too tall. I liked the older system better | [Blank] |
| 1374 | 38594.76969 | Yes | McCowan and Finch E | No | “Opening for garbage is bigger than the current one, so it’s better. However the recycle opening is a bit too high, not good design provided that City of Toronto wants to increase recycling and reduce waste.” | Yes | “I have passed by a couple of these bins. What I found is most of them are not close to the intersection and/or far away from bus shelter. The one at Morningside/Ellesmere is so far away from intersections and bus shelter that you can see hundreds of cigarette butts not far away from the bin. The one at Morningside/Kingston Rd is so far away that I thought it’s just a stand alone billboard for advertising. However, putting these bins close to intersection/bus shelter will block off sight of pedestrian crossing intersections or commuter waiting for TTC bus. In general, I believe these bins are simply too big.” | No | “I do not oppose the idea of receiving revenue from the sale of commercial advertsing space. However, these are nonetheless garbage bins for Toronto residents to use and to keep our city clean. These new bins, however, do the advertising part better than as a garbage bin” | “I do not oppose the idea of receiving revenue from the sale of advertisign space. However, the size of these bins makes them less user-friendly (i.e. not close to bus shelter or intersection). If they cannot serve well as a garbage bin, it will solely become just another billboard sign for advertsiting in the city.” |
| 1375 | 38594.77487 | Yes | christie pits | No | it’s already dirty and in poor light (dusk) you casn’t see anything. the openings for garbage are far too small and stuff was already on the ground | Yes | they are ugly and intrusive. they have no place in toronto. i hate them. they will serve only to make money for the company selling the advertising. they will do nothing to keep the city clean. | No | you are asking a leading question; that is ethically improper | get rid of them – or send them to mississauga. never in toronto! |
| 1376 | 38594.81038 | Yes | northwest corner Main Street and Kingston RD | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “The bin on the north east corner of Kingston Rd and Main St in north and south ,it the 7’ and 5’ foot wide one it is much to high.It blocks your view if you are waiting for the bus or streetcar in the shelter provided It would be much better if it was only 4’ tall and ran east and west on Kingston Rd | No | [Blank] | I noticed a new bin at the south west corner of Main St and Kingston Rd that runs east and west this one is good |
| 1377 | 38594.81622 | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | The garbage receptacle is too small – litter was overflowing onto the street. | Yes | “They block sight lines, take up too much space on the sidewalk and are an eyesore.” | No | They are unsightly and the advertising is just more visual pollution. | “Despite their monstrous size, the bins do not hold enough garbage. The smaller ones, especially (as at Church and Alexander) are always spilling over onto the street.” |
| 1378 | 38594.86307 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “They block pedestrian space, and it is clear that they are designed as an advertisement first and a garbage/recycling bin second.” | No | “No – No amount of money is worth the selling of public space like that. If we buy these bins, our city will look ugly, and tourism will drop. After all, do most great, beautiful cities of the world have such crass commercialism?” | I will be so dissapointed if the city approves these bins. |
| 1379 | 38594.88321 | Yes | “all over the city, and by my house daily in the Junction” | No | “the recycling is difficult find and to access, especially for children, the ashtry is even harder to spot, and doesn’t get used” | Yes | “they take up a huge amount of room on the sidewalk, and a lot of space any way you put them, they create blind spots for pedestrians – there is no good way to position this bin” | No | “I think these bins are huge for what is supposed to be, at the core, a garbage can; they are also of no apparent style or design, and are just plain ugly – the revenue amounts I read in the paper seemed a high price to pay for these large private sector enterprises on scant public space.” | “Waste management is a bedrock city service, lets get this right, and lets do it with some style and recognition of good planning. Toronto suffers from a great lack of visual cohesion and beauty on our main streets, this is a great opportunity to do something innovative and distinctive. And the eco-bin is not this.” |
| 1380 | 38594.92744 | Yes | King St. W. & Strachan Ave. | No | Confusing with the different openings and not clearly labeled. | Yes | Horrible. They completely block all sightlines and are far to big and ugly. | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1381 | 38594.93935 | Yes | Danforth and Pape | No | “At first glance, it looked like there was only a bin for garbage, and only after standing right in front of the bin did I realise that there were openings for recyclables as well.” | No | “They are terrible! For one thing, one end of the bin is right on the curb, so it’s impossible to throw anything away in that end because you have to stand on the street, and then a car could hit you. Also, they stick so far into the sidewalk that they are an impediment to pedestrians. They also block one’s view down the street, obstructing pedestrians’ sightlines, and they are an eyesore.” | No | “Absolutely not! Do we have to have advertising on absolutely every little piece of open space left in this city? It’s ugly, it’s disheartening, being surrounded by advertising, and even though the City says it will receive revenue, I believe the municipal government is so corrupt that this money will not benefit Toronto’s citizens at all. | “I think it’s absolutely disgusting how every piece of open space in the city is being covered by advertising. For example, buses have gone from having small ads on the side, to being entirely painted as one big ad. If I can’t even walk down a sidewalk without having an ad thrust in my face, where can I ever avoid them? What’s next, nailing ads onto trees? It’s not just an eyesore--it’s a violation of the public space, and a violation of people’s own minds, having advertising forced upon them where they cannot avoid looking at it. |
| 1382 | 38594.96575 | Yes | Dundas & Ossington | No | “The slots are tiny and poorly labelled. It’s hard to tell that it’s even a bin--from a distaance it just looks like a billboard. It’s very difficult to use, and it always seems to be overflowing.” | No | The positioning is not very effective. They block off the views of the street and make the space seem more enclosed. They seem placed to maximize advertising exposure rather convenience. They are an eyesore. | No | “These bins are an eyesore and they are difficult to use. They only benefit the advertisers. The amount of money that Toronto receives is not worth it when compared to the reduced sense of civic pride they will no doubt cause. They are ugly and do not make me want to use them, or even keep this city clean. If all the city cares about is cash grabs, why should we bother doing our part to keep the city looking clean? It’s obviously dirty on the inside.” | I would like to see a bin that preserves the eyelines of our streets so we don’t feel like we are in a jungle of advertising. Please do not approve these ugly bins. They will lower morale throughout Toronto. |
| 1383 | 38594.97188 | Yes | Dundas & Ossington | No | “Visually too busy: signage is too complex and too small.Only one side of the bin can be used safely as the other is virtually on the street.” | Yes | They appear to block the view of the intersection for approaching traffic and reduce the available sidewalk space for pedestrians | No | We are assaulted with advertising at every corner as it is. The city should not be contributing further to this visual pollution | The current ones are bad enough yet would appear to have a far greater capacity. This would be a retrograde step in terms of Toronto’s streetscape. |
| 1384 | 38595.35929 | No | [Blank] | No | “The first thing you notice is the size, you don’t even realize it’s a garbage can until you look closely, then you have to find the hole to put the garbage in.” | No | “They’re large, they’re positioned so that if you’re walking on the street the advertisement faces you, they take up space that could be used for pedestrians.” | No | “Although these bins are free they are not very useful. There are enough advertisements on the streets (on the walls, on the stores on the bus shelters, benches). If this garbage bin design was thought out more (ie. redesigned) then I would think twice about it – the poor design just makes me say NO!” | “Don’t put them out on the streets, the city is selling out! Although you want less garbage, you’re advertising mass consumption on useless garbage bins which only equal one thing, a mess!” |
| 1385 | 38595.37736 | Yes | Yonge and York Mills | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “Too large, blocks visibility. As view is obstructed, can’t see who is on the other side, does not promote safety.” | No | See above. Bins are too tall and obstructs view of sidewalk. It is also not easily noticeable to non-residents such as tourists | Try another system! |
| 1386 | 38595.39041 | Yes | Bloor/Windermere | No | garbage bins too small (overflow)especially on the side next to the sidewalk. Its not obvious or difficult to access the bin on the other side of the bin next to the street so it is not used very much | Yes | “the bin is too big since it occupies up half of a wide sidewalk. As mentioned, the garbage container on the side near the street is not easy to access and pedestrians are probably not aware that is exists since you can’t see the bin from the sidewalk” | No | the bins are too big and the garbage capacity too small. These bins just add to the number of bins/newspaper boxes cluttering the sidewalks in the city that I feel are an eyesore. There are too many newspaper boxes cluttering the sidewalks ( I bet there must be close to 10 different newspaper boxes on the street) | “I’m not opposed to advertizing, but these bins are too large and intrusive.” |
| 1387 | 38595.39292 | Yes | Morningside and elesmere | No | “too many openings, not practical. | Yes | The bin blocks the view of traffic and takes up my public space. | No | our public space should not be for sale. It is too large of a bin. It is just another way for advertisers to take up our space. | “I think the bins are unrealisitic. We already have the garbage bins with recycling for cans, bottles and magazines and people fill them up with garbage. What makes someone think that people are going to brink batteries from home to recycle in public?” |
| 1388 | 38595.3938 | Yes | ON YONGE STREE | No | “THE THING SO DOMINATES THE SIDEWALK,WE DO NOT NEED MORE VISUAL CLUTTER IN THE CITY. PLUS IT IS GETTING SO HARD TO EVER NAVIGATE A SIDEWALK WITH SO MUCH STUFF ON IT.NO NO NO NO NO” | No | “IN THE WAY,DO NOT PROCEED WITH THIS MADNESS” | No | “NO NO NO,THERE ARE BETTER WAYS THAN MUCKING UP OUR CITY WITH ADVERTISING EVERYWHERE. ITS A DISGRACE” | NO NO NO NO TO THIS REDICULOUS THINGS |
| 1389 | 38595.3941 | Yes | greenwood and danforth | No | There are so many holes for different articles | Yes | Blocks public space. I don’t want to look at more advertisements! | No | We already sell off enough of our public space to advertisers. | [Blank] |
| 1390 | 38595.40095 | [Blank] | Bathurst and College near streetcar stop. | No | It was full. | No | “I think they are a major inconvenience to pedestrians, and aesthetically unpleasing.” | No | “I’d rather pay higher taxes instead, to be blunt.” | I do not want to be forced to look at large advertisements like this. The negatives far outweigh the positives. This will change the nature of our cityscape for the worse. |
| 1391 | 38595.4133 | No | [Blank] | No | There very ugly and take up to much room on the already crowded sidewalks. | No | It sticks out to much and obstructs people walking on the sidewalks | No | [Blank] | Why don’t you take the money and do something worth while like cleaning up our air/lakes or helping youth make better choice. I think that would be a better way to advertise than those ugly thing you want to up on our sidewalks. |
| 1392 | 38595.42318 | Yes | Bloor/Windermere | No | “openings too smal & confusing, over flowing at the time I used it” | Yes | “take up too much room, are too high & ugly” | No | “ugly, ugly, ugly!!!!!!,raise my taxes if you need more money, but don’t make the city look like one big billboard, the sidewalks are ugly enough with all the newspaper boxes & sandwich boards” | these bins also don’t protect us from bombs from terrorists. I thought the city was going to use the concrete type???? |
| 1393 | 38595.44832 | Yes | Bloor & Christie | No | The receptacles were overflowing with garbage. | Yes | “With the TTC’s recent wise decision regarding garbage bins and the threat of terrorism, I am surprised that the the city is considering putting large bomb receptacles made of steel and glass on our streets.” | No | “I would rather have more litter on the streets than have the sidewalks obstructed by these ugly monoliths. Plus, as I mentioned above, they are a major threat to our safety because of their potential use by terrorists.” | Please do not put your citizens in danger by installing these. The shrapnel that would be generated by a bomb going off in one of these bins is unimaginable. |
| 1394 | 38595.47111 | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | “Seperate bins hard to identify,Bins were overflowing; small capacity?,Placement of bin/ad problematic (see 4),At right height for me, but what about children?” | Yes | “The bin/ad was placed such that the ad was ery prominent, but the receptables were not: one being near the curb. I would prefer to not be clipped by a vehicle when depositing garbage.” | No | Not all deals are good; bins should be better and or redesigned. | See above; adoption of these bins city-wide would be detrimental. |
| 1395 | 38595.48962 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “Bags of garbage are being left at the base of these so they are clearly not working as anticipated. Garbage is regularly left on the ground on Kingston Rd. north side, east of Main, and on Kingston Rd. south side, east of Victoria Park.” | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1396 | 38595.52086 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “I think they are horrible. They are obtrusive, dangerous and a blatant attempt at advertising, not waste reduction” | No | [Blank] | “Keep the sidewalsk for pedestrians, not commercialism.” |
| 1397 | 38595.52832 | Yes | main and kingston rd | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “the tall ones are a little too large, too much advertising per garbage ratio” | Yes | only if they use the shorter ones | use the shorter ones |
| 1398 | 38595.52922 | Yes | “Greektown, 2 locations plus at Dundas West near Runnymede” | No | The layout is confusing and the garbage big is too small. The bin was already overflowing. | Yes | TOO BIG -- OBSTRUCT SIGHTLINES FOR CARS AND PEDESTRIANS. TOO WIDE -- TAKE UP OVER 1/3 OF THE SIDEWALK WIDTH. | No | THE ADVERTSING SHARE (10%) IS TOO SMALL. THAT IS A TOKEN RETURN. THE TAXPAYER IS GETTING RIPPED OFF ON THIS GIVE-AWAY DEAL. | DO NOT INSTALL THESE BINS. THEY ARE POORLY DESIGNED. THE GARBAGE COLLECTION CAPACITY IS TOO SMALL. THEY OBSTRUCT SIDEWALK CIRCULATION. THE FINANCIAL DEAL IS AN INSULT TO TAXPAYERS. DO YOU WANT ANOTHER SCANDAL? DO NOT ACCEPT THIS BAD DEAL. |
| 1399 | 38595.53736 | Yes | NE corner of McCowan & Finch | No | “The west side of the bin was overflowing, but one had to stand in the street in order to use the empty east side of the bin (i.e. the bin was too close to the road!).” | Yes | Both sides need to be accessible to pedestrians without having to stand in the street. | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1400 | 38595.54252 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | they are too big too high | No | “too big,clearly only designed for advertising revenue” | this city continues to inflict things like this upon it’s citezens despite our dissaproval. we don’t want these things. |
| 1401 | 38595.55854 | Yes | danforth and pape | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | The tall bins block the view down the street and make it seem like a prison; ie. a claustrophobic effect. I think it would significantly reduce the amount of sidewalk traffic with economic consequences. | No opinion | [Blank] | The shorter bins are fine. |
| 1402 | 38595.58374 | Yes | “Dufferin Gates,Strachan and King” | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “They are like a wall on the sidewalk. I’ve seen four locations so far (one with a solar panel – extra ugly!) and one side is always positioned so close to the road that it is totally unusable – unless you have a death wish or want to have drive thru garbage dumping!,If their primary use was garbage disposal and not advertising they would be positioned parallel to the road – at least then they’d be fully functional. | No | “Even being paid to install them is too high a price. They are nothing but a huge billboard with a very tiny garbage can attached. At least the bus shelters (roughly the same size!)provide some function.Any deal to place these on sidewalks is a bad deal. Adding to sidewalk clutter with these semi-functional garbage can/billboards runs counter to every “beautiful city” initiative.” | “This design is the most cynical advertising initiative I have ever seen. No city should be that desperate for a few bucks. Besides, the bins are so tiny, tiny, tiny that we will be paying city staff to clean the streets around these bins when they inevitably overflow.Also, they are a danger to pedestrians and drivers as they block the view in a big way. Somebody’s going to get killed popping out from behind these things. You can bet on it.” |
| 1403 | 38595.58435 | Yes | Pape and Gough | No | It wasn’t immediately obvious as to where the garbage/recyclable should go – I shouldn’t have to think so much just to throw something away. | Yes | Who’s going to use the side of the bin that faces the street? Do you expect a cyclist to stop and fumble with their garbage? Is a motorist expected to toss something out their window? | No | I’ve heard that the increased revenue amounts to less than a million dollars which hardly seems worth it to have such an eyesore on our streets. | “Please, please, please for the love of all that is holy and sacred, do not go ahead an install these bins across the city. |
| 1404 | 38595.58838 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Children are often the most avid recyclers. Can anyone under 5’ reach the upper receptacles comfortably? |
| 1405 | 38595.59825 | Yes | Kennedy and Ellsmere (I think it was Ellesmere..) | No | “The prominence of the ashtray was disconcerting, and the recyclable section was not very well marked. | No | “This particular one was set well back from the street, which allowed access to both sides. Other instances I’ve seen but not used look entirely dangerous – half of the recepticles are in the street. Also, they are very tall, and obstruct the view.” | No | “I support the city using garbage bins as a revenue stream from advertising, but these bins are terrible. Both aesthetically and in scope – the ads are huge distracting billboards that abuse public space and the space in front of street level retailers” | “1. The bins are incredibly ugly.2. The bins do not appear to hold the same amount of total waste (recycling and garbage), and instances I’ve seen fill quickly. So, unless the city empties them more frequently, I believe there will simply be more garbage on the streets, which is not the way to a cleaner city. And, if the city does empty them more frequently, then it stands to reason the gains made from ad revenue are minimized or lost entirely in increased wages and vehicle maintenance.3. There is no lid to the main bin, further detracting from their appearance,4. The ashtray seems a weird throwback. Smoking in Ontario is supposedly on the wane – inclusing of ashtrays is bizarre.” |
| 1406 | 38595.617 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1407 | 38595.65993 | Yes | Roncesvalles and Dundas St. W | Yes | [Blank] | No | “The bin recepticles should be clearly visible from the sidewalk, not the road.” | Yes | “Yes, but only if the design of the bins meets or exceeds the capacity of the current bins that are in use. If the new bins need to be emptied more often and/or repaired more often (they will undoubtedly attract graffiti and vandalism), or require more staff time to empty/maintain them, then the net savings to the City will be much less.” | The bins have no lids and do not have a large holding capacity so they will probably be overflowing and allowing garbage to be blown out of them by the wind. They should be designed to prevent garbage from being blown out of them. |
| 1408 | 38595.68608 | Yes | Dundas West and Clendenan Avenue | No | “The openings were not signed and were difficult to locate. The “ashtray” seemed enormous and smelt bad. It was kind of off-putting to reach past it to put in my drink bottle.” | Yes | “They obstruct the sightlines of pedestrians and cyclists. As a driver or cyclist I’d be worried about people stepping off the curb from behind the bin and getting hit. They seem to be positioned for maximum advertising exposure rather than for ease of use as a trash/recycling receptacle. ,I wonder if you have tested them with children and people in wheelchairs. I can’t imagine they’d find them easy to use. Their purpose is clearly to sell advertising space not keep our streets beautiful, clean and tidy. | No | “Aboslutely not. I’d rather pay more to have simple, small, functional bins without advertisements. | ““It’s unattractive. It gets in the way,” Mayor David Miller told the Toronto Star about newspaper boxes in January. “I mean, this is public space, right? And what we’re essentially doing is privatizing the public space.” He couldn’t be more eloquent if he were talking about the over-sized, advertising machines called megabins. |
| 1409 | 38595.69395 | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | They are too big. Are they garbage bins or billboards. | No | They look like a poor attempt by a private company to make money from advertising. | Lower the size of the advertising height. |
| 1410 | 38595.71829 | Yes | Danforth and Broadview | No | Confusing and too small for regular garbage | No | Terrible. Took up too much sidewalk space. | No | More advertising on public space cheapens the look of whatever space it is in. We should be looking at long term benefits of making our city attractive for vistiors and residence. | Have a design contest for students and designers to find new and imaganitve recepticals for garbage. DO NOT SELL OFF TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER. |
| 1411 | 38595.72463 | Yes | College & Bathurst | No | “The garbage opening was too small and already jam-packed, and since it was located on the side of the bin, it was difficult to find.” | Yes | “They obstruct the view and are incredibly irritating. By contrast, the “Olifas Marketing Group (OMG)” trashvertising cans have a smaller footprint and do not obstruct the view, and also have larger trash containers.” | No | “These bins are an eyesore. They are simply an excuse to fill our sidewalks with even more advertising, and doing it in such a way that it blocks the flow of pedestrian traffic.” | “I think the “new design” needs to go back to the drawing board. Think less than 4 feet high, think more internal space.” |
| 1412 | 38595.72675 | Yes | Roncesvalles / Howard Park | No | “Opposite ends, poor ergonomics” | No | “They are a gigantic, terrible eyesore and poorly located. Overall they are a detriment to our already overcrowded sidewalks.” | No | We cannot continue to sell our souls for a few dollars. This is a horrible idea. | [Blank] |
| 1413 | 38595.75024 | Yes | bloor and jane st. | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | they look like monsters that are gonna come alive and terrorize the city (hopefully by eating our garbage) overall they are a 1/10 |
| 1414 | 38595.75828 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No opinion | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1415 | 38595.79295 | Yes | “Can’t remember – Danforth and Main?? Bloor West Village? (Bloor and Windemere, Bloor and Jane). | No | Actual openings were not clearly labeled – labels were too small. Openings at street side of bins are useless unless one wants to endanger oneself by stepping into traffic to dispose of litter. Need larger slots for recycling and garbage. | Yes | “They obstruct too much walking space and decrease (already poor) accessibility for wheelchairs, scooters, strollers, etc. ,Also, openings on street side are useless and/or dangerous (see response to 2.),Bins would be better if turned 90 degrees (i.e. longer side along the curb – like the old “silver box” bins are)- they would obstruct less walking/wheeling space and both sides of the bins would be accessible for disposing of trash. | No | “I’m all for increased revenue, but I think the current bins (old bins) work better and still provide advertising opportunities. There must be less ugly, less obstructive ways to make money for the city. I would be more willing to accept these new bins if they were placed with the long side of the bin along the curb. | “Garbage receptacle was overflowing – such a monstrosity should have more space for actual garbage and recyclables. ,Are the illuminated signs solar or electrically powered? If solar powered bins are available they should be used – it would be hypocritical for the city to encourage it’s residents to reduce usage of electricity and then waste power on lighting fivolous ads. |
| 1416 | 38595.91559 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | n/a | No | n/a | No | [Blank] | “From the pictures, they are huge eyesores. Doesn’t advertising support consumption? Something we should be trying to reduce, not encourage. The smaller, current garbage/recycle bins are fine. Once in a while you see one overflowing, but overall, they are adequate.” |
| 1417 | 38596.0827 | Yes | McCowan RT Station. (approx. McCowan and Ellesmere) | No | “While I personally was able to understand the directions, the holes themselves were somewhat vague; as can be seen by the inclusion of all types of garbage (!) in the recycling and green bin portions. The hole openings are NOT clear and concise enough for the general public (who may be in a rush to dispose of such refuse!)” | Yes | “At the bin in front of the McCowan RT Station, one end of the receptacle is placed too close to the curb thus making depositing refuse on that end a dangerous traffic-fleeing adventure.” | Yes | “Not only do I think the city could use some harmless advertising revenue, but the inclusion of recycling of batteries AND organic material a marvellous idea!” | “I find the inclusion of recycling of batteries AND organic material on the multi-bins a marvellous idea! However I DO wish that the openings for the receptables were more clear and concise as to what goes in where (ie, to actually have the LABELS placed ON or very close to the holes, and NOT to have them as a poster placed at the top half of the large bin) – this will hopefully reduce the throwing of wrong materials into the wrong receptacle.” |
| 1418 | 38596.43796 | Yes | York Mills and Lesmill Road | No | You shouldn’t need arrows and labels like that to figure out where to put things. | Yes | I’m sure you’ve heard this a billion times already but they are against the flow of traffic – pedestrian and vehicle. Everything about the design makes it obvious that the positioning has everything to do with the ads on the side and nothing to do with the pracitcal uses. | No | “Everytthing has a price and I know the city is cash-strapped but these things are really abbhorent, in my opinion.” | Trash em. (I know that’s not very clever...) |
| 1419 | 38596.45699 | Yes | pape and danforth | No | it is hard to figure out which opening is for which kind of garbage – the signs are not clear – and it is confusing to have the rubber around the recyclable opening | Yes | they get in the way – sidewalks are already not wide enough when there is a lot of pedestrian traffic – this makes it difficult for foot traffic and particularly for people using scooters or in wheelchairs. | No | “They are too large and intrusive, both in terms of height and width – the bin on the opposite side is wasted because in all the ones I have seen, one side is facing the street and the traffic and is not usable. | “I think the bins we already have been using are fine. They work well, it is clear what should go in which opening, and they are unobtrusive. I don’t see a need for a change – if income is needed, there could certainly be advertising on the current bins rather than putting in something that is too large and gets in the way.” |
| 1420 | 38596.46897 | Yes | “Bathurst and College, Christie and Bloor” | No | “There was so much space devoted to advertising, it was hard to find the tiny little holes for garbage..They were too small.” | No | They take up too much space and are much too high...the top half of the bin does nothing...they could be 1/2 as tall... they are way too big | No | “These bins are a blight on the urban landscape. They are too tall, they pollute the public space with advertising, they use valuable power, and they have very little room for garbage. The regular waste high bins that we have are fine and with a little modification could accept more recyclables and cigarettes. Please do not install these eye sores in our beautiful city.” | “Do not install these eye sores in our beautiful city. We already have too much advertising crowding our public space, please do not add more. Thannk you.” |
| 1421 | 38596.47272 | Yes | Ossington and Dundas | No | Have to come too close to the recycling opening to actually put something inside -- too dirty looking. Cigarette butts on the ground in front of the bin too! | Yes | “These monstrosities obstruct pedestrian walkways and view, they dominate the sidewalks and look very obtrusive. Although you could use both sides, one side is too close to the road to be really useful. The ads are just too large, they look like ads with small garbage containers attached, not the other way around.” | No | NO! Our public space is not for unlimited sale! As a taxpayer in this city I would appreciate being able to walk down my neighbourhood sidewalk without being assaulted by these huge ads that block the sidewalk. Truly dislike these new bins!!! | “They seem to be more of an excuse to bypass current regulations for advertising in public space than really doing much to keep Toronto’s city streets clean or encourage recycling. Citizens deserve and pay for the right to be able to walk unencumbered down our beautiful streets, be able to safely see other pedestrians and traffic, and enjoy the view in our wonderful city without being bombarded with huge corporate advertising on every corner. Saving money to make Toronto uglier should not be an option.” |
| 1422 | 38596.47743 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | did not use | No | they are postioned properly. | No | [Blank] | “The city streets are already loaded with too much advertising messages. We simply so not need more to clutter up the environment. I am sure that these bins would never be allowed to exist in the city of Vancouver, where city by-laws are much more strict vis-a-vis advertising. It doesn’t matter that the city is going to be receiving revenue on the advertising faces – they are still clutter.” |
| 1423 | 38596.47749 | Yes | Weston and Finch – I think | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “I like them. Unlike other bins, these should encourage residents to recycle other things while offering advertising space – and more revenues – to the city. | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1424 | 38596.51999 | Yes | “3 on the Danforth, Bathurst an College, Outside of Christie station” | No | “I noticed that there are now little stickers aying where to put things, but the garbage was still full of recyclables, so I guess people don’t get it still. And I’ve seen several overflowing...and some you can only use one side – which will be even worse when the snow comes.” | No | “Takes up WAY too much space – i know that the “footprint” is smaller, but they are positioned RIGHT across the sidewalks, making them tough to get around. It’s really obtrusive. At least the old ones weren’t so in your face!” | No | “I don’t like ad bins period, but even if we have to have ad bins, these ones are RIDICULOUS! These bins clearly were designed with ad space in mind, not usability. For the amount the city’s going to make off of them, it’s just not worth it. I’d rather pay higher taxes than have these bins. And The fact that they’ll be LIT UP! Waste of electricity when we’re supposed to be saving!” | “Why can’t the city decide what WE want from a garbage bin and then do an RFP? Why do we just take anything that’s offered us, whether it fits our needs or pays well or is at all practical? This is a BAD DEAL. For shame.” |
| 1425 | 38596.55751 | Yes | “If memory serves it was on Vic park, but I am always all around the city...” | No | “I did not realise that there were two sides, nor did it seem as though there was a lot of space allocated to actual garbage capacity.” | No | “It seems like a bit of a blight on the urban landscape... Are there going to be issues where it impedes peoples views, sighlines for automobiles? I also saw kids hiding behind them playing hide and seek right next to the road...” | No | I thinkg we should stay with what we have. | There should probably be a 1-800 number to call to let the city know that a bin is full / overflowing... |
| 1426 | 38596.57484 | Yes | Christie and Bloor West | No | Openings are too small and not obvious. | Yes | “Very obtrusive, there doesn’t seem to be any reason for it to be there.” | No | “These bins are a bad idea from start to finish. They suck electricity in an energy crisis, they ask people to stand in the gutter to use one side, the point of the bins is clearly advertising and not waste/recycling, and they obstruct the sidewalk and violate the city’s bylaws about advertising.” | “Why don’t these “test pilot” bins light up at night? I thought the idea of these energy-sucking billboards was to be as obtrusive as possible. Could it be that you realize people would react even more negatively if they saw what the bins are actually capable of? Get rid of the megabins!” |
| 1427 | 38596.58806 | Yes | “Roncesvalles,Bloor & Jane” | No | My daughter who is three can not use this garbage/recycling bin as the slots are too high. I do not believe they are easily accesible for those people in wheehchairs either. | Yes | “1. The units seem to be more advertisiing space than actual space for garbge and recycling. There was a smaller unit I saw that was about half the height that seemed more appropriate.2. they do not look like garbage/recyling bins. I can already carry garbage blocks to find a garbage can and these are not easy to identify as such (perhaps only because they are new. Finding garbage / recycling units may be even more difficult for visitors to our city.3. On street corners, these units will obstruct the view of the road for motorists turning and pedestrians crossing the road. | No | “1. they do not add to the beauty of the city and in areas where we are already inundated with advertising this is really quite an eye sore.2. I am not sure of the capacity of the units, but seems to me they are not able to hold as much as the current units. Therefore although they are free, there will either need to be more garbage pickups (which cost money) or garbage will be overflowing from the units. | “While I can appreciate ingenuity in saving money for the city, I do not believe using these units would be beneficial to the city.” |
| 1428 | 38596.59436 | Yes | Bloor and Roncesvalles | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | positioning is not a problem. Size is. | No | “Too big and ugly. We’re cracking down on graffitti and postering in an attempt to beautify our city. It doesn’t make sense to put up even uglier public waste bins. The size of the bin won’t make much difference to littering. Positive advertising i.e. “This is your living room. Keept it clean” would be better than more ugly stuff on our streets.” | [Blank] |
| 1429 | 38596.59854 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | I drove past the one at Eglinton & Laird -- it’s an absolute EYESORE. I thought that the TTC had misplaced one of their shelters! Lovely Toronto will be detroyed if these bins are put in our city. | No | Get the advertising from somewhere else. Spend some money on something that suits our city. These MONSTER bins are absolutely ridiculous! | GET RID OF THEM |
| 1430 | 38596.66237 | Yes | King & Strachan | No | “I think the existing OMG bins are much easier to use. At a glance, you can tell what each opening is for. I found these new bins took some deciphering. And it seems a lot of people can’t be bothered to crack the code since the trash was full of recyclables.” | Yes | “Awful. They take up valuable pedestrian space. They are also much more of a visual impediment than the existing OMG bins, making life a little more dangerous for bikes in this un-cycling-friendly city.” | No | The last thing I want to look at is more giant advertising everywhere I go. The existing OMG bins already have plenty of advertising space. Do I really need to see Brad Lamb’s head on a sheep any larger than it is on the OMG bins? I think not. | “I suggest that an even larger bin, for example an advertising-covered dumpster, be found. Then all these new bins can go into it for pickup.” |
| 1431 | 38596.67684 | Yes | Queen and Jones | No | “I found it easy enough because I can read and was willing to look. But the small stickers that are, unbelievably, the only signs showing where to put garbate vs recyclables, won’t last long. Weather, age, vandalism...I can’t believe such a supposedly “high-tech” bin” scrimped on the signage so badly.” | No | “They’re okay. What other option was there, jutting right into pedestrian traffic?” | No opinion | [Blank] | “The openings for garbage and recyclables are ridiculously small, and, as I said, the signage is terrible. |
| 1432 | 38596.71708 | Yes | Danforth & Chester/Broadview | No | “The mouth of the bin is too small: it will clog before the bin is full.No one will want to use the recycling bin because the rubber flaps will dirty the fingers.” | Yes | Who is supposed to use the bins by the curb? Passing motorists?? | No | “I am in favour of partnering with corporations to save money, but these bins are simply badly designed! Why not just the wide-mouth bins used in NYC, bolted to the ground, with an ad on the side?? Simple, clean to use, holds lots of litter and still makes room for ads?” | [Blank] |
| 1433 | 38596.73601 | Yes | Young & York Mills | No | “good height, but the bins are double the size of what they can handle | Yes | “I do not like these new bins, the bin is twice the size of what it can handel only for advertisements, but hell..i guess we don’t have enough adds plastered everywhere. | No opinion | look at number 4 | “get rid of the old ones and make ones for garbage, not advertisement. |
| 1434 | 38596.81182 | Yes | Warden & Eglinton | Yes | “Yes, it’s very well designed and looks great too.” | Yes | “They are more noticeable than regular trash bins. Also, unlike regular bins they provide certain sections for certain trash/recycling.” | Yes | [Blank] | They make the city look more stylish; there should be one on every street corner! |
| 1435 | 38596.89965 | Yes | Dufferin King | No | Garbage shoot too accessible. Recylcing area not clear. | Yes | Blocking the sidewalk. No visability. Who wants to see more advertising? | No | They are a industrial designers obnoxious attempt to appease advertisers and really don’t concentrate enough on disposal. How is a child or a person in a wheel chair supposed to reach the recycling shoot? Why is garbage already piling out of the bin? | The old ones have some issues but these ones have more issues. |
| 1436 | 38597.37034 | Yes | [Blank] | No | Rather bulky for what it accomplishes. | Yes | Seem to be placed to block the sidewalk as much as possible! Yuck! | No | “They are too big, especially too tall. The short ones are better but still seem a bit awkward for what the city needs. | City council should pay attention to what it needs -- recycling / garbage cans -- and not be swayed by commercial interests. The revenues are not very significant to me as a taxpayer. I’d rather pay the $2 in tax and have a nicer city. |
| 1437 | 38597.41125 | Yes | rocesvales and howard park | No | Opening where to small and I did not understand the point of some of the openings | No | They are simply too big so there is no way to avoid blocking sight lines ( I supose that is what the ad company wants) | No | “Tha cost to the citizen is “eye blight”. I could live with that in a short term ecomimic crisis only if the amout we gain is substatial – enough, for example to build a new affordable housing complex.” | They must not block the view of pedestrians. These tall units are unsafe ( because people can hid behind them ) unsightly |
| 1438 | 38597.41828 | Yes | “smaller version at Roncesvalles and Howard Park, southwest corner” | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | The placement of this particular bin was terrible. It blocked off and sterilized almost the whole corner area of the sidewalk and cut the pedestrian space by half. | [Blank] | [Blank] | Even the smaller versions are too large. The existing ones are much better aesthetically. |
| 1439 | 38597.42916 | Yes | Wilson & Yonge | No | No – hard to find and not easy to use | Yes | Takes up too much space. Scale is too large. | No | “No, absolutely not.They are an eye sore (terrible design – a great slab), primarily a vehicle for more advertising, and not easy to use.” | “Can’t you design something better looking and easier to use?? And that doesn’t look like a massive sidewalk billboard??,The irony is that some councillors proposed a ban postering (which I am not terribly fond of – but at least it meets the needs of the community to communicate) and then the city comes forward with a hideous design like this! ,Let’s not make our city “Toronto the ugly”. |
| 1440 | 38597.52987 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | They are poorly placed. | No | It is a poor excuse just to have more ads thrown at pedestrians and motorists. I am offended. | Electric garbage cans? How does this help our energy problem? |
| 1441 | 38597.53774 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | “I am in favour if there is some artistic framework for the advertising and on the condition that any advertising is not racist, sexist, or ageist. I would also like to see advertising for products that are clean and green.” | [Blank] |
| 1442 | 38597.54829 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | They are too big and wreck the view of the street. | No | “I’m sure the city will make huge money on the ads but what happens to the old garbage cans.Do we send them to that land fill sights?,The old ones work fine. | “If I had a business where one of these were placed I think it would take away from my store front.We’re being smothered with advertising, strolling on city streets, the tim hortons drive through, bill boards everywhere. I’m sick of it!!!,Sidewalks on busy streets are hard enough to navigate with patios, tree boxes, mail boxes, existing garbage bins. DO NOT ADD THESE SIDEWALK BILL BOARDS.And don’t try to pass them off as garbage bins. It’s advertising, more then anything!” |
| 1443 | 38597.59081 | Yes | Avenue and Eglinton Road | No | Extremely dangerous!! Why? Bin openings located at curb side.... Actually saw a pedestrian have to walk on Eglinton to access the opening and was almost struck by westbound TTC. Impractical design. | Yes | Bin not accessible from street facing side. Height of bins also restrictive for children. Bins also interfere with vehicular sight lines and appear designed with self serving marketing bandwidth in mind. | No | “Definitely NOT!!! The additional revenue of approx $1Million cannot / will not offset the increased health care costs associated with the loss of a single life when struck by a passing motorist when accessing the bin from street side. It is only a matter of time... Who I wonder will take responsability (Eucan vs. City of Toronto) when a life is taken. Concerning recycling bins – the City should adopt a “less is more” philosophy.” | “Please do NOT install. In fact, if City chooses to continue with the existing / old OMG recycling bins, please take a closer look at the business model to ensure higher revenues for the City. |
| 1444 | 38597.63966 | [Blank] | Kingston Road/Morningside | No | The slots are too small. | Yes | They block walkinng space | No | Too big and ugly. Just pay money for proper bins. | WASPS EVERYWHERE. YOU CAN’T GET NEAR THEM!!! |
| 1445 | 38597.72075 | No | I hjave seen the one at College and Bathurst | No | The whole thing did not look like a garbage can until i coudl see the garbage flowing outof the too small receptacles without lids. | Yes | “They block a lot of sidewalk space. I had to manruver round the megabin, which I have never had to do for another garbage can. I can nly see pedestrian traffic congtestion comgin out of this. IS ther eany sense what they might mean fro accessibility / handicap issues? | No | “We dont’ really need any more TSA-size advertising in this city. there is already too much of it. I’d much prefer a simle, unobtrusive and sanitary repsonse to dealing with street garbage and recyclng needs. Take more taxes if need be, rather shove more ads in our faces. | [Blank] |
| 1446 | 38597.97963 | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “It’s a garbage can, I don’t expect anyone who can’t use a garbage can has much use for a computer or the internet.” | Yes | “Do we really need more spots in Toronto for advertising? These things are an eyesore, and consume an inordinate amount of sidewalk space for a trash bin.” | No | “No; we’ve leased our public space in exchange for a net on the Bloor Viaduct, and now we’re decorating our garbage? Soon enough there won’t be an inch of public space not foisting some product or service. Now if only we could tack something on to those damned slacker pigeons.If the city is intent on installing free garbage cans, at least negotiate the same deal but for less visually intrusive bins. | “Isn’t the city in the process of removing garbage cans from public parks and the TTC for security concerns? How are these new adver-cans any more secure? Left hand, please allow me to introduce you to right hand.” |
| 1447 | 38597.99157 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | Ugly. And it seems to be an excuse to throw up more advertising. Hooray! | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1448 | 38598.01067 | No | “Dundas and Keele, Roncesvalles and Howard Park” | No | The bin on Roncesvalles was placed practically in the middle of the sidewalk. It is an obstruction to pedestrians trying to go about their business. | Yes | “They block the way. It is absolutely astounding that the bin that I saw on Roncesvalles does not violate any city codes for obstructing the sidewalk. Further, we do not need any more advertising distracting drivers. | No | “There is no amount of money that can justify this horrible intrusion. The two bins I saw today were both overflowing with garbage, with recycling materials in the garbage portion. do you really think the city needs more advertising? I am absolutly appalled that the city would countenance such a thing. I’d like to be able to walk down the sidewalk without being bombarded by ads so the city can make a few bucks. | This is hugely disappointing. Please save us from these abominations on our streets. You might also want to try offering a survey that is a little less biased in favour of these things. Surely I can have an opinion about them without ever having put garbage in one of them. Ask yourself if you would want one of these glowing monstrosities in front of your house. |
| 1449 | 38598.34822 | Yes | King and Strachan | No | I didn’t even realize it was a garbage bin. The focus is obviously on advertising as opposed to recycling and waste management. Hole are too small and face the wrong direction. You almost have to walk onto King St to dispose of your waste. | Yes | “My first concern when I saw the large advertisement/garbage/recycling bin was this is a safety hazard. I am a woman and walking towards this bin create a huge blind spot. Someone can stand behind the bin and not be seen until you walk past – not a good feeling. Also, the bin does not promote proper disposal of waste. They are awkward to use, holes are too small. I don’t think that people will recognize they are waste disposal bins. Also, consider tourists to Toronto, I doubt many of them will recognize the advertising board is actually a garbage can. Are they accessable for people in wheelchairs – can they reach the holes?” | No | “No. For the reasons stated above, especially safety. Why doesn’t the City continue using the existing bins but aggressively sell the advertising spaces that already exist on the three hole bins? Fix the mistakes you have made.” | [Blank] |
| 1450 | 38598.62263 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | They are a montrous advertising gimmick and DO NOT belong on the sidewalks. They impede the pedestrian traffic and are impracticle. | No | Too large. There is enough visual distraction in the city. | Remove them. Simple lower (much lower!!) garbage receptacles would suffice. With no advertising. |
| 1451 | 38598.66902 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | “I have seen two of these bins when driving through the city, but was not sure what they were, therefore I have never used them. I am in favour of any kind of recycling bin, keeping in mind that it must be easy to use for everyone. I will now definately make an effort to see one of these bins close up. If the City will go ahead with these new bins, I am assuming that the City will provide the necessary maintenance to these bins. If this is the case, the city should evaluate if it is cost efficient and how much resources would go into maintaining these new bins compared to the current recycling stations.” |
| 1452 | 38598.6914 | [Blank] | roncesvalles and howard park | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “Terrible garbage concept, visually blighting the streetscape” | No | “Ugly, obstrusive, do nothing to beautify the landscape....do need more adverstising space in our city. Another means for revenue generaes needs desparately to replace this one...not consistent with beautification of Toronto.Bigger does not mean better. More capacity for garbage do not agree. | “Increasing the number of locations on busier streets would help with the overflow problem, reviewing the frequency of garbage pick up, especially after a local event .Some people are going to littter no matter what, because a proportion of citizens just do not care about the street.No to this test bins” |
| 1453 | 38598.78971 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | They shouldn’t be there at all. | No | “They are obstacles to pedestrians, which is whom sidewalks are for, and they encourage people to think that creating huge amounts of garbage is okay when it’s NOT.” | Go back to the drawing board. Fix the existing 3-compartment bins and do a public education campaign on how to use them. Improve recycling options for commercial buildings. |
| 1454 | 38598.85493 | Yes | “Danforth, east of Pape, north side” | No | The garbage bins were overflowing. | Yes | “The positioning was all right, considering the size of it. But these huge things are an eyesore. I’m embarrassed for my beautiful city:,http://spaces.msn.com/members/TheTravelzine-TorontoSc/ Check out my Toronto web site.” | No | “You must find other revenue-producing options. You are “littering” our city with a new kind of garbage.” | “I love the iPod ad at the St.Clair/Yonge street car stop (s/e corner). Why not sell more of those spaces to companies willing to fund garbage bins that beautify our city, in exchange. The ads must be line drawings so the safety of those waiting will not be compromised.” |
| 1455 | 38598.85786 | Yes | Danforth | No | hard to figure what weht where | Yes | Like a wall blocking everything | No | “Cost in beauty, ease of use, openness, safety is WAY TOO HIGH” | “This is the worst idea I have seen in years,Update the old style |
| 1456 | 38598.92218 | Yes | Bathurst & college | No | [Blank] | Yes | “I find that they are not well designed for the nature of Sidewalks in Toronto. Already, they are often crowded, and offer limited movement – with these monsterous bins, they will take too much space. | No | “If they could be smaller, with advertising – but as they are, they are far too visually intrusive, and take up too much space – interfering with pedestrian movement. I am all for additional funding for the city, but there has to be another way to do it. | [Blank] |
| 1457 | 38598.93163 | No | [Blank] | No | Too much reading which I suspect most won’t bother doing | [Blank] | “They are huge, instrusive to the flow of pedestrian traffic and are yet another space for sale by the City. Is EVERY SURFACE for sale????” | No | My City is not for sale. I HATE the advertizing wraps on the subway and street cars and buses. I’d far rather pay more taxes and have a City that I am proud to live in. | Get rid of them. |
| 1458 | 38599.04189 | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1459 | 38599.31586 | Yes | Roncesvalles and Howard Park on North East Corner AND South East Corner | No | It was not pracitical and did not make sense to me. Why is the container so TALL when the area that is used for garbage collection is only at waist height? What is the purpose off all that lost space? | No | There is no way in which these huge bins could be positioned that will work. They block the Pedestrian right of way. And they block bicycle and vehicle sight lines. They are simple too tall! | No | No. I am completely against littering our city streets with these huge advertisment just so the city can save some bucks. Why would anyone who lives in Toronto and cares about there neighbourhood want to litter the city streets with HUGE obnoxious illuminated ads. | Why are there garbage bins installed on 3 out of the 4 corners at Roncesvalles and Howard Park. We do NOT need this many and they are an eye sore. Also I believe it is confusing for your survey that there is one HUGE new ad/garbage bin on the North East Corner and a MEDIUM sized new ad/garbage bin on the South East corner. WHICH ONE IS THE CITY CONSIDERING? BOTH? It is unclear. The smaller bins are much less offensive but I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SMALL GARBAGE BINS WITH NO ADS IN MY NEIGHOBOURHOOD. Also this in not a legitimate survey since the HUGE MEGA BINS do not currently contain ADS and are NOT ILLUMINATED. During this hot hot summer the city is asking home owners and businesses to conserve energy but you yourselves now want to waste our small energy supply on ILLUMINATING huge MEGA ADS!! It simple does not make semse. |
| 1460 | 38599.32093 | No | Bloor Street West and Runnymede | No | It’s too complicated | Yes | They’re much too tall and awkward to use | No | They’re extremely intrusive | “Sooner or later, someone is going to come up with a brilliant bin which works” |
| 1461 | 38599.37968 | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | “the test bin on Danforth, one block west of Pape, on the north side, obstructs more than 1/3 of the sidewalk, impeding pedestrian traffic during busier times. | No | “The bins are ugly, way too big.And the garbage receptacles are way too small, they’re overflowing every day.” | [Blank] |
| 1462 | 38599.52301 | Yes | “Yonge and York Mills, seen a couple others” | No | “Someone short, or a child probably couldn’t use the recycling” | Yes | “Terrible, they’re way to big, the only way I think they would work is to attach them to TTC bus shelters that already have huge ads” | No | The old bins could do the same | Try to rehash the old bins with small cigarette and batterie disposal on the sides and if lights on ads are so important stick to solar and wind power |
| 1463 | 38599.53637 | Yes | Queen and Crawford | No | The openings are far too small. | Yes | “They’re too big, even the shorter type like the one on Queen and Crawford is enormous. They’re clearly designed to be large billboards rather than practical garbages.” | No | They’re eye sores! The older ones work just fine! | Please don’t install these oversized advertising boxes!! |
| 1464 | 38599.54968 | Yes | finch E & Leslie | No | “Only one opening faced sidewalk ,so only half usable | Yes | “Badly ,blocks view ,only one half trash is really available from sidewalk and too far from bus stop to be usable” | No | “they are horrible,ugly and lousy trash cans.We will spend a hundred times the “revenue’to offset them with beatification projects | “they are designed to distact road users with ads ,reducing safty,reduce visibility for pedestians,and make my city look cheap.Tatoo ads on councillors,see if they like it. |
| 1465 | 38599.61622 | Yes | Bloor and Christie | Yes | The openings were rather small. | Yes | “I do not believe that there is a good way to position such large and tall bins. I have considerable concerns about visibility, particularly for women, of other sidewalk users. Of course if the bins were located close to a corner they would block visibility for drivers.” | No | “I am very much opposed to the bins. Our streets are already full of advertising and quite ugly. Adding more ugliness will not help. I have no personal problem with the existing bins, although they need to be emptied more often. I think it would be extremely unfortunate if the city were to move forward with this plan. Let us have a city which is dignified and shows awareness of efficiency, neightbourhoods, and aesthetic concerns rather than one based on advertising and ugliness.” | PLEASE do not go this way... There must be better alternatives of new or old design. Let’s lose the advertising. We do not pay taxes to be constantly assaulted by advertising. |
| 1466 | 38599.64441 | Yes | bloor & christie (christie pits) | Yes | “Yes, although we didn’t realise that both ends could be used, initially.” | Yes | They’re more in the way than the others were... more in your face. | No | I feel inundated enough with advertising at it is. It would irritate me to see advertising on what should be a city -centric receptacle. I dont want to see Bell ads while I’m tossing my garbage. | “I feel they’re unnecessary at best, and offensive (with regards to the advertising) at worst.” |
| 1467 | 38599.66125 | Yes | Main and Kingston Rd. | No | The one opening was full and the oher faced the ROAD!!! Are they designed for motorists or pedestrians? | Yes | The other units were more user friendly 3 holes all facing the sidewalk. They were larger and didn’t take cigarette butts. That’s the only upside of these new bins. Two ended bins mean nothing if you have to step into traffic to deposit something in them. | No | No are they for garbage or ad revenue? I think having advertising on them is good but my god please make them usable as garbage bins first and ad space second. As well the solar panel at the top makes them look like there open all the time. | Get rid of them they stink. Their mega bins alright! MEGA ad revenue with little or no redeeming values. Whether that be as collection bins or visual stimuli in an urban enviroment. I would protest against these at all costs!!! |
| 1468 | 38599.82095 | No | [Blank] | No | “looks like a place for ads, not a garbage bin” | Yes | “i think that the bins are destined to become yet another space for ads. i think that that garbage collection functionality of the “bins” are a ruse.” | No | “i think that the bins are destined to become yet another space for ads. i think that that garbage collection functionality of the “bins” are a ruse.” | “go back to the drawing board!,design something more functional!” |
| 1469 | 38599.97993 | Yes | bloor/christie | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “they are beautiful. But I find they are to tall. they could possibly block the view of vehicular and pedestrian traffic. I also think its ironic that they are illuminated yet there purpose is to encourage recycling.If the city wants to make money they should get the sources who produce the litter thats thrown on our streets like stores,people, etc,etc.” | Can’t we get them to use solar energy to illuminate the advertisements. |
| 1470 | 38600.00522 | Yes | College & Bathurst | No | “The bins are an obstruction to public views (an eyesore), they are the size of bus shelters but not clear and block the view for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. ,People only used one side of the bins (One side was overflowing and the other side was empty). The open bins attract wasps and bees and just smell nasty after 1 day.” | Yes | They block the view for everyone (I have seen 3 of these around the city and they are the worst design....too tall). They are electric and are a waste of energy during our peek summer months. | No | “I understand the need to recoup costs and generate advertising revenues, but this is not the way. Go back to the oringal designs or something much smaller in height. I am disappointed very much by these.” | “Don’t go with these bins, I beg you. They are ugly, energy drains and aren’t well used by people walking by them.” |
| 1471 | 38600.18019 | Yes | jane & bloor | No | “much more complicated than the regular eucan bins – i unterstood the thing, but i’m sure there will be others who won’t” | Yes | who’s going to use the side closest to the street? | No opinion | these bins are visually distracting on the street and obstruct the sidewalk. they are placed perpendicular to the sidewalk unlike the older bins which take up less walking-room. | “these new bins are attrocious – even if they do generate revenues for the city, their cost comes in the form of their ugliness on city streets. In addition to this, they make it more difficult for motorists to see pedestrians on the sidewalk who are about to step onto the road. lawsuits will surely result from this. thanks for listening!” |
| 1472 | 38600.45126 | Yes | Bloor and Christie | No | Not very much room for garbage: I’ve already seen a few overflowing ad-bins. | Yes | “The bins are obtrusive, adding both visual and physical clutter to the sidewalk.” | No | “There are already too many ads cluttering our streets, and the present bins are working just fine.” | “They look ridiculous. They are impractical, ugly and obtrusive, and are obviously just a vehicle for more advertising: about half of the seven-foot height appears to be useless except as advertising space. |
| 1473 | 38600.45763 | Yes | Avenue Road and Eglinton Avenue | No | “bin openings are too small.overflowing” | Yes | one end is too close to the street to be used so they might as well only be one-sided | No | “these buns obstruct the view of the street as they are too high.they don’t appear to hold as much garbage.” | “these new bins are an eyesore, they are obstuctive and they are not as functional as the traditional garbage cans.” |
| 1474 | 38600.4613 | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | I think that they are terribly ugly and they have a negative impact on the appearance of the neighbourhoods in which they are placed. | No | “I am oppossed to them. If saving money is the sole criteria, why don’t you sell advertising on the on the walls of City Hall and all public buildings. I am being sarcastic of course but I hope you get my point. Please don’t make our city ugly !” | The garbage bins should not be so large and not be in terms of there apperance a dominating presence on the blocks in which they are placed. |
| 1475 | 38600.64568 | Yes | Danforth at Main St on South-West corner | No | One of the ends is facing the street. To use it you must stand on the street in heavy Traffic. This is a dangerous situation. | Yes | The bin is placed to show the ads not to make the use of it feasible. | No | “These bins are not properly designed for garbage. They are much too small, poorly located and obviously planned for advertising. We do not need advertisng on garbage bins. | “For the purpose of garbage bins they are much too big, take up more space than the bins they are planned to replace. They are not properly designed for removal of garbage. The old ones are much better designed and far less an eyes sore that these new ones are.Just to get them free and to advertise is not sufficient reason to provide poor service. We have far too much outdoor advertising. We would be much better served if you just had more of the old style bins. I have photos of the isnatllation described above. How can I send them to you to illustrate the insanity of this particular installation.[redacted] |
| 1476 | 38600.67638 | Yes | King St and Strachan Ave. In front of the HP building. | No | “The whole thing was confusing. First it is this HUGE HULKING billboard which one would never imagine as being a garbage receptacle. The location and size of the areas where the trash could be placed was not particularily logical and you had to focus on how and where to put what. Sure there are the visuals, but I had to really think about how to use this thing. This is a really BAD design and not user friendly. I will not be very happy if they ever get past the trial period. They take up way too much space, they are badly designed, they consume energy which they should not. We should be conserving energy. What was wrong with the other receptacles? they fit into the existing landscape, you could see over them, they were about the same height as the newspaper boxes. They were functional and easy to figure out. These new things have none of these features.” | Yes | “BAD, BAD, POOR, Too Big, Take up too much space. Cut off sight lines for pedestrians, cars, cyclists. They should not be on our sidewalks. The one I used cut into the width of the sidewalk. You are taking away space where pedestrians and people in wheel chairs and scooters should be able to travel. From every angle they get a failing grade from me. They are a blight upon the sidewalk. The one I used was possioned perpendicular to the flow of traffic ( street or sidewalk) and was obvioulsy set up for it’s advertising function and for little else. It Blocked the flow of the pedestrians.” | No | “In my view, these bins would not be acceptable under any circumstances. There are already too many billboards and forms of advertising around. It is a form of visual pollution and we should have less of it rather than more of it. There has to be other ways of increasing the revenues of the City of Toronto than through this sort of impediment to the sidewalk. Everytime we add yet another space for advertising, we make the city look like a billboard. Such things add clutter to the visual landscape, they make the city look junky. They do not make the strteet scape a more pleasant space to be. The former garbage receptacles worked. These eye sores do nothing to make the City a place that I would be proud to show to visitors. No amount of increased revenue will make it worth it.” | “Dump this project FAST. These are not an asset to the City of Toronto. Create something that fits in with the needed sight lines of our sidewalks and streets. We need less spaces for advertising, not more. Lets make our city a place of beauty. Yes we need to have receptacles for things that people want to dispose of, BUT this bin is not the answer. It creats more problems than it solves. Go back to the drawing board, and maybe start with the existing type of recyling bins that we have. Make them accessible from both sides, but DO NOT let them stick out into the sidewalks. Sidewalks are for pedestrians, strollers, wheel chairs, scooters. IN other words, Sidewalks should be for the people that use them and the receptalce has to fit in. This one DOES NOT fit in. BAD. BAD. BAD. WRONG IDEA, WRONG DESIGN.” |
| 1477 | 38600.77059 | Yes | Avenue Rd. and Eglinton (#36 on your map) | No | “The bin was difficult to recognize as a garbage location in the first place. Secondly, it does not hold enough garbage capacity for the amount generated by its location. Third, people had tried to put drink bottles thru the appropriate holes, but the hole was not large enough, and so some bottles were stuck half-way in, making it impossible to use that feature. The cigarette butt disposal was quite overflowing.” | Yes | “I think they should not be positioned on the sidewalk at all – in other words, get rid of them. They are not effectively collecting/containing garbage, they are potential health hazards (rodents, etc.), and they are totally unattractive.” | No | “There are many other ways, places, and city-owned property that could be used to generate advertising revenue for the city. It is not necessary or appropriate to use a refuse container to generate this revenue. I am not in favour of the city installing these bins whether they receive them for free or not. Please re-assess your options.” | No. |
| 1478 | 38600.83494 | Yes | Howard Park Ave. & Roncesvalles Ave. | No | “They were at the right height, but I found the directions as to the slots slightly confusing – I definitely had to read it carefully to see what went where, which I have never found necessary with any other garbage bins.” | Yes | no comment | No | “I think that the proliferation of advertising space on our streets is disturbing, and I think that the bins appear to be billboards, not garbage cans – I didn’t even realize it was a garbage can at first. The slots are not easily accessible or obvious, which i believe will encourage litter, and the bins are frankly an eyesore. I would rather the city pay for practical, easy-to-use, durable gaarbage/recycling bins without advertising.” | “I find the height and shape of the bins really odd – only conducive to advertising. The fact that the bins not only have advertising on them, but are specifically designed to hold advertising, as opposed to being designed to hold garbage, is strange and disturbing. I would be happy to pay the extra tax (which I’m sure would be only a few cents) than face advertising everywhere I go. Our city streets are public space, and I would like to see far less advertising on them – especially when that choice is left with my own municipal government.” |
| 1479 | 38600.93447 | Yes | bath and college | No | openings were restrictevly sized. | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1480 | 38600.9917 | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | Shop side bins were full – street side bins were awkward and frankly dangerous to use. | Yes | “Aweful for a stretch like the Danforth. In summer many of the bars have patios on the sidewalk, so the sidewalk is already very tricky to navigate. These new bins just add more choke points. In winter, snow banks clog the sidewalk, and will make the street-side of the bin impossible to use, without tromping through snow and slush.” | No | “No. These bins:,- clog up the sidewalk,- are only half useful, because to use one of the two openings you actually have to stand in the street, in the way of traffic.- provide a visual distraction for drivers. Not as bad as the TV screens in downtown Toronto, but still a major distraction in a very busy traffic and pedestrian area.” | Please please please do not install these garbage/recycling bins. |
| 1481 | 38601.37971 | Yes | [Blank] | No | Would be easier to use if the openeings were on the sides instead of the ends. | Yes | The tall ones seem to be positioned to get in the way as much as possible. The short ones are not as bad since they are parallel to the sidewalk instead of across it. | No | “Why don’t we just sell massive billboards in Nathan Philips Square while we are at it? I’m not against selling a little advertising on normal trash cans, but when it turns into a massive sign blocking the sidewalk then I certainly do object! | “Suppose we bought “normal” trash cans and then separately sold massive signage obstructing the sidewalks!? Do you suppose that would be received well? Why then are we even contemplating doing it as a package!? |
| 1482 | 38601.38142 | Yes | Gerrard and Broadview | No | “Openings are small and garbage falls out. Labelling is not clear, for example, what goes in the “recyclables” slot, bottles, paper, metal, everything? More information needed. Capicity is minimal compared to the size of this bin, which is not the the seven-foot-tall model you plan to use.” | Yes | “These bins are offensive in that they occupy public space with even more advertising. Absurdly, they use the public electricity system when we are need to reduce consumption. They are a very poor idea. | No | “These bins represent another intrusion into public space by business interests in the guise of public service. The city’s uncluttered “viewing space,” for lack of a better term, has been depleted in the recent past by more and increasingly intrusive advertisments in the form of illuminated billboards, huge television screens, and the like. Public space, and I include in this the space on our sidewalks, streets, and above our buildings, is a public asset. It is not for sale as advertising space. ,Most European cities do a better job than do we of dealing with garbage (not producing as much for a start); these cities use simple and effective receptacles that have two or three openings: waste, paper, glass, for example. They are not illuminated for the purpose of advertising and seem to work quite well. The argument that we cannot afford similar bins, that we need a private company to supply them in exchange for advertising space, is quite simply false and misleading. | “These bins are a poor solution to Toronto’s need for garbage receptacles. They are excessive in size, intrusive into and disrespectful of public space, and encourage over-consummption of energy. Better and simipler solutions exist. The bins are a poor idea; please scrap them.” |
| 1483 | 38601.40179 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | Advertising in the public right of way should be eliminated | No | Advertising in the public right of way should be eliminated | These bins are an example of deterioration of the quality of the environment in Toronto and the commercialization of public space. We are a rich community on a worlwide basis. we can aford to keep advertising out of public space. Other poorer communities around the world do not have this intrusion into public space |
| 1484 | 38601.44872 | [Blank] | “I don’t think I used one, but looked at it closely wondering what the heck it was. I think it was at Bathurst and Wilson.(2 bins? at n.w. and n.e. corners?). I examined them closely, didn’t like what I saw, after initial confusion, realized it was for garbage but didn’t want to put my garbage in it! Didn’t want to use it... it isn’t user-friendly.K” | No | “I much prefer the city’s regular trash bins, especially those with the three sections for recycling.This new bin is too tall, ugly, useless with too small an opening and not readily apparent where/how to place the garbage in it exactly.p” | [Blank] | “Read the article in NOW magazine, August 25-31 2005 issue, p.23. I agree with it. Very poorly positioned, too tall, I hate these new bins and hope they disappear! Obstructive, useless, and I didn’t know they use electricity and are lit up at night. Wasteful!” | No | “I wouldn’t necessarily object to the city receiving revenue etc. but these bins are awful, and in general we have too much advertising polluting the visual public space already. I’d rather have graffiti and posters from unpaid community artists than ugly billboard type ads. I really hate these bins. K” | “What’s wrong with the city’s metal bins with the three recycling sections that are already in most of the city?,Please remove these ugly monstrosities as soon as possible! Thank you.” |
| 1485 | 38601.46175 | Yes | North side of Eglinton between Sutherland and Laird | No | The openings on the street side are inches from the curb. | Yes | See # 2. Moving the bin away from the curb would block the sidewalk. Placing the bin parallel to the road would limit advertising exposure to pedestrian traffic. | No | They are too big and quite frankly an eyesore. | Don’t do it. The city has an initiative to beautify the environment. These bins will definitely not help achieve that goal. |
| 1486 | 38601.46855 | Yes | Danforth near Broadview | No | “If it hadn’t had a HUGE sign on it telling me it was a recycling bin with arrows pointing to the sides, I would never have found the slots.” | No | “I think they are obtrusive, especially during busy foot traffic times like the Beaches Jazz Fest or Taste of the Danforth. I also think they are a security hazard as they are easy to hide behind. Furthermore, if they are lit throughout the night I consider that a huge waste of energy.” | No | “I believe the city receives revenue from the current Eucan bins which, though not perfect (no place for cigarette butts), are less obtrusive and more energy friendly.” | “Added revenue to the city is nice but the increased energy costs, the security issue (see above) and the just-plain-ugliness of these huge ads on our sidewalks make this decision a no-brainer... no new bins please!” |
| 1487 | 38601.57075 | Yes | Bloor West at Indian Road | No | The garbage receptacle is much too small. It was overflowing the day I checked it out. | Yes | “I dislike the fact that the positioning, across the sidewalk, obstructs traffic and the sightline of pedestrians.” | No | “I am strongly opposed! As the Chair of a local residents’ association, I think you should know that organized, vocal residents are universally opposed to the Eucan monstrosity!” | “Apart from the relative lack of garbage receptacle space, I object to these enormous advertising billboards on my sidewalk. This is another case of commercial considerations taking priority over the beauty of the City. I thought our mayor had embarked on a beautification project. This is uglification at its most blatant. |
| 1488 | 38601.59764 | No | [Blank] | No | “Confusing, too busy, too wordy. The advertising receives the most attention. Openings too small.” | No | “Too large and intrusive. In my neighbourhood, there are already many sidewalk obstacles (signs, patios, planters, parking meter machines, etc.) which make navigation difficult. The additional visual clutter is a further distraction.” | No | “No. I don’t believe that our public space and visual appearance should be for sale. What happened to the “Clean and Beautiful” initiative?” | “I feel that they add clutter to the streetscape and are also not effective as garbage receptacles (too complicated, too busy, too poorly designed). They’re big, bulky and look like their major function is to be an advertising billboard.” |
| 1489 | 38601.61111 | Yes | “Kingston Rd. & Victoria Park,Kingston Rd. & Main St.” | No | “The signs weren’t totally clear about where the recycling went. Also, I noticed that recyclable bottles had been dumped in the garbage bin, so obviously other people aren’t clear either.” | Yes | “The bins are positioned too close to the curb, making it a dangerous proposition to access one side of the bins! You almost have to stand in traffic to get at the receptacles.” | Yes | “A qualified yes--advertising is OK by me. But before the City signs any contracts, the bins need to be revamped and improved. Also, who will be responsible for collecting/emptying the bins? With the previous bins, the City ended up with disgusting, overflowing bins because people misused them, but also because they weren’t collected frequently enough.” | “The garbage receptacle looks kind of small (see previous comment). If we don’t want to end up with the same problem as before, the garbage part should be bigger.” |
| 1490 | 38601.65817 | Yes | Victoria Park & Kingston Rd | No | Too high for kids. | Yes | it’s fine | Yes | [Blank] | “Judging from the cigarett butts littered nearby the garbage bin I doubt that smokers are using it for disposal of cigarett butts. However, if they do, one side would probably be sufficient. The other side could be used for battery disposal as apparently only some are fitted for battery disposal. |
| 1491 | 38601.69714 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | I object to advertising on everything in sight!! This destroys the beauty of our city and makes it look tacky and cheap. | “All garbage/recycling bins need to be situated in such a way that they do not interfere with sight lines for traffic. In my neighbourhood (Don Mills and Steeles) I have had to call the local Councillor to get several bins (OMG and others), including the combination bin with seating, removed because they were a safety hazard; drivers could not see clearly around them; they were especially problematic for those making turns. |
| 1492 | 38601.81189 | Yes | Victoria Park and Lawrence | Yes | Yes they were | No | “It looks very good, however it might look better if they were more closer to the Busstops. Especially the New ones.” | Yes | [Blank] | no |
| 1493 | 38601.84928 | Yes | Kennedy & Ellesemere | No | [Blank] | Yes | “-The bins are oddly shaped and take up too much room on the sidewalk. As well, most of the time only one end of the bins are easily accessible,-They seem like they take up too much space just for ads and not enough space for garbage. It seems like it would overflow very easily.-I think we are already being bombarded by too much ads already and I don’t think we need any more even if it does bring in some extra cash to the city.” | No | “I don’t think the new bins fit on sidewalk as cohesively as the existing one (the metallic one). As well, the new ones seem more like a billboard than a garbage/recycling bin. The large space for ads really bother me as we are already bombarded with so much ads on the sidewalk. The existing one wasn’t soo bad because the ads were at the bottom, but this new one’s ads are at eye level.” | I just don’t think the design of these new bins was thought out carefully to fit on city streets. |
| 1494 | 09/06/2005 08:45:05 PM | No | carlaw & danforth | No | inadequate storage capability | No | too much advertising – orientation of unit is positioned for advertising and not for recyling and garbage collection | No | unsightly! | [Blank] |
| 1495 | 09/06/2005 08:52:25 PM | Yes | danforth and pape | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “personally, the larger bins are an eyesore – i really like the smaller ones (used one at Chester TTC station) but having been mugged in the city before I see the larger bins as easy hiding spots. they also block vision and are difficult to navigate around on crowded sidewalks.” | No | “i see them as a safety issue, as well as unsightly (only the larger ones), i like the smaller econo bins and would be happy to see them replace existing bins.” | “if the city were to make this switch, which i understand is in the city’s favour, i would urge the city to consider limiting the advertising and for every three weeks of paid advertising, a week of city public service announcements should be required. in this way, in a staggered fashion, at least some of the bins would at any given time have non commercial city information available for pedestrians. i’d also encourage signage to be in multiple languages possibly even particular to the ethnic communities that they are placed in – just a thought.” |
| 1496 | 09/06/2005 09:05:27 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | They are very unattractive and too large. They block the view. They are an eyesore. | No | see next comment | “Please do not clutter our streets with more advertising and obstructions to our views. Find another way to deal with garbage effectively: smaller bins with regular pick-up as they do in other cities. We already have too much advertising in ALL aspects of our lives, we don’t need more in our streets!” |
| 1497 | 09/06/2005 09:11:06 PM | Yes | Bloor W at Jane | No | [Blank] | Yes | “Very obstructive, chunky and clunky and the height, an unnecessary waste of visual/air space and is non functional other than a space for ads. Unfortunately many ads are just plain ugly. Size okay as self cleaning public washrooms as seen in other parts of the world. Lack of public washrooms here is abysmal. That should be addressed as well or businesses should start allowing the public to use their washrooms without one having to be a patron.” | No | “Would propose for more civic pride, a more community based program (individuals, groups, BIAs, small business, corporations) buying/adopting/sponsoring redesigned bins, not these ones. With a small area for the sponsor name like adopt a highway program. City would be responsible for pick up and maintenance and sponsors could take own initiative to check up on its condition. City would also be responsible for any shortfall in numbers required. Nothing is “free” and for the city to have these bins blighting its already compromised cityscape is just too depressing. Just another sell out.” | “Could be better designed,that is, more elegant, streamlined and minimally stylish. Hire designers such as those at Umbra to create an exquisitively designed but functional and durable bin. Suggest three stainless steel cylinders /drums (tapered at bottom) unit with plastic accents. Waist high only. Smaller size means that it’s possible to increase numbers on any given street. Also no use of energy although small solar panels such as those used in solar garden lights could light up the discreet type only signage.” |
| 1498 | 09/06/2005 11:06:10 PM | Yes | Pape/Danforth | Yes | A moron would be able to figure it out. | Yes | “Bad idea. They seem like large eye sores on the sides of curbs. Someone was standing behind one and pushed their baby carriage out from behind one and I tripped on it and fell. Also later, I watched that same mother and carriage start to cross the street and they were almost hit by a car, again because they came from right behind the garbage. That would not have happened with the old style of bin. Also the side closest to the street never gets used.” | No | “More garbage is ending up on the street then inside the bin.Everytime I go by the bin it is full and overflowing with item crammed into the tiny hole in the top. Nobody move to the street side to put their waste in.” | “If this is just a way for the City to make more money by making advertising space it’s a bad idea. Garbage bins are just that; for garbage. Not everything in the world needs to have an advertising banner on it. If it does, then I reccommend that every city of Toronto employee wear them on their foreheads. Sounds ridiculous right? So is putting them on garbage bins.” |
| 1499 | 09/07/2005 01:38:18 AM | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | bigger openings and more clearly marked writing would help | Yes | [Blank] | No | “they are too tall and look ugly, they look like the wall of a bus shelter” | [Blank] |
| 1500 | 09/07/2005 08:51:02 AM | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | bin access is too small – garbage was spilling out | Yes | very poor positioning – they block sightlines and contribute to visual clutter. i thought we were working to make toronto a more beautiful city? this doesn’t contribute to that vision at all. | No | i don’t want advertising in my face anymore than it already is. garbage disposal is a necessary service that tax dollars should pay for. i’d rather see simple less expensive disposal bins than advertising masquerading as a public service. | [Blank] |
| 1501 | 09/07/2005 08:53:51 AM | No | i am purposely avoiding them | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1502 | 38602.43307 | Yes | “On the Danforth, forget exactly where.” | No | I actaully thought the garbage bin was a bill board. Then I got closer and realized you could put garbage in it. | No | They clutter the sidewalk. | No | “Regular size garbage bins with ads are fine. But, in my opinion, these are not garbage bins. They are bill boards with garbage disposal functionality. | “These bins are big, ugly and intrusive. They are to the sidewalk as the DVP is to the waterfront. Surely you can do better.” |
| 1503 | 38602.45575 | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | “You have to search for the openings, and it isn’t clear what’s what without a bit of scrutiny. Most people just want to shove their garbage in and keep walking, nobody has patience for figuring out where to put things.” | Yes | “I was quite surprised to see that the bin juts out across the sidewalk – perpendicular – it was quite obnoxious looking, blocked the way, and blocked the view. It is hazardous for pedestrians. | No | I don’t think the City should be so eager to give free reign to advertisers who have already covered every square inch of public space with their ads. These bins are just excuses to put up yet more giant ads. | “The garbage receptacles themselves are quite small, given the overall size of of these things, and are awkward to use. |
| 1504 | 38602.46245 | Yes | Bloor & Christie | No | The openings for recyclables was too high (it would be especially too high for people in wheelchairs and children). The openings themselves are confusing in shape and location and would be impossible to decipher without the poster on the side (which I presume will eventually be replaced with advertising) with the directions for what goes where. | Yes | The large ones block the view of the street and traffic and have the effect of a visual advertising assault. It’s especially annoying so close to a public park. | No | “Isn’t it bad enough that there is advertising everywhere on the TTC – on the floors, the stairs, entire walls, and on streetcars? I’m angry that the City is selling its population out as empty-minded consumers. This much advertising is not in the best interests of its citizen. However, I approve and support Toronto’s initiative for support for municipalities from the Federal government.” | “I think the design belies the real purpose of the thing; it’s not a garbage/recycling bin, after all, it’s a billboard. It’s counterintuitive to put garbage in a billboard. Perhaps it’s expected that the “gimicky” or “high-tech” look of the thing will draw people to it, but I think it’s too complicated and confusing. They’ll keep looking around for the garbage or recycling bin while walking straight past what looks like a giant billboard.” |
| 1505 | 38602.46586 | Yes | Jane & Steeles | No | Had a hard time figuring out what to put where. | No | They are too large and ugly to be put anywhere on the sidewalk. | No | “The added clutter and unsightly advertisements on public space is not worth the increased revenue. I would rather pay higher taxes, or pay for our garbage/recycling by other revenue sources, such as revenue from selling recyclable materials (e.g. increased recovery of aluminum cans!) | “Please do not install any more of these bins, and take away the ones that are already there. |
| 1506 | 38602.48615 | No | Bloor & Windermere | No | The bin was overflowing with garbage | No | “It’s a disaster. These bins -- here and almost everywhere else I’ve seen them are an eyesore, are to dominating/too big and just more junk advertising on the streetscape. Lose them!” | No | “We’ve paying for waste bins one way or the other. Whether through our taxes, our through the products we buy as a result of advertising. Return the public space to the public” | “Get rid of them. Garbage/recycling should be available, but as inconspicuous as possible. There’s already too much advertising on City sidewalks” |
| 1507 | 38602.532 | No | [Blank] | Yes | Seems simple enough.... | Yes | rather large and ominous; creates blindspots for pedestrians and drivers. | No | I prefer the current lower profile solution. Will the population be curtious enough to put their buts in the right place? | [Blank] |
| 1508 | 38602.54946 | Yes | dundas & ossington | No | “the openings are located too close to the street edge, you risk getting clipped by any truck that drives by. they don’t see to be practical for kids to use by themselves” | No | “THEY ARE WAY TOO TALL, they block visibility and reduce sidewalk width, and I don’t like the increased visual clutter that the ads give. Maybe if they are used for art diplay instead of ads... but then art doesn’t generate funds for infrastructure does it?” | No | “the bins we have now have ad space.... the design of the new bins seems to more geared to be ad space thatn to collect garbage and recycling. Ads dont make a city beautiful. why are we letting corporations “buy” our streets.” | “Listen to Torontonians when they say “No to the new monster bins!”” |
| 1509 | 38602.55671 | Yes | Roncesvalles & Howard Park | No | Openings too small -- receptacles will not hold enough garbage | Yes | “I think the placement of them is awful -- they take up far too much room, block visibility for drivers and cyclists and generally clutter the sidewalk.” | No | I am offended by how much advertising we already have in the city. I am totally opposed to encouraging more -- financial gains or not. | “Find a better, more efficient desgin that does not allow for commercial advertising. The existing bins are much more sensible and attractive.” |
| 1510 | 38602.56635 | Yes | Roncesvalles & Howard Park | No | Overwhelmed by the information/instructions. | Yes | Cumbersome and positioned poorly. Too tall and visually distracting. | No | “Receiving the bins for free is poorly stated. Nothing is “free”! What is in it for the company designing, installing the bins? Do they automatically get the garbage collection contract worth $$$$$! How ignorant do you feel the public is. And having the city collect revenue from advertising? Are we now visually poluting our streets further? What is wrong with a simple garbage bin with no advertising. Let it be just that – a garbage receptacle!” | “Advertising on the bins sounds like a creative revenue generator, but in fact is visually polluting otherwise beautiful neighbourhoods. Height and size of bins is too large. Why are we spending tax payers money even investigating this unworthy idea? As a tax payer, I would like to know!” |
| 1511 | 38602.57654 | Yes | kingston rd and main street | No | [Blank] | No | “they obstruct the eyeline and create dangerous driving situations. For example the one at kingston and main street obstructs drivers from seeing other traffic and pedestrians. Furthermore i would think that advertising distracting drivers is just plain irresponsible. After all the city of toronto just had an inspector go by the gas station on the south side of kingston rd and birchmount and forced the owner to remove this mobile sign on his own property. The reason; it obstructed the eyeline and was not safely set back from the road. The province of ontario has similar road/sign proximity rules. The next problem is that these signs block pedestrian traffic and force wheelchairs, strollers ect to move over for commercial advertising gain. | No | Finally this apparatus is clearly a blight on the city scape. If montreal can afford to look after its garbage why does the city of toronto have to resort to this. Who came up with this ridiculous idea anyways? | [Blank] |
| 1512 | 38602.58375 | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | “I noticed that the garbage bin was overflowing, as are many in the city. And it took me a second to figure out just exactly where recyclables go. It wasn’t immediately apparent.” | Yes | “I think that they take up too much space, they’re very intrusive, being in the middle. And too high.” | No | “I think it would be a good idea if the bins were shorter, so they wouldn’t block my line of vision so much, and if the receptacles were bigger. The large ones we have overflow so much to begin with.” | Do we really need more ads in this city?? |
| 1513 | 38602.60929 | Yes | Danforth and Playter Blvd. | No | Container was full | Yes | Hate the positioning. Breaks up the view of the sidewalk and the street. Perfect for someone to hide behind late at night. Unsightly and ugly design doing nothing to enhance the visual beauty of the city. | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1514 | 38602.62064 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Good hiding place for attackers | No | They are TOO BIG AND UGLY. This is NOT how to make Toronto more beautiful. They are visually and physically intrusive and we have too much advertising shoved in our faces as it is. Please DO NOT litter the city with these ugly monstrosities. | [Blank] |
| 1515 | 38602.64936 | Yes | Danforth and Chester | No | It was ackward to determine which hole was the correct one for garbage and which was correct for recycling. | Yes | “Visually, they are quite big and ugly. Although they are big, they do not offer much room for disposal.” | No opinion | I would rather see the smaller recycling/garbage bins that are already out on the street. | Please get rid of them. |
| 1516 | 38602.69735 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1517 | 38602.71593 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “These are horribly designed, poorly disguised pieces of visual noise, i.e. advertising. There is absolutely no need for a huge chunk of crappy advertising disguised as a garbage bin!!!,There is one installed at Dundas and Ossington and when you look east on Dundas you can’t see anything but the bin. It blocks the view of traffic coming when you are crossing Dundas north, from the east side of Ossington. Last thing we need is more things that make it harder for pedestrians to get around.” | No | “I am absolutelly opposed to these bins.We do not need more visual noise in the city. If you actually used the bins to provide a map, or some useful information about the city and the community, it may be considered. BUT, I do not believe for a moment that the makers of the bins will actually clean ALL of them and keep them ALL in good repair ALL the time. What was wrong with the other stainless steel bins we already had.” | JUST DON’T DO IT!!!!! |
| 1518 | 38602.72499 | Yes | “Queen West and Jameson ,King West and Strachan” | No | “The recycling slot was an ok height for me, but it seemed a little high for shorter people.The recycling opening isn’t large enough to fit larger beverage bottles.” | Yes | “These bins are aligned to give priority to the ads, not the users. The fact that they are accessible from both ends is a moot point since it’s dangerous to use the side closest to the street -- there isn’t enough space between the street and the bin. Their poisiton also blocks pedestrian space and disrupts the flow of pedestrian traffic.They are a visual barrier, breaking up the streetscape. ,They are a physical barrier, creating safety issues. Since they are tall and solid, it’s impossible to see if someone is behind them.” | No | There is already too much advertising in public spaces and the scale of the ads on these bins is an aesthetic assult.There is an inherent irony to promoting consumption on a vessle used for collecting waste. Surely you can be more creative about revenue sources. | The design of the bin is totally inefficient -- with only a small portion of it being used for waste and recycling (slots are half way down the structure’s height and the receptacles don’t extend across the width). |
| 1519 | 38602.86398 | Yes | “Gerard & Degrassi, Gerard & Pape” | No | “Completely stuffed full already.Once the explanations disappear and the ads take over, the counter-intuitive nature of the bins will, I’m quite sure, mean that everyone will be lazy or confused and the garbage and recycling will be mixed.” | Yes | “They are an eyesore – far too larege and totally hideous, creating a theme park look to the city. Its a shame that no one seems interested in a better solution and that advertisers are now running our city, rather than our council and mayor and citizens. | No | “As above, they are poorly designedand counter-intuitive, almost comically oversized and aa total eyesore.” | There must be a better way! |
| 1520 | 38602.87082 | Yes | Roncesvalles – Roger’s Video | Yes | All relevant information was visible and easily accessible | Yes | Position was fine. | Yes | If this equated to no tax implications for residents and ads were tastefully chosen. | NO |
| 1521 | 38602.91506 | No | Dundas & Ossington | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | bad positioning. One end butts into traffic. Dangerous to try to use that end of the bin. | No | They are ugly. They are huge. They block views. They don’t even work the way they are positioned on the sidewalk. I have not seen anyone use it yet. What is wrong with the short ones? They seem to work fine. | [Blank] |
| 1522 | 38602.92295 | Yes | Queen & Jameson | Yes | Everything was easy to read and garbage was easy to dispose. | Yes | There was no issue at all. They don’t block sightlines and not in the way. | Yes | “Anything the city can do to increase revenue without increasing taxes is a good idea. You need some sort of garbage disposal, you may as well get paid.” | People are going to complain about them for about a week. After that they will get used to them. I say keep them. |
| 1523 | 38603.28747 | Yes | “I’ve looked at it and tried, but it hasn’t been obvious what goes where nor were the slots easily accessible.” | No | “See above. The openings were small, oddly positioned, and I didn’t immediately know what to put where. Also, the positioning of the bin made it hard to get to the actual trash receptacle openings. It was obvious that it was designed and positioned mostly as advertising, and its function as a trash receptacle was secondary. | No | “I am opposed to them. They block visibility and are intrusive, since they are clearly designed above all to serve as advertising spaces, and their supposed practical function is secondary. This is different than billboards in bus shelters or posters on buses and streetcars, because in those case the design of the object (bus, streetcar, bus shelter) is not actually changed.” | No | “See above. I am opposed for all of the above reasons. I do not wish to live in an advertising billboard, which is what such an agreement represents.” | “Reject the contract, keep the current bins. Or, if upgrades are required, commission a design of bins, NOT advertising billboards.” |
| 1524 | 38603.41273 | Yes | Lakeshore & 26th Street | Yes | it is very convenient | Yes | They look very nice | Yes | The city needs revenue | We should have more garbage containers like these |
| 1525 | 38603.4673 | Yes | Danforth near Pape | No | Too confusing. It is a DAMN billboard. | Yes | THESE are HIDEOUS. It is an embarrassment to this city that we turn our streets into billboards. Absolutely disgraceful. | No | Does everything have to have advertising on it???? | GET RID OF THEM. |
| 1526 | 38603.49502 | Yes | king and strachan | No | I looked in and found recyclables in teh garbage section. people are not taking advantage of the recycling openings. | Yes | “I am unhappy. These are giant monster bins. All teh ones i’ve seen are in poor locations, and are too big. At night i do NOT walk past them because people could be hiding behind them. They clutter the street, and are GIANT sized for no reason. | No | the city of toronto should NOT become a whore for advertising companies just to get increased revenue. These bins are an eye sore on toronto streets. | i am in favor of the city’s attempts to get torontonians to recycle. but giant monster bins are NOT teh way to do it. My suggestion: go back to teh drawing board and rethink these huge monstrosities. There must be a better solution... |
| 1527 | 38603.49769 | Yes | Bathurst & Shephard | Yes | “Easy to use, but on looking in the garbage portion, there were multiple glass and plastic bottles and tin cans that should have been recycled. | Yes | “Looks good at Bathurst & Sheppard, only concern is the potential to block visibility for drivers of pedestrians/oncoming traffic” | Yes | [Blank] | Emphasize recycling. It wasn’t being used when I checked |
| 1528 | 38603.50958 | Yes | Christie and Dupont | No | Opening far too small. Didn’t notice that there was recycling hole until friend told me | Yes | “They are disruptive to the flow, ugly, not practical. Hold too little garbage, block the view of the city, and are a safety hazard.” | No | “Even the smaller version looks like a bomb shelter. Ugly, not practical, waste of space.” | “Make a simple, larger capacity, less intrusive garbage bin. First priority should be to collect garbage, not advertise.” |
| 1529 | 38603.51495 | No | I looked at one close up but did not use it as I had no garbage to deposit. The bin was at Bloor & Christie. | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | I find them highly dangerous because they are so tall and perpendicular to the street. They create a blind spot making it impossible to see pedestrians crossing the roadway behind them. The bin at Bloor & Christie is not too close to the street but the ones I saw in photos in the paper were. I think they are much too distracting for cyclists and motorists. | No | “I think the current bins work just fine and still have space for advertising although I prefer the useful public service announcements they tend to carry. It’s somewhat ridiculous to cover a waste receptacle with advertisements encouraging more useless consumption. Just because something is “free” doesn’t mean it won’t have a cost.” | My biggest problem with the bins is that the ads are to be lit and powered by electricity. (Again they are not free as they will require electricity to run) This is a huge waste of energy. Isn’t it bad enough that we’re already lighting bus ads and billboards? |
| 1530 | 38603.57241 | Yes | Pape &Danforth | No | Had to look carefully for the proper opening. | Yes | They take up too much curb space. The garbage openings are not that convenient and obvious. The other opening points towards the street... meaning you have to go around to put stuff in. | No | They take up too much space and I consider them an eyesore. | “When I tried to use them, they were full. The presence of these new bins doesn’t mean that the garbage is taken out any faster. What would be better would be more specialized bins with some sort of feedback so that the level of garbage and bins would be better structured. Overflow has a tendency to go into the recycle bins. The new bins don’t provide that much of a change in garbage volumes. They should repair the ones they already have... the door swings out towards the street. The containers should take asymetrical amounts of waste instead of the all the same.” |
| 1531 | 38603.58029 | Yes | “Howard Park and Roncy, Keele and Bloor” | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | Poorly located. Blocks sight lines and is dangerous for cyclists. Blocks view of independent store windows. | No | “We do not need more advertising. We, as a culture, need far less ads and far more clear open spaces.” | PLEASE do not go ahead with this!!!! |
| 1532 | 38603.7044 | No | [Blank] | No | N/A | Yes | “I find them to be an obstacle, occupying far too much space, and obstructing sightlines, which is a safety concern” | No | “While I accept advertising in transit shelters, and reluctantly on existing garbage bins, no revenue can justify the poor aesthetic of the new ones” | “Yes, scrap the idea! Seriously, shape of exising rectangular bins is far more appropriate, and minor modifcations improving those (like places for cigarette butts) and englarged openings would be a far superior alternative to these overbearing visual blights! |
| 1533 | 38603.79594 | Yes | Morningside & Ellesmere | No | “The signing is quite small and easy to miss, leaving those who wish to just dump their junk perhaps slightly confused. They’ll just put the trash where ever they want and move on. Also, the litter basket portion was overflowing, it’s too small, leaving now way to dispose of litter properly.” | Yes | “One really only has access to one side of the “bin”, if you can really call it that. They’re placed in such a way that the viewing of the advertisements is placed at a higher priority than the disposal of garbage. One must walk around to the curb of the often VERY busy street to dispose of their garbage if one side is already full. That is, of course, if the other side isn’t already full, too.” | No | “They don’t do the city’s streets justice. They take away from what is already a crowded, and often dirty environment. I would much prefer to see the older, but much more pleasing to the eye and effective bins that were only 3-4’ tall (or whatever their height was) and 7’ long (again: Or whatever their length was), with just the one side used for advertising. Also, the signing on the “older” bins is much more effective and they can obviously hold more than the new ones.” | “I don’t approve. They’re just too big and ugly. If a compromise were to be made, though, I’d say to just allow for bigger waste disposal sections on them, as they obviously cannot hold enough waste with their current design. It would be a shame to keep them as they are. Some changes need to be made. I still like the horizontal ones better, though.” |
| 1534 | 38603.96347 | Yes | Howard Pk & Roncesvalles | No | “The bib is too big, ugly, and garish” | Yes | It is an eyesore. | No | We don’t need more advertising. | Get rid of them!! |
| 1535 | 38604.37905 | Yes | Bloor and Christie | Yes | [Blank] | No | “They block useful pedestrian space and, being so tall, they decrease the sightlines for drivers and cyclists.” | No | “These bins are an eyesore. I do not need more advertising in an already-inundated city, especially when it comes in the seven-foot-tall variety. Why not attach the bins to the side of bus shelters--they could be the same size without blocking more space, they would be in a position where they would be well-used, and the advertising would already be there.” | “Thumbs down. Too tall, they use electricity as I understand it, less capacity than the older models, invasion of public space with more advertising, they pose a danger to drivers and cyclists, and they don’t do anything new to encourage effective public waste management. The old bins were a better height, had virtually the same footprint, and held a reasonable amount of waste. These bins are just a grab for more ad space. |
| 1536 | 38604.39718 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | The bin positioned at the SW corner of Clinton and Bloor blocks the view of traffic from Clinton. It is necessary to pull forward into the curb lane of Bloor to see around the bin. | No | “Bin is too tall. Blocks view of traffic for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. May lead to more collisions at intersections.” | Design shorter bins that can be seen over from the seated driver’s position. Do not position bins at intersections. |
| 1537 | 38604.56459 | Yes | “college/bathhurst, others.” | No | “As soon as the descriptive posters are gone, there are no clear affordances to aid finding the correct receptacle. the openings, especially for trash, are much too small. When articles are jammed in the mouths, I am hesitant to push it in; all the flaps make it seem like there is something dangerous on the inside.” | Yes | “Tax dollars (from some level of government), and community business development boards recently did a lot of sidewalk expansion (college, bloor, etc). These bins render any gains by that nul and void. They seem to often be positioned perpendicular to the sidewalk (optimizing vehicle sightlines). This cuts off most of the sidewalk, especially if vendors also utilize part ofthe non-street side. It does not promote pedestrian strolling. It does not benefit the shops these frustrated strollers would otherwise access. Do these not conrtavene city sidewalk laws, the same that govern sandwichboard signs, that stipulate how much sidewalk must remains passable? They are much too large, and obstuct too much of the visible streetscape, especially considering what small volume of trash they can contain. Trash cans are meant to quietly aid beautification of communities, not become obstructions or centres of attention.” | No | “The ads are the biggest sticking point of all. How do you promote environmental consciousness with two 7’x5’ billboards that are electrically backlit?! That is nonsense. I live in a community because it is a nice place to live. Not to become a captive audience for my city to sell to strategic advertisers. If you are so concerned with media innundation to pass a postering bylaw, putting up these enormous bright ads only goes to prove you were in it for revenue, not the beautification. I understand the city is strapped for cash to provide essential services, but these trash billboards are offensive intrusions.” | “Toss the megabin. They are a bad idea, just plain intrusive. Get trash cans and recycle bins that are easy to actually dispose of litter in, and can hold a decent volume. Promote recycling, and be clear how it gets sorted. Allow public bill posting on them, like those “collared poles” (no thanks to the postering bylaw). Unplug any new receptacle. Be green ALL the way.” |
| 1538 | 38604.66738 | Yes | danforth | Yes | “however, I felt like the overall presence of the bins was too tall. Isn’t there alot of wasted space above the top collection area?” | Yes | “I think garbage opening should face pedestrians, and not the advertising side.They should be parallel to the street.” | No | I think the advertising will hurt the bins – no one will know they are garbage bins. I think they have to be cleared indicated and named otherwise we won’t know where to put the garbage. | “I didn’t know those were garbage bins because I thought they were just billboards. I would look past the advertising (as so many of us do on cluttered advertised streets). Finally, when I couldn’t figure out the “advertising message” by just glancing, I actually “read” the ad. That is when I understood that it was a garbage collection. If that garbage message is gone, there will be confusion and they’ll be mistaken for more advertising, and then I think there will be litter on the streets.” |
| 1539 | 38604.79839 | Yes | Roncesvalles & Howard Park | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “There are two bins at the intersection. The North side bin is too tall, however positioned at an angle to the street and preferable to the bin positioned parallel to the street on the south side. | No | While the revenue is nice and will off-set the cost of garbage collection the design leaves much to be desired. When passing the bins it is too much like walking past a wall in the middle of the street. The large advertising space is too much for the city. I prefer the existing low bins with the three compartments. | The bins are too tall. Even the shorter and smaller bin is like walkling past a wall. |
| 1540 | 38604.87971 | Yes | Bloor & Windermere south side | No | “Opening too small. Also capacity, compared to previous bins, too small. Why no sorting of recyclables like with existing bins??? Why even mention recycling???” | Yes | “Extremely obtrusive, impeding pedestrian flow at busy intersection. Have no desire to have yet more advertising, esp. lit-up advertising, shoved in our faces.” | No | “Absolutely not. This is yet another instance of the City pimping public, commons space to the detriment of the community. Nothing wrong with the old bins.” | “Ugly, intrusive, insulting (if you think we’re going to buy that this is an improvement). Get this trash out of our faces, and out of our way.” |
| 1541 | 38604.8908 | Yes | Danforth and Playter | No | “It is confusing, the instructions are not clear and the size is way out of scale for its proposed function. | Yes | They are a safety hazard. No-one can see over them or around them; they become one more obstacle to negotiate at night. | No | The smaller one that I saw at Chester and Danforth is a more reasonable size. | “Too big, visaully unappealing, a safety hazard. 3 good reasons NOT to get them. We want the city to be more inviting and beautiful, the Eucans are a step backwards.” |
| 1542 | 38604.93755 | Yes | warden and sheppard | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | “I was under the impression that they automatically compacted the recycleables on site – eg place the can in, and it would get compacted so that it has the capacity for many many more.” |
| 1543 | 38604.98455 | Yes | Jane and Finch | Yes | Pretty much...though it took me a while to realize what you ask in the question 3. | Yes | Good position...in your face enough that they’ll get used. | Yes | “Yes, recycling at low cost is great. Ads are everywhere anyway. At least these help the environment.” | Need to have recycling receptacles everywhere! Including (especially) schools who have NO such accomodation. |
| 1544 | 38605.0084 | No | “I don’t need to use it (Bloor & Windermere), I take my garbage to my nearby house.” | No | garbage was overflowing; materials don’t fit in some of the slots and doesn’t appear to hold much either. The fact there are collection points on both ends is lost on the fact that the north end is practically on Bloor Street | Yes | “I don’t like the bin – it is too big, too tall, to much of a big eyesore, a billboard on the sidewalk. In the Bloor West Village community, this sticks out as a large, unattractive, obtrusive object.” | No | “Too big, too ugly, not desired in our community (Bloor West Village). We don’t need another place in to do advertising, especially in a neighbourhood.” | “These bins are really billboards masquerading as garbage cans – be honest, they are a cheesy, cheap way to have garbage bins . . . let’s hope we can continue in this great city of ours to afford the basic bins we have and not resort to large advertising gimmicks to try to pass as garbage receptacles.” |
| 1545 | 38605.02567 | Yes | Christie Pits Park | No | “It was simple to operate, but impractical nonetheless. The waste was inserted halfway up, leaving 3-4 feet of unused space in the upper part of the container.” | Yes | The primary function of these bins is to generate ad revenue and so they are positioned as such. They are designed to be intrusive. | No | “Advertising takes away from the appeal of public spaces, especially somewhere such as Christie Pits, where people like to converge and enjoy the city. In the TTC it may be necessary, but here, it is not.” | The fact that the bins are being proposed as an ecological benefit is a joke. Leaving the lights on all night within these 7.5 foot towers is an obscene waste and the bins don’t seem to make recycling any easier. The system currently in place is much less wasteful and the city should either stick to it or a similar solution. |
| 1546 | 38605.35493 | No | Roncesvalles and Howard Park. | No | Garbage container too small. | Yes | “They are in the way of pedestrian traffic.We’ve got enough obstructions on the ,sidewalk as it is.” | No | “They are big, ugly and in the way of,pedestrians.” | [Blank] |
| 1547 | 38605.39041 | Yes | Danforth between Pape and Chester | No | The street side is nearly inaccessible and the sidewalk side is confusing and difficult to stuff newspaper into. | Yes | They obstruct foot traffic and pose a visual barrier to traffic (being too high) to see around when turning) as well as being an eyesore | No | “They’re disfunctional, obstructive and a significant eyesore. They will not fit in with the look of some neighbourhoods.” | “The worst feature is the height, but they also look too small inside to be useful containers and are awkward to use. There appears to be lots of waste space in the top half. What’s it for other than being a billboard?” |
| 1548 | 38605.56604 | Yes | Bloor and Windemere | No | Garbage container on the sidewalk side was overflowing and teh street side container was empty and appeared to never have been used. The garbage container is too small and contained garbae and recyclables. I don’t think anyone will use the butt collectors. The city would be smarter to pass a bylaw requiring bars/restaurants provide butt collectors outside their establishments. | No | “I learned of the street side collection area (cloeset to curbside) only after walking around the entire unit. I noticed the large sign (in place of advertising on the west side of the unit) indicating collection on both ends). This of course would be replaced by an advertisement normally.The unit obscures sightlines (oncoming traffic, especially cyclists). If I were to use the curbside collector, I would feel at risk of being hit by a car or bike (or god forbid a bus!). If a car is parked near the unit, it would be near impossible to use the curbside collector. Overall, the unit takes up too much visible space, reduces sidewalk space and is essentially a blight.” | No | “Absolutely not! Existing cans have ad space. There is no value is selling out to what is essentially a bus shelter sized advertisment with little garbage collection value, no reclyclabel colleciton value, no cig butt collection value and has an enormous negative impact on street life. Get back to the drawing board!” | “The unit is a disaster. It’s embarassing, funtionally inept and a slap in the face to anyone who values a vibrant street life in Toronto.” |
| 1549 | 38605.60729 | Yes | Main & Kingston | No | “It took me several minutes to realize how the bin worked due to its awkward layout. There should be a better indication that the signs on the side that tell where each form of garbage/recycling goes. When I first saw it, I thought that everything was to go in the garbage bin.” | Yes | “On each bin, one of the ends is useless due to their position. The useless end is the one closer to the traffic. It would be wiser and more efficient to rotate the bins 90 degrees so that both ends are easily accessible to the public.” | No opinion | “I liked the old way just fine, but if this will lower taxes due to increased city revenue, then I’m all for it.” | No comment. |
| 1550 | 38605.78799 | Yes | Danforth & Pape | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | Some too close to corners. Obstruct driver’s view. | No | “Height is too tall. Creates visual obstruction for both drivers and pedestrians, and visually ugly. Shorter ones could still hold lots of trash and provide ample ad space without causing problems and disfiguring the city.” | “I have no problem with the concept of advertising offsetting costs, but there is a limit which I think 7-foot-tall billboards goes past. Scale it back and it would be fine.” |
| 1551 | 38606.47447 | Yes | Lawrence & Warden and various other locations. | No | It’s obviously a billboard with some holes cut in it as an afterthought. | Yes | Intrusive waste of space. Can’t see over them. | No | “They’re not free: they block valuable sidewalk space and are hard to see around.The city has to stop falling for these “generous offers” that are really just excuses to spew large, ugly, intrusive advertising graphics all over the place.Would you put flashing, twitching banner ads all over the city Web site? I’m sure that would provide “increased revenue from the sale of commercial advertising space” -- at the price of aesthetics and credibility!” | “The existing long, low bins running lengthwise along the curb are preferable to these gigantic things. The proposed bins look like vending machines that have wandered out into traffic.” |
| 1552 | 38606.56876 | Yes | danforth and pape | No | unclear that it is nothing more than an advertisement. i was surprised to realize that it had some sort of function at all. | Yes | “i think it is disgraceful. the way they are positioned takes up (what, like 5 ft) space ACROSS the already crowded sidewalk. it is unclear that they are waste bins and not just an ad. they will probably confuse tourists. THEY ARE HUGE! (and it really doesn’t look like much of that space is actually used for garbage – e.g. above the openings). these bins are far from tasteful to say the least. why not put ashtrays on the existing bins?” | No | i do not feel that is a fair trade. i feel this gives our city an appearance of being cheap and superficial. Toronto is a beautiful city and it pains me to know how low our city council will stoop for a little dough. | this is one of a few issues facing toronto/ontario that is forcing me to look to other (respectful) provinces/cities in the near future. because i refuse to support these decisions i must take my income and spending power elsewhere. if the city goes ahead with these bins then we will take that as a big middle finger response to the residents who love this city. |
| 1553 | 38606.65032 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1554 | 38606.65323 | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | They obsure views. | No | We need to find a less invasive way to present the advertising. The garbage bins are out of scale with the sidewalk. | “Council, ,Please do not approve these bins.Toronto deserves a more elegant solution.” |
| 1555 | 38606.66733 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “We are already bombarded with enough messages telling us to buy things...in public space that is suppposed to belong to the people, not private enterprise. Give us a breather!” | How about some without any advertising space on them? Thanks! |
| 1556 | 38606.67201 | Yes | Danforth and Pape | No | “No, it was not practical, was not easy to use and furthermore, it is unsafe. The bin openings (on both sides) are way too small, and from seeing how fast the bins become overfull and seeing garbage spilling out onto the sidewalk and the street it is obvious that the bins were never designed for the express purpose of adressing street litter, etc, but rather for the benefit of supplying a convenient and very disturbing street level venue for advertisers that is potentially an object that could prove very unsafe for passersby due to is massive size (re: the large bins) and its placement on the various sidewalks in terms of obstructing one’s view and by providing an irresistible target for looters, grafiti artists, etc, to deface, etc thus costing the city more money for upkeep, repairs, etc, etc – has the city addressed this issue of upkeep and repair to such massive bins, especially in the obvious instances when these bins will be damaged maliciously and on purpose rather than through normal wear and tear? Moreover, as I was informed prior to completing this survey, the bins are provided free of charge to the city and at least some (if not all) of the advertising revenue will be given to the city – nevertheless, it is plainly obvious that no self respecting business or entrepreneur would even for a moment think of going into busisness supplying these gian advertising facades without a clear source of profit – how does this ‘company’ benefit from this magnanimous provision of these bins (both big and small) if not by some advertising revenue sharing scheme with the city? Also, the use of these bins, by placement on city property entails the use of public property (namely, a good chunk of public sidewalk real estate) and is the company responsible for this willing and able to pay for the rental of this lucrative real estate that takes up much, much needed and very scarce public sidewalk space off public use for the benefit of advertising and advertisers?” | Yes | “They are positioned in a very unsafe and potentially dangerous manner on the sidewalk. First, as mentioned above, the large bins will provide an irresistible target for the actions of individuals (most likely youth) who will attempt to deface and in a various ways (eg. by use of spray paint for grafiti, etc) damage these bins and thus render them as objects to be feared (especially by older people, etc) rather than as means of garbage disposal. Their massive size suggests that in case they were to topple and fall they could kill. The provision of street level advertising and the resulting ease of accessibility of these bins would surely invite the ire of anti-advertising proponents many of whom would no doubt take their views a step (or two or three) further and attempt to damage or even outright destroy these objects, a situation that begs the question: have the city and the company party to this deal considered the wider community and social implications of the placement of such easy targets of hooliganism, etc within the very midst of the city’s streets? Who will pay for the unfortunate but inevitable increase of policing and other judicial resources that will be required just in terms of finding and prosecuting offenders for such offences ranging from simple acts of mischief to outright acts of vandalism and destruction of private property? Who will insure the safety of ordinary citizens from the real danger of these large objects themselves in the case that they should topple? Are there adequate provisions in the deal with the provider of these bins that appropriate advertisement content will be displayed on these bins taking into account of the fact that these bins are placed on conspicuous public property vieweable by children, youth, the elderly and everyone else in between? Has this proposed deal taken into account the loss of preciously scarce public sidewalk space for the use of people rather than advertisers? Does the revenue that is expected to be generated by these oversized bins cover the real and potentially very expensive costs for dealing with all of the above potential problems and possibly many, many more that are not addressed here?” | No | “Given the reasons that I have outlined above in answering the previous questions, I am most certainly very opposed to the city installing these bins. On numerous counts, these bins fail dismally as garbage/recycling mechanisms and furthemore, and more importantly, they will become very expensive financial sinks for the city in terms of public money that will have to be spent in combating increased vandalism, etc, etc. | “These bins represent a real danger to the people of this city from a number of different perspectives as I have mentioned in some examples in answering previous questions. Based on the cursory use of some common sense it is very clear to me that these bins rather than generate some residual advertising revenue for the city will end up instead costing tax payers unknown quantities of money for the purpose of maintaining these bins and moreover due to the inevitable and very real increased social and monetary costs of ‘policing’ these bins. They are a real danger and they are ugly – they do not function as they are intended, ie, as garbage/recylcing bins and they are a lame excuse for the blatantly intrusive introduction of street-level advertising. I will, as I am sure many will as well, be contacting my local representatives in government at all levels to register my outrage at this proposal to restrict public access to scarce public space, the intrusion of mostly unwanted advertising that will be the source of much friction at many levels, as well as the presentation of a real physical danger for the well-being of myself and others. In the interest of the proper functioning of the democratic process, the city should immediately engage in pucblic consultations with the various commuities where these pilot projects have been established and should also engage immediately in a fully democratic and accountable analysis of all the costs and benefits of the implementation of such a project by taking into account many of the questions raised above and doubtless many more before making a final decision as to the implementation of these bins. What is needed here is nothing less than a full accounting of many possible but real indiviual, community and social costs that will inevitably have to be borne by the city – that is, by us the hapless tax payers in order to further line the pockets of advertisers. This move by the city to even allow such a project to get so far under way prior to debating these crucial concerns is simply an outrage and it is an outrage that will spill over into direct political action at all levels of governmnent by many outraged citizens such as myself. |
| 1557 | 38606.71969 | Yes | pape danforth | No | Looks more like an ATM then a garbage/recycling station. Very confusing. | Yes | you would have to basically stand on the street to get at the rear side of the bin. | No | How much is the streetscape worth? Makes the city look like a whore. | yeah. rethink the whole thing. These bins are constantly overflowing. The Eucan bins were not! |
| 1558 | 38606.74565 | No | [Blank] | Yes | didn’t use. Don’t know why there is an area for cigarettes? | No | seems fine | Yes | advertising is a great way to receive revenue. I’m in favour | “The test bin I observed, had pop cans in the garbage section. suggestion: perhaps pictures of cans/bottles.. surrounding the opening for recyclables might direct people to that area, rather than just tossing in the garbage area.” |
| 1559 | 38606.86451 | Yes | Eglinton and Laird | No | “Takes a while to figure out this new bin. Also the garbage part was full on one side, and I didn’t realize at first that there was another on the other side. The garbage cans seem pretty small considering how big the whole contraption is.” | Yes | The side closer to the street was less comfortable to use because it’s so close to the street | No | I am strongly opposed to these bins because they are WAY larger than they need to be for garbage containers. I think the furniture on our streets is important and we should not just be selling our souls for advertising. These are so big they block the view. Please please come up with something that’s a more reasonable size! | “Bin them!,Thanks at least for having a trial period and the chance to give feedback.” |
| 1560 | 38606.89009 | Yes | McCowan RT Station | No | “First, I don’t know why there are two openings on both side of the bin. Secondly, it took me a while to distinguish what opening what for what recyclable or garbage. Third, I was practically on the street just to put my trash in the receptacle. Forth, why in the world would people carry their old batteries just so that they could put then into one of these receptacles.” | Yes | “I hate the positioning. You have to practically stand on the road to put stuff into the opening facing the road. This is very unsafe, since, by just missing the ledge, you could be in the middle of oncoming traffic. | No | “No! Do not install this bin in the City! It is too difficult, and unsafe to use due to the positionings of the openings. It is to difficult to assertain which recyclable goes where, that I would most likely just through everything in the trash, or put all my stuff in the wrong openings or just throw it on the ground, since it takes too much time to put anything into it quickly!” | “This design is not safe due to it size. I am a woman who uses public transit, and I travel at very reasonable times, but this bin makes me question my safety at locations where this bin is placed. The size of this receptacle is huge! And it is not up beside a building, so it makes me question if some unknown, and maybe unfavourable person is lurking behind it. It does not make me comfortable travelling by myself or using public transit, since it is an unknown harzard that goes against my safety. |
| 1561 | 38607.07965 | Yes | “Christie & Bloor, ,Danforth & Main,,Gerrard & Coxwell (4’ high)” | No | “Garbage receptacle way too small (overflowing on two occasions), on one rubber flap on gap for recyclables was covered in muck and attracting wasps, on another, cigarette tray had burning cigarette in it, smelled horrible and made using the bin disgusting” | Yes | “Awkward to get to one side, had to stand quite close to road to get to the end; other end was too close to bike pole and tree planter; big one facing cars made garbage receptacle easier to access, but only on one side (other side faced road -- stupid and dangerous)” | No | “Current OMG bins (which are free but are emptied by city and more difficult to empty) are dirty and always have muck and dirt on the outside, sometimes are overflowing and the tops are sometimes off -- the same company making bigger bins seems like a stupid idea, and the design is worse.The ads are huge and obnoxious, the amount of bin space to ad is ridiculous and insulting to pretend that its actually a bin. Too bright, waste of electricity and dangerous to block pedestrian/car/cyclist view so close to road.” | Don’t use a stupid design and don’t get bins from a company that designed stupid dirty bins in the past! |
| 1562 | 38607.43483 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | They are too big and block sightlines. | No | [Blank] | They are the ugliest things standing on the sidewalk that I have ever seen. In my opinion they should be removed or redesigned to at least half their height. |
| 1563 | 38607.4901 | Yes | “Kingston Rd and Main,Kingston Rd and Victoria Park” | Yes | “Yes and no. The flaps are a definite improvement, but the garbage receptacle is fairly small.” | Yes | “Certainly, the Kingston and Main bin is perilously close to the road. Using the curb-side slots might involve getting smacked by a cyclist. | No opinion | “I’m not particularly bothered about the advertisements, but I’m also not convinced that the City cut the best deal it could. | “I approached this with an open mind, but I have to agree with the detractors: back to the drawing board. They appear to use only about half of the interior volume for garbage; the rest is billboard. I have no particular beef with their appearance, but their positioning will be a problem in the downtown core and the fact that they’re electrically illuminated is definitely the wrong message to be sending.I have to ask: has anyone in Waste Management or Council ever proposed segregating the bins? There seems to be this obsession with having multi-multi-purpose repositories, which I think will always lead to messiness, with people stuffing things everywhere they can. When I was in France in the early ‘90s, I’m pretty sure that Paris had big freestanding recycling-only bins, and everything looked pretty tidy.” |
| 1564 | 38607.50897 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “They are gigantic, overbearing, and disrupt the flow of the sidewalk. The shape (large, boxy) of them is meant to stick out and be intrusive, because its primary purpose is to advertise, and then only secondly to collect waste (otherwise why would they be providing them for free???). | No | “I think the City should stay with the old style of bins, and find some other way of receiving revenue. I think these bins are a horrendous eyesore on the cityscape, and just another excuse for advertisers to continue violating our public space. Let us not cover every last spec of our city with garish commercial advertising until we can no longer differentiate between public and private space. (For example, have you ever been to Hong Kong? It’s a full out assault on the eyes, with signs for shops and products EVERYWHERE you turn. There’s almost no where you can go without something trying to advertise something to you. It truly is overwhelming!!) | “On top of everything I’ve mentioned before, they’re JUST UGLY!! Please get rid of them!!!” |
| 1565 | 38607.53317 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | They are way too large. More advertising is not needed on our streets. | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1566 | 38607.56174 | Yes | Yonge St. and York Mills/Wilson Ave. | No | “Openings are small and poorly labelled, with a much too big area for cigarettes.” | Yes | “Terrible. They are a monstrous eye-sore, they block a significant portion of the sidewalk, and are distracting to drivers because of the large illuminated advertisments.” | No | “The bins are an encroachment on our public space, whose main purpose is to advertise, something we have more than enough of already (Yonge and Dundas comes to mind). I would be willing to pay more in tax to prevent more ads in public space.” | “Please, please do not accept this proposal. It really is a sell-out to advertising for a poor garbage bin service.” |
| 1567 | 38607.58971 | Yes | Danforth and Chester | No | “1. The holes were too small,2. It seems like a poor use of space. There must be a better way to get more in to a bin type solution that doesn’t overflow so easily.3. It was too high and intrusive. We don’t need any more advertising media on our streets. We are bombarded enough. I prefer the old ones that are shorter.” | Yes | “As above, I do not like them at all. I am sure you could use design students to come up with something funkier, shorter, more space-wise. ,The current ones are like a skinny wall that will soon have ads on them.” | No | “Again, if they were not a walll, I might be able to tolerate them. But, at they are, they are way too much ad and a little garbage can” | Thanks for at least asking for our opinions and please continue the good work that you are doing with cleaning up the city. |
| 1568 | 38607.59833 | Yes | pape & danforth | No | the openings were at the right height but they were small and hard to use with their flaps and coverings | No | “they look as though they should be bus stops but they’re not, they are obviously just a giant advertising space. they are eye catching because they are big and ugly” | No | these units would be better as bus stops. put garbage bins on bus stops- now that’s a good idea. but massive advertising for its own self-serving purpose is obnoxious. | [Blank] |
| 1569 | 38607.60752 | Yes | “May, mostly in the Danforth & Logan and downtown (King & Yonge) areas.” | No | “They needed instruction, they are not intuitive.” | Yes | “Hate ‘em. Too big, ugly, all about advertising. It’s not bad enough that bus shelters are full of advertising. What are we telling visitors about the character and priorities of our city? Stainless steel, featureless, revenue grabbing?” | No | See above. | “The recent Toronto advertising was also soul-less. Tooo cute. The city has a personality, let’s use it.” |
| 1570 | 38607.64178 | Yes | Christie Pits | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “They’re impractical and ugly.The capacity for trash has obviously taken a backseat to space for ads. The bins fill up way too quickly, people put recyclables in the trasn and vice/versa, and garbage overflows. | [Blank] |
| 1571 | 38607.6814 | Yes | Don mills/van horne | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | They are unnecessarily tall!!!! If they were only as tall as the top garbage slot (approx 4’) you can still have adverts on it and they would not be in the way of pedestrians and cars. People in cars cannot see over them. People on the sidewalk cannot see over them! Unsafe. Plus they are really ugly. Make the three feet shorter and discret. | Yes | “Yes, only if they are made shorter! (reasons mentioned above) As they are now, I vote NO. I think alot of people would not use them correctly. The city would have to sort stuff anyway. Most people are dumb and careless and will not use the bins properly.” | “Clearer instuctions can be embossed onto the 2’ wide side of the bin that is painted green right now. As it is, the instructions for using the bins are on top of the slots. This is totally illogical and a waste of space. It seems that they were put there so that you could have a reason to justify the height of these bins. The placement will also lead to confusion and misuse. |
| 1572 | 38607.74075 | Yes | “I have examined and tried to use several bins, most frequently the one at Kingston and Main,streets” | No | “They were not easy to use – too much text to read, too many flies around, and several receptacles overflowing, usually with papers placed in wrong receptacle” | Yes | “Not placed with any realistic sense of how sidewalks are used by pedestrians and transit users, or how cyclists and drivers dispose of garbage.” | No | Add a dollar or two to property taxes instead – well worth it to save our sidewalks ! | “The bins would be an unwelcome and inappropriate obstacle on our sidewalks. They block parts of the sidewalk, using up public pedestrian space. They impede sightlines, especially of those looking for transit or cars to pick them up. They are large visual distractions, ugly (by anyone’s standards) but impossible to ignore. It’s absurd and unreasonable to expect that drivers and cyclists will stop to use them – dangerous too, especially when pedestrians try to use the streetside receptacles. As far as I can tell, flies and wasps seem to be the chief users of the receptacles, with enough of them to keep me away when I approach the bins. Few pedestrians are going to stop long enough to read and absorb all of the text and pix describing just what goes where.Finally, may I please have some acknowledgement that someone has actually read and inventoried my comments in this box?” |
| 1573 | 38607.75483 | [Blank] | “no, but i’ve seen them. the one at christie and bloor” | No | “no – the amount of space dedicated to waste collection is miniscule compared to the amount of space for advertising. given that the existing advertising-laden trash bins downtown are often overflowing with garbage, adding somethign that is 1/5th waste collection, 4/5ths advertising isn’t going to help.” | Yes | “anything on the sidewalk in addition to the hot dog carts, sandwich board signs and other sidewalk obstructions, this makes it worse for the benefit of some advertising company” | No | No! We are already knee deep in commercial messages. enough already! | I do not like them. we are already bombarded at every turn with often crass and offensive advertising images. no more ads! enough is enough. |
| 1574 | 38607.80229 | Yes | midland & finch | Yes | i finally have a place to throw away my cigarette butts and recycle my used water bottle and news paper. | Yes | it’s position was satisfactory | Yes | yes ofcourse...it would help the city of Toronto alot since the provincial and the federal government seems to be ignoring its importance | “i liked it alot...but could this system be implemented on to the bus shelters also?,because the width of it seemed to be that of the bus shelter’s” |
| 1575 | 38607.82481 | Yes | Dundas and Ossington | No | [Blank] | No | They’re horrible! They’re huge! | No | “You’re selling out. When I recycle, I want to feel good about doing something for the environment. I also want to feel good about my local government taking responsible action for the environment. I don’t want to be bombarded by still more advertising that encourages me to buy products that are creating the waste in the first place!” | Don’t go there! |
| 1576 | 38607.87198 | Yes | Danforth and Pape | No | The signage is not obvious enough – too dark to see them even during the day – and the openings themselves are not wide enough | Yes | They block sightlines; their height is imposing and overwhelming. | No | They are a blight. | Make better use of the current silver collection bins. |
| 1577 | 38607.88045 | Yes | “Yes, Bathurst and College” | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “I think they are obstructive because of their sheer size (vertical). The “old” bins were (are) horizontal. The vertical bins even block the view of pedestrians, to say nothing of vehicles.” | No | “These bins might APPEAR to be beneficial, but they are most beneficial for the already-wealthy advertisers, who can WELL AFFORD to give them to the city for “free”. Nothing is “free,” particularly when it comes to corporate advertising. | “The horizontal, three-hole garbage bins served my puposes very well, and most of them had also have advertising. They might not be as “glamorous” as the new bins, but they function very well it seems to me. They are often overflowing with garbage, so obviously people use them. They also (I think) have more capacity than the new bins, which look as if they have only a relatively small amount of space. I can see these new bins overflowing very quickly if they are used with the same frequency as the “old” bins. |
| 1578 | 38607.93037 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1579 | 38607.98571 | Yes | I’ve seen two. Can’t remember exact locations but I think one was on Queen East around Carlaw and the other on either King West or Queen West in the area between University and Bathurst. | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “I have a mixed opinion. They’re quite obtrusive and high, a little awkward in their design. They seem like they shouldn’t be there; they stand out quite a lot for garbage cans. Definitely good for advertisers as the ad image is closer to eye level than current garbage can ads. | No | “I’m all for the City receiving more revenue and I work in advertising, so not against this idea on principle. It just seems like a bit too much of a sell-out. The design is primarily geared for ads; the garbage capacity looks like an afterthought to gain new ad space on public property.” | “If you do keep these new bins, it would be great to have a green waste area in them.” |
| 1580 | 38608.09438 | Yes | tourist -- don’t remember. | Yes | it was self explanatory. | Yes | awesome | Yes | absolutely | thank you for saving future generations from a mound of garbage!! |
| 1581 | 38608.42631 | Yes | Bloor & Jane | No | “The cigarette butt receptacle is almot impossible to find. The status of the thing as a a “garbag bin” is doubtful in any respect; it looks like a free-standing marquee. I had to stop and rread what it said before even realizing it was a garbage bin.” | No | It’s a ridiculou imposition on the experience of walking down the sidewalk. the city doesn’t need to cover every availabl space with advetising. | No | “Receiving bins “for free” doesn’t justify their ungainliness, their lack of usability, or the affort that they impose to pedestrians.” | “The sooner they’re gone, the better.” |
| 1582 | 38608.46448 | Yes | Bloor & Christie | No | so many options and not self-explanatory – who wants to read a novel before knowing where to put something? i’m sure it will lead to mixed up garbage and recyclables | No | “the one at Bloor & Christie is back a bit from the street which is good, but it’s a ridiculous billboard in an otherwise decent park. the one at gerrard square is just silly – you can’t even use one side of the bin and it’s so close to the street it blocks the view of cars, bikes and pedestrians. probably distracting for drivers, too.” | No | “we don’t need more billboards!! the old bins are bad enough with the ads and the falling apart, but at least they are relatively unobtrusive – and can hold more! – compared to these awful new things.” | “a garbage bin should not be taller than pedestrians – we should be making the city more pedestrian friendly, not less. and the billboards – enough already!” |
| 1583 | 38608.5033 | No | “While I have’t used a bin, I have seen them at York Mills & Yonge and Bathurst & Wilson.” | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | The bins can block a driver’s view of the road. These bins are WAY too tall! | No | [Blank] | “The new bins are too tall and carry way too much advertising. This is a GARBAGE can. Stick with the big, horizontal, silver garbage bins. Advertizing is certainly still available (you can’t miss it) but so are the garbage and recycling areas. Question: did the company wanting to sell the gabage bins to the city design this survey too?!” |
| 1584 | 38608.53797 | Yes | Danforth between Pape and Broadview | No | “Considering the overall size of the bin, the garbage recepticle is too small.” | Yes | “The bins are obtrusive. I walk along the Danforth every day, and find that the size of the bins is problematic. They interfere with the natural flow of pedestrian traffic on what is often a very busy street. I also feel that the bins block sight lines and as such detract from the enjoyment of the street. The advertisements on the bins create visual pollution. | No | “We need publicly funded services, not public space sold to the highest bidder.” | “Hire a design firm to design a device that is functional and distinctly of Toronto. In the long run, this will enhance the visual impact of the city and ultimately be good for the bottom line. Toronto does not need more commercial advertising in it’s public space. |
| 1585 | 38608.56112 | Yes | West of Finch and Bathurst | No | Way too small for the size of the bin as a whole. | Yes | “Blocks too much view ie: safety concern, visual eyesore” | No | “I DON’T support raising city funds by installing more advertising. There is already far too much illegal advertising in the neighbourhood as it is. ,ALSO, will the advertisers pay to have the garbage picked up?? I didn’t think so!” | “Why are we adding more light to the city?,NO ONE I know of asked for these!!” |
| 1586 | 38608.57296 | Yes | Queen and Shaw and Bathurst and College | No | “the recylcying opening you have to push through, and potentially touching the rubber parts. I don’t like touching any part of a garbage bin, revise design so the opening reflects that consideration please.” | Yes | “it looks like it could be possibly in the way of drivers in terms of blind spots??,i like the shorter designs. not too high.” | No | [Blank] | “the garbage bins are overflowing already, doesn’t seem to allow much garbage space. seems like design is in favour of ad space rather than a better efficient design of garbage bin.” |
| 1587 | 38608.60936 | Yes | Howard Park and Roncesvalles. | No | “The openings are small, and the bin was overflowing. | Yes | The bins are in the way of pedestrian traffic and congest busy sidewalks. | No | “The bins are not practical. The proposed bins do not have a lot of space for refuse; the existing bins are usually spilling garbage onto the street and sidewalk. It seems as though, by implementing the new bin, the City is attemting to solve a budget problem, but is refusing to adequately address a garbage problem.” | “Go back to the old system of open-mouthed containers, at least for non-recyclable materials. The new bins are an eyesore, a distraction to motorists, an impediment to pedestrians, and increase the amount of visual pollution.” |
| 1588 | 38608.62179 | Yes | Queen and Dufferin as well as King and Strachan | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | obtrusive | No | “They are huge. I already feel inundated with advertising, subway, billboards, ttc.. enough is enough” | [Blank] |
| 1589 | 38608.75772 | Yes | Danforth & Papa | Yes | They were at the right hight however they were full. | Yes | okay positioning | No | “The advertising is tacky, if they were smaller and more styleish they would be more visually appealing.” | “The other garbage bins are fine. The new ones dont have enough room, they should be re-designed” |
| 1590 | 38608.79174 | Yes | danforth logan | No | “It was full. so no, not practical at all. | Yes | “I find them obtrusive. I like that I no longer have to touch and push through a dirty tightly sprung flap, but it seems to be big only to deal with bigger ads.” | No | Is it really worth it? I don’t think so. We are over saturated with advertisments all over the city. Surely there is a more creative and hones way for a city to make money. Are we going to keep depending on large corporations to exist? | They stick out like a sore thumb in a quaint neighbourhood. This city is about community. I am resenting these moves towards a city that looks the same from one end to the other. |
| 1591 | 38608.8285 | Yes | In front of Gerrard Square | No | It took to long to figure out which opening to put my garbage in. I was tempted to just put my trash in any opening | Yes | I HATE this new design. It is too big and daunting. It takes up too much space on the sidewalk. Worst of all it blocks your view. What an eye sore. | No | I am not in favour of bins of this size and magnitute. Should a garbage bin really be the largest thing on the sidewalk. The height needs to be cut in half. | Cut the height in half!!!! |
| 1592 | 38608.8334 | Yes | “Lakeshore west of Kipling, by the Tim Horton’s” | No | Wasn’t really clear which type of refuse went where. | No | “Way too large. The existing Eucan garbage cans are great, they can be seen over, some have great shapes for the different types of recyclables, eg round hole for bottles & cans, narrow rectangle for paper. | No | These new monster bins are truely monstrous. They are advertising w/ garbage & recycling crammed in as an afterthought. Plus they use up precious electricity. Couldn’t they be made to use solar panels like the parking metres?! Where are your priorities? | “The thing for cigarette butts is good, but it took some reading to figure out what that area was for. There are so many thoughtless & disgusting smokers who throw their butts on the ground, most the time without even bothering to stamp them out. |
| 1593 | 38608.85558 | No | “(Saw it, didn’t use it) Danforth, E. of Broadview” | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “The size & intrusiveness of these bins is really obnoxious. It really cuts up the line of sight down the street. As advertising, it is completely unacceptably intrusive. And unlike bus shelters, the only reason for blocking the view down the street is for advertising purposes.” | No | “I appreciate that the city is in need of funds, but the negative impact on the streetscape is too great. I believe that there would be considerable public reaction against the installation of these bins.” | Thanks for the public consultation. |
| 1594 | 38608.90487 | Yes | Danforth & Pape | No | I didn’t find it as easy to use as I first thought. It takes some effort to figure out where everything goes – seems to be more about the billboards. | No | “I don’t like the idea of more advertising space in the city – we have enough! And I didn’t want to use it because it seemed to be overflowing. That’s not exactly practical, either!” | No | “I like the idea of having a better recycling system, but something smaller and sleeker would be better. Why is advertising the only answer for generating more revenue??” | “No avertising, and something more sanitarty. I have never found the bins we currently have very clean, with the flaps covering the openings. So please keep trying!!” |
| 1595 | 38608.94363 | Yes | danforth and carlaw | No | The recepticles facing the street are much too close to the street. | Yes | “Take up far too much sidewalk space. Clearly, they are designed to advertise, and the garbage/recycling use is only secondary.” | No | “I do not believe the new bins are appropriate. The old bins, which were placed parrallel to the sidwalk/road were a much more efficient use of space, and a lot less obtrusive advertising.” | “I am not against advertising, but these new bins go much too far in my opinion. They are very obtrusive – both visually and physically. And as I indicated above, the openings facing the street are highly impractical to use (and in my observation are seldom used). Please reconsider the old bin format.” |
| 1596 | 38609.4215 | Yes | Broadview and Gerrard | No | [Blank] | Yes | “They are too big, and ugly. If sidewalks were wider they might be OK IF they didn’t have ads.” | No | We have ads everywhere. Way too many. We are constantly assaulted by ads. | PLEASE don’t have them! |
| 1597 | 38609.44317 | Yes | Howard Park and Roncesvalles | No | I found the bin very confusing. Maybe we just need to get used to them. The empty 2 litre size bottle of pop that I wanted to recycle would not fit into the recycle part of the bin. The only place it could go was in the garbage. Not good! | Yes | The bin on the north side of Howard Park and Roncesvalles is positioned such that any traffic coming to the street from Ritchie Ave. cannot see traffic on Roncesvalles before entering the road. Every time I go by there I see near misses of collisions. | No | [Blank] | “These new bins are too big and ugly! They look shiny and new right now but will, over time, become dirty and grungy like the ones we already have. Insert holes in the bins are not beg enough and in some places, they will certainly cause traffic problems as I have already pointed out. I like the grey boxed we already have maybe without the flaps and cleaned up a bit. I’m sure we can do better than these ugly monstrosities.” |
| 1598 | 38609.47567 | Yes | Kingston and Main | No | Impossible to use opening on street side safely | Yes | “Ideal as a billboard, terrible as a trash bin.” | No | “The city seems to be intent on selling every vertical space it can for advertizing, witness the illuminated billboard at the entrance of Kew Beach Park! A trash bin should be a trash bin, not a billboard. The city would do better to hire more trash collection people to clean the streets rather than try to raise more revenue by selling advertizing.Ads on the current trash bins are distracting enough to drivers. How much more dangerous will illuminated billboards be?” | DONT INSTALL THEM! |
| 1599 | 38609.47872 | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | i think i would be great if we could get these garbage bins installed... then most of us will be incouraged not litter. |
| 1600 | 38609.54639 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | “has anybody thought about the fact that the easier it is to “throw your garbage into a simple large mouth refuse container the more likely people are to use it, men typicaly use their best basketball shot and women prefer the idea that they have large opening and are less likely to touch a dirty rim or have to open a filthy little trap door it was a cleaner city when street garbage cans were simple , cheaper, and more of them the old ones were rather heavy for the sanitation workers to lift and empty I humbly suggest if you test this use a tough plastic not metal if you want sell advertising sell advertising if want to reduce litter make it as user friendly as possible a citizen who remembers bragging to city visitors about torontos cleaniness thanks for listening or reading k c irving |
| 1601 | 38609.57461 | Yes | Roncesvalles and Howard Park Avenues | No | “The openings were unclear, small and difficult to use. There does not seem to be very much of the hideous structure actually used for garbage and recycling. I have seen them overflowing with items. | Yes | “The bins are obstructive to sidewalk traffic. I find them visually disturbing and esthetically unpleasant to look at. They add to the “visual noise” of the environment.” | No | “NO,if the bins are the same as the ones on the streets now. But it maybe possible to redesign them to make them more functional and less obstructive.” | “Where there other designs considered for the bins? If not, why not? |
| 1602 | 38609.57656 | Yes | Main and Danforth | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | the positioning seemed fine provided they’re not too close to ttc stops otherwise they may block them just because of their size. | Yes | [Blank] | I love that there is a spot for cigarette butts. Hopefully people will take advantage of this. |
| 1603 | 38609.61832 | Yes | Danforth and Bowden | No | “The garbage bins (both sides)were full and very smelly. It was not immediately obvious that both ends had garbage bins, hence not easy to understand. | Yes | “The enormous size of the whole apparatus is ugly and obtrusive, taking up more than half of the wide sidewalks on the Danforth. | No | “I’d rather pay more in taxes and have efficiently designed garbage bins, the apparaus of these new bins is enormous but their capacity fo containing garbage is totally inadequate.” | Depending on their placement they may well obstruct traffic – both pedestrian and vehicular. Give them back to the company. |
| 1604 | 38609.62815 | Yes | York Mills and Yonge NW corner | No | “The bins suffer from poor design... poor, at least, for the purposes of collecting waste. See additional comments below.” | Yes | “They seemed optimally positioned for advertising purposes, not for the benefit of people wishing to dispose of their waste.” | No | “No, we shouldn’t be compromising our track record on waste collection and recycling! A clean City should not be contingent on the availability of advertising possibilities or corporate sponsorship. And besides, garbage bins are meant to make the City cleaner, more beautiful – but these new bins detract from the idea of a beautiful City – they replace one type of waste (litter) with another (billboard pollution).” | “Here’s some specific comments on the design features of the bin that I tried to use:,(1) the recyclables part is higher-up, more difficult to see, and protected by a rubber flap that will likely become disgusting after the first half-filled soda can slops over it. People won’t want to touch this to push the next can in,(2) the litter bins at the bottom are particularly small and will require a lot of changing. The ones at my corner were already over-flowing and spilling on the ground – making an unsightly mess. The look as if they could become easily clogged, and are not condusive to people ‘tossing’ a piece of garbage away.(3) The ashtray component is an interesting idea, but I am willing to bet that it won’t be used that much. Also, what if people get lazy and start hucking cigarette butts at other parts of the bin, or miss the tray and drop it in the garbage. It would be nice to get butts off the street but I’m not sure this is the way to go.(4) The only ostensible benefit of this new style of bin is that it seems to allow for a large, unsightly advertising poster to be placed in it. In fact, the poster overwhelms the bin itself... meaning that the purpose of the new bin isn’t immediately apparent. It doesn’t look like a litter bin!,Please keep my informed of your decisions on this initiative.Sincerely,,Andrew Pask,,former Co-chair,,Toronto Recycling Action Committee,[redacted]” |
| 1605 | 38609.63225 | Yes | Runnymede and Bloor; Jane and Bloor | Yes | But they were overflowing | Yes | “Although garbage, recyclables and cigarette butts are collected at both ends, one end is right up against the street; hence, only one side is accessible for use. This, in turn, has them overflow and look terrible. | No | “Other than them being located right at the street (only one side accessible), they are WAY too tall. Not only is that ugly and advertising our garbage (as well as sponsored products by advertisers), but UNSAFE! Someone can easily hide behind one of these without notice, and I would not want to walk passed one of these at night.The city gaining money at the ex” | “I see nothing wrong with the ones that we already have that run horizontally.Back in the ‘20’s (or 30s), the city began legislating advertising as it was becoming overrun with advertisements everywhere. In fact, in June the Toronto archives had a great exhibition on that particular topic. And, yet, we seem to be going back to having advertising everywhere we look. It’s cheap and dirty and not worth the buck that the city would make.Add that to the poor locations of the garbage bins and the safety issue, it is a very bad idea. |
| 1606 | 38609.67225 | Yes | Royal York/Lakeshore Blvd. W | No | Too small | Yes | “Too big!!!,they block traffic sight lines and dominate the sidewalk” | No | “Please, no more advertising!!!!! There’s enough already!!” | “iT SEMS TO ME THAT THEIR FUNCTION AS A GARBAGE RECEPTACLE IS SECONDARY TO THAT OF AN ADVERTISING PLATFORM – LARGE UNSIGHTLY ADS ARE WHAT THEY ARE REALLY ABOUT AND I DON,’T LIKE IT” |
| 1607 | 38609.74712 | Yes | keele/st.clair; gerrard/pape | No | “order of receptacles is badly designed – observed much mixing of mistaken deposits – eg. trash in organic receptacle – trash should be lowest and largest receptacle since people don’t read – they just dump. Contamination of one form of waste with another increases work, waste and energy use to process. Form should follow function.” | No | “blocks much sidewalk space; blocks pedestrian, cyclist and driver sightlines – dangerous” | No | extra power consumption and increased trash from used posters defeats the purpose of extra recycling bins; gigantic billboards on the sidewalk is repugnant and unacceptable | huge problems in design and functionality – these bins are virtually useless. |
| 1608 | 38609.90461 | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | Somewhat confusing because labelling is small. It seems more practical to have bin openings side by side rather than stacked. | No | “It takes up far too much room on the sidewalk because of the positioning (which is perpendicular to the road and sidewalk). Pedestrian traffic is reduced around these bins, which is annoying and disappointing. | No | “In my view, the money received from advertising does not compensate for the increase in the visual pollution of our city. Indeed, the figures I have read on TTC advertising revenues were startlingly low considering how depressing it is to be forced to view adverstising constantly. The city needs to seriously weigh the cost of the corporatization of its streets.” | “The additional space above the actual bins is superfluous and insulting. If it is necessary to sell ad space, at least restrict the space to the size of the bin. Dont simply install billboards on our sidewalks!” |
| 1609 | 38609.91618 | Yes | Danforth and Pape | No | The positioning of the openings is counter-intuitive. The openings themselves are two small. The potential for confusion between the recyclables and the garbage seems great. | Yes | “The way in which they are placed takes up much too much room and interrupts pedestrian flow, to the extent that it seems it will practically impossible to place them in this way on the majority of sidewalks in the downtown area.” | No | The extra revenue to be gained in advertising (above the amount already earned) seems to come at a great environmental cost. These bins are extremely invasive of our streets. I also suspect that the increase revenues will not be nearly substantial enough in the long run to justify this project. | “These bins are not only hideous but also don’t solve the real problems of litter collection which the Mayor singled out as one of his primary concerns. Despite the amount of space they occupy, they offer little more, if any, space for actual garbage. The small openings for garbage are guaranteed to jam easily in the same way as the current ones do. Overall they represent a step backwards in what should be the city’s overriding goal which is to improve the quality and appeal of its neighbourhoods. |
| 1610 | 38609.96253 | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | “The garbage is too small and was overflowing. And yet the other end of it was almost empty, because it faces away from the sidewalk, onto the parking lot.” | Yes | “If the aim of the bins was truly for garbage/recycling, then the bins would be parallel to the sidewalk. Since the aim of the bins is to display advertising, they are perpendicular. It makes more sense to have the openings accessible to both flows of pedestrian traffic.” | No | WE DO NOT NEED TO SEE MORE ADS ON THE STREETS!!! Is there not a point where we citizens can say – enough – please don’t try to sell us more useless products. | “I sincerely feel that their height and size pose a danger to people, especially women, walking alone at night. It would be very easy for someone to hide behind the bins. If Toronto keeps those bins, it will truly be a step backward in our attempt to beautify the city.” |
| 1611 | 38609.98365 | Yes | Christie and Bloor. | No | “The garbage container was far too small and without a closure, the recycling receptacle has a rubber closure which gets sticky and disgusting, and the ash tray is awkwardly placed. Furthermore nothing is clearly marked.” | Yes | “They are terribly positioned. They are placed across the sidewalk, so the ads are easy to see, but the receptacles are harder to get to. Also, they block pedestrian traffic, distract drivers, and impede important sight lines. Finally, they are placed either in the middle of the sidewalk, a ridiculous idea, or at the curb edge, rendering one end useless for putting garbage into unless you walk into the street! | No | The increase in revenue is absolutely not worth it. The gaudy adverts are a tax on the aesthetics of our streets; an unnecessary commercialization of our public space. | “The difference between these bins and earlier ones is that while the early ones were garbage bins with advertising on them, the “megabin” is an ad with a garbage receptacle. It is not even obvious that they are garbage bins. I am leaving the country for a year, and if I return to find the streets littered with these bins, I will strongly consider leaving the city.” |
| 1612 | 38609.98847 | Yes | college & Ossington | No | [Blank] | No | right beside a bus shelter- this could become a problem if they are not emptied on a regular basis. | No | “I feel that they do not add any pleasing aesthetic to the city. The current silver bins with the 3 deposit windows are somewhat better. Only it seems that the nicer ones of those with a little design on the sides of them are only placed in wealthier areas. Garbage vessels need to be visible to be of use, but they should not interfere with the landscape of the sidewalk. We should be consentrating on beautifying the city, rather than adding more billboards which are only ever an eyesore and intrusive.” | [Blank] |
| 1613 | 38610.34916 | No | Port Union Rd. & Lawrence Ave | Yes | appear to be | Yes | “asume each location may reuire a different position;,e.g. sight lines, sidewalk, trees, etc.” | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1614 | 38610.49368 | Yes | Markham and Ellesmere | No | “Too confusing and time consuming at first glance, and the openings and garbage space appear extremely small.” | Yes | “A thoughtful and long over due initiative, I personally prefer the more conventional and already existing recyle bins. But in a market oriented society we have to succumb to the advertising industry in order to contribute to the environment. And in a society saturated with ads do these ads really make a difference? Not really. So go ahead I mean we have ads in toilets now, so why not have them on these bins also. | Yes | “But if possible please leave out the advertising component and instead replace it with a positive environmental message i.e. how recycling helps the environment. This will help to educate people. The ads defeat the purity of the campaign, because it encourages consumption via the ads. In a sense it appears as an Orwellian doublespeak.” | “Just use the already existing multi-recycle bins. (I’m refering to the long garbage bins divided into different sections where each section is dedicated to a specific material i.e. cans, plastic...and suchlike. They are less confusing and more convenient. And are the bins powered by electricity? If so then I don’t support them.” |
| 1615 | 38610.50802 | Yes | “Bloor, near Christie,Roncesvalles, South of Dundas” | No | “The garbage bin was small and full to overflowing -- it would not accept any more. The Recycle bin was difficult to identify -- probably the reason there seemed to be so many cans in the Garbage bin. The third receptacle was a mystery, until someone told me it was for cigarette butts.” | Yes | “The city claims that these are bins primarily for garbage and recycling collection. I know this is true because the city repeatedly and exclusively refers to them that way:,”New Garbage & Recycling Bin Survey”, “the newly designed garbage/recycling bins”, etc.These behemoths are NOT primarily for garbage and recycling collection. Garbage and recycling collection is an afterthought, hastily and poorly grafted on. To try to claim otherwise is to insult your citizens or to demonstrate gullibility or graft.The capacity of these so-called bins is poor, the usability is poor, and the side effects are unacceptably burdensome: they are HUGE, they take up too much sidewalk space, and they block the lines of sight that are vital to public safety. Imagine you were marketing some new allergy medication: possible side effects include heart attack and liver and kidney shutdown, but, hey, you won’t have that annoying little sniffle! Its ridiculous to expect that someone will willingly suffer such a severe downside for such little benefit.These new monstrosities are not wolves in sheeps clothing, but wolves with little certificates from the city that say sheep.Shame on you.” | No | “The key word there is “these”. The old style of garbage/recycling bins with advertising are great. Some new design may also be great. This proposed new design is a joke. I have no objection to advertising on bins in concept, but the proposed design in unacceptably poor. Send your suppliers back to the drawing board.” | PLEASE don’t use them! |
| 1616 | 38610.52279 | Yes | “Danforth, west of Chester” | No | “Couldn’t tell which slot was which, and trash was full -- and crawling with wasps” | No | “Horrible; it completely blocks the street, and you can’t see past it. People are going to walk into these, and the city will get sued.” | No | “They’re ugly, they block the street view, and we’ve got far too many ads on the street as is. They also look as if they’d be readily vandalized.” | “Cancel the trial immediately, and send them back. No city with a gram of civic pride would consider these monstrosities.” |
| 1617 | 38610.60073 | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1618 | 38610.79088 | Yes | “Young and Wilson, NW corner” | No | “The bin has vertical openings so the eyes must deliberatly travel up and down to find information – it is not at eye level. Signs next to the openings must be much clearer. The SilverBoxes at at the user’s height and easily understandable. I looked and saw many recyclables in the garbage and it was overflowing. I did not like putting my hands through the rubber gasket. Horizontal is better. There was a spelling error in “cigarettes”.” | Yes | Bins are OK but the user needs to go to the ends to find theopenings. It woudl be beter if they faced pedestrian traffic. | Yes | I am not against the City receiving advertizing dollars as long as the bins are functioning as they were designed to do. | The SilverBoxes have resonably strong metal posts to protect the box. What is there to protect the pilot boxes? How will they survive winter snow plows? The pilot needs to go through the winter and the bins need to be piloted in other denser areas of the City. |
| 1619 | 38610.85925 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | “This bin at Don Mills and Lawrence, is adjacent to a new park commemorating the creation of Don Mills. It doesn’t do much to enhance this spot.” | No | “Just what we need, more space for advertising.I would think, with home recycling and the waste disposal bins already on the street, that we have enough means of getting rid of waste. An equally important pollution, visual, is produced by this new bin.” | [Blank] |
| 1620 | 38610.9115 | Yes | Bathurst& Sheppard | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | Very convenient! I hope the’ll be on all big intersections soon! | Yes | I think the city will get a lot out of this new recycling program! | “I was pleasenty surprised when I saw it the first time, when I was passing by... I think it’s a great idea, I hope they will be installed all over! |
| 1621 | 38610.98295 | Yes | Don Mills & Van Horne | No | “I found that the battery opening was too small, I almost got it confused with the recyclable opening above it. I had a large bag of old batteries to dispose and I had to drop each one in one by one. It would be better if I could drop the whole bag in at once. Considering some of my batteries were so old and corroding.” | Yes | “The position on the sidewalk was good, I noticed it as soon as I pulled up in my car. I was excited to learn I could drop off my batteries there since I usually save them because they are so harmful to toss in landfills.” | Yes | The more we can encourage recycling and proper removal of harmful waste the better it is for our earth. | “Yes, I noticed when I was dropping off my batteries that the organic disposal was open right below. Inside I saw regular litter not organic waste, I think a smaller hole for organic waste would be better to make sure the proper waste goes in the right hole.” |
| 1622 | 38611.35043 | Yes | Danforth Avenue | No | “openings too small, too high for short people & kids to reach – confusing” | No | “the bin I used was close to a corner, making it difficult to see traffic etc. in order to cross the street safely” | No | “the idea of the City not having to pay for the bins is okay, as is revenue – but the bins need some kind of re-design – they are too big” | the bins simply take up too much space both physically and with all that advertising – we are over-ridden with advertising on the streets as it is. the bins seem to be all about glitzy metal and ads than about garbage collection. my opinion is that there needs to be a re-think on this – our city is much too cluttered and busy already – keep it simple! |
| 1623 | 38611.45387 | No | Christie and Bloor | No | “It was FULL. There is not enough garbage space, and the recepticles were difficult to distinguish between” | Yes | “Too HIGH! Too much advertising, not enough place for garbage/recycling.” | No | What’s the point if it doesnt hold enough? | “Waste of time, waste of money, waste of space. Go back to the drawing board and come up with something practical!” |
| 1624 | 38611.46943 | Yes | howard park & roncessvales | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | I felt the bins take up too much space on the sidewalk. As a cyclist I noticed that the size of the bins make it hard for motorists to see you or others when they are located near the corners. The size may work in larger suburban areas where the roads are wider but in the older part of Toronto they are far too big. | No | I think a deal can be reached for maybe more bins at a smaller size. | [Blank] |
| 1625 | 38611.47249 | Yes | christi and bloor | No | like the old ones...the opening was covered in garbage already | [Blank] | they look out of place and more like an advertisement than a garbage can. | No opinion | “No. Money comes and goes, but we have to live with these poorly designed UGLY bins in our neighbourhoods. Why can’t the City embark on a competition for designs and have the competition and production sponsored. Advertising revenue isn’t the only way to fund garbage containers.” | “Please end the pilot project and go with a container that is not such a blight on the landscape. Co-ordinate these bins with other street furniture for a “made in Toronto” approach, rather than have our urban design dictated by the need to raise funds....!” |
| 1626 | 38611.57984 | Yes | “Ossington & Dundas, College & Ossington” | No | “What is the emphasis here – advertising or garbage collection??? The garbage receptacle is tiny and I’m still not sure what is supposed to go where. How about larger receptacles, better signage and less ads?” | No | I saw only one receptacle on the side. | No | “NO NO NO. I am sick to death of being assaulted by corporate branding efforts everywhere I go. First bus shelters, then the entire sides of streetcars and TV’s in subway stations and now garbage bins which once again places the interests of big business ahead of the citizens of this city. I am NOT in favour of these ugly, impractical garbage bins. There are many ways for the city to generate increased revenue – this is an assault on our public space.” | [Blank] |
| 1627 | 38611.58709 | Yes | Howar Park & Roncesvalles | No | It took a bit to figure out which garbage went where... | No | “they seem to be too far in- there is no missing them anyway. With all the other stuff competing for attention, they did stand out- but I am not sure if that is a good thing.” | Yes | “Ok- they are ugly and our streets don’t need any help- but to keep garbage where it ought to be and that they are free, thats good.” | [Blank] |
| 1628 | 38611.59646 | Yes | Danforth & Bowden | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | They are too high--block the sightlines of the streetscape. Especially important when a mom with young children is walking and suddenly can’t see that a child is hiding behind one (and cd fall onto the street) at the very edge of a busy street. I saw this happen on the Danforth and it was scary. I’m glad that these were not being tried out when my children were young. | No | “I’d rather pay more taxes than sell off public space--our city is already too full of advertising. Every time I drive on some of Toronto’s major streets, I have to concentrate extra hard to not get distracted by the billboards, especially the TV-screen style ones. Of course, the point of them IS to attract your attention. But big ads put right in the face of motorists (such as on the Gardiner) is not only ugly and stressful, is is downright dangerous.I feel the same way about the new large information posts around the city.If we want to increase the liveability of Toronto and want to attract more tourists, we should DECREASE the advertising in public space and make our streets more pleasant to spend time in--allow more buskers, street vendors, different kind of food vendors (having only hot dogs, french fries and ice cream as choices are very bush-league), wider sidewalks, lower the parking space requirements for main street housing intensification projects and don’t be afraid to take risks and be unpopular in the short term. Listen to some good planners--I know the city has them. I’ll be sending this msg to my councillor too. Good luck!” | “UGLY--UGLY--UUGGLLYYY!,The other OMG bins were bad enough, but at least you could see over them. When things are this ugly, obtrusive and blatant money grab, people generally feel more hostile to them (thus vandalism, improper use, graffiti will probably happen) and start to care less about their community. This gradually leads to a more dangerous community.PLEASE be aware of the long-term social impact of this kind of corruption of communal public space. |
| 1629 | 38611.60523 | Yes | Broadview and Danforth | No | “The bins tended to be full by late afternoon, there were pop bottles (recyclable) in the garbage receptacle” | Yes | The one on the Danforth east of Broadview blocks the view of the street at the cross walk. One end of the receptacle faces the street making it harder for people to use. | No | “The new bins are an eyesore, the trash and recycling receptacles are not big enough. While I do support the decision to have ‘butt-stops’ these are to few and far between. The new bins would be littering our public space with more UNWANTED ad space. | Why is a unit designed to recycle and reduce litter encouraging consummerism? There is more room devoted to ad space than to waste disposal. |
| 1630 | 38611.61267 | Yes | Eglington | No | “too little space, too complicated to figure out . I gave up and tossed it on the street.” | No | they block pedestrian space and sight lines from my car. | No | “absolulty not!!,this is no excusse for these useless monsters!!and they waste energy wich i pay likely pay for | “They are difficult to use and an assalt on my eyes. We need fewer of these and more plan and simple bins,Have a look at NYC and see what it does. |
| 1631 | 38611.64843 | Yes | Chester & Danforth | No | The slots are hard to find and use. They are too big and ugly! | Yes | “They are an eye sore, hard to use, to high and hard to see where the cigarette butts were to go and people had just dropped them outside of the bin.” | No | I can appreciate the problem with financing however there has to be another solution. This bins just aren’t it. | [Blank] |
| 1632 | 38611.65252 | Yes | “Bathurst and College, southwest corner.” | No | “Hard to figure out what goes where, even with the arrows on the poster. Once the ads go in, it will be even more difficult. The placement of the bin blocks pedestrian traffic. Garbage receptacle is open – will attract wasps and other insects. There’s also a possibility for fire with the cigarette bin – someone might toss a lit cigarette towards the cigarette receptacle, but it might land in the garbage.” | Yes | “AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL!!! Placing them perpendicular to the road blocks pedestrian traffic. The old bins were much less obtrusive. What the positioning of these ugly, monstrous bins say to me is, “We don’t like you walking on the sidewalk. It’s more important that people in cars look at this advertising.”” | No | “I’m well aware of the City of Toronto’s current financial predicament, but just because something is free doesn’t mean it should be accepted. Please don’t put a bunch of gigantic, ugly billboards on our streets just to save a few bucks.” | “I know the City is in financial difficulties, but even if these bins are free, it’s not worth the aggravation. It’s ludicrous that the City is even considering these monstrosities. They’re just AWFUL! They block pedestrian traffic, for the sole purpose of increasing the visibility of the advertising to passing motorists. The garbage bins have no cover, so they will doubtless attract all kinds of insects in the summer months. I think there’s a fire hazard in placing a cigarette receptacle so close to a garbage bin. And since these proposed garbage bins are illuminated, I really think the City will be sending out the wrong message about energy conversation. Please, for the love of God, GET RID OF THESE PROPOSED BINS!!!” |
| 1633 | 38611.67419 | Yes | Danforth and Jones. There is no bin at Bathurst and College or on College anywhere bwtween Spadina and Bathurst! No garbage bins at all! | [Blank] | Openings are a bit small. As a driver there have been a few times around the city where it was difficult to see traffic and pedestrians because of them. | Yes | You cannot use the road side end very well. It is awkward to reach around or postition yourself. In many cases the road is just too darn close for comfort or there are obsticles such as poles or trees. | [Blank] | If the first order of business is to be able to dispose of garbage then sure. But my fear is that Eucan will start to dictate how the bins are place and where and then the city would seem to be at the mercy of the ad companies. Ads also should be veted to be appropriate in PUBLIC spaces | A certain number of ads per month should have to be provided no charge for Charitable groups/non profits. |
| 1634 | 38611.6787 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “The bins are unsightly and will impede sightlines of pedestirans, vehicles and storefronts.” | No | There is enough advertisement splattered all over the City. Advertisements are also unsightly and distracting for motorists. | [Blank] |
| 1635 | 38611.71206 | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | “Not as easy as the old bins. Some of the openings were on the street side. The positioning of the bin is only to maximize the advertising exposure, not improve its functionality as a garbage bin.” | No | “They clutter the streetscape. We don’t need any more advertising on our sidewalks. They block the view of pedestrians and cyclists. At night, when they are lit, they are also a distraction for drivers. In cases such as the Danforth, sidewalk cafes already cut into the space available. The existing bins are fine.” | No | “Get more functional garbage bins and figure out other ways to raise revenue for the city. This does not make the city more beautiful. “Crapping up” the city will not make the city more liveable, or attract more tourists.” | “Get more functional bins with greater capacity. They should be low and inobtrusive. Get designers to design them. Hold a competition with the prize being a charitable donation on the desinger’s behalf. If the city needs more revenue, hold a public conference soliciting ideas for both saving and raising money. We need to be smarter than this by settling for big eye level billboards. BTW, I’m in the advertising and marketing industry, but everything in its place, please.” |
| 1636 | 38611.71875 | Yes | christie and bloor | No | “I have used this several times:,top one for recycling is too high for those with disabilities (in wheelchairs). ,Too difficult to put the recycling in it with the black covering. I still see a lot of newspapers thrown away in the “trash” so I’d like to see this part changed.It would be nice if each were labeled directly above or below the openings instead of on another location” | Yes | okay. doesn’t bother me | Yes | but maybe if they weren’t so tall they would not stick out as much. do they really need to be this tall? does that whole thing fill up with trash? | “I love that there’s FINALLY a place for people to throw their cigarette butts. I hope it’s getting used. ,Can you put styrofoam in the recycling? A list of what’s recyclable would be nice. ,What about food scraps? Will these have the capabilities of a “green bin”?” |
| 1637 | 38611.73248 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | “No. I understand the city’s budget pressures, and also our need to make the city much cleaner, but I do not support increasing the amount of advertising in public spaces. I would prefer that the city include the purchase/lease of garbage bins in its budget. Alternatively, I would be willing to see not-for-profit advertising, at a reasonable cost to NFPs.” | “I find them very large -- would prefer them lower to the ground. I’d be willling to see them wider rather than tall. Reasons: 1) less visually imposing; 2) easier to see over for kids, short people, disabled, women alone/at night; and 3) more tempting to use because they’d be easier to reach.The explanatory signage on the bins doesn’t seem to be obvious. I watched a man walk right up to the bin at the Chester subway, drop his butt on the ground about 6” from the bin. He had walked past the end of the bin, where his butt should have gone, but there was nothing there to flag that he could have put it there. The explanation on the front is not easy to understand. It should be simplified with easy graphics, and the ends should have simple graphics showing what’s what (ie butts here; papers there...).Finally, the old bins were usually overflowing and disgusting. I’d like to see the bins maintained more often, and to see more of them at high traffic locations (subways etc.).I appreciate the attempt to make the city cleaner.” |
| 1638 | 38611.76858 | Yes | Dundas and Ossington | No | One of the sides was too close to the curb. I’d practically have to be standing on the road in order to use it. The other side was overflowing. | Yes | “It’s terrible. They take up a wide chunk of the sidewalk (as they’re situated perpendicular to the road; if they were parrallel this wouldn’t be as much of a problem). They are also far too bright at night – arn’t we in a power squeeze? Finally, being so wide and so tall, it interferes with vision when trying to make a turn.” | No | “They’re ugly and intrusive; they are also far too tall. If the city is really in this much of a cash crunch, perhaps they should consider taxing currently existing billboards?” | Toronto has a biowaste disposal service (the green bins). Why on earth do the trash bins not have a slot for organic matter? It is ridiculous that my apple has to go to a landfill when the city already has a compost programme. |
| 1639 | 38611.77846 | Yes | “Queen St. W. between Bathurst & Dufferin – can’t remember exactly, it was while walking in the Labour Day parade” | No | “I had to circle round it to find the right opening, and no, I don’t think it’s easy to understand (and I’m fairly sign-literate). If it takes that much effort to throw your garbage/recycling in the right opening, then I just don’t think people are going to bother getting it right.” | No | no comment other than I think they’re ridiculous waste containers | No | “First of all, I think they’re ineffective waste containers, so even if they’re free, they’re not very good.Secondly, I am so tired of everything being turned into commercial space – and these would provide for fairly large advertisements, not just a moderate-size banner lower down under the openings. And if you’re going to go ahead with these anyways, how about the company donating 50% of the space for public service/non-profit organization messaging.Really, I’d much rather pay more taxes than live with ever-increasing commercial advertising everywhere I go – those ipod subway cars are already over the top!” | “Please just Get rid of them, and go with a more normal, user-friendly garbage/recycling bin, preferably without advertising.” |
| 1640 | 38612.44902 | Yes | Dundas & Ossington | No | Too many different options. Confusing. | No | They are way too large to be used on the sidewalk. They block the view of the street (and vice versa). The current garbage cans work fine. | No | The city must strike a balance between its need for revenues and the citizens’ right to have some ad-free spaces on our streets. I can’t imagine more tacky advertisements on our streets and at such a large size. | It is totally irresponsible for the city to even consider implementing a garbage can that uses power. The province is in an energy crisis and we want to drain more power to light up garbage cans? Not on my tax dollar! |
| 1641 | 38612.55954 | Yes | Bloor and Keele | No | Pictures small. Garbage overflowing | Yes | Terrible. They are too tall and make it easy for someone to hide behind it. They make the community less safe for women. | No | [Blank] | “i don’t see anything wrong with the ones we have now, other than they don’t have a specific spot for cigarette butts, and i don’t believe that smokers will carry them until they reach a trash recepticle anyway. We don’t need more obstacles on our streets, especially ones that appear to be designed to provide cover for criminals.” |
| 1642 | 38612.70741 | Yes | Dundas/Ossington | No | The bin was far too large for the necessary amount of space that it used to store garbage/recyclables. | Yes | “They are far too large and take up too much pedestrian space. There is no reason that they need to be so tall, other than the fact that they are destined to carry large advertisements. | No | “Again, the bins are far too large. We are forced to look at enough ads all day long, not to mention the fact that these giant, awkward bins jut out into pedestrian space in an unacceptable way. | “I think that the way that the bins are being tested is deceptive, as there are no private advertisements on them at present. some even have blank spaces where ads will be placed if, god forbid, the city decides to go ahead with this project. if they are being tested, people should actually be able to see what they will get: advertising space which happens to also contain garbage/recycling facitlites, and not garbage/recycling bins which happen to have ads on them. It’s really unfortunate that the city thinks that we need even more and larger advertisements cluttering up our precious public space. |
| 1643 | 38612.76663 | Yes | Yonge & York Mills | No | “The dispensaries for different types of trash were marked in a way that was very confusing. Whatsmore, bin capacity was obviously sacrificed for advertising space as the bins were overflowing onto the ground.” | Yes | “In a word or two, it stinks. Because they’re positioned to give the most advertising exposure to traffic, disposing of trash on the side closest to vehicular traffic puts pedestrians at risk. Maximum media exposure for somebody’s advertisement is not worth risking anyone’s life. | No | “No. The design is all wrong. They do not in anyway blend in with the streetscape (though as advertising vehicles first, they’re meant to be noticed). They’re not engineered to hold the quantity of trash that’s commonly left in municipal containers. There is nothing wrong with city accepting ‘free’ containers as long as the city’s focus remains on trash disposal convenience and capacity and rejects those designs that do nothing for the taxpayer other than clutter the landscape with a disparate visual distraction.” | Poorly thought out and planned. Of no aesthetic or practical advantage to the public who own the property upon which they sit. |
| 1644 | 38613.36014 | Yes | Eglinton & Sutherland | [Blank] | “No, holes too small. Difficult to read where things should go. Old bins had clearer instructions. Looks more like a bus stop than a bin. Many people may not realize they are even bins. This may lead to more littering. ,There are no doors on the garbage cans.” | Yes | “It is pointless having collection at both end of the bin as the bin is too close to the sidewalk. Noone will walk around to the side that is close to the street since pedestrian flow is naturally at the side that is farthest from the street.They block the view of pedestrians and those using the roads.They interrupt the flow of pedestrian traffic as they are placed in the middle of the sidewalk.” | No | “No, these bins are ugly, look like bus stops, are too large, . They are far too commercial looking, especially in a residential community.” | “I say scrap them. Bring in something that has a lower profile, and looks more clearly like a garbage bin. ,I think it is a waste of energy to use electricity to light the ads on these bins. It is not in the spirit of conservation.” |
| 1645 | 38613.61807 | Yes | Danforth @ Playter Blvd | Yes | Yes it was clear where to throw the garbage. | Yes | I do not like bins placement on the sidewalk. I nearly ran into a pedestrian walking behind the bin as I was putting my garbage in the opening | No | “No, I find the large advertisements block out the pedestrians line of vision. If the city wants to find new ways of revenue, they should seek other more creative ways to do so.” | The waist-level garbage bins provide advertising the do not block the pedestrian’s line of vision. They are far more superior. |
| 1646 | 38613.62464 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | “They’re impossible to miss, that’s for damned sure.” | No | “Why don’t city councillors start wearing logos for the advertisers from whom they want revenue? They’re paid to serve the city; they could even get highly visible tattoos (temporary, if any of them prefer), advertising any number of products and services. Anytime the mayor speaks, he could drop mentions of particularly generous sponsors, so the public awareness of those companies is maintained. Those initiatives would be no less appropriate than erecting billboards on every street corner. I’m already sickened by seeing streetcars and busses swathed in logos, six-metre television screens flogging everything from TV shows to cosmetics, and signs in the subway which provide all sorts of advertising information, but generally fail to provide the one piece of information for which they were initially installed: THE TIME.” | “We need more money for the various levels of government? Then make polluters truly pay for their crimes, and divvy up the spoils. Set aside a good amount of it for environmental protection, and disaster contingency (everyone else has insurance – why not government), and you’ll still have enough to provide all of the services this city needs.Fuck the bins. Period.” |
| 1647 | 38613.64075 | Yes | “Danforth and Pape,Yonge and York Mills” | No | “No, this was not easy to use. The openings were too small. The garbage bin was very small, and you had to WALK ONTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC just to get to the other side!,The garbage can was already overflowing and I wasn’t about to walk on the street to put my trash in. I wanted until i saw the next silver can to put it in.” | Yes | “Very poor. Being perpendicular to the street it was impossible to get to the other side of the garbage w/o walking onto coming traffic, and gives us EVEN LESS space to walk in the sidewalk.if anything they should be parallel to the sidewalk so we can get to both side easily, and allows for more room -- i.e. brand visibility of the billboards to pedestrians and cars should NOT be the primary driver for positioning.” | No | “No. The catch is much too big in this case. 7-foot billboards are MUCH too large! There are already so many of these billboards on the TTC shelters and on buildings, which i know the city can’t control. Eg. with the new listerine ads I saw (Eglinton and Yonge) they’re growing past the shelter and covering the entire shelter – you can’t even see outside when you’re in them!!,There is not enough space to walk already and you see enough ads. They are much too big and overbearing.” | “The #1 purpose should be for garbage, not advertising. Perpendicular positioning, electric illumination (wasting more energy), and massive size of the billboards clearly demonstates this is mainly a revenue-focused initative. The fact that pedestrians have to walk onto oncoming traffic just to put garbage in on the other side is crazy. ,These billboards should be 1/2 the height. We all understand the need for revenue for the ads, so they should be the same size as they are w/the silver containers.Engineers should design a unit with more space for garbage/recycling (i.e. functionality) and then space for advertising. The fact that you need a 7-foot ad w/instructions clearly shows this need retooling. It should be:,1)Intuitative to use,2)Durable,3)Spaceous for various types of trash but not too big for dumping,4)Easy for city staff to clear efficiently and effectively,5)All some advertising space where available (after meeting criteria 1-4)” |
| 1648 | 38613.69617 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | I think they are a big big eyesore. It was bad enough having all those newspaper dispensers and these bins just add to the clutter. | No | Even if the city was paid to have the bins with no advertising revenues I would not be in favor of these eyesores. | Let’s raise the bar. Paris (France) only installs garbage containers that fit in with the image they want the city to reflect. That could be a model for Toronto. |
| 1649 | 38613.79817 | Yes | Yonge and Wilson | No | There should not be anything to understand! Is the City offering courses for using trash receptacles? Do you believe that smokers will be using them as ashtrays? This seems to be a joke. | Yes | “No matter how you install them, they are horrible. This city seems to become a billboard” | No | “Unquestionably ugly, too tall, they obstruct the view of whatever, and the do not add anything to the appeal of the location where they are put. It’s a crazy idea!” | Fire the persons who proposed them. |
| 1650 | 38613.8476 | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | “The bin is placed perpendicular to the sidewalk. Thus only the garbage openings facing the sidewalk are accessible. The garbage openings facing the street are not only hidden, but difficult to access. Also having the bins cutting across the sidewalk limits the movement on the sidewalk. People must squeeze together to avoid the bin. It’s like walking through a bottleneck.” | Yes | “I favour the bins only if the main objective of them is to collect litter. Right now, the bins seem more to do about advertising than litter collection. Sure, placing the bins perpendicular to the sidewalk allows the pedestrians see both sides of advertisements on the bins. But in this way, one only notices the advertisements and not all the garbage openings. Place the bins parallel to the sidewalk. In this way, the garbage opening on both sides of the bin will be exposed and used. Also this will free up the valuable space on the sidewalk. | Think more about litter collection than revenue collection. |
| 1651 | 38613.87025 | No | Main St. & Danforth | No | “Opening should be at mid-thight level, for hand-down easy to reach. Unpractical for use because of bin opening height – it’s like garbage can put in your face and it’s blocking walking path, people walk long arch around to avoid it – check for yourselves.” | Yes | “Advertising should not interfere with pedestrians’ traffic – it should be oriented not across the traffic, but along it and be at the edge of sidewalk, and not occupy the third part of sidewalk’s width. If there are restictions for fences’ height near cross- roads, same height restrictions should be in force for any other items in the same places, for the same reasons.” | No | “Not this model.For a shorter model or positioned farther from cross-roads, along the edge of sidewalk, less massive (like shelthers at bus stops), with cans at much lower level from the ground – yes.” | “Nobody likes to be forced face to face with trash cans, especially with such monstrosity.At this particular location, with cafe across the can, a little space left for pedestrians. Put it away, please! Cheaper, less massive cans, in bigger quantities are much better.” |
| 1652 | 38613.93539 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | they are too high and are an eyesore | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1653 | 38613.97012 | Yes | Dufferin S. of King | No | One half was accessible from the sidewalk. To use the other you would have to step into the street | Yes | “Horrible. They are mostly placed perpendicular to the road, forcing people onto the street to use them. This placement also takes up far too much sidewalk space, making them a barrier to pedestrian traffic.” | No | “Nothing comes for free. The current bins are provided under similar terms, yet it is the city that still pays for cleaning them, correct? And they get mighty messy. How will these bins work if they are overflowing, or when they are several years old?” | “Terrible. As with the current bins, they are designed as billboards first, receptacles second. The perpendicular placement to the road makes them an obstacle as well as dangerous to use, and to my best guess is only being done to make them more effective as billboards as the few I have seen that are parallel to the road have posters on only one side. ,At a time when the city is taking steps to ban informal citizen communication (i.e. posters and graffiti) it is completely hypocritical for our government to be making arrangements for more commercial speech in public space. ,A much better solution would be to adopt the open-bag system the TTC is experimenting with (such as the bins in the St. Andrew Station). The city of Paris, a true world-class city, uses them to great effect. They are secure (i.e. not easily used by bombers), have a much larger capacity than these propsed “Superbins”, are non-obtrusive, are easily serviced by city workers, and are likely far less expensive to purchase and maintain.And finally, when will our governments stop passing the buck to the private-sector to provide basic city services? |
| 1654 | 38613.99939 | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | Too small a container to hold garbage -- but that is not my concern. Please see 4. | Yes | “If we accept these on our streets, they should be oriented parallel to the road and not perpendicular. Positioned perpendicular they: inhibit pedestrian traffic; impede views down the street and make the garbage bin closest to the curb dangerous to access and hence 50% useless for their intended refuse collection purpose. | No | I believe we already have enough street level advertising -- provided by transit shelters and the current garbage bins. | I believe we’d be better off without them. I also think the city needs to take more action to control the illegal posting of outdoor advertising; specifically billboard type postings on buildings and walls in the downtown core. |
| 1655 | 38614.34663 | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | “The bins are simply too big and too tall they appear to “get in the way” for pedestrians.” | [Blank] |
| 1656 | 38614.4245 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | “We have enough visual ditractions in the city and enough advertising. The exiting bins provide larger capacity for garbage, and are low so they do not obstruct the vision. I do not want these advertising columns (which provide a little garbage space to justify them) installed in the city and hope that the existing ones will be removed after the test in completed.” |
| 1657 | 38614.43549 | Yes | Roncesvalles Avenue and Howard Park Avenue | No | “There is too little committment on the apparatus for its function as a receptacle. Unless you search for it, the openings are not obvious. Their placement seems like a second thought.” | Yes | “My objection to these units is precisely that they are non-functional, over-built, and they will obstruct the streetscape everywhere they go. Take the one placed just south of Ritchie on Roncesvalles. It is placed in a position where some engineer in Public Works figured it wouldn’t case havoc, just north of Sak’s. Well, figure it out, that is going to be a busy little corner in the future. Now it shields your view of traffic, it makes crossing the road from Ritchie hazardous, it provides a great obstacle for “eyes on the street”, and it prevents a clear view of the corner of the corner of Howard Park and Roncie, which is a pretty little intersection.The other unit, on the south side of Roncie, takes up the valuable space at that corner that is needed for those waiting for a street car, negotiating the busy shops there, it is in the way! It is not as high as the monster north of Howard Park, but it effectively blocks the view most kids would have of the streetscape, and anyone planning to cross the street in a hurry to catch an eastbound streetcar would be less likely to see cars speeding to turn right etc. ,If you are going to block the streetscape you better have a bloody good reason to do it. Advertising is not a good reason.The previous garbage units are functional, they are precisely the size you need to put garbage in. They line up with existing urban clutter, ie newspaper boxes etc. and they do not visually interrupt the streetscape. | No | “I believe that this is a bad precedent for the city -- selling off space on the city streets. If the receptacles were designed for their function they would be less intrusive and yet more accessible. A garbage receptacle does not need the height that these units have. Otherwise they are an annoyance, a blight and possibly, a safety hasard.” | see my comments above |
| 1658 | 38614.4526 | No | [Blank] | No | “Although I have not used a bin, I took the time to look at it for a while. The bins don’t look like garbage/recycling bins, and the openings for each item are small and strange-looking. And when the commercial advertisements claim the sides of the bins, how will anyone recognize them as garbage/recycling bins? Toronto has lots of visitors and many residents who simply don’t get out all the time. When it comes to something as important as a garbage can, you can’t afford to take chances. What is the purpose of sending us these un-garbage/recycling bin-like boxes?” | Yes | “There’s one annoyingly situated at the Bathurst and Antibes bus stop for the 7 bus. There used to be an unobstructed place for people to stand and wait for the bus until the new bin came along. Maybe the goal is to have the bins in-your-face so that more people go to use them... but just a few feet away lies the big, friendly oldstyle garbage/recycling bin. | No | “The city may be getting the bins for free but the costs to the environment (which is the focus here, right?) are never without consequence. How many of these things will be manufactured? Factories produce waste too. And our city does not need any more sprinklings of commercial advertising. Take the bus stop alone, which is where you see many garbage/recycling bins: Bus shelter advertising, advertising on the busses and inside the busses, and now some more advertising on our garbage cans. You may see commercial advertising as an increased revenue, but as a citizen of Toronto, all I see is increased littering. | “They don’t look like garbage cans or recycling bins. They look more like billboards, and I’m skeptical about how much this change really is about waste management. What was wrong with the regular functional metal bins with 3 clearly obvious holes: Garbage, Paper recycling and Cans and bottles? They’re fairly new as well. Why are you wasting even more money and Earth’s resources to send around these new and complicated glorified garbage cans? They’re not even attractive. The one thing I find remotely useful about them is that they have a place for cigarette butts, which usually get left on the ground. My plea is that you stop production of the new garbage/recycling bins and add SMALL cigarette butt bins to the old garbage bins. The ones we currently use are great- do you really believe that the new bins will do a better job to discourage litter? I highly doubt that and I’m really bothered by those new bins I’ve come across. |
| 1659 | 38614.50896 | Yes | Bloor & Windermere | No | The bin instructions fro recyclables were not clear at all. | Yes | “The new bins are large obtrusive and an assault on the eyes. While the old bins had advertising on them, you were not confronted with a large add facing you as you walked along the sidewalk. The advertising is way too large. I don’t know how much money the city is making for this advertising but whatever it is, it is not enough to allow the advertiser to assault our senses with this much advertising.” | No | Absolutely not!!!!!!! | “The second (road side of the bin is absolutely useless. I can just image a lawsuit against the city when someone gets run over by someone making a right turn from Windermere to Bloor, while the individual is depositing his/her litter on the outside of the bin. Has any thought gone into this at all. It is truly dangerous!!!!! ,It seems to me that these bins are more about the ads that giving citizens a place to deposit recycling a litter. ,It is my opinion that the old bins while they did need some changes to their esthetics wher much more functional.Michael Galea |
| 1660 | 38614.54762 | Yes | “I have tried to use one near Pape and Danforth. It was awkward, and the openings were not large enough.” | No | First of all the onslaught and size of the bin was alarming. It appeared to be wider than the size of a bus stop. The openings for trash and recyclables were difficult to navigate. Too high or too low. They were also much too small. The area for cigarette butts seemed to get the most prominence and prime location in the mix. The end that was on the street side of the sidewalk was impossible to access without getting in the way of bicycles or passing vehicular traffic. Did not feel like a safe option. | Yes | “Well, as I am sure it has been mentioned, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to notice that the bins 1) block sightlines as you are walking.2) are large enough to make a pedestrian who is walking on the sidewalk at night feel a bit alarmed and afraid when they realize this is the perfect spot for a mugger to hide behind as the advertising totally blocks the view of the sidewalk in that area.3)when you are driving on the road, they are big enough to create a sightline hazard for the oncoming pedestrian and vehicular traffic coming from sidestreets, or crossing sidestreets. ,4)They are large enough and bright enough to be distractions at night while driving.5)They take up precious room on a walking sidewalk, and make the experience frustrating beyond belief on a busy Danforth Sunday.6)They are too high, and too wide. and if they were positioned at a 90 degree angle the same would apply.” | No | “Absolutely NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!! Enough that our subways and buses have been wrapped with advertising, this is LUDICROUS. The previous trash bins with city public notice information on them were excusable. This is nothing but a travesty! ,Clean up the city Mr. Miller? Why this does nothing but add more eye trash, more mental trash, a continued assault of light on the city at night that is unnecessary, and undoubtedly confusing to BIRDS!,I cannot believe how suddenly the city is for sale the way it has become. But not even in a useful way! Do we need more advertisments for jeans, or liquor, or cars, or movies to be assaulting us visually and mentally as we go to our neighbourhood cafe or grocery store, or out for a walk with friends or pets? Of course not, the answer to that is, as they say, a no-brainer. How could this “bintest” even get past council? And how much of a cut of the advertising does the company giving the “free” bins get? How can council be so complicite in what amounts to twenty-first century newspeak? Why not have a tree-test? Let’s put some trees in where those bintest things are!!!!!,The old trash and recycling bins seem to be working. Let’s not create a larger trash problem by letting council’s eyes light up at the possibility of “REVENUE”. Think about the human consequences. If even one child on a bike is injured because of driver distraction or sightline difficulties caused by these behemoth things, it would be criminal.” | “I suggest that council bring their brains and their common sense to the meetings or committees that pass motions that let a clearly BAD idea get this far into the public eye. Filling out this survey has taken time, that I am willing to give to improve our city, but that honestly I resent doing, when we have elected officials who should see that this is not an idea which should EVER have gotten to the streets.Whoever was the individual who designed this should really find something more useful to do with their time. ,Thank-you.” |
| 1661 | 38614.57171 | Yes | College and Bathurst | No | “Is it a garbage can or an advertisement...make up your mind. It is a garbage can first, and foremost, but does not reflect that.” | No | Positioning is fine. | Yes | “If they are free and bring in more money, yes. But...(see next question)” | The receptacles need to be bigger or at least more prominent. |
| 1662 | 38614.59228 | Yes | christie/bloor | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | I found they stuck out immensely and will do so regardless of where they are placed. | No | “absolutely not. They are ugly, require electricity which is a cost and a WASTE. They take away from visual appeal of our streets while adding yet more advertising. I think this detracts from the appeal of our City which has too much advertising (every where you look) already. PLEASE remove them and do not add anymore.” | “Although I do understand the fiscal challenges and needs of the City, this is not an appropriate solution. Further, now that we have the gas tax, I would hope it relieves the pressure to use our receptacle bins in this manner. It is not a good way to raise funds and it adds to our electrcity use challenge.” |
| 1663 | 38614.59837 | Yes | bathurst and college | No | “its awful, they will get dirty and overfilled. will not want to touch, just like the other ones.” | Yes | awful. SUCH a bad idea. walking east on college towards bathurst you can’t even see down the street. people WILL poster on them--though even that would be better than huge advertisements staring us in the face. | No | “just get normal garbage bins. no advertisting, no funny slots that are dirty and gross to touch. the money is not work the trashing of our public space. everything can not be about money and advertising.” | BAD IDEA. PERIOD. why be such suckers for such a bad idea. |
| 1664 | 38614.6292 | Yes | Danforth and Broadview (east of Broadview) | No | The bin was overflowing with garbage and couldn’t be used at all. I wasn’t so keen on putting in garbage next to a cigarette butt disposal. | No | They take up a lot of sidewalk space. | No | I think the bins are an eyesore and an invasion of public space. We don’t need any more advertisting and sign pollution in the city. We don’t need monster garbage cans either. Garbage is not something that we want to draw people’s attention to. | “I don’t think these bins fall into the mayor’s “Clean and Beautiful” mandate.” |
| 1665 | 38614.9397 | Yes | “Lakeshore Blvd West, west of Brown’s Line, College and Bathurst” | No | “The opening for the recycling was too high and “masked” on the side panel of the container in a manner not easily visible to passers-by and not conducive to encourage waste diversion. The garbage receptacle is far too prominent and unduly more conveniently placed at arm level. A recommendation would be to switch the location of the garbage and recycling receptacles. Also, the “laser-cut rubber flaps” on the recycling opening are too constricting (tight and rigid) to allow recyclable items (especially larger ones) to be placed inside. Again, this may adversely affect diversion rates. All in all, the bin is not practical and easy to use. Furthermore, the bins should be designed with an eye to capturing an organic waste stream in conjunction with Council’s commitment to divert 60% of waste from landfill by 2006. | Yes | “The placement of the bin perpendicular to the street (at Lakshore test site visited) is discreet and aesthetically pleasing, yet does may not facilitate the use of both sides for collection. | [Blank] | “I am not adverse to the idea of the City using advertising revenue to in exchange for waste management services, I am not in favour of installing these particular newly designed garbage/recycling receptacles at the moment. Further design changes are needed (stemming from this pilot/consultation process) before I would give my support.” | “The bins should be designed with an eye to capturing an organic waste stream in conjunction with Council’s commitment to divert 60% of waste from landfill by 2006. This option was missed out on the first generation of OMG/Eucan “Silver Bins” and it would be a great shame if the City again missed the boat and doesn’t seize an opportunity to make good on a promise to its citizens.” |
| 1666 | 38615.22176 | Yes | broadview & gerrard | No | easy enough to figure out – eventually. Didn’t realize it was a garbage can to begin with | No | “Hate it – they’re huge, block sightlines, you have to step into traffic to use some of them (the ones at right angles to the roadway), and people (bad guys, weirdos, perverts)can hide behind them” | No | “NO NO NO. These aren’t garbage cans, these are billboards that accept garbage. There has got to be another way” | “Maybe good for advertising, but lousy for garbage. Three times I’ve gone by this particular bin, only to see people have piled up household garbage/plastic grocery bags of garbage on the bin, around the bin, jammed into the opening in the bin once they realized they couldn’t actually put in. The bins are unsightly magnets for further garbage and litter” |
| 1667 | 38615.35179 | No | [Blank] | No | “How can a garbage bin ten times the size it needs to be, be referred to as “practical”.” | Yes | “There are already too many things in the city blocking out the sky and decent views. I also don’t believe that we need additional ad space outdoors, despite the demand for it.” | No | I work in advertising and would potentially benefit professionally from these ad spaces. But they are so damn big and ugly I can’t abide them. | Get rid of them. |
| 1668 | 38615.35207 | Yes | Gerrard & Broadview | No | [Blank] | No | Can’t miss the advertising. | No | Lees signage – not more | Too complicated. Go back to the open garbage bins and people might actually use them. |
| 1669 | 38615.35481 | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | “I couldn’t figure out how to use the recycle feature, and didn’t have time to read the bin (streetcar was coming) so I dropped a pop tin in the front compartment” | No | I thought it was a portable drive-up bank machine! | No | I’m not in favour of these stupid advert machines no matter what. | “Well, maybe U of T could offer a degree in how to use them for recycling. I’m a grad, of this fine institution, but this trash thing beats me. |
| 1670 | 38615.36289 | Yes | Danforth & Playter | No | “It is not readily obvious which opening is for recycling vs. garbage. Cigarettes had been butted out on the cover over the garbage bin as opposed to in the ashtray. Frankly, the design of the ashtray with the garbage cover right below it invites this kind of behaviour.” | No | “They really block the sidewalk and restrict the flow of traffic. If people are standing near it or have a stroller, you are forced to walk on the road to get around them. The bin is simply a large obstruction.” | No | “There is enough advertising cluttering up our public spaces without introducing more “billboard” advertising on our sidewalks.” | “They are too big! While the old bins were not generally well maintained, at least they did not obstruct sidewalks and the view.” |
| 1671 | 38615.37207 | Yes | Bloor and Windermere | No | I walk by this bin twice a day. The bin seems to large (7’ x 5’ x2’) but the actual garbage receptacle is extremely small and is always overflowing. It would make sense to use some of the deadspace behind the current receptacle to make it larger | Yes | “The design and size doesn’t bother, nor the advertising, as long as the city doesn’t have to pay for them or maintain them. It’s just the receptacle sizes are too small.” | Yes | [Blank] | Larger garbage bin. |
| 1672 | 38615.39169 | Yes | king and strachan | No | they’re way too small. will fill quickly and become an eyesore not a beautifying device | [Blank] | They’re designed for maximum exposure for the ads. They’re really in the way for pedestrians. They’re aggressive and ugly. | No | “As a communications manager at Upper Canada College, I’m hugely aware of the impact of visual media in public space. I find these a real menace, and I do hope you decide not to use them.” | I hope this survey counts for something! |
| 1673 | 38615.4014 | Yes | Danforth and Broadview | Yes | Very well Labelled | Yes | They do not obstruct pedestrian traffic and seem to be used effectively. | Yes | They are big but I do not find them to stand out. They are attractive. | [Blank] |
| 1674 | 38615.41992 | Yes | King and Straughn | No | The bin wasn’t very clear | Yes | This is one of the many problems with the bins. They take up so much sidewalk space. Pedestrians are forced to maneuver around them. | No | These bins are an eyesore--just one more piece of advertising on our already littered streets. | Please install more small garbage bins. The proposed bins are ugly and create visual clutter. |
| 1675 | 38615.44421 | Yes | Lakeshore and stanely SE corner | No | small opening and not really obvious as a garbage or recycleing device | Yes | “I belive they have been positioned in some area very porly with access only on one side??? Also the Lakeshore and Stanely location is very close to a park bench and other cluter ie. 4 newspaper boxes, Bell phone and light pole.Poor placement overall. The city need to get rid or solve the newspaper boxes. There are more of them all over the place” | No | First of all they are a poor design solution (where’s the blue grey and green) we have designed one of the best systems in the world for home recycling and this is the answer for the streets.... Second we have enough cluter on the streets. Toronto needs to organize all of these items on the street.... | see above notes |
| 1676 | 38615.46479 | No | [Blank] | No | N/A | Yes | [Blank] | No | Ad space too big | [Blank] |
| 1677 | 38615.46882 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “If the bins are parallel to the road they block the view of the street, if they are perpendicular to the road they impede the flow of pedestrian traffic.” | No | Garbage bins are supposed to be subtle and blend into an environment not be prominent just because they are a source of advertisement for various businesses. I understand that the city woukld like to get more revenue by using these bins but but visually their size and look are totally unacceptable. | “Instead of giving it to a company whose only interest is revenue, open the design to a competition amoung young designers, give us something unique, something that stands out because it’s beautiful, not ugly.” |
| 1678 | 38615.47332 | Yes | Kingston Road and St. Clair | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | They are very prominent. This bin may cause a danger to pedestrian traffic. There is a highschool near by and students not aware of their traffic surroundings may be put at risk due to the location of this partiqular bin. | Yes | The visual pollution created is far outweighed by the fiscal and solid trash considerations. | [Blank] |
| 1679 | 38615.48132 | No | I inspected one at Yonge and Wilson | No | “You need a degree to find the holes – too small, recycling ones too high; the whole thing was confusing” | Yes | “They are too tall, obstruct the view, are too close to the road.” | No | “I realize that Toronto needs money, but it is not receiving very much for these badly designed bins that clutter the landscape with lights and advertising and are difficult too use. | “Rethink this idea and can it! They are not pleasing, and are intrusive. BAD IDEA!!!” |
| 1680 | 38615.5344 | Yes | eglinton & avenue | No | “Storage are not big enough... overflowing with garbage.Make the surrounding landscape less astheticly apealing.” | Yes | They obstuct the line of sight for drivers and pedestrians alike. Much too large for a simple garbage can. | No | “If a company wants to advertise, there’s already billboards, cabs, and buildings. Let’s not forget you can already advertise on the garbage cans we use now.” | “I think this is a big waste of time and money. Everyone already knows how to use the existing garbage/recycling stations, and they hardly ever overflow with garbage. If is ain’t broke, don’t fix it!,Seems to me that there’s much more pressing issues in this city to be concerned about.” |
| 1681 | 38615.5508 | Yes | Dufferin and liberty area | No | the signs for the recepticles are difficult to read (ie. too small). It needs to be more obvious what goes where. | No | “I feel that they could be dangerous, they are too tall, so that if a pedestrian were to walk out behind one, a car would not see them. | No | we have enough advertising in the city at almost every turn. more is not needed. | [Blank] |
| 1682 | 38615.5599 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | “They are awful. They are positioned to allow maximum advertising exposure, which means maximum ugliness on our city streets. If they were pushed up against walls, they would be far less obtrusive (and the two ends would be easier to access); but of course, that would cut the advertising potential in half.” | No | “I hate them. Although I haven’t used the one on Eglinton and Avenue Rd. I have seen it. What I hate most is the height – it blocks the views up and down a street in a way the older bins don’t. Even the TTC keeps as much of its shelters plain glass as possible, which makes them less intrusive on a city street. I know we are in an urban environment, and that there will be advertising, but these huge bins seem to fly in the face of mayor Miller’s quest to ‘re-beautify’ Toronto. I know, as well, that we will be foregoing some ad revenues at a time when the city is facing huge budget problems. But surely making our city less ‘livable’ is not what city government is supposed to be supporting.” | “Lose them. Respect that aesthetics are an important aspect of what makes a city great or not. If you’re determined to use them, consider pushing them against walls – less advertising space, which will mean less in revenues for the city; but it may be a compromise most people can live with.” |
| 1683 | 38615.56244 | No | [Blank] | No | Bins sometimes have garbage openings facing the street and not parallel to sidewalk. | Yes | Should be pulled back from the curb edge and positioned parallel to sidewalk | Yes | “Only in the suburbs on arterial roads. In the treeless wasteland scale of those areas (I’m thinking Eglinton East, Don Mills Rd, Finch, etc.) the bins are not so bad. They are not any worse than the bench/garbage/ad furniture, for example. DO NOT INSTALL DOWNTOWN – the scale is just wrong.” | “What is important is to have garbage cans ON EVERY SINGLE CORNER. This is not rocket science. Toronto has many free newspapers, many fast food outlets, convenience stores and other sources of trash. People will use the cans if you provide them, but often corners and bus stops do not have them. I used to live on Yonge near Blythwood, and in this heavily retailed strip you had to walk many blocks just to find a garbage can. Put a few big recycling bins in the more suburban areas, keep the existing ones downtown, and add supplemental simple wire cage garbage cans everywhere else so that all corners are served. Shocking that Toronto needs to learn this lesson from New York, but there you are.” |
| 1684 | 38615.576 | Yes | “yes, Sheppard and Brian Dr. Don Mills and Van Horne” | Yes | “Yes, but the thing is too tall. What use will the space above the opening for cans be since there will be no way for the cans to go up. | Yes | Well placed; do not block view of traffic. | No | “They are ugly and way too big. Fine if the top three feet were removed. I like the revenue generation but if these things were on every corner, they would be a detriment to the Mayor’s beautiful city campaign.” | “I hope there would be restrictions on how many could be placed in any one intersection, if they go through. I fear though, that council will not see past the $$ to the visual pollution aspect.” |
| 1685 | 38615.57681 | No | [Blank] | No | see below | Yes | “They are eyesores that block the view of traffic for cyclists and pedestrains. They are billboards on the sidewalk – not garbage cans – and will do nothing to encourage people to stop littering. When I consider the thought that went into this program, I am embarrassed to live in this city. | No | “The ad revenue received cannot outweigh the damage the city is inflicting on its landscape, visitors and citizens with these monstrosities. | “Toronto needs garbage bins, larger ones, not sidewalk billboards with tiny recepatcles that will quickly overflow. Who is Toronto trying to fool? These aren’t garbage cans – they are ads. |
| 1686 | 38615.58131 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | should not be installed | No | [Blank] | “these bins are crap. We do not need any more advertising “littering” our street” |
| 1687 | 38615.5852 | Yes | Jane and Bloor | No | [Blank] | Yes | They block half the sidewalk and are an eyesore! | No | See comment above. | Get rid of them NOW!!! |
| 1688 | 38615.61072 | Yes | Jane/Bloor | No | “It’s kind of narrow and cluttered a bit, I notice many people just threw their garbage where ever they felt like.” | Yes | “I think they are positioned pretty stupid. Only one side is actually easily usable, the other side is usually way to close to the side of the road. I don’t want to get hit by a car or taxi or something when trying to throw garbage out on the street side. Sort of a poor design.” | No | “They are extremely ugly, they are urban eye sores. They are not very functional at all, the old ones were way better and more practical.” | “Ditch these retarded things.They are big targets for vandalism.” |
| 1689 | 38615.6126 | No | [Blank] | No | the openings seemed a little small. | Yes | “the garbage/recycling bin seems too small, i often see the ones that we already have overflowing. it would be more functional if they were larger.” | Yes | “i like the bins, but i do not think that we need the extra advertising” | “instead of advertising, it could be a community board filled with events and information.” |
| 1690 | 38615.61293 | Yes | Pape & Danforth | No | Signage is at a different location than the openings. The openings on the street side are dangerous. | Yes | The bins are so large that they reduce the amount space for pedestrians to move along the sidewalk. Their height also reduces visibility along the street for both pedestrians and drivers. | No | “1) They are an eyesore. ,2) They are potentially dangerous. Any advertising revenue will be instantly lost the first time someone gets hit by a car while they are using the street-side openings.3) They are inefficient. The amount of space for garbage and recyclables is a fraction of the total volume of the bin.” | “The currently used bins in Toronto are superior. This new type of bin would only make sense if it was integrated into one end of TTC shelters, with the street-side openings eliminated.” |
| 1691 | 38615.62185 | Yes | bloor and jane | Yes | very easy to put recycling and garbage in | Yes | great for ease of use and allows for optimal pedestrian traffic flow | Yes | any additional revenues the city can generate to put toward good use is favourable | I would like to see more of these bins around |
| 1692 | 38615.63752 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | Most bins are perpendicular to the sidewalk so the 2nd set of openings facing the road are more or less unusable. But rotating them 90 degrees would create a large barrier between road and sidewalk. They are poorly designed. | No | They are too large and obtrusive. The amount of revenue the city is receiving is not adequate when compared to the cost of putting up these badly designed eyesores on our sidewalks. | We are selling our public spaces far too cheaply. Having these things on our sidewalks lowers the class and quality of our city. |
| 1693 | 38615.64135 | Yes | Danforth between Broadview and Pape | No | The few times I’ve tried to use it the bins has been overflowing AND the idea of bins being located on the two ends of a huge advertising board – with one end facing the traffic – is ridculous ... and makes the bins less than usable. | Yes | “They are monstrous! The sidewalks – which are already reduced to less than six foot wide at times by patios, advertsing sandwich boards, flower containers, etc – are reduced even further by these. They are also visually awful; they close in sidewalks – they loom over one – and make sidewalks even less inviting as places to stroll and shop ... further to the encorichmentdeuced Alrae” | No | “Many cities in the world – the great cities of the world ... which TO claims it is – work to make their streetscapes attractive and livable. Through neglect, Toronto’s streets are already far more crowded by local store advertising, patios, newspaper bins, and widened roads than other equivalent cities (walk in NYC or London and see). Adding these massive advertising hoardings to the mix will make the city and even less desirable place to live. Short-term financial returns are not worth the longer term damage that this kind of financial logic is doing to TO. | “Have some courage and resist corporations. Think, first, about what’s best for dealing with the problem – garbage – and what’s best for Toronto’s citizens – bins that contain as much but have a smaller footprint, and smaller visual impact on TO’s streetscapes. Then begin working to remove the other hindrances to a walking city, namely ever-encroaching patios, and ever-incraesing newspaper bins and advertsing sandwish boards.” |
| 1694 | 38615.65157 | Yes | Dundas and Ossington | No | A bit confused as to where the garbage actually went. | Yes | The are too big and block the flow of pedestrian traffic. | No | I think they are very unattractive. At least the current lower ones somewhat blend into the surroundings. You can’t even see past these monstrocities! | Get rid of them! |
| 1695 | 38615.66175 | [Blank] | Bloor and Spadina | No | “small openings, confusing for recycling. Hard for small children to reach.” | Yes | One opening is practically on the road = dangerous for pedestrians and bikes.this positison seems to benefit the advertisers while making it difficult and dangerous to dispose of garbage. | No | “Definitely not!!! they’re massive, block sight lines, are unclear when it comes to recycling. The only one who benefits are the advertisers.” | Please no don’t instal these bins around the city. Do not let advertisers control the city of Toronto. |
| 1696 | 38615.71249 | No | Roncesvalles and Howard Park. | No | “I didn’t use it because in the few moments I looked at it, I couldn’t figure out what went where.” | No | These bins are more unsightly than the litter they contain. These bins are too large and too obtrusive. They further degrade our streetscapes which we should be working to improve. An attractive urban core will make Toronto a better place to live for residents and tourists alike. | No | “Please see comments above. Furthermore, the maintenance of the current bins is inadequate. They look old, dirty and uncared for. They need to be improved.” | Please don’t do it! Let’s take steps to beautify our city. We want to encourage a vibrant downtown with lots of pedestrian traffic. I can’t tell you how disappointed I would be in our mayor and city councillors if they allow these bins to become permanent fixtures. |
| 1697 | 38615.72858 | Yes | It really is at Bathurst & College | No | “It is easy to put stuff into the bin, but the bin itself is too far away, a necessary result of its monstrous size.” | Yes | “They block far too much sidewalk space, greatly reducing pedestrian visibility along the sidewalk, and causing difficulty walking around the bin itself. Cyclists and bladers are likely to pop out from the blind side of the bin and crash into pedestrians, causing injuries which could lead to lawsuits against the city.” | No | “Let’s assume that the city makes $50,000 a month from these bins. That is $600,000 a year, or $0.25 per city resident. I would happily pay $10 per year in additional taxes to avoid these things. Let’s not ruin the city in a quest for a few dollars of extra non-tax revenue.” | “Make them smaller and more frequent. People litter when it is a long walk to the nearest garbage receptacle. There should be a small one on every corner, not a monster one every 500 metres.Overall, these bins might be suitable in suburban areas, with few pedestrians and many cars. In the urban part of the city, they are totally impractical.” |
| 1698 | 38615.77135 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | Saw one on our street (Roncesvalles)during Polish Festival.Ugly! Ugly! Ugly! The open garbage at each end stunk badly and was overflowing. | Stick to the existing model. Less obtrusive. |
| 1699 | 38615.77336 | Yes | don’t remember | No | Trash container is too small; I expect it will overflow | Yes | “They are too big and tall! Montreal uses small round garbage bins -- much more attractive and less obtrusive. Most importantly, you can see over them.” | No | We’d really have to be making a TON of money for me to consider it worthwhile. | [Blank] |
| 1700 | 38615.91374 | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | a bit high | No | [Blank] | No | “They are exceedingly large and unsightly. In my opinion, no amount of additional revenue can compensate for that fact.” | “I think Toronto needs a larger number of smaller bins (the more typical short, squat shape is more practical, I think) throughout the city to make it easy for people to bin their garbage instead of littering. Please don’t go with the Eucan bins--they’re hideous!” |
| 1701 | 38615.95694 | Yes | King & Shaw | No | The openings are too small. There was garbage falling out of the openings. | No | “Too large. ,As a woman, I do not like walking by an obstruction such as these garbage cans at night.Too much advertising.I have had enough of advertising in my life. It’s like spam for the eyes. Why can’t we install something that is beneficial to the spirit of our city – plants, flower pots, city artist installations. | No | “Just because something is free does not make it worth consideration. These bins are a blight on our city. Why don’t we give some jobs to unemployed youth to pick up litter around the city and also provide them with opt-in college classes (make it a work for study program). Let’s help our community rather than corporate advertisers.As well, I don’t know what the increased revenue would be but presumable the City would have to incur expenses for a media coordinator position (with all these new ads) as well as the hiring of employees to install these bins and put up/change the posters and keep these large bins clean.” | “These large garbage bins provide an even larger space for grafitti and for lude, classless advertising campaigns. I’m sure the ‘massage’ parlors the City allows to advertise on the current garbage cans are pleased since they’ll get even more visual real estate. |
| 1702 | 38615.98247 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | “it is a safety hazard, should not be used rapist can hide behind, people set out to rob some one can hide behind, people j-walking wont be seen if they cross the steeet from behind 1” | No | [Blank] | “hope the city reconsiders the use of these bins, the cost of a lawsuit will counter act the issue of having them fot free, is it worth the cost, especially since they can not hold the trash an stuff that will be put in them, let alone possible fire issue |
| 1703 | 38616.00076 | Yes | Roncesvalles and Howard Park | No | “The recycling opening is akward and unclear,The garbage bin has no covering and the opening is too small” | No | The bins are too tall and large. They block the sidewalk. The advertising would be too evasive and distracting. | No | “I don’t know how much benefit the revenue would have for the individual citizens of the city. The advertising would be too evasive on such large, cumbersome structures. I prefer the design of the older system.” | I hope that the city will not adopt these new inefficient disposal bins. |
| 1704 | 38616.33211 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | There are dreadful. No urban streetscape should be destroyed by these monsters. Is ther no vision of what a great city looks like? Has no one travelled great(er) cities? | No | [Blank] | “Save the environment, by ceasing to make them.” |
| 1705 | 38616.35439 | Yes | Danforth and I forget the intersection | Yes | “Easy to use because the bins are upright. In other words, instead of having to push your garbage and/or recycling, you don’t have to push items down the little flap. The flap being the lid that closes after you put your items in the appropiate bin.” | No | “You can try and make recycling and garbage disposal as attractive as you want, but, what I have found out working with people is one thing, when you are dealing with people who “just don’t give a shit”, it is very difficult to get them to use the bins. For example, where I live, which is Queen and Coxwell, there are many tenants and families, who are so lazy and inconciderate, that they eon’t even put their garbage in the bin if their life depended on it. THe garbage bin is right there, not 10 feet from them, and they throw their garbage on the ground as well as throw their cigarette butts in the garden and don’t pick up after their dog. So as I said in the beginning, you could make recycling/garbage disposal as attractive as you want, but the bottom line is, when dealing with people who are just down right inconciderate, their isn’t much you can do to change it. Well there is one thing. I have never heard of people getting fined for littering. If people were fined for their actions, they may think twice about throwing something on the ground. MInd you, I know, manpower, budget and all that. However, signs on the sides of the bins that could point out the damage that is caused by not recycling/disposing of one’s gargabe could be helpful. Torontonians have it easy. The kids that are growing up right now have little respect for authourity and respect. You need to find something that they can relate to when it comes to recycling and garbage disposal. People don’t take a lot of what the government or other agencies say because they think “ya ya right.” Global warning, oson layer, etc... MInd you, if you have pictures out there on the streets and on the sides of buses or on the gargabe bins of the affects of not recycling has on our world, then maybe, if convromted with visual pictures, you may get the messate across more easier. Another thing you could do is go right to the schools, grade school, hight school, and get some programs set up and maybe set something up with the schools so that you could have someone come into the class room to enfasize the importance of recycling and garbage disposal. Maybe hit them from a famil angle. Kids when they are grown up will want to start a family of their own. If you can show them the types of things our world is going through and will continue to go through if we don’t take care of our planet NOW. Just a thought. | Yes | Well of course I would. They would be free and on top of that collect money for advertising space. Can’t think of anything to disagree with here. o;i | THey are upright. Easy to drop things into. doesn’t get your hands dirty. Helps the streets look clean and attractive. Go for it I would say |
| 1706 | 38616.44317 | Yes | “1. College and Bathurst,2. Further west on College (near Shaw?)” | No | “It seems that the contraption was designed primarily to create a billboard for advertising, and secondarily, to collect garbage and recycling. It is, therefore, very effective at creating advertising space, not so effective for collecting waste. Small holes squeezed in between billboards. It should be the other way around.” | Yes | There is no valid reason that the bins should be so tall. They obstruct sightlines and fill the natural city-scape with more commercial advertising. Give the neighbourhoods back their inhabitants. | No | “I am offended by these bins, and ashamed that our cash-strapped city management feels they need to make such a deal to get some new bins and create a little revenue. What’s next – are you going to put billboards on the side of everyone’s green bin and blue boxes? Hey, why not put huge billboards on the side of City Hall? Those two towers are huge. Think of the revenue THAT would generate.There are places where advertising does not belong. Public space belongs to the people. Not corporations and advertising companies. For once, do the right thing. Have some respect for our fair city. Make it beautiful. Trash the new bins.” | Please scap the plan for these new bins. Take ‘em to the trash... |
| 1707 | 38616.44618 | Yes | Christie and Bloor | Yes | “It was clear where to put the garbage, but what about food scraps, a compost bin would be nice. How about telling me exactly which numbers of plastic can go in the recycling. Somtimes in one package there are recycables and garbage items how about warning about some of those (e.g flour bags have a paper inside but plastic outside), some lids on the bins would be nice, and somthing to discourage wasps. ,Maybe some instructions on waste managment in toronto in general.” | Yes | “Position the parts that collect the garbage towards people and make that part look better, have next info bulletins too.” | Yes | “IT’s not great but it is okay, maybe onesidecould info, the other advertising. | “Yes,why not solar powar them when you can and they could be positioned next to information boards bus stops etc and be expanded on to make service stations across the city. |
| 1708 | 38616.55361 | No | [Blank] | No | “THE BIN IS NOT PRACTICAL OR EASY TO USE. THE ONE I SAW HAD GARBAGE SPILLING OUT OF IT -& PLASTIC BOTTLES WERE IN THE GARBAGE PART. THIS LOOKS MORE LIKE A BOARD FOR ADVERSTISING, WITH A JOKE SPOT FOR GARBAGE.” | Yes | PLEASE DON’T JUNK UP OUR CITY WITH THESE HUGE ADVERTISEMENT BOARDS. | No | OH NO. | YES. GET RID OF THEM. THANKS FOR ASKING. |
| 1709 | 38616.65807 | Yes | Christie St. and Bloor St. | Yes | [Blank] | No | I feel like they are very unattractive and block visual space and sight lines. | No | They are unattractive themselves and will also be showing ads that will undoubtedly be unattractive as well. I’m am sad to see more and more ads on the streets. | “Please don’t use them and just have smaller, simpler bins that don’t block sight lines and don’t have ads (or else really small ads). Thanks for reading!” |
| 1710 | 38616.69903 | Yes | college at bathurst | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “Blocks sightlines for pedestrians and cyclists, takes up too much of the sidewalk, makes it hard for cyclists and cars to see people stepping of the sidewalk. This is just plain dangerous!” | No | “not at the cost of our safety, convenience and accessibility of MY streets and sidewalks!” | I’ve tried them with an open mind and the idea does NOT work. Give us back the sidewalks that we’re already paying for as taxpayers! |
| 1711 | 38616.70612 | Yes | York Mills and Yonge | No | “No. All of the openings were too small. The cigarette part was dirty, large, and prominent.” | No | “The only thing “mega” about these Mega Bins is the advertising. They are an eyesore and impractical. | No | “Cut costs elsewhere. Our public space, espcecially that which is controlled by the taxpayer funded City, should be free of “mega” eyesores.” | “The first goal of these bins is not to make the city a cleaner place, but to advertise.” |
| 1712 | 38616.77249 | No | [Blank] | No | The number of openings is too confusing and there need to be more explicit instructions as to what goes where | Yes | It seems really stupid that the bins are oriented so that one end faces parked cars or moving traffic | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1713 | 38616.81163 | Yes | Bloor and Christie | No | “It was very hard to understand at first. I approached it thinking it’s a vending machine.I think it’s little too tall for a recycling bin. It’s kinda intimidating because recycling with a huge advertisement on it would make me feel like I am supporting the idea of consummerism. Advertisments incouraging consumption (buy more things!). I wouldn’t feel comfortable using the bin because I am going to feel like I am being tricked the another type of consumerism in our society. I think maybe this bin controdicting its own purpoe and I don’t feel comfortable seeing them all over the city. I would rather see a humble looking bing with see through cover/container, so that what’s in the bin and what’s going into the bin is visible. | Yes | “It’s very confusing. It’s too different from traditional bins. It looks like it’s more for advertisements than for recycling. Maybe we can make the ads really small somewhere and instead, put tips and tricks about how to reduce consumption in our daily lives.” | No | I think city should find another way to find this money to do this instead of falling into the trick of the mainstream consumerism. | “I think encouraging reduction is important than recycling. The idea of “Recycle more” can make us do careless consumtion because we always have the option of recycling. It’s like don’t feel bad about using another sheet of paper because I can always recycle. I think we use materials too carelessly anyway. So, just by working on how carefully, efficiently and more resourcefully consum things, we can make our environment clean and better. I would like to hear what the city’s thought on this one. YOu can e-mail me at [redacted] I am not sure if I am majorly wrong or not. I don’t think anyone can be absolutely right on anything but I believe in reducing. If you are too busy to reply to this comment, I totally understand. Thank you for reading my comments. I might be majorly wrong so I would like to get some feed back if it’s possible.” |
| 1714 | 38616.85406 | Yes | Dundas & Ossington | No | I do not want to read when I’m throwing out trash – especially at night. | No | “Horrible, you might as well put up a wall. Again, it was nighttime and it blocked half the sidewalk. Someone could easily be standing behind the damn thing and I wouldn’t know it.” | No | No money could possibly justify these horrible bins. | START AGAIN. Focus on garbage NOT advertising. Stop selling the city short. I’m getting sick and tired of all the nickel & dime advertising projects the city is signing on to. You are selling my city out for nothing. |
| 1715 | 38616.99321 | Yes | Danforth and Jones | No | The openings are too small. People want to throw the items in not have to stick there hands in the dirty openings as I have noticed. | Yes | “Built lower so as not to obstruct your view.Have them parallel to the road so both ends can be utilized. I’m sure a lot of people are not aware that it is 2 sided.” | Yes | 80 | “A comment about the older ones first. I found that many of the backside where the container would be emptied from would be left open. Whether it be street people breaking into them for food or the people that empty them were not properly locking them. Those doors left open are sharp and a safety hazard.The newer ones should have better locking devices. Also they should be checked more often for emptying” |
| 1716 | 38617.26168 | Yes | Bathhurst and College | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | I think they are unnecessarily too tall. They can block the vision of drivers if a pedestrian steps off the sidewalk. | No | they need to work on the design more so they are not such an eyesore. | [Blank] |
| 1717 | 38617.39677 | Yes | King & Strachan | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “they could be a little closer to the intersection, provided their height (which could be lower) doesn’t block traffic.” | Yes | “PROVIDED it means more bins in the city, there are some areas where there are no waste recepticles at all.” | “The best thing about these bins is that you no longer have to touch the “flap” that is on the current bins. However, the recepticles need to be larger. If the units were a bit wider, then the bins could hold much more litter. They always seem to be almost totally full. I would suspect the bins on the opposite (ie. traffic) side are seldom used. Maybe seal that side up and increase the volume of the bins on the pedestrian side. They should also be lower, there is no reason for them to tower over people.” |
| 1718 | 38617.43258 | Yes | Dundas and Ossington | No | “No. When using a public garbage bin, I do not want to touch any part of the it – at all, ever. Similar to the existing, poorly designed billboard/garbage bins, over time the recepticle area becomes dirty with residue from the disposed waste. This makes any attempt to dispose of waste, a dirty one where the person disposing of the waste actually gets dirty. This may be one of the reasons people litter.The openings are confusing – I should not have to take more than 2 seconds to determine which recepticle is for which kind of garbage. A standard open top garbage can would be ideal, there could be one for garbage and a couple for recycling. Furthermore, the garbage bin appears to have a limited capacity despite its oversized appearence. The can I used was already overflowing and contributing to a garbage mess along Dundas.” | Yes | “Too big. The bins consume already precious sidewalk space. The standard planning test of “can two strollers” pass side by side along the sidewalk – to measure appropriate width – would fail here because the bin consumes so much sidewalk. ,Additionally, the size of the bin presents a serious saftey concern whereby people can hide behind the bin. Police engaged in a chase or looking for someone cannot see around or under the bin (to see their feet). I believe this is why the old style bus shelters where modified. ,I would particularly concerned with these bins consuming valuable sidewalk space in downtown areas that already lack sidewalk capacity – e.g. Yonge St. College any of the main downtown roads leading to Union Station (rush hour pedestrian volumes are substantial).” | No | “NO. This is not a revenue issue. The amount of money that this proposal will bring to the City is miniscule against its $7.1 billion budget. Surely there are other ways to achieve a balanced budget than selling-out every inch of public space. Moreover, the bins are not functional and will contribute to more of a garbage problem than solution. Look to Vancouver, simple bins in wrought iron holders, with simply a Vancouver logo on the side – NO ADVERTISING. The City should take a hard look at its programs, stop funding mickey mouse pet projects for each councillor in each ward and get do to making this a clean city. | “Simple, open top recepticles with Toronto’s logo placed frequently along high traffic areas is the best solution. A consitent look/feel to the bins, with accents to complement specific neighbourhood differences is a worthy approach. Potentially, BIA’s or major business might want to chip in for their areas in a sort of Adopt-a-sidewalk type of program. Selling every square inch of public space is not the answer – advertising does not make a City Beautiful and this should be considered when making future decisions regarding mega-newspaper bins etc.” |
| 1719 | 38617.44821 | Yes | Dundas and Ossington | No | The bin is so large that it blocks a large portion of the sidewalk and forces people to step onto the street to use the north side of the bin. This could potentially be very dangerous for pedestrians as they have to step into traffic. It also creates a bottle neck on the sidewalk since the bin takes up so much space. | Yes | Terrible!!! They block half of the sidewalk forcing pedestrians to either walk on the street around them or wait until pedestrians walking in the other direction get past on what is left of the sidewalk. These bins are absolutely appalling!!! | No | “It’s not worth destroying any more of Toronto’s public space with grossly over-sized advertising. The damage these hideous bins would inflict on the city far outweighs the revenue the city would receive. The bins would further cheapen the look of our city, and could even impact our ability to attract tourists. People will choose to visit beautiful cities with historic and cultural attractions, not places completely covered with hideous advertising.” | “These bins are one of the worst intrusions into the public realm that I have ever seen proposed. They are unsightly and dangerous for pedestrians since many are too wide for the sidewalks they have been placed on. If we want people to walk and bike instead of driving, we need to make sure that we keep our public spaces attractive and pleasant to be in. These bins will have completely the opposite effect. There are already enough places to advertise in this city- far too many in my opinion. Turning lowly garbage cans into giant billboards is the last straw. I think people have had enough and there’s going to be a significant backlash against these attacks on public spaces. I for one would rather see my taxes increase than see the city stoop to this level to stay afloat- it’s an embarrassment! |
| 1720 | 38617.4625 | Yes | College & Bathurst | Yes | OK | Yes | “1. There’s very little actual storage space for garbage/recyc materials – very little functional value,2. They too bulky on already restrictive downtown sidewalks,3/ They dont improve the streetscape (ie. aren’t attractive)” | No | They’re an eyesore & bulky | “I understand the revenue from the bins would be relatively small, and the nominal benefit does not justify their intrusion into the streetscape. ... Thanks for asking for our opinion.” |
| 1721 | 38617.4653 | Yes | Danforth and ? | No | “Openings at an odd height and seemed to block pedestrian traffic--it created a bottleneck near it (on a weekend) where it was difficult to stop in front of it as it created further bottleneck with two ‘lanes’ then--east/west, me stopping and the garbage can). | Yes | “I’m a cyclist and pedestrian and it seemed that the bins were so high that sitelines--how far the car drivers and cyclists can see--were blocked, for example if I on my bike were turning into a side street, I wasn’t able to see pedestrians crossing and had to crawl around corners, blocking traffic flow...as a pedestrian I definitely found the bins annoying--I couldn’t see across the street, when crossing the street, I couldn’t see the storefronts that the bins blocked. As a relatively new Torontonian (4 years), it also goes against the aesthetics of the city--low and light is our unique ‘selling’ point and these bins block light and are almost as high as the doors of most storefronts. They don’t fit size-wize or Toronto wise.” | No | “The city has enough valuable real estate (websites, events) where advertisers can pay for the exposure without having non-Toronto styled and un-safe bins. I’ve an MBA in marketing and am a consultant--I’d be delighted to donate my time to help find another way to get funds and upgrade our current bins/find other options. | “Thank you for having this survey, this is one of the many reasons I love this city--collection of public opinion, creating a tighter community. |
| 1722 | 38617.46719 | Yes | Bloor and Windermere | No | “The opening on the street side was inaccessible because of heavy traffic, while the opening on the sidewalk side was jammed full and there were wasps buzzing around it.” | Yes | The proposed bins are large and intrusive. They block the sidewalk and the placement of the openings on the street side is impractical and potentially dangerous | No | “I think the proposed bins are much too large and there is no good reason to extend the advertizing portion above the garbage/recycling openings. I think that they should be no higher than four (4) feet high. As designed, they are an ugly intrusion and form of visual pollution. They should also be reoriented so that all of the openings are accessible to pedestrians.” | “While I support joint ventures with the private sector, I don’t think the city should be selling even more billboard space. Any new bins should be no larger than is necessary for the collection of trash and recyclables. I am opposed to the proposed design and urge they be removed immediately after the three-month trial. |
| 1723 | 38617.67233 | Yes | finch and jane | Yes | it was a good height for an adult and little kids. | Yes | It’s very practical. | Yes | absolutely. The city needs more money. The city needs more cops!!! | We need more of them. It’s a big city and lots of garbage. |
| 1724 | 38617.802 | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1725 | 38617.87803 | Yes | Pape & Danforth | No | “The openings are too small & the bins were overflowing with garbage. It’s not very obvious that it’s a garbage can – I think this could be confusing, especially to visitors.” | Yes | “The large poster at street level is obtrusive & blocks the sight line of the street. It’s too hard to access the bins from the road, especially if there are parked cars so there doesn’t seem to be much point in having openings on that side.” | No | I think it is a good idea in principle to help reduce the City’s costs but I think the design of the bin is poor. | “It seems like the garbage can part of it is an afterthought and that the primary purpose is for advertising. I think we need something with a larger capacity for garbage, especially during special events & street festivals.” |
| 1726 | 38617.9131 | Yes | christie pits | No | “openings were poorly labeled- i peeled off the tiny, measly cheap stickers. hard to see in the dark. openings too small.” | Yes | “they are huge, imposing and ugly. the billboard is an atrocity. i do not support this project.” | No | the city and its occupants do not need to be smattered with more bullshit ads. aren’t there enough? | try again. |
| 1727 | 38618.00035 | Yes | Martingrove & Finch | No | The opening for recycable newspapers and bottles were not as easy to push through as they looked. | No | “The fact that they take up less space is great and that they are right near bus stops. As a smoker I think that it is great to have a place to put my butts out and not litter, especially at bus stops.” | Yes | “If the city is going to make money off of other party’s avdertising then why not, especially if we get them free. | I think that they are a great idea to have in the city. They also take up less space and do not look as large and grotesque as what we have in the city now. |
| 1728 | 38618.43095 | Yes | “Sheppard and Brian Drive,,Victoria Park and Consumers Road,,Victoria Park and Finch” | No | “The design is neither intuitive nor logical.It is rediculous to seperate cigaret butts from garbage yet to bundle ALL recyclables together. Drink bottles get newspapers soggy which ruins them. Also, many people just dump everything into the bottom garbage chute.To put it bluntly, the designers of the bins are “totally ignorant.”” | Yes | “The positioning is fine, but the layout is inadequte. Many people don’t know where to place what.” | No | “Please get a DIFFERENT DESIGN! I don’t care if the bins are free if they lead to more waste.The bins should have the following compartments:,- Paper and cardboard waste;,- Glass and glass botles;,- Plastic and aluminum cans and bottles;,- Plain Garbage with a cigaret butt option.” | “I hope that the design is changed because these bins are difficult to understand, lead to more waste, and create more trash out of good recyclable material.” |
| 1729 | 38618.43671 | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | “It wasn’t obvious at first. It didn’t make a lot of sense to have a huge cigarette butt holder (is that really necessary?) which is easier to access than the recycling.Obviously, advertising is the main purpose of these disasters. You can see the advertising a mile away because these things are so huge. But you wouldn’t know they were meant for garbage until you came up close to them and spent a while figuring them out.” | Yes | “Absolutely appalling!!! These things are monstrous and hideous. They block the sidewalk. They take up a huge amount of space. Their main purpose is obviously to stuff yet more advertising down our throats (the poor design of the recycling and garbage bins contrasts with their total “success” as vectors for advertising at prime locations). ,They cheapen the city. ,They make me angry.” | No | “I ABSOLUTELY DESPISE THESE BINS!!! They sadden me when I think of how utterly pathetic our “world-class” city has become, visually degrading the streets in return for a little extra ad revenue. (The new “maps”, which are two-thirds advertising, are just as bad.) ,A wire bucket at the street corner, New York City style, would be a huge improvement over these things. (Or we could just keep the garbage and recycling bins we already have, which aren’t perfect but not nearly as big an intrusion.)” | “David Miller campaigned on making the city cleaner and more beautiful. So why is this government-sanctioned vandalism of our city even being considered?,I will not vote for any mayoral candidate or councillor that supports these things.” |
| 1730 | 38618.43707 | Yes | Danforth Pape | Yes | very user friendly | Yes | look great and don’t take up too much room | Yes | think it’s a great idea to have these units on our streets | can’t wait to see more of these! |
| 1731 | 38618.47124 | Yes | Bloor & Windermere | Yes | [Blank] | No | Eye sore | No | Eye sore. The biggest problem with old containers was that they were never empty emptied frequently enough (especially over weekends). | [Blank] |
| 1732 | 38618.48668 | No | “I haven’t used them, but I have seen them in places, esp. along Danforth Ave. where there are two within sight of each other. | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “I will make a point of boycotting any company that advertises on them. They are an eyesore and they are extremely in the way on avenues like the Danforth (where I live) -- at a time when we are trying to encourage people to get out of their cars and walk in their neighbourhoods, why are you placing these monstrosities in places where they bottleneck foot traffic???” | No | No no and no. I made my peace with the chest-high garbage bins that had the ad signs on the side (the ones that are parallel to the road) because I understand the need for the city to raise money. But are we really this hard up for money? Who’s running city hall -- us or whichever company can provide the most cash? | “Trash them, burn them, turn them into tiny little cubes with big crushing machines... you get the idea. And I really hope mine is not the only response you receive saying so. |
| 1733 | 38618.50044 | Yes | Bathursday & college | No | “There is no lid on the garbage can. Can you put all types of recycle-ables into the one hole? Each place was labeled by a STICKER, no doubt that will peel away in the winter with snow and rain.” | Yes | “Since these garbage cans are so lage they block the view when I am riding my bike (very unsafe, you cannot see around the garbage cans). They make it hard to walk on the sidewalk (example, College and Grace Street). They are just insanely LARGE. These garbage cans are way too big. | No | “No. They are too large. They make it hard to walk on the sidewalks, and Toronto does not need more ads on our streets.” | This garbage can is not a good idea. Toronto needs a garbage bin which is designed with its function in mind – TO HOLD GARBAGE not to be a billboard. |
| 1734 | 38618.51403 | Yes | “south side of Queen St W, just west of Jameson Av” | No | awkward and small | Yes | This eucan is situated at right angles to the sidewalk and blocks a portion of the sidewalk reducung the width of the travelled portion of the sidewalk for pedestrians. Unacceptable | No opinion | Why would the City want to install more ugly street furniture in an intersection that is already overcrowded with street furniture? | “In its present position and with its height of 7’, it is a great place to hide behind and assault someone walking down the street, particularly at night. Consider the area.” |
| 1735 | 38618.51751 | Yes | “south side of Queen St W, just west of Jameson Av” | No | awkward and small | Yes | This eucan is situated at right angles to the sidewalk and blocks a portion of the sidewalk reducung the width of the travelled portion of the sidewalk for pedestrians. Unacceptable | No opinion | Why would the City want to install more ugly street furniture in an intersection that is already overcrowded with street furniture? | “In its present position and with its height of 7’, it is a great place to hide behind and assault someone walking down the street, particularly at night. Consider the area.” |
| 1736 | 38618.52854 | Yes | Roncesvalles and Dundas | No | The are no marking on the bin itself. There is direction but where ads will go if this is rolled out | Yes | They are TOO BIG right now they are not downtown. They will block traffic on busy streets like Yonge Street (which is already crowded). The waste garbage bins at the bottom have no lids! the one I say had hornets flying all around it. Where are those used battery slots promised. Will they not use city power to light the ad space? They are too tall and some dangerous guy could hide behind it and attack someone. | No | A bit of a loaded question. Though I am OK with Ads in garbage. These are too big and they use city power to light up at night. What is wrong with the current garbage bins? | “I don’t think we need them. There is nothing wrong with the current design. I think the company that makes them is bullying the city into getting these “new” ones that just have bigger ads for cars to see and light up plus they use the same frame as bus shelter ads (economics of scale I’m sure). Don’t be bullyed by private business. These things will block sidewalk traffic, they will use city electrical power, they will give users bee stings without lids on the garbage, they are poorly labeled, dangerous people will hide behind them, panhandlers will camp out in front them (great place to put one’s back against),Keep to old ones or design a smaller one.As well: ,What’s with those silly ad poles in all the parks? There was no public consultation on them.” |
| 1737 | 38618.55668 | Yes | Various locales around downtown. | No | Slots are too small and always jammed with garbage. | Yes | “The most terrible idea I’ve seen in years. They are ugly, they are huge, and they are adding more advertising to an already overcrowded AD HEAVY city. | No | “I understand the attraction of increased revenue but at what cost to our city? First it was bus shelters, then the Omni garbage bins, then the plastering of TTC streetcars and subway stops. Now this. What’s next folks? Maybe you should rent out the bodies of Toronto’s citizens. | “Take a drive down the DVP sometime. You know what strikes you? How beautiful a city we have and how incredibly beautiful it is without blaring neon, signs bigger than houses, and stupid garbage bins that are clearly designed for advertisers and not for Toronto’s citizens. ,Back to the drawing board kids. |
| 1738 | 38618.61975 | Yes | dundas/ossington | No | this thing is crazy. 3 of my friends saw it and had no clue what it was. after looking around we noticed what it would be for | No | they are burtal! why would you want something 7 feet tall on our beautiful streets.i bike around and its hard to see lights and important signs..thats the last thing i need on the busy city streets.i know the city will be making a KILLing selling ad space..but come on..lets get serious Toronto! | No | [Blank] | PLEASE no...design something better then this. |
| 1739 | 38618.62102 | Yes | danforth and pape | No | The garbage bin was overflowing making it difficult to see where the recycling went. | Yes | I think they are an obstacle on the sidewalk. They block the sight-lines and look more like bus shelters than recycling bins. The receptacles are far too small. Garbage was overflowing when I tried to use it and it did not appear that the recycling bins were very large either. | No | I do not want to see more advertizing on the streets. The streets belong to the citizens. Recycling is a public service. Public space should not be for sale. | They are very unattractive and do not appear to be well designed for collecting recyclables. They seem to be designed to maximize ad space. |
| 1740 | 38618.62211 | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | “bins too high, not big enough for garbage, it was overflowing the other day, not big enough for recyclables and too high for young children” | No | If they are open at each end why are they positioned with narrow sides out? | No | “They are far too tall, not big enough storage for waste, etc. Incredibly ugly.” | “the low-rise existing barbage/recycling bins are far more practical, although they need larger openings for the garbage, etc. They also provide space for advertising without overwhelming the streetscape.” |
| 1741 | 38618.62743 | Yes | Broadview & Danforth | No | I don’t think that the openings were clearly labelled or intuitively ordered on the side of the bin. | Yes | The orientation of the bins--perpendicular to the roadway--causes pedestrians to step dangerously close to the roadway in order to be able to use the receptacles on both sides. | No opinion | “I would be in favour of installing more garbage bins around the city, to reduce litter and to encourage recycling. I can even understand the necessity of advertising to offset the cost of purchasing and maintaining the bins. However, I believe that the bins that are currently being tested around the city do not give primacy to their usefullness as garbage receptacles. I think that these latest bins were designed and placed to optimize the visibility of the advertisments, and that collecting garbage is only an incidental benefit.” | “The space for storing garbage within the bins seems drastically reduced, which means that a greater number of pedestrians will be forced to choose between littering or carrying their garbage home, because the public bins are overfilled.” |
| 1742 | 38618.68189 | Yes | Danforth and Pape (ish) | No | “Very difficult to understand where to put things, and a real monstrous obstacle – way too big – obscures the corner, etc.” | No | “See above – they are a blight – too big, not obviously designed, monstrous amount of ad space. You are too dependent on the ad revenue. Just provide the service.” | No | See above. YOu are too beholden to the ad revenue. Just provide the service. | Get rid of them. |
| 1743 | 38618.70249 | Yes | bathurst and college | Yes | “you don’t have to be smart to know how to work any garbage receptical... in this case, the current bins are more self-explanatory” | Yes | catastrophy... bathurst and college is an exception because its against a parking lot and right at an intersection so there is an illusion of more space. | No | “these new bins are the least subtle possible additions to a city already steeped in advertising. the idea of having to pass one every few blocks is a nightmare, they literally stop (foot) traffic to look at them” | “if it were worth the time, a few throughout the city wouldn’t bother anyone i am sure. but as the new standard its a very bad idea.” |
| 1744 | 38618.72008 | No | [Blank] | No | “Practical is not the word, useless is. The garbage bin is always full because it’s so small, it can’t hold anything. The recycling bin does not specify which recyclables can go in it and the flap doesn’t allow all bottles to fit. Can we recycle paper as well? The idea of putting a cigarette receptacle is neat, but I’ve never seen anyone use it. I also hate how the entire side is to be used as an ad. This garbage bin is huge! It takes up so much space and looks more like a great way to endorse more useless ads. An eyesore!” | Yes | “It takes up too much space and is distracting and since it’s so large, It looks mistakenly like a new bus shelter. | No | “This city has way too much “increased revenue from the sale of commercial advertising space”. Isn’t the point to promote better garbage disposal and management? What about educating our public on cutting down on garbage instead of making bigger, lesser attractive bins to collect them in? why endorse more garbage? I can’t stand the thought of having one more huge ad in my face especially as we already have them posted all over the transit system, all over the buildings we live in, and all over the transit shelters. The ads posted on them are all garbage for our minds anyways. Please don’t tell me our city is resorting to “selling out” to increase revenue. | “I hate them. I think they’re attrocious and silly and a total waste of time and space. I wouldn’t even consider it a permanent option, let alone “a test bin”. |
| 1745 | 38618.73484 | Yes | Finch and victoria park | Yes | they were ok but i was a bit confused about where to put what | No | positioned very well | Yes | “our city needs money since those government people wasted all of it on themselves, talk about selfishness.” | there needs to me labels around the openings because i don’t know where to put the garbage and the reclying etc. |
| 1746 | 38618.81448 | Yes | Bathurst and Sheppard. | No | It appeared to be a giant advertisment. the garbage/recycling containers seemend like an afterthought. In some cases you have to stand on the edge of the side walk (i.e. almost in the line of traffic) to use the receptacles. | Yes | They are ugly and impractical. | No | [Blank] | They are ugly and impractical. |
| 1747 | 38619.46358 | Yes | Danforth and Bowden | No | For the HUGe size of these installations the actual trash capacity is very small and they are almost always full to cpapcity and overflowing | Yes | They take up too much room are too tall and hold little garbage | No | More advertising signage pollution. | If you must look for ways to use advertising to pay for gabage bins at least have them big enough to hold the garbage! |
| 1748 | 38619.49229 | Yes | Kingston Road and Victoria Park | Yes | yes...but that is hardly the point. These bins have the ability to shape the ambiance of Toronto’s urban fabric. | Yes | “Its not so much the position that is the problem, as it is the dimensions.” | No | “I am not in favour of a project like this. They block views, they are intrusive on personal space, they make for a mediocre urban environment. New bins need to be designed, with all the same utilitarian purposes, but a less intrusive add space. | “Some of the most famous cities are famous because of the ambiance of their streets. NYC. London. Berlin. Chicago. Paris. Barcelona. I am a patriotic Torontonian, but I dont think we are amongst a list of truly ‘World Class’ cities. We sell out too easily. Either redesign the garbage can, or just pay for some properly designed ones that add something to our urban context, and will therein stimulate a sense of place within our city streets. |
| 1749 | 38619.56264 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1750 | 38619.6836 | Yes | Roncessvalles | No | “wrong height for wheelchairs and children, opening too small” | No | the installation is poor and slopping and their location on the sidewalk is poor chosen. | No | “The City should explore taxing the owners of existing billboards, not cluttering the streetscape with more unwanted advertising. | The bins are unneccessarily big. Their size suggests that Toronto is celebrating rubbish bins. |
| 1751 | 38619.7915 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | The bins are very narrow and the holes are quite high -- they’re not convenient for children to use (especially the slot for pop cans). | Yes | The height of these bins make their position on the sidewalk obstrusive. They obstruct one’s vision. It seems the only practical reason these bins are so high are so they can have a huge amount of ad space. These bins should have their primary function as recycling bins addressed first -- not their secondary function as billboards! | No | “The previous style of bin (aluminum, wide instead of tall) were better -- though still had problems! Those had ad space, too. These tall bins have much less capacity than the wider bins. The wide bins had holes that were too small and got very messy, and didn’t have enough capacity, either.” | “1) Make them shorter and wider, less obtrusive.2) Design them so there’s more room to put recyclables/waste,3) Have a slot for used newspapers” |
| 1752 | 38619.87483 | Yes | Roncesvalles & Howard Park – Rogers Video storefront. | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “The smaller one in front of Rogers Video is fine. The larger one in front of Saks (also Roncesvalles & Howard Park) is awkwardly placed, at an angle to the sidewalk. It is essentially accessible from only one end.” | Yes | “I have no qualms with the smaller bin, even with advertising (which is currently does not have). The larger bin looks like it has been designed to accommodate bus shelter-sized advertising. Personally, I’m willing to pay higher taxes to help the City provide such services without the need to pollute our public space with advertising; however, given that most of the public are unwilling or unable to do this, I appreciate that you must turn to other sources. | I have concerns regarding the larger bins – the one in front of Saks blocks part of the sidewalk due to its positioning and thereby blocks pedestrians’ view and movement to the point where safety may be compromised. |
| 1753 | 38619.92282 | Yes | Bloor and Wyndemere | No | “I could only see one garbage opening facing the sidewalk, and it was full to the top. It was a very tiny bin, without the room for much volume. | No | “The other end of the bin faces the road, where no one would attempt to use it, and each bin itself is too small. Better to have one larger bin. Make it a garbage can not an advertisement.” | No | “They are fairly ineffectual, and ugly. Not good for city image and tourism, or morale of the people living here. They are just one more ugly advertisement, this time ruining our garbage cans causing overflow or garbage onto the streets.” | “Don’t install them and remove the ones already in existance as soon as possible. If you want to save money, cut back on corruption first please.” |
| 1754 | 38619.94507 | Yes | Bloor west village (near Windimear) | No | “No, it was full, I had to put my trash on the ground (next to a pile of other peoples trash! A big city needs big cans.” | Yes | “Great for advertising, but are we trying to keep streets clean or fill them with ad space. Who’s idea was it to litter our streets with ads! (and garbage for that matter)” | No | “NO, the city can make money other ways. It’s ugly, and makes our city cheap!” | Garbage the bins! |
| 1755 | 38620.45535 | Yes | runnymede and bloor | No | “I couldn’t tell where I was to throw out my garbage. As I used it, two people asked me what the bin was and I replied that I thought it was a garbage receptacle. They weren’t too sure.” | Yes | Having collection from the roadside makes no sense. | Yes | But the City should this program on its own. It is obvious that there is money to be made here from advertising and its time for the city to acquire this revenue. It should be a simple program to to run and it should prove to be lucrative to the city. | “The bins lok more like a phone booth than anything else. It should be obvious what they are if we expect anyone to use them. They are far too tall, an eyesore, like a large billboard in the middle of the sidewalk. Bustops have already covered the landscape with all of their ads, I don’t see why these recycle bin need to double this. They should be no taller than the stainless steel bins we have in effect now. In fact, I don’t see what is wrong with those bins other than the holes are too small for garbage.” |
| 1756 | 38620.48528 | Yes | Queen/ Jamieson | No | The rubber gasketed recycling opening is disconcerting and very unappealing to use. The smell of the cigarette buts makes them difficult to get close to. The garbage bins are too small. | Yes | “They block the horizon on the street, block the view of oncoming TTC vehicles, take up half the width of the sidewak, and provide space to loiter behind. They are unnerving.” | No | “Absolutely not.Increase my taxes, and provide well designed, rational and tough garbage and recycling containers that do not dominate the street. | “The dominance of the centrally located but collector makes them seem like they are intended predominantly for smokers. ,The urban design datum or level of these devices should be horizontal and around waist height.When they are larger in height and width than a person, these devices intimidate and make me feel unwelcome in public.” |
| 1757 | 38620.57709 | Yes | Danforth/Chester | No | “Not as straightforward and practical as the bins that are in place. The orientation on the sidewalk only makes the sidewalk side practical to use. The total space for refuse/recyclables seems to be less, must need to be emptied more frequently. The instructions are not near the openings for litter etc.These are huge, but the amount of garbage they can handle has not been much improved. Only the advertising space has been increased and oriented so that it is always in your face, why?,If this is the best design you could find to test you need to keep looking.Why not refine the design of the current metal bins? ,Why allow approx 3 more feet of sidewalk to be taken up?” | Yes | “My overall assessment is very negative: not efficent as a garbage/recyling station.1. These bins are too large because they are primarily intrusive advertisement vehicles that have a secondary garbage and recyling feature,2. They take up way too much sidewalk space with the perpendicular orientation to the sidewalk. ,3. I can’t believe this design is actually being tested, if the city has to do these kind of deals with the private sector, the city should have a better idea of what is needed. We do not need more advertising we need better garbage collection!,4. I think they are a safety hazard, especially on busy sidewalks as they take up so much space, and why are ther openings on the road side? Someone will get run down trying to use the road side or trying to get past these ridiculous units” | No | “NO. I don’t mind some deal with private sector, but these units are not efficent as garbage /recycling stations. There is way too much space given to ads.” | “Please don’t sell out the citezens of ,Toronto with this “deal” It is not a good deal! We are not getting a better way to collect refuse, all we are getting is more intrusive advertising and less space to walk on our sidewalks.I would find another design that does a better job collecting and is not so large that it takes up so much sidewalk space,Do not do this deal, the only winner would be the company who will make a fortune out of advertising revenues that no one really wants to see.” |
| 1758 | 38620.58334 | Yes | Danforth and Carlaw | No | it was overfull and garbage was spilled onto the sidewalk. This was at noon on Sunday | No | They are too tall. They block the view of the activity on the street. They hold very little garbage in relation to their size | No | “the present four foot high (or so) containers are less obtrusive, they hold more and they also can be used for advertising” | Please take them away |
| 1759 | 38620.62081 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | The height makes it difficult for divers to see if people are behind the bins. | No | They are too big and ugly. The advertising is too big and in your face. | Not practical because with the new increase capacity there is just as much litter on the ground. |
| 1760 | 38620.6249 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | ugly | No | too large | [Blank] |
| 1761 | 38620.73245 | Yes | can’t remember | Yes | very straight forward | No | “seem to be in good locations...at corners, near bus stops” | Yes | They seem to be cleaner than the OMG bins. The OMG bins get really sticky...you have to use the item you are putting in the bin to push it open so you don’t get dirty. | [Blank] |
| 1762 | 38620.77881 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | “I am unhappy with these bins. They are very large and take up much more space on the sidewalk, since they are positioned perpendicular to the road, instead of parallel as the old ones are. They are very tall and thus hard to ignore. Although the older garbage bins (the ones with paper, plastc/glass recycling and garbage slots) also had advertisements on both sides, these were more acceptable because, as mentioned, they ran parallel to the road and so did not take up as much space and were not as “in your face”. Most importantly, the older bins were significantly shorter so the ads could be looked at or ignored as one chose and did not significantly interfere with one’s field of view. | No | “These bins should not be accepted simply because they are a potential source of revenue for the city. If we want Toronto to remain a beatiful city, we must resist the urge to lambast it with hideous ads simply because someone is offering to toss us some change. | “Yes. The city of Toronto, if it is truly concerned with the increasingly contentious issue of garbage and the Michigan dump, should really pressure the provincial government to change the packaging laws to reduce the amount of garbage created in the first place. One area in particular that I can think of would be in plastic liquid containters (e.g. pop bottles). Companies that manufacture pop and similarly packaged drinks should be responsible for collecting and recycling them (and paying for it) and perhaps making the drinks come in glass bottles again, which can be refilled. Waste could also be reduced significantly if the government legislated some sort of tax/fee on disposable coffee cups in order to encourage people to use reusable portable mugs. Not only would this reduce the amount of cups thrown out, but if people still wanted to drink from a disposable cup they could, they would just have to pay the full cost of having that cup recycled/disposed of. I think the green bins are a great start and I think there is a lot more that the city, and higher levels of government can do to work to reduce the amount of garbage that is created and thus reduce the amount of money that is spent on garbage collection, removal and recycling. These bins seem like a very porrly thought out non-solution to the problem of excessive consumption and waste. It seems that people respond best (and at times only) to things that have financial repercussions. If the city asks people not to waste and to recycle as best they can, very little will get done. I think it would be much more effective to make (over-)consumption associated with a monetary cost. For example, if you want the convenience of being able to throw things out all the time, you pay for it. If recycling and wasting less is also cheaper, people will do it.” |
| 1763 | 38620.97529 | Yes | Dundas & Ossington | No | “I thought the bins were accomodating of the right height and easy to understand, once you were close to them and if you took the time to read the fine print. I think that in order to get people to use them effectively, you’ve got to have them labelled better 1)such that it’s obvious there’s a disposal station there (it blends in with the bus shelter too much) and 2)each part should be significantly different in colour ie. green or red coloured slot for garbage, blue slot for recycle and black or another colour for cigarettes. The slot for the recyclables doesn’t seem user-friendly enough either...” | Yes | “Don’t get me wrong I like that their position is such that they blend in with the bus shelter/surroundings (don’t stick out and call attention to something unpleasant) but, at least until people get familiar with them, they should be more obvious... I’m not sure everyone would recognize the set up as a garbage disposal.” | Yes | I think the purpose of the bins is excellent as an advancement in terms of taking steps to better the environment. | “As long as you can get people to use them, I think the bins are great. I’m all for using them and will spread the word about the initiative. I’m happy to take a responsibility to better the environment and as long as it’s easy others will step up their efforts too.” |
| 1764 | 38621.34027 | No | King Street West x Strachan. | No | Openings are too small. And one end of the bin is too close to the moving traffic -- are they for drivers? | Yes | The bin is nothing more than an outdoor ad that is obstructing. | No | “I’m against the new bins because they are obstructing and are not really bins. They are just outdoors pretending to be offering some service, which will create more visual polution. I’d rather have good sized real trash bins. Because small bins will just trash the street more, if there’s no emptying them on a regulary basis, as it happens with most of the bins.” | “I’m aware that the city needs revenue but it doesn’t seem that it won’t get much from these bins. I’d rather have the city get revenue from fining bad drivers. By installing cameras on most traffic lights, the city would educate bad drivers, improve traffic, make walking easier for pedestrians, and generate good revenue. Sao Paulo, Brazil, is a good example.” |
| 1765 | 38621.37487 | Yes | Steeles and Jane | Yes | Yes they were and even my friend from France could use it even though he doesn’t know how to speak english. | Yes | I like them | Yes | More money for the city can’t be a bad thing | I like how its an all in one garbage bin. |
| 1766 | 38621.51975 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | “I would prefer civic promotions or cummunity spirit messages. Advertising seems to clutter, degrade, and to be all persuasive. Money is not everything.” | I like that the bins are vertically expansive and consume a small spatial footprint on the sidewalk. |
| 1767 | 38621.57192 | Yes | “Bathurst & College, Bloor & Christie, Dundas & Ossington” | No | “The bins seem to have a limited capacity. I have seen them overflowing with litter. Some of them are placed so that one side of waste receptacles is unaccessable. When the instructional diagram is replaced with advertising, following the pilot project, I am concerned that ease of use will lessen even further.” | Yes | “The positioning on several bins seems to pose several hazards. As previously mentioned, some bins are placed so as to make one side of the waste receptacles unaccessible -- endangering (by forcing them to practically walk on the road) those who go to use the other side when one of them is overflowing. The positioning and size of the bins blocks sightlines for vehicular and pedestrian traffic.” | No | “We don’t need more of Toronto city space to be for sale, taken over by private companies for advertising purposes. There are several concerns I have about this issue. First off, advertising is intended to stimulate consumption – and consumption leads to litter and waste. It seems counterproductive and dangerous to cover garbage bins in advetising. Furthermore, these ads are of an excessive size – which I have mentioned poses a hazard to Toronto citizens. And ridiculously, these advertisements are illuminated. It is just plain stupid to have a garbage can that wastes energy for no good reason. | “These are terrible! I see absolutely no benefit to these cans, at least for the citizens of Toronto. If City Council is more concerned about ‘free’ things that come at a great cost to our citizens and our city, at least ensure that they can even serve the purpose they are intended to. The only way in which I see these bins to be of use is in pleasing advertisers. Please do not adopt these bins! |
| 1768 | 38621.59095 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1769 | 38621.63375 | Yes | danforth avenue | Yes | [Blank] | No | They interfere with the flow of pedestrian traffic. | No | If we’re so desparate for money that we have to make the city even uglier then I suggest we rethink our financing strategy. Get some more money from the suburbs etc. We are a wealthy city: can’t we stop ruining our public spaces? | I work in the advertising industry but I want to live in a beautiful city. I think we have enough outdoor advertising and I’m sick of every surface in the city getting covered by ads including streetcars. Please don’t give in to this urge. |
| 1770 | 38621.64698 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | They are a blight on city streets | No | See above | [Blank] |
| 1771 | 38621.64736 | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1772 | 38621.64743 | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1773 | 38621.64764 | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1774 | 38621.64769 | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1775 | 38621.64773 | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1776 | 38621.64779 | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1777 | 38621.65319 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | The bins look far too large. They are a detriment to the streetscape. | No | “I am not in favour of creating further ugliness on the streets of Toronto. Street furniture should not intrude on the aesthetics and function of the street. There is also a glut of advertising in TOronto already. European cities like Zurich, Paris, Milan manage discreet advertising through well-designed street furniture that is at an appropriate scale in the urban streetscape.” | “Hire a designer with sensitivity to the scale, functionality, relative urban plan! ,Bins should be smaller and less brutal.” |
| 1778 | 38621.6567 | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | Very intrusive. | No opinion | Toronto is not a beautiful city and needs all the help it can get. These bins are a step backwards in allowing advertisers to lead the usage of public space under the pretext of offering something ‘free’. | Can them! |
| 1779 | 38621.66642 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “I feeel they are obstacles to strollers, grocery carts, wheelchairs, etc.” | No | I oppose them because they are an affront to the city’s diminishing public space. | Scrap them. |
| 1780 | 38621.6708 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | They are disruptive and ugly. A real eyesore. | No | “These bins are another blight on our city. Recycling is a serious business with serious consequences for our future, not a money grab for marketing dollars. There is no ‘free’. This is taxpayers property with value and space that we all share. The notion that that space is somehow ‘free’ now defies intelligence. Are we now going to give over city land to companies to build stores and factories as well because they pay for the building? I think not.” | I will be happy to lead a tax revolt if the city allows more valuable public property to be swallowed up for advertising the products of private companies. |
| 1781 | 38621.67626 | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | Ugly and not practical. | Yes | “You can’t miss them, but they are way too big and ugly.” | No | This city does not need more advertisements and the containers are just plain ugly. Let’s stop trying to save a buck at the expense of cluttering up our already way too cluttered city with ugly containers and more advertising. There are lots of innovative companies who could do this much more environmentally and aesthetically friendly. This is an easy out. | Please don’t implement this plan. |
| 1782 | 38621.69464 | Yes | Runneymede & Howard Park | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | The large bin at Runneymede & Howard Park obstructs visibility and sidewalk traffic somewhat. The smaller bins are somewhat less obstructing to visibility and pedestrian traffic. | No opinion | “To the extent that the bins provide needed revenue, I understand their usefulness. However, I would also support a tax hike to help pay for waste removal services.At least, I would urge that some areas of the city be reserved as “ad-free” spaces, providing the public an important refuge from the bombardment of marketing media (e.g. High Park, beaches, Nathan Philips Square, etc.).” | [Blank] |
| 1783 | 38621.69955 | Yes | Dufferin and king | No | “too much information, not large enough openings | Yes | They add to the visual clutter and advertising in the street (don’t we have enough of this?).They present a real safety concern at night. | No | [Blank] | “As above, these bins are too big, do not function well for collecting trash and will end up filthy in a very short time. Children cannot reach the recycling slots without coming in contact with the garbage slot. The size of the advertising represents a huge distraction for drivers at street level where they should be watching for pedestrians and oncoming traffic. |
| 1784 | 38621.8617 | Yes | Howard Park and Roncesvalles | No | Rubber on the recylcing section was soiled and disgusting to touch. | No | These bins present a driving hazard. With the hige billboard ads facing the road drivers are distracted – they are very ugly as well. | No | “The ads on the bins are worse than the garbage they contain. I don’t want our public space polluted even more! Also, the bins are already overflowing – if the company can’t handle the maintenence now I don’t have much faith that it will get any better. Don’t sell our city’s public space! | Please stop this terrible project now! Don’t trash our city with these bins. We want to improve and clean up our city – this won’t get us there. |
| 1785 | 38621.86661 | Yes | Ossington Avenue. | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | We do not need more advertising in our public spaces. | They are way too big. Ugly. Please don’t do this. Whats wrong with the ones we have now? |
| 1786 | 38621.9072 | Yes | Kingston Road and Victoria Park | No | “All the openings are jammed together in a tiny space, considering how big the unit is so I can see that people will easily put the wrong thing in the wrong hole. In addition, I am quite tall but would imagine that reaching some of the holes for a smaller person will be difficult plus you have to reach across a surface which experience tells me will get increasingly grimy and dirty.” | No | “The reason that I don’t think I knew that garbage is collected at both ends is because the signs are placed perpendicular to the sidewalk (for maximum viewing of the ads I gather) but that means that me, the poor garbage carrying person has to move almost off the curb to access the other openings. Which means that most people won’t do that, which means one end will be jammed full while the other end will be empty.I dislike the fact that the bin blocks ones view of the street. In another spot, can’t remember where, one had to walk around it to see a parking sign to know whether you could park or not.” | No | I think the previous bins may also have had their problems with capacity etc. but at least they aren’t so offensively big. Why can’t we keep using what we have? | Don’t use them. They look atrocious. |
| 1787 | 38621.91323 | Yes | Roncesvalles Village | Yes | “Being unfamiliar with the new bin, I had to quickly orient myself with how to use it, but it was clear, concise and easy-to-use.” | Yes | “I find them quite unintrusive and they seem to blend in well with the city backdrop, so much so, I have a hard time finding them when I want to throw something out!” | Yes | I’m in favour. But I DO think our society is being inundated with advertising. I think it would be a good vehicle to spread community messages across (please don’t include campaign messages in this!) and possibly even have low-budget advertising space for NGOs and not-for-profit organizations. | So far I think they’re great. |
| 1788 | 38621.92237 | Yes | “Bloor west, between Runnymede and Jane” | No | On my 2nd visit i took a closer look and realized that this bin is oriented perpendicular to the sidewalk and road -- obviously so that the billboard will be seen by the maximum number of people -- but that means that one side of the trash/recycling bins is right by the road. Anyone who wishes to deposit anything in it will actually have to step *into* traffic to do so! | Yes | See above comment. Positioning on the sidewalk on the bin that I saw at Bloor/Jane would require users to step off the sidewalk into traffic in order to deposit anything into one side. This is a public safety hazard. Please get rid of it before someone gets hurt. | No | “The billboards are eyesores and block driver and pedestrian visibility. The design is clearly intended to advantage the commercial advertising function, since the garbage/recycling function is so inconvenient. | “I don’t care how much revenue these might bring in. They are crassly commercial and -- above all -- inadequate as trash containers, which may well result in more trash lying around on the sidewalk if they are implemented. |
| 1789 | 38621.97412 | Yes | “Pape & Danforth (north side of Danforth, just west of Pape)” | No | “On Sunday about noon, it was overflowing with rubbish.” | No | I was surprised to see that they took up about half the width of an already crowded sidewalk. | No | “I like the idea of advertising helping to pay for the bins, but the ad space is too big compared to the volume provided for garbage.” | “I was prepared to like them since they will be free, but was disappointed. The large ad space is so high that it blocks the view of street.” |
| 1790 | 38621.98134 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | they are boring and uncreative. why not create something of beauty... | [Blank] |
| 1791 | 38622.33532 | Yes | Bloor and Windermere | Yes | [Blank] | No | “I think they are too big. Also, you can’t conveniently access both sides unless you want to stand in the street to throw out your litter.” | No | “No, no, no!! They are far too large. They are all advertising for a pathetically small waste receptacle. Please don’t put these up around the city!!” | “Yes, if we need a new plan then why not install more of the old bins. They still allowed for advertising. My only suggestion is that we need more of them and that someone remove the icky flaps on the openings to deposit litter, so that you’re not having to touch the bin to throw your garbage in.” |
| 1792 | 38622.39122 | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | “Small slots, awkward shape. Not a usual garbage can shape.” | Yes | Block the view of oncoming cyclists and pedestrians. Unsafe and unnecessary. | No | We already went too far with Dundas Square. Toronto does not need more advertising space. | “How far is too far? These bins intrude on the daily lives of citizens and bombard them with messages they already get from existing media. We are citizens first, consumers second.” |
| 1793 | 38622.39241 | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | [Blank] | Yes | “They are awful, take up too much room, too tall, dangerous because someone could hide behind them. massive billboards!” | No | would rather pay higher taxes to have a beautiful city than to have these eyesores. | “get rid of them, they are the biggest mistake toronto has made since electing mel lastman” |
| 1794 | 38622.39524 | Yes | Bathurst & College | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | Terrible. There are enough advertising opportunities in Toronto. We do NOT need another billboard THING in the city. | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1795 | 38622.39909 | Yes | Queen and Lansdowne | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | They are in the way and cause an eyesore to the area. The way they sit causes sidewalk congestion. | No | I think that we have enough advertisements around the city on bus shelters and billboards. They make my city ugly. | Get rid of them. |
| 1796 | 38622.40738 | Yes | Downtown west end (don’t recall streets) | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | I would say No because it is a serious offense to my sense of Toronto. Selling that out for some money doesn’t appeal to me in the slightest. I wonder how much can be done with the increased revenue? Is it going to buy us much anyways? | [Blank] |
| 1797 | 38622.40916 | Yes | “Bathurst and College, by the hot dog vendor” | No | “One side faced the sidewalk, the other side faced the parking lot and some bushes. The sidewalk side was crammed with garbage, the other side was kind of hidden. Our friend from Montreal was very confused as to what this hulking object was, and he even thought the posters explaining that this was a garbage can refered to something else.” | Yes | “This seems to be positioned so that both sides of the advertising are visible to the traffic, both people and cars, and this means it is opposite to being positioned so that both garbage sides are available. Advertising, A+; Garbage receptacle, F.” | No | “There are other ways for the city to make money – money cannot be the only bottom line. The Australian government has already adopted a three part bottom line: financial, social, and environmental. Why is Toronto so behind? This is a terrible solution. Plus it crowds the sidewalk.” | “They are so ugly! I mean, really, who designed these monsters? What is the top half of them for, too? Garbage does not fall upwards... Why are they so big? ,Also, why are they currently not lit up? I know that they are supposed to be lit. Why are they not lit in the pilot project?” |
| 1798 | 38622.45582 | Yes | bathurst and college | No | “Because the bin is perpindicular to the street tne half of the garbage/recyclables is not easily accessable. In fact I had to explain to several people that it was indeed a garbage can. The adversting overwhelms the practical nature of the bin. On the other hand, there is a half size version near Queen and Shaw (?) that is rotated 90 degrees and is much more usefull.” | Yes | as above – they should be facing the street – and shorter. | No | perhaps yes if they were of a different design – the large ones are unacceptable. | [Blank] |
| 1799 | 38622.4797 | Yes | danforth and broadview | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | I like that they use vertical space as opposed to taking up street space. The openings are good. | No | “These bins should be used for public service announcements, community bulletin boards, and or art space.” | [Blank] |
| 1800 | 38622.55144 | Yes | Eglinton opposite Braemar | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “Positioned at right angle to road, taking up too much walking space and blocking the view along the sidewalk.” | No | “Disagree strongly with using public space for advertising regardless of cost saving and increased revenues.Disapprove strongly of height of bins as it is above eye level and blocks sight-lines unecessarily.” | I didn’t notice anywhere to recycle paper. |
| 1801 | 38622.5678 | Yes | Dundas and Clendennan | No | Recycling portion is the catch-all. Garbage bin section gets forgotten – blends in too well. Smokers not understanding that cigarette butts are litter. | Yes | In this case somewhat awkwardly as one side faces a sidewalk – the other – uneven cobblestones. Any deterrent whatsoever for people to access a garbage can results in litter. Also it’s not really located where people cross a street or sit or anything – so it’s a special trip to the garbage can. | No | What’s the catch? Who maintains? Who installs? and of course who pays for that installation? The lighting and hydro needs of the 1500 new sites. 10 years from now – then what? What is the life span? | “I’ve heard that some obstruct the sidewalk quite a bit for pedestrians.How much more difficult does it make snow removal?,Remove the bin cover flaps from the smaller ones if they have them – they get dirty and no one wants to touch them to put their garbage in it.Please increase taxes instead of accepting these.Also, design and launch campaign to make smokers aware that cigarette butts are litter.” |
| 1802 | 38622.59896 | Yes | Chester subway station | No | I was blinded by the advertising and had difficulty locating the actual recycling and garbage slots | No | “They are larger than life, obstruct the views of pedestrians, bicyclists, children, people in wheelchairs. They look like billboards not garbage/recyling bins. They take up too much space.” | No | The city is ugly enough as it is. | Design a useful and semi-attractive bin. Not one covered in 2 metre high ads. Look to European countries that have managed to improve their streetscapes. These bins are a complete eyesore. |
| 1803 | 38622.63638 | Yes | Danforth/Broadview | No | Didn’t know which hole was for what quickly enough. | Yes | I think they are awful. I live on the Danforth which gets very busy and these bins effectively block off a third of the sidewalk. | No | What about the beauty of public space? The city already has enough billboards without the city sanctioning them. Surely it will still cost the city some money to make the switch to these bins. | They don’t even look like they hold as much as the old ones. I think they are hideous. |
| 1804 | 38622.69568 | Yes | “Clinton & Bloor,Bloor & Christie” | No | “Clinton & Bloor – awkward to reach as one side is too close to the tree/flower planter & on week-ends is overflowing.Bloor & Christie – so ugly I avoid it.The bins hold less than smaller, less ugly bins.” | Yes | “The bins are visually invasive, and way too big. The Christie-Bloor is positioned directly in the sight-line when you use the crosswalk – the view instead of park, ismassive, ugly ads. The Bloor-Clinton makes crossing the street dangerous – for pedestrians, it blocks the view of on-coming cyclists using the curb lane. It is too tall, and too ugly.” | No | “These are too big, too bright and too ugly. Bigger ads and more advertising assaulting us, does not make a better city/neighbourhood. | “They are crap. Toronto does not need more advertising – there are more than enough monster-lighted billboards, sign-covered buildings, and Dundas-Square Bloor-Yonge “ad zones” – Public space, green space, and distint neighbourhoods should not be for sale. |
| 1805 | 38622.73145 | Yes | Bloor & Christie | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1806 | 38622.79037 | Yes | College & Bathurst | No | “To small, couldn’t see them. It was not clear at all that this was in fact a place for waste.” | Yes | “It blocked my view of the street. When I rode by on my bike I couldn’t see the traffic. I think it is way too big, and presents a hazard to pedestrians, motorists and cyclists. I would be worried about resultant liability.” | No | [Blank] | Please do not put these in our city. Thanks. |
| 1807 | 38622.98924 | Yes | Danforth near Chester | No | “Recycling area is not sorted or labelled (can I put in styrofoam? plastics?; also, too high for a short person like me; garbage mouth is too small, and also open, which leads to swarms of wasps (I could die from being stung). It’s not clear that the top is for recycling, the middle for cigarettes – which, incidentally, smells disgusting – and the bottom for garbage. Wouldn’t it be hilarious is someone dropped a lit cigarette in the unsorted recycling and it ignited some newspaper soaked in alcohol?” | Yes | “They are ugly, intrusive, dangerous to bikers (motorists will stop to use them), dangerous to pedestrians, dangerous to children. They block sightlines at pedestrian crossings, they attract insects and they are too sparsely located.” | No | “Absolutely not. There should be less advertising plastered around the city, not more. At the very least, 50% of advertising space should be given to independent local businesses, not-for-profit organisations, public service messages and so on. As it is, the bins are utter garbage that demean the city.” | “Recycle them as Daleks in the next series of Doctor Who. It’s all they’re good for. If I were a tourist in Toronto, I wouldn’t realise that I should be throwing my garbage in giant advertising hoardings. I’m sure the city will go ahead with them anyway to get money to pay for its scandal and debt-ridden past. Earmark the money for important ventures – increasing the amount of recycling in the city (all plastics, styrofoam, tetrapak are recyclable in other places in North America), find better, safer places to dump garbage, create more programs for at-risk and immigrant youth, create arts funding and use the bins as gallery space. This is the only time that the hideous, people-unfriendly bus “shelters” around the city are any good – when they are used, as during Contact, to display art rather than lowering women’s self-esteem through misogynist advertising.” |
| 1808 | 38623.01263 | Yes | Morningside and Kingston Rd | No | “It not practical, most of the space is dedicated to the big advertising” | Yes | “Well, is there another way to position them? They should be hidden so nobody can see them! | No | I would approve them only if you want to make Toronto the city of billboards. Let say an expanded extremely ugly Dundas Square. | “You know that these monuments to garbage are bad and ugly. Anyone with just a little good taste, and desire not to make our city worst than it is, will tell you. ,Do not prostitute our street just to make some money!!! |
| 1809 | 38623.17541 | Yes | Bloor & Christie | Yes | “It took me a second to figure it out – once I figured out that this thing was a garbage bin and read the signs, it made sense” | Yes | “The one that I saw didn’t seem to be in the way, but I would have a problem with them being all over the sidewalks. Unlike the chest-high metal bins that are currently everywhere, these big things could easily become an eye-sore.” | Yes | Money goes a long way. Something that doesn’t cost the city is a good thing – unless it costs the citizens in other ways – ie visually bombarding them and cluttering up the sidewalks. | “I don’t see the need for seperate slots for garbage and for cigarettes. Garbage is garbage is it not? Furthermore, a spot for cigarettes seems to reinforce the idea that we accept smoking as a part of our culture, when we are in fact trying to move away from that mentality. After all, there is no slot for used heroin needles.” |
| 1810 | 38623.46505 | Yes | College street | No | “Since the receptacle looks so much like a billboard, I wasn’t even aware that it was a waste bin until it was pointed out to me.” | No | “I think they are horribly positioned. They obscure sightlines for cyclists, are an impedence to pedestrians and aesthtically the bins are an eyesore in a city already overwhelmed by advertising images battling for our attention. | No | As explained above the city is already overrun by advertising images. | I have not spoken to a single person who is in favour of these bins. I truly hope this test run is the last we will see of them. |
| 1811 | 38623.47438 | No | [Blank] | No | They do not look like garbage containers and you have to look too hard to figure out how to utilize them- you should be able to tell at a glance where to put you item of garbage. The way they are designed you can’t even tell that they are for garbage... | No | Again it is hard to tell what they are for so maybe the angle they are placed at could make this more obvious? | No | “Like the idea of free to the city and revenue for advertising space, but still need to know that they are garbage cans...” | again- more obvious what they are and where to drop your paper cup... |
| 1812 | 38623.49854 | Yes | Queen & Jamieson | No | “The place to deposit garbage was on the road side, not the sidewalk side. Sort of inconvenient to say the least.” | No | “They’re so large that it actually interrupts the visual flow of a street. A garbage bin that is larger than a person should be in factories or warehouses, not on city streets.” | No | “The visual garbage/pollution created by advertising does not justify these new bins, in my opinion. It is getting increasingly difficult trying to walk through the city without being bombarded by advertisements all around. This just makes it worse. I’m sick of seeing ads on bus shelters, billboards, buses, streetcars, urinals, TTC stations, television and movies. It should be possible to walk down a city street WITHOUT SEEING ADVERTISING!!!! Is there anything not worth selling out for? Education, trash... what’s left?” | “Great concept undoubtedly, but much too large.” |
| 1813 | 38623.50078 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | It creates a huge visual blindspot for cyclists/driver collisions. A car turning right cannot see a cyclist coming down the street with the bins where they are. | No | “Why not call City Hall “The Sony City Hall”. Where does it end? | “Good idea, poor execution.” |
| 1814 | 38623.50506 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | I think they are too high and they look more like billboards than garbage cans. Toronto is already saturated with advertising. Please consider the urban environment as a place where citizens live... not as a mindless cash grab. | No | It’s the wrong path. Toronto already has too much advertising in place. I don’t generally mind advertising but it is taking away from the look of the city. | Take them away please. Bad design = bad design. |
| 1815 | 38623.51806 | Yes | bathrust and college | Yes | [Blank] | No | while the bins themselves are nicely designed the addition of ADVERTISING to the sides is completely awful! what an eye sore! I am so disappointed by the decision to turn the bins into billboards... Please re-consider!!!! | No | There is too much advertising on our streets as it is... it’s embarassing!!! | [Blank] |
| 1816 | 38623.54052 | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | “they seem awfully large and have the potential to obstruct the view for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists...” | [Blank] | “My answer depends on what the revenue would be used for....if the revenue was 100% commited to reducing pollution in this city, I would be for it. The number of smog days this past year was truly ridiculous and dangerous.Maybe the money should go to improving the TTC service. If it goes to anything else my position is that we are already bombarded with ads, and I would prefer less of them out there.” | make sure they do not obstruct the sightline for traffic |
| 1817 | 38623.64563 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | N/A did not use it. | No | I think this could be dangerous as they impede pedestrians and cars vision. I also think they are an eye sore. Does this city need more advertising billboards/signs? I would argue that it doesn’t. It cheapens the city and makes it feel more American than Canadian. I agree that the city needs more garbage cans but please spend the money on adding more garbage cans and restoring the garbage cans we currently own. | No | “There are plenty of other ways to generate revenues for the city. There are plenty of better ways to install garbage cans in the city. There are also plenty of ways to advertise smartly in the city. This new bin is not the solution. There is a lot of irony in these Billboard garbage cans. The garbage disposal units seems to be an afterthought here. Moreover, this question isn’t asked objectively. Why not ask “Would you disagree with this program if you were aware that these generate very little revenue (in the larger picture) and create visual pollution.I think these survey questions are suggestive and misleading. Someone, or a few people stand to benefit from this but it’s not the residents of Toronto. | There are not enough garbage cans located on the streets as is. Making enourmous signs/garbage cans will restrict the number of garbage cans per area (block). More thought should be given to this program. This seems like a quick scheme to make money. The idea is good but why does there need to be a massive sign on the cans. The current garbage cans have ad space on them so why don’t we continue to use them. If there is an increase in size to anything it should be the garbage can themselves. Countless times I see them overflowing. |
| 1818 | 38623.73058 | Yes | “Danforth and ?Logan,Little India” | No | absolutely full to the brim | Yes | horrific....obstructs and disrtracts from the streetscape... | No | i am not necessarily opposed to having advertising space which would generate revenues for the city...but this bin does not achieve garbage collection function at either a practical level or asthetic level. Why can’t these purposes stand some priority over the advertising feature? | “Please, realize the significant impact bins can have on the streetscape/experience. They are present in huge numbers and as the new TTC shelters do so well, can generate a distinctive urban flavour unique to Toronto. I sincerely hope that the City will value this aspect of this bin issue...in addition to achieving optimal functionality. The ads should serve only a secondary issue. Otherwise please do not make the bins so tall...from a safety perspective, one should be able to see past these bins. |
| 1819 | 38623.74497 | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | It is not as clear as on the standard bins which refuse goes in which opening. | No | [Blank] | No | They are hideously ugly. I think it would be terrible to have such a number of large billboards added to the sidewalks around the city. They obstruct the view and are an aesthetic blight. They are not worth the increased revenue to the city. | [Blank] |
| 1820 | 38623.74696 | Yes | Bloor Street West & Jane area | Yes | Garbage bins of any description are not difficult to use. | Yes | “These are a blight on the neighbourhood. It’s too big, it’s hideous and I’m embarrassed for whomever came up with the idea. | No | Nice job Toronto. Not since university have I seen such an obviously leading question on a survey that’s intended to be objective. | Thanks for selling out and filling more public space with advertising. |
| 1821 | 38623.74897 | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “They are an eyesore in a city that is already overrun by advertising images, they impede pedestrian traffic and obstruct sightlines for cyclists and motorists. I think that the new bins are a terrible idea.” | No | “They are an eyesore in a city that is already overrun by advertising images, they impede pedestrian traffic and obstruct sightlines for cyclists and motorists. I think that the new bins are a terrible idea.” | [Blank] |
| 1822 | 38623.77166 | No | “Danforth and Playter...I was confronted by it, and enraged...I could not “use” it because it was already overflowing.” | No | “The recycling “slot” was not obvious, not properly identified. The little garbage bin on the pedestrian side was full to overflowing. The one on the roadway side would only be accessible to pedestrians if they were willing to step out into the traffic! Is it the intention that drivers would stop their cars (in the intersection) and try to toss their garbage in? So how come the next question does not provide a box for comments?” | Yes | The monstrosity blocks a very large part of the side-walk (half?) and obstructs the view down the danforth. This is a city where council is dealing with a bylaw that will prevent stores from out little (comparatively) sandwich boards without a whole lot of restrictions. | No | They are not about garbage and recycling they are about private profit and city revenue. | “Get them off the streets. ,You keep repeating the expression “newly designed”, probably in a subliminal attempt to make critics feel guilty about criticising something that has already been “redesigned”. My goodness, how bad was the previous design, if this is thought to be better. On the other hand, you don’t say “better”, you only say “redesigned”.” |
| 1823 | 38623.82671 | Yes | Queen St W and Jameson Ave | Yes | The holes were too small for putting things in. The amount of space inside should be abundant (as large as the bin itself) since garbage bins fill up fast | Yes | They are too high. People such as purse snatchers or attackers could hide behind them so I don’t consider them safe. They should be such that you can see over them. I don’t mind the shorter ones that I’ve seen and the positioning wasn’t too bad because it wasn’t in the way. | No | I’m not sure why advertising is even necessary. We used to have signs that advertised ‘not to litter’ | If you are going to have advertising why can’t it be lit at night using solar lighting like the parking meters are powered? There is a lot of surface area at the top to collect a lot of sunlight. |
| 1824 | 38623.86359 | Yes | “1640 Bloor Street West, on the North side of Bloor between Dundas and Keele” | No | “One of the openings is located about 15 centimeters from the road, facing the road. This is an inconvenient and DANGEROUS place for an opening. It requires pedestrians to step out on to the raod to face the opening.Also, the recepticles are too small, exposed to the elements and provide no drainage. I pitty the garbage collector who has to lift them up to empty them while they are full of water.” | Yes | “Terrible. Because they are places perpendicular to the sidewalk, they take up far too much room. The ones I have seen deny pedestrians of roughly half of the width of the sidewalk. It’s absurd.” | No | “They are not garbage bins with advertizing, they are billboards with small trash recepticles. I am shocked that the city is even considdering these monstrosities. I would like to know what ammount of revenues the city has seem from the existing bins.” | “How much revenue has the city seem from the existing bins? ,I think the new bins are terrible. Have the old bins that are damaged replaced, but have them replaced with more of the same. These new ones are terrible.” |
| 1825 | 38623.98755 | Yes | “Danforth and Pape, Danforth and Gough” | No | “Both bins were overflowing with garbage, which was very unattractive.” | Yes | They block the free flow of pedestrian traffic. | No | “They lessen the attractiveness of the Danforth. They distract your attention away from the storefronts and shop displays, which is not what we want for the store owners or for tourists.” | “They are an embarrassment. They look like free-standing bill boards, with a strange addition of waste disposal features that are added on in a weird way. |
| 1826 | 38624.38339 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | “I believe that the bins have illuminated signs which waste electricity, and thus cause unnecessary pollution.” |
| 1827 | 38624.43487 | Yes | Warden and Finch | Yes | They were at the right height but identifying what each garbage opening was for took a little getting used to because they werent easily identified as the other bins. Those who are lazy might just shove their trash down whatever port they feel like. | Yes | Sometimes only one side of the bins were accessible enough to be practical because the other side was too close to the roadside curb. | Yes | “I dont care much about the advertising. So long as it helps get rid of the garbage without much cost, I’m fine with it.” | “Try to place it in a way that makes both sides of the bin easily acessible. Also, I’m just hoping that there arent any versions of it that uses power. It’s lame to hear that power is being wasted on garbage bins when they should be used elsewhere.” |
| 1828 | 38624.48436 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “the advertisements are too big. lets just recylce, please.how much of the money for the advertising is going to Eucan?” | I think the height is imposing- I prefferred the other bins that were below eye level. BUT I ENCOURAGE THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF RECYCLIG IT PROVIDES |
| 1829 | 38624.64865 | Yes | “Greenwood and Danforth,Pape and Danforth” | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “Badly positioned: I use my bike to go to work everyday and these HUGE bins are blocking the view: on corner streets, I cannot see if a pedestrian is behind it...” | No | “These bins are way too tall, so they’re blocking the view of incoming traffic/pedestrians” | [Blank] |
| 1830 | 38624.7289 | Yes | King and Strachan | No | “The bin was not practical since it hardly holds any recycling, the openings for the garbage are minimized in favour of advertizing which obscures the fact that it is a garbage bin. I actually passed it by thinking it was another bus shelter advertisement, then looked back and thought it was a free-standing, double-sided advertisement. I then noticed that it actually allows for small amounts of waste.It isn’t easy to use because the recycling area is too high are recessed compared with the garbage opening.” | Yes | I find them terribly positioned since it obstructs the view down the sidewalk and obstructs the view of the garbage (can’t be distinguished from a bus shelter advertisement). I also don’t like that it blocks a significant amount of sidewalk space. | No | “I am strongly opposed to the city installing these newly designed advertisements. They are in direct conflict of interest with the goal of reducing waste. The city should not be in the business of making a marginal profit from plastering advertisements at the expense of residents.Recyclable material should be collected with the aim of reducing the energy and resource demands of manufacturing. It should not be in the business of profiteering from driving more consumption of goods which will end up being shipped to landfills. The advertisements themselves also require more energy to run in terms of electricity to light them, fuel for and material for workers to drive around changing the advertisements.” | “One way to mitigate the cost of recycling and garbage bins is to focus on posting information from the city only, which targets those using the bins, not automobile traffic. The informative posters already created focus on reducing the costs of the city while promoting healthy habits for citizens and a cleaner city. Poster space could also include information on non-profit groups that share these aims.Posters need not be lit at night since the information is for pedestrians who can read it from the street lighting. Posters could also be swapped infrequently amongst different locations to ensure that consumption of materials for their printing remains low.The city spends 16 million annually on managin street waste, and with 90% of the cost going towards dealing with litter on the ground, effective bins play a key role in reducing the city’s costs.” |
| 1831 | 38624.76097 | Yes | “Roncesvalles Ave. & Howard Park, as well as King St. West near Shaw” | No | “The recepticles themselves were not labeled, the user must rely on an explanatory panel above the openings. | Yes | “Terrible. Many I have seen have one of the openings almost flush to the street, so that you would almost have to stand in the road to use it. Dangerous at best. | No | “Advertising funded puhlic infrastructure does not work. Period. The city always gets taken advantage of, and the main benefits of such programs accrue to the advertising companies, not the taxpayers. Moreover, it may be impossible to quantify the damage it does to the look, feel, and livability of the city. | “Yes. ,Please stop this madness. These are billboards first, garbage cans second. No one is being fooled. ,Additional concerns that I have: ,1) These are not truly “environmentally friendly” bins, as the majority of them will be illuminated thus consuming power.2) They obscure sightlines and make the areas they are in feel closed off and hidden. ,3) Public space belongs to taxpayers, not advertisers. ,Thank you for listening to public opinion and not purely commercial interests. |
| 1832 | 38624.93719 | Yes | Howard Park & Roncesvalles | Yes | “Easy to understand because the poster inside labelled each slot. Of course, this would change when ads replace the original posters.” | Yes | “They take up WAY too much space, the tall ones especially.” | No | “Hey, I’m strapped for cash too, but I’m not so desperate that I’m going to carry 7-foot-tall ads around with me everywhere.” | “The bin has a footprint the size of a coffin, he actual garbage bin part is no more than an office wastebasket! It’s a complete waste of space, not to mention a terrible excuse for more ads. We have too many ads on the street already! MEGABINS SUCK.” |
| 1833 | 38624.94747 | Yes | Danforth and Pape | No | openings were too small | No | they are hard to identify | No | “unless every penny goes to cleaning up the city in other ways – this city is a disgusting mess of garbage – not just what is thrown onthe street, but from garbage collectors not being thorough enough, tossing empty cans all over the place, and from people leaving their garbage out unsecured, so it ends up all over the street.” | They are not big enough. They always have huge piles of garbage onthe ground around them because there isn’t enough room in them to put all the garbage that people have. |
| 1834 | 38625.07314 | Yes | bathurst & college | No | “it was rather confusing. i wasn’t even sure that it actually was a garbage can; the only reason i knew was because i had heard of the project. at first (and second) glance, it does not appear to be a garbage can. Also, the design of the side where the garbage can is is slightly confusing, not to mention completely obscured by the huge billboards on either side of it.” | No | “i think my answer to question#3 answers this question already! the bins are clearly not well positioned if i didn’t even notice that garbage is collected on both sides! if i recall correctly, only one side of the thing actually faces pedestrian traffic walking along college. why would i look/walk around the other side of the billboard to find a garbage can?!” | No | “although the free bins and increased revenue sound enticing, that is like asking if i think the city should sell its soul to the devil. hasn’t adversiting gone far enough? this pilot project reminds me of those horrid moving ads – the trucks that drive around the city polluting the air for the sole purpose of having a rotating ad on them! the electricity wasted to illuminate the billboard (not to mention just the idea of promoting consumption) on the side of a garbage can seems rather hypocritical. i haven’t seen them at night but i can’t imagine that the light is there to attract pedestrians to the bin itself.” | scrap ‘em! |
| 1835 | 38625.33868 | Yes | Humber College | Yes | I felt it was obvious where to drop your garbage. Or out your cigarette or place your bottle to recyle it. | Yes | I feel it is great because they are close to bus stops and easy to see. I once walked blocks with my garbage in hand so I wouldn’t pollute the environment. The first time I saw these garbage/ reycling bins I felt it was a great idea because I know when I put my garbage or bottle to the designated areas they will go their respective places. And I helped to improve my environment. | Yes | The city only loses should City counsel decide against this venture or feel not enough people gave feedback. | I would hope the are of Brampton will be given such an opportunity. |
| 1836 | 38625.35677 | Yes | anforth Ave and Main St. | No | [Blank] | No | One end of the bin openings was on the road side of it! This is dangerous for pedestrians trying to use it! | No | They cause a blind spot for drivers trying to enter the roadway from a side street as the bins are located at the curb and can’t be seen through! | [Blank] |
| 1837 | 38625.49472 | Yes | Main & Danforth and along Danforth Ave. | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | They seem to be fine the way they are. | Yes | “Didnt this already exist with the older smaller bins? I mean, were’nt they also free to the city with the ads on them ?” | “I can’t really tell you a single ad on any of the bins, old or new, because I think you are looking for the correct slot for garbage and not interested in the ads. If it’s believed to be effective advertising and the bins are free, put up lots more everywhere!” |
| 1838 | 38625.53098 | Yes | danforth ave | No | “it was not practical at all – because it was OVERFLOWING with garbage. It seems that these new bins hardly hold an garbage,-height – was fine to reach the garbage. But the height of the whole bin is WAY TOO HIGH...it looks terrible in the neighbourhood...it makes the street look bulky and overcrowded” | Yes | I think they are terrible. They are way too big and it’s not easy to throw the garbage in the container. They might be find if they reducded the height by half. Also the advertising on them is ridiculous. It is a complete distraction and it’s very ugly-looking. | No | “I understand why the advertising needs to be there...but everyday we are forced to look at ads ... we don’t need more on our city streets...and especially not something that is so high that will distract pedestrians and motorists attention. ,I like the idea of having cigarette compartments....but I highly doubt that a smoker will actually use them.” | Try a new design...these ones do not work. No one I have talked to are in favour of the city of Toronto switching to these bins. |
| 1839 | 38625.58586 | Yes | Danforth and Pape | Yes | Openings are clear | Yes | “The openings on one side are too close to the curb, due to the orientation of the unit (perpendicular to sidewalk). As well, they are so tall they block the view of pedestrians.” | No | “No, I appreciate the function, and the added space, but I feel that they are just too tall and large. | Please redesign them so as be below eye level. |
| 1840 | 38625.59098 | Yes | Queen St W | No | “Okay for an adult, not for a child. They are functional but that is not the issue.” | Yes | they are obstructive because they are too high. The previous ones should have been top opening but fit in much better. | No | Advertising sounds like an easy answer to a cash crunch but it is in fact a sell out. ‘Cleaning up Toronto’ should not involve blighting the landscape with ads | Do you realize that no matter what is advertised on those bins makes it seem like the city advocates it? Ask yourselves if you want the ads to speak for the city. |
| 1841 | 38625.63066 | Yes | SE corner Ossington/Dundas | No | “One side of the bin was completely unusable – unless you’re thinking that people will throw their trash out of their car windows into the bins. Although I understood the separation into separate streams, most people did not. Everything was just thrown into the main garbage bin. Plus, the rubber covers that you’re supposed to slip trash through were all sticky and covered with bits of stuff – who wants to put their hand on that???” | Yes | “As I mentioned above, they are placed in such a way that the bins on one side are completely unusable by pedestrians – unless they want to step into traffic. I was wearing a backpack at the time that would have hit any cyclist who tried to pass me if I was to step on the available 4-5 inches of space to access the street-side bin. The bin that I looked at had overflowing garbage on one side and nothing in the street side bin. | No | “ABSOLUTELY NOT! Overlooking for the moment (and it’s a pretty hard thing to overlook) the fact that the bins are egregiously large – or rather, that the ad space is egregiously large, the bins don’t seem to hold a lot; overlooking for the moment that there is hardly a space in the city where we can go and not be assaulted by ads these days and we hardly need 7 foot tall ones cluttering up the street corners; overlooking even the fact that the bins are placed for the sole convenience of the advertisers and not those who would be trying to use the bins for their purported purpose – garbage collection; the simple fact is that it is appallingly stupid to even think about putting up electrified garbage cans in the middle of an energy crisis. Hello, blackout anyone??? Remember that? Nor do I think the crying poor complaint is sufficient to excuse such short-sighted planning. Who would pay to run all the necessary wiring to these curbside eyesores? I’m guessing the “poor” city. Who would pay for keeping the stupid things lit up 24/7? I’m guessing the “poor” city. If the city is poor for any reason, it’s that we have been burdened with politicians and planners who can’t see past the easy money or who simply can’t be bothered figuring out better solutions. Poor city? Poor citizens.” | “These are a seriously bad idea. In today’s energy concious times, they border on criminal. Why am I biking to work, composting and recycling at home, spending money to try to make my home more energy concious if you lot aren’t even going to try to change? This isn’t even trying to maintain current pollution levels – these bins would actually make the situation worse. Whoever passed these things into the planning stage should be fired.” |
| 1842 | 38625.63565 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | I understand from people that use them that the slots are too high. What is wrong with the old bins? | [Blank] | “These are atrocious and another affront to the people of this City. Others include the the advertising signs in parks and all the huge ads on buildings. The City has to stop this.I am very happy that Councillor Walker is not allowing the bins and park signs in our area. | No | We should not sell our souls fo a few advertising dollars. The money recieved is not worth destoying our streets for and while the additional funds may pay for more services it is better to do without. | Get rid of them as fast as possible and stop other programs that are littering our City. What about the Mayor’s Clean and Beautiful City initiative? I trust it is against this barrage of advertising in public spaces. |
| 1843 | 38625.63969 | No | I walk by one of these bins everyday. It took me weeks to relize they are actual bins instead of billboards. (bloor and christie) | No | Why make things complicated?? The old bins were just fine | No | “It’s just another piece of advertisment. If you want to use the city’s space for advertisment, then do so, but don’t hide behind the facade that these are new better bins. They aren’t. And they look ugly too. A big useless thing in the middle of the sidewalk, as if we didn’t have enough junk on our streets.” | No | “The end doesn’t justify the means. Recycling it’s a good cause, but there are other ways. How about regulating packaging for example?” | I look for the day when the northwest corner of Bloor and Christie is free of a big useless billboard. |
| 1844 | 38625.64358 | No | [Blank] | No | Not practical for Baby Boomers... | No | Never saw one yet! | No opinion | “Free bins, money for advertising...It’s happening now, with the old bins!,What’s the point...?!? Keep Management / union workers working?” | “It will be a new item on the street,with more instructions to read on how to get rid of your garbage...” |
| 1845 | 38625.65427 | No | [Blank] | No | Not practical for Baby Boomers... | No | Never saw one yet! | No opinion | “Free bins, money for advertising...It’s happening now, with the old bins!,What’s the point...?!? Keep Management / union workers working?” | “It will be a new item on the street,with more instructions to read on how to get rid of your garbage...” |
| 1846 | 38625.72959 | Yes | Lakeshore and 4th street | Yes | I use a scooter and find it very conveniant. | Yes | “As long as they don’t bother the traffic view at the corners, they are very nice and clean looking.” | Yes | “If this means cleaner sidewalks,,You would be stupid not to. You got my vote.” | “I think there should be one on every block.The first ads should be to the kids about how to keep your beautiful city clean and be proud of it.,Thanks” |
| 1847 | 38626.75286 | Yes | Danforth Ave | Yes | [Blank] | No | “Too high and blocked view on sidewalk and street.There could be a danger as someone may walk out into traffic as they may be unable to see oncoming vehicles or perhaps a vehicle that is parking at the curb.” | No | “The garbage containers appear to be functional, however the height is visually overpowering. Advertising revenues should not the primary concern. We need only the damage the junk food and drinks have brought to the youth in the schools.” | “Surely you can do better than this. I bet if you were to honestly search for an agency that could design a less imposing container, it would be appreciated by most Torontonians.” |
| 1848 | 38626.81292 | Yes | Danforth | No | the openings were too small and badly designed esp. the recycling one. | Yes | “They were badly positioned because the only place to put the garbage in was on the sides and so it obstructed the flow of pedestian traffic when people went to go throw stuff out. Also, if the garbage can was on the side of the stret, you would have to step into the street to use the other side” | No | It is not worth it. The bins are ugly and unpractcal. | don’t install them. |
| 1849 | 38626.84519 | Yes | Ellesmere & Scarborough Golf Club | No | “I was rather lost about where to insert the garbage, and thought that the extreme height of the bin was impractical. | Yes | “I was doing the Terry Fox Run, and coming out of the side street, it was difficult to see around the corner because of it and my friend almost ran into it. | No | “I dislike the cans because they do not hold as much garbage as the old ones. Also, they intrude on my personal space and thoughts. Advertising so close to my school and in my community was something I disliked seeing. | [Blank] |
| 1850 | 38627.6936 | Yes | Danforth and Chester | No | “Unintuitive openings, not to mention that you basically have to walk into traffic to use one side. | Yes | “See above comment. Also, they block sightlines, and are positioned for the convenience of advertisers rather than people with stuff to throw away. | No | Property taxes are for core services like trash and recycling. The city should cough up the dough to fund its own services and keep public spaces public. | I do not want them in our city. |
| 1851 | 38627.92751 | Yes | Kingston Rd. and Victoria Park | No | “No, I wasn’t sure where the receptacle was nor was I certain that it was even a garbage can.” | No | “Very poorly. The new bins are horrendously large and take up far too much space on the sidewalk. I think it’s less an issue of positioning than of size, though” | No | “I’m sure the city can think of other means to economize. Despite whatever savings might occur, these bins are simply too garish and too large not to be offensive to the average person.” | [Blank] |
| 1852 | 38628.3576 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | “I have not used them, and usally wait when I get home to disbrust of my waste.” | Yes | “I like the “Old School Way”. When I was a little one... maybe when I was in grade 3-4 we had these big cans with big wide openings, they actually looked like garbages. I don’t like where these garbage bins are going, and feel that it’s not susstainable, and has one Purpose. Bring back the old school garbages with big wide openings!” | No | “Because the money really hasn’t been shown if it’s going to be used in a good way. All the end consumer sees is that the big coporate comapnies are the big winners after this is all done, and don’t think the masses are stupid. I have study different parts of Advertising, and we could be due with a lot less of it. What happen to being simple with advertising anyways?” | “Think of a new concepte that involes the public to understand where this extra money is coming from, and make sure you follow with your word with a newly launched project like this. Yeah you may make some extra revenu, but where does that go lol? They are too big, too intruding and ugly... sorry I’m just beig honest. The frist concepte didn’t work so dust yourself off, and come up with a new one. ,Good Luck, ,P.S. I like the solor pamle on top. You can use that has your USP. The only garbage can that uses solor power. |
| 1853 | 38628.38778 | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | They are too tall. They are block sitelines and therefore are dangerous. | No | A different design is required. These are too tall. | “Yes. They are too tall. They block sitelines which is dangerous, Especially for cyclists. Also, I think they’re quite ugly.” |
| 1854 | 38628.38933 | Yes | Bloor & Christie | No | The garbage openings seemed too small. | No | “They take up too much sidewalk space, esp. those that are perpendicular to the street.” | No | I don’t want to see more ads on the street than I already do. | I like that it has ashtrays to reduce the number of cigarette butts on the street. |
| 1855 | 38628.4001 | Yes | Queen East and Lee | No | Openings confusing and small | Yes | Why are they perpendicular to the road? Why are they so massively tall? I believe they could be parallel to the road and at least a foot shorter in height. | No opinion | “I believe that the revenue from the bins is a good thing, but the design of the actual bin is not. I think they are ugly and a hinderance to citizens on the sidwalks.” | Redesign before considering their permanent installment in our city. |
| 1856 | 38628.45775 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | These are completely ugly. This makes a mockery of our city. Where else would you see such unsightly things. It is a cheap cash grab and nothing more. | [Blank] |
| 1857 | 38628.46843 | Yes | Danforth | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1858 | 38628.48782 | Yes | “Bathurst and College, Warden and McNicoll” | No | “The garbage section is way too small, and always full” | Yes | “It’s insane – you are blocking half of the sidewalk with it. You have rendered half of the sideway unusable, and all pedestrians must squish by this monstrosity.” | No | The revenue to the city gets is minimal (10% or something of ad revenues). I would rather the city (taxpayer) pay for better bins than lose part of our sidewalk to yet more advertising. How much of the city will we sell to advertising? What if companies want to paint the sidewalks? What if they want to have TVs in those garbage cans? What if they want vending machines in the garbage cans? Where does it end? | If this goes through I am moving out of the city. The planning department / public works has absolutely lost its mind. |
| 1859 | 38628.52197 | Yes | “danforth/greenwood and others, don’t recall locations of all” | No | “first of all, it is NOT AT ALL recognizable as a garbage bin. once it is, it is very difficult to determine where to deposit different types of garbage, and the openings are MUCH TOO SMALL to be usable.” | Yes | “again, they look only like advertisements and are not recognizable as bins.” | No | “NO NO NO NO NO!!! i feel strongly that this will result in increased garbage on the streets and reduced recycling overall, as people will not be able to identify the bins. on two separate occasions so far, i have observed people walk by them without noticing them, and then place – carefully – their coffee cups on one of the retaining walls around a tree, because they didn’t know what to do with them!” | “most of my friends did not even know about these new bins, and when i pointed them out, said they never would have known those were for trash – they just look like one more giant advertisement in a world already overwhelming us with advertising. let trash bins look like trash bins – even if they seem unsightly, it is far less so that the garbage that will start to accumulate on the streets when people don’t know where to put it!” |
| 1860 | 38628.52414 | Yes | Bloor and Christie | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | They look like bus shelters from the side and block the view of Christie Park. I think it’s probably hard for drivers to see west along Bloor with this thing in the way. | No | “Not in this format, the bins are huge and block the view up the street. It’s also easy to confuse it for a TTC stop, which ALSO has advertising. Perhaps something smaller. | “TOO BIG. Also, they’re illuminated, which in turn leads to more waste. I don’t see the point of making a trash can than uses electricity and encourages consumption. I’d prefer more small garbage cans, along with the recycling bins... Incidendally, whatever happened to the lady bugs? Put thousands of those around the city, they’re freindly and useful as garbage cans, and distintive without being overbearing.” |
| 1861 | 38628.52779 | Yes | Roncesvalles | No | I found the openings too small and confusing what goes where | No | “they are an eyesore. I don’t mind the advertising as a way to get free bins, but I find them very confusing to use and they take up too much space” | No | please see above comment. Too difficult to use | I’d rather that the bins are large enough to hold the garbage/recycling rather than use all the space for ads |
| 1862 | 38628.54056 | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | For a second I was slightly confused as to where everything went. | Yes | “I had no problem with the way it was positioned, seemed pretty standard.” | Yes | “Seems like a good way to bring in some money, which could hopefully be spent on empting them more often.” | “My main problem with them is that there is no green bin option. If the city wants the green bin program to be succesful they should support it by giving their citizens plenty of options to use it. Also if cans and paper can now be placed together, wouldn’t it make sense to make one space for them and use the other space for green bin? Obviously taking into account that the green bin would need alot less space.” |
| 1863 | 38628.58515 | Yes | Dundas and Ossington | No | “On most bins the holes for garbage are on the front, but here they are hidden in the sides, so as not to obstruct the massive advertisements. Plus, once actual ads are on the bins, rather than those informative posters, they will simply look like streetfront billboards, not garbage cans. Expect more street litter!” | Yes | “I find them obstructive. They block view of stores, traffic, cyclists and pedestrians.” | No | “On top of the obstruction factor, the bins are absolutely hideous. Aren’t there enough ads out there already, with bus shelters, those new “Info Maps” and the existing garbage bins. I understand the city needs money, but there must be a better way. There is nothing “Eco” about EcoMupis. They are visual pollution and a civic embarrassment.” | “My guess is that the massive bins will be abandoned in favour of a “compromise” -- keeping the smaller EcoMupis. But this is no solution, because the smaller ones are also too big, nearly as ugly and equally obstructive to pedestrians.I would also expect a lot of vandalism on these bins, perpetrated by disgruntled Torontonians who feel their city has been sold out. This would make the eyesores even uglier.” |
| 1864 | 38628.62438 | No | “Gerrard, between Pape and Jones” | No | Examined it and found it be-littling of residents/neighbours. This is the disposal of garbage we are talking about which any garbage bins as seen in public parks with heavy metal covers would be absolutely satisfactory. It is as if a person would have to quality for a contest in order to dispose of garbage. Ludicrous. What is the world coming to. | No | “Dangerous, takes up too MUCH pedestrian space..it’s more like a piece of furniture” | No | Absolutely NO | The disposal of garbage is what we are talking about. Garbage bins as seen in public parks with heavy metal covers would be absolutely satisfactory and SIMPLE. |
| 1865 | 38628.6319 | Yes | Danforth and Pape | No | “Garbage was overflowing from the recepticle, and I could not figure out how to separate recyclables from the general garbage. Because it was overflowing, all I could do was place my garbage on top of the overflowing mess.” | No | “They tend to block the streetscape, and generally obstruct the view on the sidewalk.” | No | “Before resorting to the sale of PUBLIC space, the City should concentrate on cleaning up its internal financial mess. MFP proves that there is lots of money at City Hall – we’re just not spending it appropriately, and NOBODY is PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING.WE NEED TRANSPARENCY!!!,This is what the Island Airport fight is about. Miller said he wouldn’t sell out downtown neighbourhoods. Well this new garbage containers ARE SELLING OUT PUBLIC SPACE.” | “The new bins are not only confusing to me, but apparently many people, as they are almost overflowing every time I walk by (I live at Danforth and Pape). I don’t think anybody knows how to use them properly. What was wrong with the old containers? They were straight forward, low to the ground (did not obstruct the view), and seemed to work well.” |
| 1866 | 38628.64881 | Yes | Don Mills and Lawrence | No | paper and cans in same recycling? cigarette thing too big and in my face. garbage too small | No | [Blank] | No | “just a big poster on the street, not a garbage can, boring and ugly” | “more space for garbage, better opening needed for recycling (covered in pop)” |
| 1867 | 38628.67229 | Yes | Queen / Jameson | No | “I noticed that many people had placed recyclables in the garbage and no one was taking the time to determine what container was for what. Labelling was poor and obviously with people passing by so quickly, the labelling would need to be very eyecatching and clear to be of use. The containers also are a completely different look than the usual “recycling bin blue” that triggers people to think of recycling, so passersby have to take time to consider that these are not just litter bins, which they obviously were not doing.” | Yes | The bins are way too large and take up a great deal of space on the sidewalk. They seem to have been designed to maximize advertising space as opposed to being the best design to encourage recycling and discourage littering. | No opinion | “I support recycling initiatives and strategies to decrease litter, but I do not think these bins address either of these issues. They really appear to be advertising signs with a couple of added bins to appear as if they assist with recycling and litter. I would support clearly marked, recognizable recycling bins for the many soft drink containers that are currently tossed in the garbage, as well as for newspapers, etc. However, these bins do not address these issues, they are too large, and they are too focussed on advertising.” | [Blank] |
| 1868 | 38628.69003 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “They are hideous. Too tall and covered in advertising. I want public, city-sponsored objects to be designed. This is an opportunity to make a visual statement all over our city that matches the city brand of Toronto Unlimited. These bins say Toronto Cheap and Ugly.” | No | See above. We live in an age where civic design can make an enormous statement about a city’s heart and soul. Like the Paris Metro signs – something as ubiquitous as bins need not be ugly. These bins are ugly. And they say that advertising is more important than the city’s brand. They dimish us. | “Two words, Bruce Mau. Get someone, or some firm, with true sense of artistry to design functional bins. People on the street interact with bins in a very personal way. Resdients and tourists. This is a great opportunity to make a street-level statement about the kind of city Toronto wants to be.” |
| 1869 | 38628.70144 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | I would like to see a more attractive design – does everything have to have advertisements? Couldn’t it be nicer looking? Suely we can do better. | [Blank] |
| 1870 | 38628.70676 | Yes | Dundas/Ossington | Yes | [Blank] | No | Ugly and much too prominent. | No | We don’t need any more advertising eyesores masquerading as public services. It’s a public embarrassment because what we’re really advertising is the unwillingness of the city to provide itself with the services it needs. | “Trash cans need to be where the people are -- like around streetcar stops, for example. All these commercial opportunities put the advertising where it’s most prominent -- that is, out in the open, away from other advertising -- and so we end up with gigantic trash cans much too far from their useful locations.” |
| 1871 | 38628.71517 | Yes | colleg and grace | No | [Blank] | Yes | “they are enormous, unweildy and block the view of traffic!” | No opinion | “These are HORRID. Ugly, ugly ugly. Get Bruce Mau to design abetter one! Also, I’d rather pay more taxes for a better bin that was EMPTIED in good order than have some media company put these behemouths all over town.” | “The key too the bins issue is REMOVING THE GARBAGE REGULARLY. The silver ones would be fine if A) there wee MORE of them--you have to walk blocks anywhere in twon to FIND one.B)they were properly serviced and ,C) they were not so easy to break open so every street kid trashes them.d) bonus category--hire more bylay officers to give tickets for littering and dumping and hire more street cleaners to pick up garbage. This city has gone to hell in the cleanliness dept. the last five years alone and I have been here for 40 years.” |
| 1872 | 38628.71987 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | I think that eye clutter is just as bad as garbage cluttering the streets. The bins appear taller and much more in the public eye than even the existing bins used on the streets. This is of course to ensure that the advertising is seen by the consumer but it also restricts the view of existing businesses and public amenities. The thought of adding even more and larger advertising to our city streets in an already overwhelming downtown cityscape is quite repulsive. | “Why not support the artists in toronto and challenge them to design a bin that suits the city’s need for cleanliness (I like the cigarette butt idea, that needs to be communicated more to the public) but still befits a modern city that values its public spaces. The contest, though it has a cost attached could also be part of a compaign to keep the city clean and generate a greater awareness to the new bins. I would prefer to pay for really well designed bins than to get more visually distructive advertising for free.” |
| 1873 | 38628.72094 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | “they are unattractive from any position. true, i probably won’t trip and fall over one but that’s because they’re practically billboards.” | No | “there is one of these unsightly “bins” at the end of my street. it took me quite some time to discover it’s purpose (i thought it was a structure meant to conceal a smaller and even uglier power source or something). really, the bins are are a thinly disguised attempt to leverage advertising revenue. isn’t there a better way for the city a) to conceal garbage/recycling containers, and b) to make money without us having to pay the price via eye-level visual pollution?” | “please, turn to another design firm and perhaps one that has some truly innovative ideas about improving the street aesthetic while promoting recycling and the use of garbage bins.” |
| 1874 | 38628.72565 | Yes | “I don’t recall where I saw it as I was on my bike, but it was in the downtown core. I have seen many photos of them.” | [Blank] | I did not use the bin as I was on my bike. | No | “They are way too big, and obstruct the view of the street from the street. Like bus shelters they seem more about the adspace they provide than the service. I wish bus shelters didn’t have any ads as well, so you could see through the glass to what was happening down the street. | No | Too much of our city is covered in advertising already. Let’s cut back on all that. | [Blank] |
| 1875 | 38628.72723 | Yes | Bloor & Christie | No | “Openings are too small. Unfortunately, no one uses them for cigarettes, so the amount of space taken for the cigarette deposit is too large relative to its usefulness” | No | “They are not conducive to use, since one side is “behind” the bin, away from the street. They also take up too much space and block normal pedestrian flow, not to mention block views for cyclists and motorists. | No | I am not in favour of these bins under any circumstances. | The bins are big and ugly. No amount of increased revenue can make up for the fact that these bins are destined to become a huge eyesore (and are against everything else this city is trying to do to improve its image). |
| 1876 | 38628.76921 | Yes | Bathurst & Lawrence | No | “No.(Too many labels to read, before one can decide where to place a particular item.) Granted, if you’ve figured it out once, you would likely know where to put it the next time. | No | “I’ve seen other bins around town, beside the one at Bathurst & Lawrence; all of them are oversized, so it would hardly matter WHERE they are positioned --- they are an eyesore. I’ll bet most people can’t even remember what the ads on these bins are actually for. Folks are looking for a place to put their garbage and not interested in reading the garbage bin.” | No | Let me ask CITY HALL some questions... Is this city up for rent as some kind of giant billboard? It appears that City Hall might sell off almost anything to anyone who has some spare change jingling in their pockets. Is this a portent of what Torontonians may expect? | “Ubiquitous advertising all over just about every available surface of this city is just plain ugly. Isn’t it enough that advertising is plastered all over subway stations, TTC vehicles, billboards, many buildings, signposts, ad nauseum? The bins are extremely unsightly and a blight on the landscape. What City Hall may gain in increased revenue by selling ad space may well be offset by the loss of tourist dollars. Tourists do not travel to a city to look at eyesores blocking the view.” |
| 1877 | 38628.77501 | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | no comment | No | they are so ugly. please don’t pollute the city with this kind of advertising. surely there is money somewhere in the city budget to afford trash bins with no advertising. | “i will be disappointed if these bins go through as is. the concept is fine, but the design is terrible and the advertising makes it look cheap. definately not what you would expect from a first class city. thanks for listening.” |
| 1878 | 38628.78005 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | rediculous over scaled junky piece of visual assault | No | no see above | “get rid of tehm, never install a single one, they are disgusting” |
| 1879 | 38628.83685 | Yes | Broadview and Danforth | No | It was confusing as to which opening was for what kind of trash. | No | They cover far too much of the pedestrian flow. And interfere with sightlines. | No | “I think that the advertising is too large and distracting (to motorists). The height of these contraptions doesn’t contribute to waste storage and is in fact simply wasted space. Yes, they seem too large for the waste they can actually hold, which seem less than the bins we already have in place.” | “I may be mistaken, but I think these bins light up. Who is paying for that hydro bill???,I’m not nescessarily opposed to advertising, but these bins are simply ugly. They do nothing to beautify our city. Surely the city can come up with a design that can promote advertising without being an eyesore.” |
| 1880 | 38628.87344 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | They really are a hinderance and an eyesore. Trash is refuse: no point giving it more room or putting it at an eye level. | No | Theay are ugly and impractical. Use the existing 3-receptacle trash cans for advertising. | [Blank] |
| 1881 | 38628.9194 | Yes | howard park and roncesvalles | No | no too small | No | “too big for the actual trash bins that they house,i picture them with some huge ugly ad making the street look gross” | No | let the city sell ad space up on billbaords and away from street level. it feels intrusive . they take up too much space. they arent functional. arent the bus shelter ads enough already? STOP IT! give us real recyling centers that educate on the environment or something. a place to recycle batteries or styrofoam take out containers would be so progressive. the ad space could be alot smaller and the recycling could be alot bigger | take them back to USA please. |
| 1882 | 38628.98676 | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | excellent idea |
| 1883 | 38628.99686 | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | Height was okay for me but would not be for young (short) children. | Yes | “I dislike the new bins very much. They appear to carry less garbage and recycling than the current ones, not to mention they are an eye-soar! I frequently come across current bins that are filled to capacity, and in turn force people to litter. How will the new ones prevent this from happening?” | No | Isn’t the City currently receiving revenue from the current bins already? I don’t mind advertising but the new bins appear to be 99% advertising and 1% functional for the public. I prefer the current bins... but perhaps more of them. Or the current ones plus a few smaller garbage only bins. | I can’t stress enough what an eye-soar the new bins are. I personally think they make our City look less attractive. |
| 1884 | 38629.36292 | Yes | Danforth Ave | No | The signs with arrows had my 11 year old totaly confused because the arrows crossed on the picture. The garbage section was always overflowing. | Yes | It’s not useful to have half the capacity on the street side. The garbage section isn’t big enough. The old ones are better. | No | The design is lousy. | [Blank] |
| 1885 | 38629.39966 | Yes | Danforth | No | “Seemed hard to find proper slot for waste, seems to be totally at the wrong end. Counterintuitive.” | Yes | Extremely poorly positioned. Takes up too much room on a sidewalk already overcrowded. Should be rotated 90% if one takes the concerns of pedestrians seriously. Public Saftety issue – dangerous to get around the street side of the bin or to use it from that side. | No | “Very poor public policy. The entire bin is designed to serve the advertiser, not the public.” | Why doesn’t the City of Toronto take the initiative in making this a clean greeen city rather than be pushed along by the advertising industry. Distracting signs along every street are just another form of urban pollution. |
| 1886 | 38629.40223 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “I think that Toronto has an opportunity to make a statement with the new bins: a statement about our culture, about our city, and about our values. With respect to culture, I think we should ask local designers/artists to generate ideas/concepts for the new system. This would promote city ownership of the system and would also promote pride in our local talent. Second, the bins could send a message about our city and its values: that we value community. This message could be conveyed by using 1/2 of the space for community message boards or maps/bike routes of the area around the bin. Laslty, the bins could send the message that we value the environment by encouraging people to pay attention to their consmuption by way of separating their garbage (as is the case with the current bins).” | Yes | “Only if some of that money was used to then supplement free space on the bins for non profits, community groups and organizations.” | [Blank] |
| 1887 | 38629.41797 | Yes | bathurst and college (south west side on college) | No | “big and junky looking, but small compartments for disposal. not as easy to understand as the current trash bins (with the three compartments). i don’t smoke, so the ashtray feature doesn’t interest me either. but, it is the first feature i noticed (besides the billboard). i’m not sure if a tourist or even a resident of toronto would realize it’s a garbage can right away.” | No | “ugly design. could we not come up with something better? or, why change the bins we already have, which are clearly labelled? i use those rather than these complicated ones that don’t look like they hold much. were there any other models presented? i would go back to the drawing board, or to another design firm. | No | generating revenue is not a reason to clutter public space. | see above |
| 1888 | 38629.42213 | Yes | Roncesvalles and Howard Park | Yes | I found it very easy to put my garbage and cans into. | Yes | They are in a perfect position to allow for people to walk by without being too crowded on the sidewalk. | Yes | I think that any kind of additional money for the city is a very good thing. | I think these bins are great! They need to put more of these up. |
| 1889 | 38629.43326 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | “In Spain it does not work it is horrible, so i guess it will not work in Canada either.” |
| 1890 | 38629.47347 | Yes | King & Dufferin | Yes | somewhat. not exactly easy to understand because there was no signage. I watched many people unsure as to what went where. | Yes | “not bad, out of the way. however the one in my neighbourhood seems to fill quickly – I’ve witnessed garbage & recycling overflowing from the new units on more than a few occasions.” | No | “absolutely not. the last thing the city of Toronto needs is more public space given to advertisers. this is a chance to brand the city in a very unique way, to make it a truly world class city – but selling add space on these new units is not the right answer. I vehemently opposed the sale of commercial advertising space and every single person I talk to is also opposed. | “no advertising! unless you plan to budget repair costs for vandalism, etc. NO ADVERTISING!!!” |
| 1891 | 38629.50083 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | they are intrusive looking and ugly | No | “the advertising is aggressive and a turn off...it makes me want to avoid strolling on streets that have them, as the streets are already crowded enough | “smaller and less advertising, I vote no for those bins” |
| 1892 | 38629.52215 | Yes | “Bathurst and College, and Gerrard East.” | No | “it was confusing. overfull. and annoying. the older bins are much easier.you could push the waste ‘deep’ into the bin like you can with the existing ones. the new ones will definitely clog up.” | No | i really dislike them. i HATE having my view blocked by 6 foot advertisements. | No | there is nothing wrong with the old bins. they work perfectly well and are not an eye sore. don’t do this for the advertising revenue. | “they exemplify the further commodification of public space. and they’re not as easy to use as the old ones. even though the old ones have adds, which i dislike, atleast they blend in better.” |
| 1893 | 38629.52729 | Yes | “Gerrard St, near Coxwell, or thereabouts” | No | “Unlike a regular garbage can, it required thought and study about where to put everything. I don’t think a child could use the recycling container -- it’s too high. The garbage container has been overflowing on every bin I’ve seen. | Yes | “The positioning itself was fine; however, the height of the bin/advertisement is excessive.” | No | These garbage cans would be the biggest eyesore in the city. I can’t imagine that would be worth even millions in additional revenue. I’d rather pay higher taxes to keep them off the street! | “The bins are tacky, impractical and ugly. In no other city in the world have I witnessed such bad taste in a garbage can. |
| 1894 | 38629.52954 | Yes | Bathurst and College | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “Too large, infringement on public space” | No | “City is already too much of a billboard, if one thinks about the beautiful aspects of a city and what makes it great they don’t think ads everywhere.” | “Make them smaller, if you require advertising on bins make it of an informational purpose. Make better use of your current cleaning staff to make the city more beautiful.” |
| 1895 | 38629.53383 | Yes | “Gerrard and Broadview, possibly further east along Gerrard somewhere” | No | [Blank] | No | “These monstrosities are far too big. I can’t possibly see how they could be “positioned” without being an awful eyesore. | No | “It would be much easier and more democratic to simply tax the business community of Toronto for the exact cost of installing functional, ad-free garbage bins. This way, the residents of Toronto could keep a little more of their space public.” | Get rid of these things! This is an awful idea! |
| 1896 | 38629.53887 | No | I have not used one but seen the design | [Blank] | I understand that they may be practical. Yes. | Yes | they are obtrusive... | No | “I do NOT think that our city needs any more advertising. I just read in Canadian Business that Mayor Miller is trying to promote and urban centre that will offer culture and diviesity- something that he poses the surround suburbs and smaller cities can’t provide. I understand the need the city has for revenue- but I am positive that there are other ways than plastering every space in the city with advertising. I am also a major supporter of the recycling bins on the streets of our city I am proud of the fact that we have them. But lets us not forget that they will be used for garbage- people will put their butts out on them they will miss the trash and it will lie around the bottom of the “shiny new advertisement” They will look old and ugly withing a year of usage. PLEASE rethink this project. “Yes” to recycling on our streets! “No” to more adverstising! Thank you.” | [Blank] |
| 1897 | 38629.55684 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “From the look of them they interupt sight lines, which in a crowded city is unwelcome.” | No | “I am in favour of the free factor, however they are ugly. we need to make Toronto a beautiful city. Lets follow Copenhagen’s expample and have them designed for aesthetic as well as function.” | “Do we not already have bins that provide advertising? If we need new ones, lets have companyies bid for the “contract” by submitting designs that work on many levels. That say what we want about oru city. Lets live by our principles!” |
| 1898 | 38629.56781 | No | “I tried to use a bin by Pape and Danforth, but the garbage part of it was full. The containers are too shallow.” | No | One side of the bins on Danforth Avenue are too close to the road. I feel like I am stepping out into traffic when I want to use one half of the bin. | Yes | Please see above. | No | The bins are an eyesore that just add more gaudy advertising to sidewalks. How low does the city have to keep going to get more money? | The bins cut off my view of Danforth Ave. as a I walk along the street. They are truly horrible. They are also impractical and worse than the existing garbage and recycling containers. Why mess with something that works fine? |
| 1899 | 38629.58689 | Yes | Gerard and Broadview | No | It wasn’t clear where to put what. | Yes | “They are an obstacle to pedestrian traffic. They are hard to see over, especially for children. | No | “I don’t want any more large and obnoxious advertising that promotes stereotypes, especially advertising that is spread all over the city. The advertising in dundas square is more than enough for this torontonian to bear. | Get rid of them. |
| 1900 | 38629.58895 | No | [Blank] | No | “slots are too small. Poor visibility for kids, handicapped, smaller storage than old ones. Mistaken (or on purpose?) as advertising space only.” | Yes | “new garbage can:,- ugly eye sore for pedestrians (why not position aligned with streets -- but that would block visibility of shops rather than pedestrians, the lifeline of neighbourhooods,- decreased visibility, thus decreasing sense of safety when walking on the street, esp. at night and all time for women and children,- less storage space than old bins (that are completely unobtrusive and do not block view),- no need for separate battery collection on street (people can collect those at home and dispose once a year),- advertising on old bins is less upsetting than the huge space reserved for that purpose on new ones,- estimated 50% of new design is only there to allow huge advertising area and does not serve for garbage collection at all (no slots higher than halfway (except for silly cigarette buts and batteries, which are no contributor to filthiness in streets at all right now),- garbage bins are supposed to be there to help in avoiding street litter, most of which is due to coffee cups and fast food joint disposables (better place → put garbage cans around those, or enforce fast food chains to be responsible for having customers not leave any trace of visits). The occasional left newspaper is annoying but not main contributor to filthiness feeling.” | No | “Old bins are perfectly fine and do not cause unsafety feeling, have more space, are less intrusive, etc. (see above)” | Please re-evaluate how to most effectively contribute to well-being of neighborhoods and pleasantness of public areas. |
| 1901 | 38629.73409 | Yes | Bloor and Christie | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “While functional, I thnk they are incredibly ugly. They are way too tall and while I understand that advertising revenue is important, there must be another way. I love Toronto and the fact that unlike some other large cities and certainly the suburbs, people are able to walk from destination to destination. I think that garbage bins are a real opportunity for some style. Somehting to make the city seem cooler. As silly as it may sound, something the tourists will remember and take pictures of. These new ones are just big monolithic monstosities.” | No | I’m not against advertising on bins. In fact I think it’s a great idea. I’m just against the design of the bins. | “When you say “newly designed”, take the word ‘design’ literally. I’m sure there are many local artisans and industrial engineers who would be exremely happy to design efficient, inexpensive yet stylish bins (with space for advertising of course) and it would be good for the city.” |
| 1902 | 38629.73956 | No | “No, none are located close to me. I have seen the photos, however, and object strongly to advertising on public garbage bins. This is visual clutter for our streets.” | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | “Please do not move forward with these garbage bins with advertising on them. They clutter our public spaces. I’d pay higher taxes if needed to support the City keeping our streets free of more ads. Also, please eliminate the existing bins with ads on them. They are ugly and I do not believe that the City should sell out our streets in this way.” |
| 1903 | 38629.76253 | Yes | bathurst & college | Yes | seemed to be quite functional and easy to use. | No | “they are quite large, but not too intrusive on the street. maybe they could be oriented parallel to the street, rather than perpendicular.” | No | “i would rather the city paid for the bins and used the advertising space to promote the city of toronto: attractions, issues, policies and promotions of civic events.” | [Blank] |
| 1904 | 38629.7799 | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | I found the openings to be to small | Yes | I found the size imposing. | No | “I found the bin to be an unwelcoming eye sore and I can only imagine the advertisments to be placed on them will only make them more visuially imposing.Buss shelters already provide enough sizeable advertising on common corrners as garbage cans. I would perfer something smaller and more straight forward to use.” | “As a pedrestrian I find the amount and size of advertising takes away from the real view of the city. It would more likely make a difference to place more of the garbage bins that we already use in more obvious places. Sometimes it just makes no sence as to why there isn’t one. ,The appeal of the can is a huge reason that people litter, if it’s full and garbage is pouring out you can’t put anything in it, and if it’s philphy then you don’t want to, convienance is key.We don’t need huge garbage cans, we need more and more welcoming garbage cans.I would like the peoples representavies to make decissions that benniffit the people who live here befor the companies that do business here when it come to our common spaces.” |
| 1905 | 38629.79505 | Yes | BRIMLEY & FINCH AND McCOWAN & FINCH | No | “THE RECYCLABLES HEIGHT WAS LITTLE HEIGHT FOR ME, AND I BELIVE THIS HEIGHT WOULD BE TOO HIGH FOR SHORT PEOPLE & CHILDREN” | Yes | “THE POSITION IS O.K. BUT I FEEL IT WOULD BE MORE EASY TO ACCESSIBLE IF YOU COULD PLACE THEM LITTLE MORE CLOSER TO BOTH ROADS IN THE JUNCTION.” | Yes | “IT ALL COST MONEY NOW A DAYS, AND IT’S A GOOD IDEA WHAT CITY IS DOING RATHER THAN SPENDING OUR TAX MONEY ON THIS.” | “EVERYTHING SEEMS O.K. IT WOULD BE MORE HELPFUL IF YOU CAN REDUCE THE HEIGHT OF RECYCLABLES. ALSO, IT SEEMS TO BE SMALL, BECAUSE IT IS BEING FULL IN MOST EVENINGS. OTHER THAN THAT, IT’S VERY GOOD. THANK YOU FOR MAKING OUR CITY BEAUTIFUL. LOVE TORONTO.” |
| 1906 | 38629.8308 | No | [Blank] | No | “The explanations were on one side and the openings separate, though later I saw small stickers on some of the boxes telling which opening was which, right by the opening.” | No | “I find that they obstruct the sidewalks, making it a bit harder to walk.” | No | “I would find it hard having more ads, and large ones at that, on the sidewalk. I find the bins too big and the openings too small and not clearly marked.” | Don’t put them on our streets. |
| 1907 | 38629.88079 | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1908 | 38629.9481 | Yes | kingston road east of vic park | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | The bins make the sidewalk harder to walk on because the take up so much space. This is especially true if you are walking with friends or the sidewalk is busy. | No | The bins are very tall and large. The existing short garbage cans also with advertising that are placed parallel to the street are much more user friendly as well as less ugly. | Don’t have them! The garbage cans prove that city officials care more about money than about how nice the city is to walk around in. |
| 1909 | 38630.27186 | Yes | Alexander and Church | Yes | “No, I thought it required a bit of time, first to understand that it was a bin, secondly where to put garbage.” | Yes | “It is hard to understand how garbage will be collected... and how often... The one I saw on Church and Alexander was already overfilled... And when bins are overfilled and the weather is hot, it tends to smell really bad...” | No opinion | It depends how the city would spend the revenue! Buy more modern trucks to collect garbage? Install more bins? Plant more trees and flowers? | “The first time I saw the bin, I wondered what it was... People walk around wondering where to put their litter. I find the openings too small...” |
| 1910 | 38630.37676 | Yes | Can’t recall exactly. | Yes | Everything was clearly marked. | Yes | “I think they take up too much space on the sidewalk, and obstruct views for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. I’d prefer something that didn’t obstruct the view at eye level.” | No | “I’m concerned that because they are higher than chest level that they’ll cause accidents by obstructing the line of sight of drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians.” | “I’m also concerned that they’ll become a target for grafitti artists and vandals. I think Toronto is doing a good job addressing these issues, but that these bins will be a step backwards, not forwards.” |
| 1911 | 38630.3988 | No | [Blank] | No | It is not clear where to put the garbage/recycling. | Yes | “Their only apparent function is to advertise stuff to us. NO MORE ADVERTISING!!! Plus, they obstruct vision. They are unsafe because they do not give pedestrians a good few of who is on the sidewalk.” | No | “NO MORE ADVERTISING!!! If every single one of these monstrosities were to be filled with the work of local artists, I may be able to re-think their size. | “Awful, sad state of affairs that something this crass would even become a pilot project. I understand that the city needs to find ways to make revenue but this is just furthering councils dependence on corporate money. MORE ART FEWER ADS!” |
| 1912 | 38630.51991 | Yes | college & ossington | No | one access was from the street side and the other was full | Yes | I think they are too big and high for any sidewalk | No | I am disturbed at the existance of advertising in many public areas – there is too much of it at present in spite of the value? of it to the city | get better versions of thew smaller ones and empty them more frequently to stop overflow |
| 1913 | 38630.521 | Yes | Pape & Danforth | No | You can really only deposit waste and recyclables on one side. You have to stand on the street to use the other side. | Yes | “Although the deal sounds great, they are a bit of an eyesore. Heading into 2006, the year of creativity, they are hardly contributing to the beauty of the city – if anything they are taking away from it.” | No | See answer 4. Great deal. Poor design both visually and practically. | Again the deal is great. Any chance of a better design? |
| 1914 | 38630.53769 | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “The “monster” size obscures sightlines, which raises safety issues; the height and girth do not integrate with other street furniture; and , no doubt, we will be forced to endure more visual pollution in the form of larger than life advertisements.” | [Blank] |
| 1915 | 38630.55773 | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | they obstruct sight lines--they are viisual impediments | No | “Our sidewalks are way, way too cluttered as it is. Thise hideous “tourist guides” which are nothing more than ad surfaces, are useless. Please do not install these unsightly giant bins which we all know will be used as billboards.” | Trash them |
| 1916 | 38630.57295 | Yes | Avenue and Eglinton | No | It wasn’t clear that it was a garbage bin. Just looks like an out of place billboard. | No | The bins are a big obstruction on the sidewalk. | No | “What ever happened to good old fashioned, inexpensive garbage cans? No ads. Just a plain and simple bin. Similar recycling bins should accompany every garbage bin.” | “The fact that these new bins use electricity to light up the ads is very irresponsible when we’re facing an energy crisis, black-outs and smog caused by our overconsumption of energy (e.g. coal fired plants, and debt from the cost of building and maintaining nuclear plants). We need to be looking for ways to reduce energy consumption, not add to it. This is a matter of life and death, according to the Ontario Medical Association, who found that nearly 6,000 people die prematurely because of smog each year in Ontario.Besides, the ads are an eyesore. We’re bombarded with advertising everywhere we go in this city. Let’s leave a little room for real human interactions on our sidewalks, instead of these distracting, invasive ads.” |
| 1917 | 38630.66928 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | Not easy to see where the openings are | No | Don’t think the city needs to see more advertising although it does mean more revenue | [Blank] |
| 1918 | 38630.68005 | Yes | he he Bathurst and College ;-) | No | Openings not large enough. Whole setup is a hideous eyesore. Hate it. | No | Block the flow of pedestrian traffic. Get rid of them! | No | Not in favour of them at all but the billboard aspect makes it even less appealing. We are bombarded with enough advertising as it is – please let me enjoy my walk to work. | “I think my point has been made clear already, but please reconsider these eyesores. They take up too much room and aren’t even particularly user-friendly. Two big thumbs down over here!” |
| 1919 | 38630.76646 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “I’m all for recycling, and I realize it’s difficult to make it a “pretty” endeavour. These bins are already ugly and obtrusive. Plaster ads all over them and they will become intolerably so. The last thing any of us needs is more advertising shoved in our faces. (in this case quite literally, since the ads will be exactly at eye-level)” | “It’s hard to argue against anything that might help increase recycling efforts. The bins I could get used to. Though for the next batch how about lower, longer versions? Not so tall and obtrusive. (obviously these ones were designed with ads in mind) ,As for the ads, I say ABSOLUTELY NOT. ,Surely you can find other, less obnoxious sources of revenue. Such as increased fees to the industries that produce the stuff that needs recycling.” |
| 1920 | 38630.90047 | Yes | McCowan and Lawrence | Yes | It was in the right height and easy to understand. | Yes | It is positioned on the right place. | Yes | I will strongly recommend this. It defenitely appears like a revenue generating model for the government. | “No. But i would be glad to know the process involved in handling the bins from garbage collection and recycling. Also, i would like to know how different is the functionality of this compared to the existing bins already available.” |
| 1921 | 38630.91681 | Yes | “SE corner Roncesvalles & Howard Park (short bin),NE corner of the same intersection (tall bin)” | No | “The slots are too small,On the tall bins, the slots are about half way down the bin. This means that half the bin’s height is not being used for trash/recyclables collection. It’s purely for advertising.I’ve seen other bins in which the slots on the street side of the bin weren’t used while those on the other side were overflowing.” | Yes | “It’s set too far in the middle of the sidewalk. If there were two wheelchairs or large strollers trying to pass at that point, they’d have a lot of trouble.The bins, if they must be kept should have more room for trash and recycling collection than ads. The ads should be in no way lit -- it’s a waste of energy and they definitely should not be anywhere near an intersection where pedestrians need to access transit stops and cross walks.Most of the downtown sidewalks are too narrow for them.” | No | “The revenue works out to less than 50 cents per citizen per year. The size and placement of these bins is for advertising, not for trash and recyclables collection. They’re placed to be seen, distract drivers and impede the pedestrians who should be given first priority on the sidewalk.” | “Cancel this plan. Garbage cans should be garbage cans first and not ad billboards. The money’s not worth it. The risk to pedestrians, who should have priority on the sidewalks.” |
| 1922 | 38631.00275 | Yes | “Lawrence & Don Mills, in front of Science Center, and in too many other places. | No | “First of all, one side was completly overfilled. Then it was so hard getting stuff through the tiny holes! What kind of a garbage box NEEDS directions? It shouldn’t, but this one does! Have you not thought about little kids? Or the disabled? Or those like me, who are just short? Throwing garbage out shouldn’t be such a hassle. | Yes | “They are great...if you want to run INTO someone. Again, people can just stand behind there and walk around RIGHT when I am passing by, how stupid is that? Does a garbage bin REALLY need to be the center of the stree corner? It should be accissible, and visible, but it doesn’t need the spotlight! | No | “NO. Do we not have enough ads in the city? Are we already not wasting enough electricity? What happened to all of those “conserve energy” ads? Another blackout because we need to light up some ads? With a what, a 3 milliom budget, and only $20 from a bin, a month, seriously...who are you trying to fool? This isn’t called revenues. It is called pennies.” | GET RID OF THEM. They are in accessible. Ugly. Take up too much space. Will be illuminated with ads. They overflow so easily. They are the center and spotlight of a street corner. They block so much space. They take up too much space. They waste the city’s energy. The bins are GARBAGE ideas. So throw them out where they belong! |
| 1923 | 38631.00375 | Yes | Bloor and Christie | No | I’m concerned that once the posters explaining the bin are removed and replaced with ads that it’ll be more difficult to figure out how to use them. Also bins filled up quickly and were over flowing. | Yes | “It takes up too much space and puts an ad into a park, which is absolutely dissgusting.” | No | It simply adds to the slow destruction of Toronto street culture and brings advertizing into more and more places in our lives. | “Please, don’t allow them perminently in my city.” |
| 1924 | 38631.04067 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | Unknown. There is one across the street from my TTC stop (King and Strachan) but I’ve never used it. | Yes | “The bins are overlarge and block the view, turning the street/sidewalk into just another block of add space, killing the ‘community’ view.” | No | “The new bins are very “in your face” with their blatant comercial advertising. The old OMG boxes, while not exactly elegant, were fairly inobtrusive. You could see over them and around the surrounding area. The new boxes dominate the streescape where they have been installed.” | “There is more than enough comercial advertising all over the place as it is on the streets without adding yet more. TTC shelters and these boxes end up fighing for advertising space just feet from each other in many locations, causing the entire street to be dominated by advertising. The character of the area these boxes are in is lost.” |
| 1925 | 38631.37005 | Yes | Southeast corner Roncesvalles & Howard Park | No | “It was in the way, see next comment” | Yes | “This particular bin, even though it is short, is too big for the space that it is in. The bin is out in the middle of the sidewalk instead of near the road, and it is on a corner that is already full due to the presence of a bus stop and service posts. Without the bin it is o.k. but when you add the bin it is too crowded & there is not enough room to move around. This sidewalk (on Roncesvalles) is not suitable for these bins because the brickwork makes it impossible to locate them near the street edge of the sidewalk. | No | “They are too big. The tall ones are way too big, they block the view as well as the sidewalk. The short ones do not obstruct the view, which is good, but overall they are about three times as large as necessary for the functionality they provide. | These bins really suck! Why don’t we just hang massive advertisement banners down the side of the City Hall building in Nathan Philips Square? I’m sure we could make a lot of money that way! |
| 1926 | 38631.51705 | No | “I have not used them, but have seen them” | No | I don’t know | No | They are instrusive. | No | [Blank] | They are truly a hideous addition to the sidewalk landscape. |
| 1927 | 38631.52142 | Yes | Danforth and Broadview-Chester | No | It was confusing and overstuffed....and ugly. | No | “They are too big and unsightly, they block views. | No | [Blank] | The major issues seems to be capacity. I have never seen one that is not overflowing with garbage. |
| 1928 | 38631.81718 | Yes | “Alexander & Church (Toronto, ON)” | No | [Blank] | Yes | The particular bin in question has been given too prominent position in the sidewalk. | No | [Blank] | I don’t like them. To much of an eyesore. Why do you want to make garbage containers so visually prominent on the city streets?!? |
| 1929 | 38631.82545 | No | [Blank] | No | “The openings we’re ridiculously small. I just stood there in awe that our city would erect such an atrocious, ugly, impractical, and eventually energy waster. THESE BINS ARE DISGUSTING.” | Yes | “As mentioned in answer 2, I am disgusted by the fact that our city would even think about putting these on our streets. Besides the fact that they are ugly and impractical, as a young driver I do not enjoy being at a corner with one, especially in downtown Toronto where driving is already difficult. | No | Do you think these companies are just giving them to the City because they want to be nice? No. They want to make money at the cost of wasting energy and making our streets UGLY. | “GET RID OF THEM. NOW.These bins have no place in my city.” |
| 1930 | 38631.83103 | Yes | [Blank] | No | “Very poorly labelled, openings too close to eachother, too easy to put items in the wrong spot.” | No | “It is not obvious that it is a garbage bin – openings for garbage, etc should be the most obvious – NOT THE ADVERTISEMENT” | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1931 | 38631.85112 | Yes | DAnforth and Broadview | No | “I did not find it user-friendly. I had to take the time to read all the options and figure out which compartment was which. Clear diagrams are much easier, especially for tourists who may not speak english.” | No | “Hate it! I found it obstructed my view, which was particularly troublesome when I was riding my bike nearby and felt that I couldn’t see if someone might be stepping onto the road behind the sign. This also happened when I was waiting at a bus stop(Don Mills and Sheppard) and my view was obstructed from seeing if the bus was coming.” | No | “The large bins feel like “eye pollution”, and it greatly diminishes the look of our city. I’m all for garbage and recycling bins, but not ones that feel like walking billboards.” | “I have seen 1/2 size bins (2 or 3 feet tall) which are much easier on the eyes, and fit in better. Do people really need/use the ashtray component of the bin, by the way? And thank you for asking for our feedback – I would have been very disappointed to see those monstrosities pop up without consultation. Please do not opt to keep them.” |
| 1932 | 38631.85856 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | Maybe if they weren’t so godawful hideous. | Do we really need more noisy advertising polluting our city? It’s almost as bad as litter. |
| 1933 | 38631.86727 | Yes | Bloor & Christie | No | “Easy to understand, sure, but there was recycling in the garbage part, and the bins were close to overflowing because the compartments are so small.” | Yes | “The bins take up far too much room on the sidewalk! They are clearly designed to be advertising spaces as opposed to garbage receptacles. They also block visibility for cars, cyclists, and pedestrians.” | No | “I would prefer garbage bins that actually have more space for garbage and less space for advertising. Toronto’s sidewalks are narrow enough without adding huge ads to them. I appreciate that these bins have cigarette butt disposals, but I’m certain that something more compact and less hazardous, as well as less offensive to the eyes, could be installed.” | [Blank] |
| 1934 | 38631.88294 | Yes | Pape & Danforth | No | “No, it’s not big enough.” | Yes | the one i used was actually facing the street. kind of a dumb idea. | No | they’re just another advertising eyesore. can’t i just for once get away from someone trying to invade my personal space with ads? | “they’re horrible, impractical, not large enough and hideous.” |
| 1935 | 38631.89678 | Yes | Chester and Danforth. | No | “The openings are too small, and the bins always seem to be overflowing with garbage.” | Yes | The bins take up far too much space and block the view of the street completely. | No | Absolutely not. They’re nearly useless as garbage bins and are terrible eyesores besides. | [Blank] |
| 1936 | 38631.91867 | Yes | main and danforth | No | It’s difficult to figure out where to put the garbage; they are very unclear. Garbage bins should be simple. | Yes | It’s a bit intrusive and seems like it might even be a safety hazard (in terms of blocking vision). | No | “I think, that in a city such as this, we absolutely do not need more advertisements being pumped into us. If it would mean that I didn’t have to pay for the bins out taxes, then I am in favour, but altogether I simply do not want the bins as I think they are a waste of money.” | “Please don’t go on with the project, I have heard nothing but complaints about these ugly monsters that are, ironically enough, littering the sidewalks. I’m frankly disappointed that this project even made it past planning stages as it seems to me it would have been vetoed for impracticality right off the bat.” |
| 1937 | 38631.97456 | Yes | Lawrence/Don Mills | No | It was ugly and seemed more like a billboard than anything else. The places to put garbage were also overflowing! Someone asked me what it was because they didn’t know (we were waiting for the bus). | No | I don’t like them. They aren’t practical and they block the view up and down the street. I’m also concerned about the large advertisements that will be up on them. There is too much advertising on the street already. | No | I don’t want to sacrifice the beauty of our city for free advertisements loosly disguised as garbage cans. doesn’t the mayor want to beautify our city? he’d be a hypocrite if he and the rest of the councillors let these bins come onto our streets permanently. | “I liked the eco bin I saw when I was on the bus. It was little, clean, simple and had no ads! IT didn’t take up my line of sight and it was very economical and easy to use. very easily recognizable as a garbage can!” |
| 1938 | 38631.97737 | No | no | [Blank] | n/a | Yes | they are billboards more than garbage cans | No | “Not these bins. I prefer a bin that is a garbage can first and an advertising instrument about fifth, after bicycle rack, community notice board, etc.” | “I really dislike how the past street garbage cans were handled, as I recall it was WITHOUT EVEN A TENDERING PROCESS. This stinks like Chicago-type practices.” |
| 1939 | 38631.98306 | Yes | King St W. & Strachan Ave | No | I found the organization of the bin openings to be extremely unintuitive. I had to spend time figuring out which trash went where. | Yes | “The bins are positioned in such a way that in order to use the side not facing the sidewalk, a person must nearly put themselves in traffic. I find this to be extremely poor judgement. | No | I’m not in favour of it if it means sacrificing functionality of the bins. It’s simply not worth it. | “I’m just very concerned that because the design of the bins is not very user-friendly, continued installation / use of these types of bins will contribute to an increased amount of litter on our streets. I find the old style of bins to be much easier to use and I think they encourage people to use them more often. I do however like the idea of having a place to put cigarette butts. I saw a much simpler design in Dublin where they have an ash tray like contraption on the top of bins. It seemed to work well there. |
| 1940 | 38632.013 | Yes | finch and victoria park | No | “Not enough space, it was over flowing with garbage. No recycling available.” | Yes | it’s just terrible. | No | “It is an eyesore, get increased revenue with something more beautiful.” | “Get rid of it all please, it makes our city look dreadful, there is no where enough space to put garbage as it is always overflowing, and do something more artistic and modern. I’m sorry but these garbage bins are discusting.” |
| 1941 | 38632.32806 | Yes | pape & danforth | No | the whole bin confused me | No | they block your sight if you want to cross the street. very dangerous | No | the bins are just an eye sore. too big and ugly. | “promotes unsafety, especially for women at night. at least 2 or 3 people can hide behind one, no problem. i’d make it a point not to walk at night through places where they are located. |
| 1942 | 38632.38176 | Yes | [Blank] | No | “Seems impractical to have such a large bin, considering that it’s just for a little garbage. | Yes | Not sure why they are in the middle of the sidewalk like that. | No | “Seems contrary to the public good, selling public space for private advertising. | “Maybe we could sell advertising space on the chairbacks in city council chambers, I’m sure we could make some money from that. Or maybe I should just vote for a council that won’t contemplate such obnoxious schemes. |
| 1943 | 38632.45987 | Yes | York Mills & Lesmill | Yes | [Blank] | No | The one I saw was on a sidewalk where few people would walk and deposit any trash | No | We don’t need more advertising in public spaces esp when about 1/2 the ad space on these bins is ABOVE the trash collection bins and there only for the advertising space. | The amount of $ city would get seems peanuts compared to what the advertising companies would profit and certainly not worth the addition of advertsing pollution. Surely the city can afford to put in our own recycling/garbage bins! |
| 1944 | 38632.49337 | Yes | Bloor West Village | No | Overflowing garbage | Yes | “total obstruction... not safe ... baby strollers and wagons, kids holding onto parent’s hands need to dangerously come close to traffic -- does the cost of your child’s life (or your neighbour’s child) mean less than proposed revenue from this eyesores. | No | These new designs actually contribute to additional litter -- the ads are littering our minds and the obstructions are dangerous for vehicle and pedestrian traffic. | “Here are my thoughts: ,These new bins create a very dangerous barrier for numerous scenarios: ,1) hiding place for muggers, rapists, robbers ,2) pedestrian traffic and strollers are now bottlenecked .. possibly leading to someone accidently nudged into vehicular traffic -- lawsuit??? ,3) large shrapnel from explosives from terrorists... serious threat -- imagine a bomb in one of these bins during the Pride parade, Santa Claus Parade or Taste of the Danforth?? Carnage would be unbelievable. ,Solutions:,1) Create see-through canisters (same ones proposed for the TTC) to limit shrapnel possibility. ,2) Make garbage & recycling bins as common as fire hydrants on every street throughout every neighbourhood... these are to be cleaned with the weekly residential pickups. People complain that there are not enough around. Don’t limit it to the main streets... make them everywhere. ,3) Enforce a “5% take out tax” on fast food restaurants. Give these businesses the option to ‘sponsor litter bins’ close to their locations... this sponsorship also acts as advertising as they can place a small banner on the litter can (14”x21”). Win/win while costs are covered. ,4) Enforce a large fine for people who litter ... $1000 + $100/for every year older than 10 years old. i.e. 30 year old is fined $3000 ... they should know better. The people are the ones who are littering. Hire Litter Officers... fines will cover costs of salaries. Offenders who do not have the money will work at minimum wage on an hourly basis to clean up dog feces, gum, cigarette butts off of the street. If people think the fines are too harsh then tell them this -- JUST DON’T LITTER!!! ,5) Allow residents to become “citizen by-law officers” by allowing them to photograph/video offenders and send online to the City ... Kind of like Crimestoppers and using the video evidence to get offenders. Offer a 10% Finder’s fee for convictions. ,6) The same Litter Officers can issue out “Litter Lottery Tickets” to those people who get caught picking up litter off the street ... four prizes (1 for West, East, North, and South) of $250,000. Thus creating positive reinforcement and making people WANT to pick up other’s people trash. “One person’s garbage is another person’s treasure”. Fines from offenders could also cover this ... yet, having each resident of Toronto actively picking up litter will help tremendously .. the investment of $1 million for this has a bigger return than hiring more City staff. 7) For the Spring Clean Up Day -- promote this as a way for schools and not-for-profit organizations to obtain funds... for every bag of garbage/recycling the group is entered in a lottery ... 100 prizes of $10,000 to be awarded to groups in Toronto. Large numbers will be drawn to get this city cleaned up and the $1 million will be a great incentive for folks to get out and “Can the Litter”.If you use these ideas, please give me the credit ... my name is Barry Pletch.[redacted] ,Have a great day... |
| 1945 | 38632.55002 | No | [Blank] | Yes | i’d seen them and they are easy to understand | Yes | they look soo bad. it is just visual pollution. full of adds. please stop bombarding people with useless advertisement. mass media its getting people crazy. | No | if u want to create more revenue for the city just watch your people and stop all the scandals. | they just look bad. it looks like a cheap bin and the fact that it has advertisement makes the sity look even cheaper. |
| 1946 | 38632.56196 | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | I had to search to figure out where to put my garbage | Yes | HORRIBLE!! They’re too tall to be positioned near the curb. Car drivers get too much of their vision blocked for oncoming traffic (see comments on question 6) and they look more like barricade walls than they look like street furniture. Since when is street furniture supposed to block our view of the street so much? | No | “Garbage cans are for garbage. Enough of this foolish, “someone else should pay for them” strategy. Go back to simple bins, smaller and most-definitely shorter.” | “They’re too tall (even the shorter version)the bin at Bloor & Clinton is going to result in someone getting killed -- cars approaching northbound on Clinton cannot see eastbound traffic in the curb lane on Bloor -- the ground rises up from Christie St. so eastbound cars and bicycles were already blocked by planters -- now this absurd garbage can means drivers have to nose into traffic to see clearly what’s coming eastbound... and when they do that they often jump the gun. There will be either a collision or worse a pedestrian or cyclist struck, and the main culprit will be lack of visibility due to the height and positioning of the new garbage can.” |
| 1947 | 38632.60566 | Yes | Yonge & Wilson/York Mills (north west corner) | No | “The openings should be larger, with clearer labelling.” | Yes | It is not immediately apparent that there are two ‘ends’ of the bin that can be used to place garbage. | No | The amount of advertising space compared to the amount of space actually allotted for garbage is too much. The city would be much better served if the garbage bins were exactly that: garbage bins. | Some kind of redesign is clearly needed. The bins do not look like garbage bins. They look like advertising displays. More space and physical volume should be provided for the bins’ actual purpose -- garbage. |
| 1948 | 38632.63388 | Yes | Don Mills & Lawrence East | No | “Recycling part too high and not obvious. People tend to put everything in “garbage” section & it overflows. I looked carefully at instructions because I am committed to recycling; also I was walking, not waiting for bus or unable to interpret the signs. | Yes | “They are an eyesore and more intrusive than the old bins. My observations re use of either is that many people won’t take two steps out of way to use them but at least they are improvement on open bins. In some locations they would obstruct view for pedestrians and drivers, who already seem to have trouble seeing pedestrians at corners. Present location at NE Don Mills and Lawrence not obstructive but at other corners would be. | No opinion | “This is a “when did you stop beating your wife” question and not answerable by yes or no. I don’t like the present design but don’t mind some advertising.” | “Like the older bins, they must be cleaned inside and out periodically. The flaps on the old bins were often filthy so people wouldn’t shove things through. |
| 1949 | 38632.67928 | Yes | danforth | No | Opening too small. | Yes | “bins are perpendicular to the street, so only one end of the bin was accessable. stupid.” | No | Are we that poor? Theyre tacky as hell. | “Cigarrette disposal right above the garbage? how many will fall into the garbage by careless smokers and start a fire?. ,The opening for garbage is too small. People want to be able to “toss” their garbage in while walking. this bin requires them to stop and carefully place it in. The rubber thing will get icky. i don’t use the OMG cans now because i dont want my hand to touch that dirty little flap on the tiny opening. Just use CANS...like montreals!” |
| 1950 | 38632.71275 | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “they were at arm’s length ,perfect height for me!” | Yes | they’re terrific! | Yes | It would help us reduce more litter | collect the garbage more as I saw a litter bin at Finch & Victoria Park overloaded last month |
| 1951 | 38633.23957 | Yes | yonge and york mills | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | Intrusive looking; an eye sore really. | “Have a second look at the garbage recepticles found in cities like Rome, London and Paris: cast-iron waist-high, advertizing-free and elegant looking.” |
| 1952 | 38633.45612 | Yes | “Chester and Danforth, Pape and Danforth” | No | “The bin was overflowing with garbage, it took time to read the instructions” | Yes | “I think they’re awful! they’re far too tall, too imposing on the street space. they’re also ugly, and I hate the idea of future 7-foot-tall advertisements.” | No | “The installation of such large bins/billboards is a blight on the Toronto landscape. We already have a city covered in advertising, there’s no reason why we should continue to sell our public space out to advertisers.The increased revenue does not justify the loss of public space and the imposing of MORE advertising into our everyday lives” | “Please design garbage bins that aren’t so tall and don’t include advertising! Recycling/garbage bins are a necessary part of Toronto’s urban landscape, I would appreciate bins that were attractive. Either in a non-imposing way, or perhaps with outer designs by local artists. Thank you in advance for listening!” |
| 1953 | 38633.54649 | Yes | dundas ossington | No | The openings for garbage seem small and impractical compared to the large size of the bin itself | Yes | “As a cyclist and a pedestrian, I find they are large and positioned in such a way that makes it difficult for those on the sidewalk to see whats going on on the roads/bikelanes and vice versa.They seem to be positioned as billboards (close to the roads, facing the drivers) rather than as garbage bins. | No | “I find them highly offesive. I understand that the city needs to raise funds but I’m getting very tired of having all the public spaces in the city sold off to advertisers in the name of raising public funds. These bins are ugly, impractical, dangerous to pedestrians and cyclists. I can’t believe that David Miller can fit them into his much touted concept of a “beautiful city”. | “I’m not much of one for the defacement of public property, but if these bins are adopted on the streets of toronto, I think I might actually consider voicing my opinion a second time, right across their surfaces with an aerosol spray can. You can’t continuing selling off public space like this. |
| 1954 | 38633.72763 | No | Finch@Leslie | No | . | No | They’re monstrous. They neither blend in with the surrounding area nor lend to the aesthetic. They will become a blight on the landscape; an eyesore. | No | “Our urban space is meant to be enjoyed. We are already being visually assaulted with commercial messages on the sides of buildings, buses, newspaper boxes,... We don’t need more. Let’s have urban spaces that we can enjoy and keep the sensory onslaught of commercialism constrained to Dundas Square.” | Get rid of them. |
| 1955 | 38633.7394 | Yes | Danforth near Pape | Yes | [Blank] | No | A huge intrusion on the sidewalk. | No | “It’s just an excuse for a huge billboard that is a blight on the streetscape. Plus, they don’t even do the job of collecting garbage properly: when I’ve walked by over the past few weeks, half the time they’re overflowing.” | NO WAY to these bins. Our city has enough work cut out to beautify it with ugly architecture and ramshackle infrastructure. This we do not need. The bit of income it brings is not worth it...this kind of thinking (we’ll sell out public space so we get garbage bins for free) is how Toronto is so mediocre in appearance in the first place. |
| 1956 | 38633.76032 | Yes | college & bathurst | No | “the openings are well hidden – these “bins” look like billboards” | Yes | they’re huge – why so tall if the openings are at waist height? that’s quite an unnecessarily high footprint. | No | no! there is already enough advertising in the streets. | “don’t buy them. buy 3000 of the smaller bins. find a real solution. if you need more city revenue, lower your salaries.” |
| 1957 | 38633.76866 | Yes | Bloor & Jane | No | Very complicated to understand. Icky rubber openings. | Yes | “Highly obtrusive. Obviously there to sell advertising, not to be user friendly. | No | They are hideous and hard to use. They will litter our environment with MORE ads. What was wrong with the previous lower receptacles with 3 openings? | [Blank] |
| 1958 | 38633.84993 | Yes | Danforth & Pape; Danforth and Chester; Queen and Bay (Nathan Phillips Square) | No | “The 7 foot high ad attracted so much attention to itself that I did not notice the opening at the side for garbage. However, I knew from news stories there was supposed to be one, so I searched for it. But even after I saw the garbage opening on the pedestrian side, I didn’t see the one on the curb side. I think the openings are too small for people walking by to just toss something in easily. I noticed cigarette butts and candy wrappers on the sidewalk right beside the bin. People would first have to know the curb-side opening is there, and second, go out of their way to use it, so I don’t think it is practical or easy to use.” | Yes | “They obstruct the view down the street. They are, themselves, visual pollution of our city. | No | “It is self-defeating and ironci to try to fight litter and pollution by adding visual clutter to our streets in the form of in-your-face monster advertising. Why would anyone take pride in our city if this is what they are forced to look at? The streets are public space, and while advertisements that are in harmony with the streetscape are acceptable, it is not acceptable to have monster, in-your-face advertisements dominating our public spaces and streets. | “Yes, please do not put any more of them in place, and please remove the ones already there. Both Nathan Phillips Square and the Danforth are unique spaces that attract Torontonians and tourists. Both the City of Toronto(taxpayers) and local businesses have invested in sidewalk cafes, public benches and hanging flowers, etc. to make these spaces attractive and people-friendly. These monster ads obstruct and destroy the visual attraction of these areas. We need to fight litter and pollution with positive public education campaigns, starting with children in primary school. And yes, of course, put plenty of waist-high, garbage bins that LOOK like garbage bins along the street. Small, appropriate ads on these would not be a problem. But I think short, catchy phrases encouraging people to keep our city clean should accompany these ads, along with the name of the sponsoring commercial interest. Only commercial interests that really are environment-friendly should be allowed this space. For example, companies that invest in recycling and community environment days.” |
| 1959 | 38634.02451 | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | Openings too small / height of openings may not be appropriate for children | Yes | “Fine as a location for trash disposal, bad in terms of being a billboard on a sidewalk” | No | “Current “advertisement garbage bins” are far better in terms of scale although design improvements should be made | “While I appreciate the revenue generation, these new bins are far too intrusive to the public space in terms of advertising with far too little benefit in terms of functionality (much like the local area map installations which are more for advertising than promoting the functionality of orientation)” |
| 1960 | 38634.47663 | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “These are too tall.They are like walls.” | No | The partnership is acceptable but the solution/prototype needs refinement. | Reduce the hieght of these bins. |
| 1961 | 38634.64304 | Yes | college & grace | No | [Blank] | No | “I think that their position is completely intrusive, and that they are a total eyesore.” | No | I think they make our city look trashy. | Make them go away. |
| 1962 | 38634.99454 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | The bins are too small in capacity and too large in ad space. They block the view down the street and are an eyesore. | No | The bins are not an efficient disposal means.There must be better ways to generate revenue. | [Blank] |
| 1963 | 38635.0009 | Yes | Danforth adn Broadview | No | Openings too small and the bin was placed so close to the road that you had to step into trafic to put garbage in one side of the bin | Yes | Are you kidding? It blocked HALF the sidewalk. We had to stop and let others by because we all couldn’t fit. It also blocked the entire view of Danforth. | No | The beauty and functionality of our city is worth more than the revenue from these bins. Don’t sell our city for these billboards (because that’s what they are) | [Blank] |
| 1964 | 38635.18291 | Yes | Roncesvalles and Howard Park | No | It was not clear where to put items. It appears that the bins were designed primarily for displaying advertising and that garbage collection was an afterthought. | No | The bins are overwhelming. They block the view of the streets. | No | The bins are an eyesore. | “The newly designed garbage bins are billboards disguised as garbage cans. They block the view up the street. They are an eyesore. Whatever person (or people) came up with these should be fired.If they are deployed throughout Toronto, it will make the city much uglier than it already is. THey will destroy streetscapes.THe graffitti artists and taggers will love these.OVerall they stink (and that’s even when there’s no garbage in them).” |
| 1965 | 38635.22081 | Yes | i live in the annex -- somewhere south of there. on bloor? | Yes | [Blank] | No | “honestly, i think that they are unattractive and impractical. they are ENORMOUS and add yet another source of advertising to our daily inundation. | No | are there no other ways?!?! | please try to keep toronto’s streets somewhat open and uncluttered!! |
| 1966 | 38635.4591 | Yes | “at Chester subway, and several places along the Danforth” | No | “no was overflowing, all item were mixed up not in proper areas” | Yes | “Useless, you have to go on to the street to use one side, and when it snows, the one side will be plowed in” | No | “they are a billboard not a garbage bin, | “they do not work, and are just for advertising” |
| 1967 | 38635.46659 | Yes | Don Mills & Van Horne | Yes | Everything was clearly marked and easily understandable. | No | “I don’t like the idea of advertising on the bins, but I really like the function for batteries! I like how it’s kind of creative, but when I looked into the other compartments, people weren’t using them properly and I’m not surprised. I’m not sure people knew there was another side, or they just didn’t care. | No | “The advertising is too blatant, and huge. The OMG bins at least didn’t contain advertising at eye level. I think I like those bins better. Though it would be good for the City to receive the bins for free and to get sale of commercial space. But I think these new bins would be tacky around the city.” | “The bin at Don Mills & Van Horne was placed at a weird location – it’s not a heavy traffic area, and I can’t see many people using it. I had to purposely cross to street to recycle my batteries. I think also because there’s two sides to the bin, people won’t put in the effort to walk to the other side if what they’re looking for isn’t there conveniently. I like to see initiative though!” |
| 1968 | 38635.48302 | Yes | “Annex (Bloor Christie),Jane and Steels” | No | “There are four feet of advertising and only one foot of space to put garbage in the hole. It is very irritating, and much less useful than the old recycling bins.” | Yes | “I hate these bins, they take up far too much space – not only space on the ground but space in the air. I hate looking at them and their illuminated ads. | No | “Absolutely not. People were encouraged to turn down the lights this summer to prevent another blackout. Another unecessary energy sucking montrosity like these bins is intollerable. Any good done by recycling or with the revenue from these is more than cancelled out by the hideous, wasteful nature of the bins. Get rid of them.” | Do not implement this program. These are vile and wasteful. Toronto should have a little civic pride and reject this project. |
| 1969 | 38635.51656 | Yes | Near the Dufferin Gates of the Ex. | No | My son wasn’t tall enough to effectively use it. | No | The way it is positioned takes up too much room on the sidewalk. | No | I believe that governemnts should secure financial resources only through taxation. Anything else is less transparent and therefore less democratic and makes our government more prone to corruption. | “They are clearly advertising first, garbage second. The city must find otherways to raise revenue. If Advertising is a good way to raise revenue, the city should not resort to selling public space to advertizers. Insteadd, the city should leave the advertising industry to the private sector and it should simply find a way to tax the industry’s activities in the city. This would raise funds and it might actually reduce the amount of advertising. Frankly, I can’t help but think that reduce advertizing woudl improve the quality of te product produced the the industry (ie the target audience would be subjected to less advertising, making the remaining advertising more effective).Also -- by getting into the advertising industry, the city is effectively competing with citizens in the city who own property suitabl efor advertising (thinko f the psace in washrooms -- posters above urinals -- think of the space in Variety-store windows). Businesses that earn revenue from these advertisments will likely see less income due to the competition from the city. Governemnt should not compete with private businesses in this industry or any other.Please make it happen -- find a way to earn revenues exclusively through taxation.” |
| 1970 | 38635.55519 | Yes | Pape & Danforth Ave. | No | Too small openings for garbage. | Yes | “Too large for the city streets!! Not have enough space for garbage collection. We have to,many | No | “No Way!!! Also the city is not receiving enough revenue from the supplier.How many more obstacles do blind people and seniors have to avoid?” | Get rid of them period. |
| 1971 | 38635.65898 | Yes | “Clinton and Bloor, Christie and Bloor” | Yes | They were very accessible but the labels of what garbage goes where were not so clear. A clearer label would be nice. | Yes | “NO, because with their flashy lights and close positioning to the road drivers could get distracted, though I do like that light up, maybe if they were further away from the road they would not be a distraction.” | No opinion | [Blank] | “Two things, one, they attract wasps because they don’t have lids and two they suck up power, maybe a solar panel would make the difference. |
| 1972 | 38635.70597 | Yes | Pape and Danforth Ave. | No | It took me a while to figure out where to put my recyclables and I had to shove my garbage into a tiny slot. | No | They are an eyesore. They are poorly desingned and will be even uglier with advertisements on them. | No | We do not need more advertisements. I am infested with them everyday. The bins do not fit in with the neighboorhoods they are placed in and are not practicle. | Please get rid of them. The older bins Toronto has are much more user friendly and has enough space for advertising. |
| 1973 | 38635.73103 | Yes | queen and jamieson | No | too small | Yes | too big and imposing | No | see above | [Blank] |
| 1974 | 38635.86133 | Yes | danforth and playter | No | “... I’m university educated, and honestly, I passed by this thing every day clutching my garbage because because I could not be bothered to stop and have to read what each of the openings were for... I finally did... but really, should a garbage receptical be this complicated? I passed by a group of men one day and they were looking at it and I heard one say ‘what is it’. I think that says everything you need to know.” | No | the tall ones are great for muggers and perverts to hide behind. | No | [Blank] | “the old ones were much better, why can’t advertising be put on those?” |
| 1975 | 38636.00938 | No | Danforth and Pape | No | “It was full and overflowing. Clearly the garbage containers are much too small. All the space seem to be mainly dedicated to the enormous, ugly, billboard (isn’t it the reason for the ugly thing?)” | Yes | “However you put them, they are horrible. I’m sure you know it, put them in front of Mr. Miller rewsidence.” | No | Do you need an explanation? What happened to good taste? Making money with them is like prostitution or selling drugs. Shame on whom is proposing them. | Dump them! |
| 1976 | 38636.52356 | Yes | Roncesvalles & ??? | No | “Although there were acceptable openings on the pedestrian side, there were openings on the roadside as well. Who wants to use those?” | Yes | “The angle is all wrong. Again, half of it is on the roadside.” | No | “The old bins were recycling paid for by advertising. These bins are advertising justified by the afterthought of recycling. Also, how much space for recycling is in there? It looks like less than the old ones. That’s despicable, considering how big they are.” | “Although I’ve heard the old bins would break inside, the outside was great. Why not use the same style bins but redesign the insides so they don’t break as easily. The advertising on the old ones was unintrusive, yet visible. Overall, they fit into the cityscape perfectly. These new ones (even the smaller ones) stick out like a sore thumb. They block sitelines for pedestrians, don’t look Toronto-style (which, no, I can’t define) and the advertising is extremely obnoxious. No matter how much they’re paying, its not enough to damage our city like the way these things will. There is already far too much advertising in this city. The last thing we need is an offensive look-at-me! box on the side of the road every block or so. Fix/redesign the old ones and tell these advertising jerks they can’t have any more of my mental environment. The only place these bins would fit would be that useless, joke of a corporate brainwashing centre, Yonge-Dundas Square. Please also fix that advertising mess while you’re at it. |
| 1977 | 38636.5288 | Yes | Queen & Lansdowne | No | Openings too small | Yes | “Takes up too much space-adds to clutter and limits space available to electric wheelchairs, etc. Also blocks view of traffic and blocks drivers’ view of pedestrians about to cross street. | No | Negatives outweigh positives. | Too big! Unnecessarily complicated. |
| 1978 | 38636.5675 | [Blank] | “Queen & Jameson, and also Bloor & Christie” | Yes | Practicality is not the problem -- these things are huge & hideous monstrosities that would be a permanent blight on our city. | Yes | “These things are huge and highly obtrusive. No “placement” on the sidealk can mitigate the fact that they are completely inappropriate.” | No | “The modest value of free bins and minor advertising revenue cannot offset the damage to the cityscape that would be caused by these monstrosities. They are huge, ugly, commercial intrusions into public space, and there is no room for them in a civilized city.” | Get rid of them! Do not install any more! Remove these test bins as soon as possible! |
| 1979 | 38636.62068 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | Port Union & Lawrence: we’re lucky – the sidewalk is wide and the bin is in among some trees – almost hidden! If it was on a regular width side walk I would imagine people would have to step round it. | No | “They are too big, and will only add to the visual polution we have to endure every day (bill boards of every shape and size everywhere etc) I realize the revenue would be an advantage, but advertising on some of the smaller ones would be more effective if they were place at each and every bus stop.” | [Blank] |
| 1980 | 38636.74833 | Yes | “Bathurst & Sheppard,Bathurst & Wilson,Jane & Funch” | No | “i dont know where to put the recycling,and the garbage hole is way to small” | [Blank] | “they take up a RUDICULOUSLY LARGE AMOUNT of space on the sidewalk. In toronto, we’re limited enough as it as pedestrians, we don’t need large cans taking up more sidewalk space. | No | There is TOO MUCH advertising in the city as there is.. we dont need LARGER ads selling us things | “GET RID OF THEM NOW! These bins are a very crass addition to the city especially now amongst the mayor’s ‘beautifying’ campaign to clean up the city. In addition, they are a distraction to drivers and not resourceful because they use up much electricity.I see them overflowing downtown and they are NOT practical.” |
| 1981 | 38636.79119 | Yes | Queen & Lansdown | Yes | It is ok to drop the garbage into the box except at the time it was quite full! | Yes | the box takes up too much space of the pedestrians walk – over half of it. the box is too high and it blocks view from both directions – never know if it would be a bike coming out in front of you or someone is walking into your face! | No | Queen street is way too congested and busy for more ad to go in. I don’t even notice the ads in the TTC booth because of overstimulation. | The height is one big negative factor. It might as well cause more car accidents because of poor visibility. Driver might not see people coming out from behind the box. |
| 1982 | 38636.88147 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1983 | 38636.93505 | Yes | Bloor & Christie | No | “Half of the recepticles are placed too close to the roadside, where pedestrians are wary to travel and may not be properly accessible by the disabled. The trash recepticle is poorly placed, leaving fetid scents free to waft out of the open container. The recepticle also lacks adequate volume, frequently leaving trash overflowing from its confines. None of these promote active use of these bins, counteracting the Beautiful City initiative and promoting increased littering.” | Yes | “The bins currently take up valuable sidewalk space due to their awkward positioning. Rather than preserving space for the sidewalk’s intended purpose – pedestrian traffic – and maximizing availible, accessible disposal space, as the current Eucan bins do, the EcoMupi bins are placed for optimal message diffusion rather than user convenience and comfort. Thus, the bins create an unnecessary hindrance to those they are intended to serve, instead of increasing functionality.” | No | “The city’s current bins are perfectly functional and most of the city’s residents are comfortable with their use. The advertising is of appropriate size and understated. Although these bins would be free for the city, they would place an increased visual and mental burden on the city’s residents, whom are already overwhelmed by advertising in every other facet of their lives. There are better and more responsible ways for the city to raise revenue and minimize trash expenditures than subjecting its citizens to such a garish display of valueless filth.” | “If the City of Toronto is legitimately concerned about reducing waste brought to landfill, why don’t these bins have organic recycling? All the city’s residents are familiar with the program, and the organics are being thrown out as-is. Also, where did the promised battery recycling slot go?” |
| 1984 | 38636.94331 | Yes | “Danforth Ave, between Pape and Broadview Ave.” | No | “The problem with the bins is that the garbage bin seem to have a tendency to overflow at the end of the day. Everything else is good, though.” | Yes | “I thought they’re relatively well positioned. As long as they are kept at least 2 meters away from corners and intersections, I’m happy.” | Yes | “If the city gets revenue from this, and hopefully make Torontonians’ lives better, I’m all for it. However, would this revenue cover the cost of collecting garbage from these bins?” | “Let’s increase the size of the actual garbage can. Whenever I see these in the evenings, they’re always either almost full or totally filled. Also, how is it powered? Will the city have to pay the electric bill on them? (if any?) Thanks a lot.” |
| 1985 | 38637.01786 | Yes | Yonge & York Mills | No | Slot for recyclables was too high up! I was forced to throw my recyclables into the garbage. | Yes | “Positioned well, but they are so tall that they look very awkward! What if they were the same size but placed on their side?” | No | These bins have a flawed design. They will be completely | “The flaws of the old bins (flaps too small) have been solved, but now there are new flaws. The city should only enter into a contract with Eucan if Eucan demonstrates that it can design a bin for the intuitive disposal of waste, which will also serve as an advertisement. |
| 1986 | 38637.36284 | No | [Blank] | No | “Not practical nor easy to use. Due to the manner in which they are oriented and installed, the opening cannot be reached from cars at the curb. The only useful opening is too small and difficult to use properly. This will result in the contamination of any recycling material it may collect.” | Yes | Their design and installation occupies to much valuable people space. They are an obstacle to pedestrian traffic as well as creating a dangerous situation for vehicular traffic to not see Jay Walkers when they step out into traffic from behind them. | No | “The former containers are a much more functional, efficient, practical and useful design from the users and servicing personnel standpoints. They are much less imposing as well as not taking up so much space. They also do not require expensive installation techniques and material. You say the bins are ‘Free’, but:,Who pays for this expensive, time consuming and labour intensive installation?,Who pays for the electricity they seem to now need?” | “They are not of a well thought out design and should not be deployed. The second opening is useless as no one can get to it. Servicing it is now more difficult and time consuming. Repairs to them in the event that a vehicle crashes into them are much more involved and expensive.You should invest in the expansion of the older model containers.Patrick Forbes,[redacted]” |
| 1987 | 38637.54808 | Yes | bloor and windermere | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “the bins are WAY too big both in height and width.being so tall prevents you from seeing down the street at all and the sheer size of the thing takes up too much space on sidewaklks already overcrowded with patios, sandwich board ads and newspaper daily boxes. | No | i wouldnt mind if the things werent so damned big and tall. | make them smaller |
| 1988 | 38637.56922 | Yes | Bloor and Windermere Ave (in Bloor West Village) | Yes | [Blank] | No | “I find the bins dangerous in that they obscure traffic along the curb (bicycles, cabs). I was taken by surprise by a cab while attempting to cross the street with my stroller, b/c it was hidden behind the bin. I believe these advertisements are designed with drivers in mind rather than pedestrians, and it seems to me this is not the direction in which we want our urban landscape to go! The older bins were low-profile yet still accessible and visible for pedestrians. Revamping these to improve their recycling capacities is a better idea, and the ads on them are less obtrusive to the streetscape.” | No | “There’s a reason they’re free; they’re primarily about advertising. Sidewalks are public space in Toronto and shouldn’t further colonized by corporate interests. I’m all for keeping our streets cleaner with more efficient recycling centres, but not at the expense of the pedestrian experience.” | “Locating them in subway stations, in malls, in the P.A.T.H system would be better, since that is already privately-owned, corporate space. But I know that would defeat the advertisers’ purpose of using sidewalk (pedestrian) space to sell to automobile drivers. |
| 1989 | 38637.59168 | Yes | Bloor & Winderemere | Yes | they were perfect! We should thousands of them in the streets! | Yes | They are NOT intrusive at all. They look better than the old ones. | Yes | “I dont want to pay more taxes, this is the type of initiatives that the city should jump on right away” | The one with a solar panel (science center) is a great idea! |
| 1990 | 38637.59334 | Yes | bloor & christie | No | confusing holes | No | they obstruct sightlines for cars looking at store signage and pedestrians looking around thier streets. They tell our visitors and residents that our city is for sale. | No | “Our city streets shuold not be for sale to the highest bidder. The public realm is for the public, not corporations.” | Please cosider ‘canning’ this program. Pun intended. |
| 1991 | 38637.61016 | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 1992 | 38637.73329 | Yes | [Blank] | No | horrific huge eyesore – extremely complex and uninviting ...openings are small | Yes | “obstructions that hinder travel, and safety” | No | there is too much advertising and these bins will overflow in the inner city once – pay for garbage is initiated next year | “redesign to ensure they are smaller, compact, and unobtrusive – small children can not be seen |
| 1993 | 38637.79771 | Yes | Dundas West and Pacific Avenue | No | “not enough room for garbage and recyclables; cannot believe that space was taken up by receptacle for cigarette butts! Stacking is clearly not the answer ; emphasis is placed on advertising and receptacle design is an afterthought. Also, children and those who are wheel-chair bound have greater difficulty in reaching all receptacle openings; not a great message to send to those who will inherit the city one day.” | Yes | “No matter how they are oriented on any street corner, they are an eyesore, frankly. They block sightlines, and do not mix well with the overall fabric of the city; ugly and boring and impractical. It was advertised that one of the reasons that the city updated their bus shelters was so that there would be a clear sightline (for safety) under the shelter so that if anyone was hiding behind the advertisement, pedestrians approaching the shelter would be able to see their feet. So, how is the monstrous size of the bin being justified? Echoes of Dundas Square-sized advertising is not a responsible way to deal with public space. What makes it public then?” | No | “The current bins are better designed than the present ones being proposed: They are large enough to accomodate both advertising and a large amount of trash and recycling; they are easier to access when they need to be emptied; children and people in wheelchairs can access them; they don’t disturb any sightlines in this wonderful city of ours; they drive home the point of their purpose more clearly. The only design flaw is the (gross) flap covering the opening; if the openings were simply larger and round (like most of the objects being thrown into them) with a (more) clear logo/graphic indicating the purpose of each opening, my vote would be to revamp the old bins. Raise the price of adverising on T.T.C property. | please see above comment...don’t be foolish and let these grotesque and ultimately inefficient bins make us a laughingstock--world class city indeed! |
| 1994 | 38637.88525 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “They are large and imposing regardless of the so called “smaller footprint” they effectivly take more space than the old containers.” | No | “I have serious doubts about whether these bins are actually free. The cost analysis that I have seen is seriously questionable. These are designed not to make money for Toronto but to make money for a third party. The ammount of money going to Toronto is undoubtably minor compared to the total revenue generated by these “billboards”.” | What is the true purpose of these bins and whom do they really benefit? The answer is not the city of Toronto. It is the company who is selling advertising. There is already too much advertising. Advertising is not about choice it is about maniputlation and Toronto should not play a part in it. |
| 1995 | 38637.99346 | Yes | Bathurst & College | Yes | “Good, intuitive locations for the holes for the various types of garbage. Lack of metal flaps over the openings is good.” | Yes | “Good size, looks a bit classier than the current ones. Ads arent too big. Like the additon of the ashtray.” | Yes | “As long as the bins are well-maintained and clean, this seems like a good deal for the city.” | I would like to see some of the bins’ ad space used to publicly display artwork by citizens of Toronto. |
| 1996 | 38638.13519 | Yes | Scarborough Golf Club Road & EllesmereRoad | Yes | There was a location for all of my garbage needs | Yes | “The ones that I have seen are out of the way, but easily spotted for use” | Yes | “We are already exposed to advertising – if it means having a service provided for the city free of charge, more advertising is not a problem for me” | “I especially appreciate the cigarette butt area – there are not many public disposal units for cigarettes, and without these bins, even more butts would end up on the ground – where they do not belong” |
| 1997 | 38638.36657 | Yes | [Blank] | No | Seems impractical to have such a big box for what is basically a normal or small-size garbage can. | Yes | Seem to be put in the middle of the sidewalk to block traffic. Seems too big for the sidewalk. | No | “Frankly I don’t like the idea of selling public space just so that advertising can be shoved in my face. These aren’t normal cans with little sign on them, these are large commercial billboards with a little trash can appended. | Who can I vote for who will pay more attention to quality of life than quantity of business? |
| 1998 | 38638.3858 | Yes | gerrard | Yes | The only problem was that the battery area was so popular it was full. As I have been looking where to recycle batteries for years I had brought a big bag and was unable to put them in. | Yes | They are obvious enough to notice and want to recycle. THey are not obtrusive. | Yes | I especially love the battery recycling option. | “I don’t like that you need to almost shove your finger in to the dirty bin areas to put the garbage/recycling in. I have a young child and don’t want to get dirty hands and then touch her. Could you please make the openings wider.I look forward to seeing more of these bins.” |
| 1999 | 38638.39872 | Yes | howard park and roncesvalles | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “all the ones i’ve seen are badly positioned. the one at ritchie and roncesvalles blocks your view of the road if you’re trying to to make a left turn on to roncesvalles, the one at howard park and roncesvalles is positioned so far away from the curb it blocks the sidewalk and the one at st. claire and keele is pretty impractically placed for using the garbage slots as it’s perpendicular to the road...this one, i feel, is more for advertising than to get the garbage off the streets.so far, all of the ones i’ve seen are positioned solely for the purpose of advertising and not for the task for which they’re meant for...keeping the city clean.” | No | yes/no....only if the city used the smaller bins...please see comment below. | “i am not in favour of the large garbage bins as they are a waste of space (the garbage will not fill up all 7’ of the bin) and block pedestrian views. there’s the potential for danger to pedestrians as they may create hiding spots for potential muggers.i find the smaller ones much more agreeable as they seem to suit the purpose of garbage disposal if they are not placed in the middle of sidewalks impeding pedestrian traffic.” |
| 2000 | 38638.50722 | Yes | Don Mills just north of Peanut Plaza | No | “Too many openings and not the same on either side. People look to throw things out immediately, so having to look for the right hole every time is a disincentive.” | Yes | “They obstruct line of sight and pose a potential safety threat (by providing a place of concealment for assailants at night). Moreover, they are impossible to install when the goal is to make the bins accessible to people on the sidewalk. Unless they are installed onto the sidewalk or a paved portion between sidewalk proper and road, either one or both ends of the bins require stepping off the sidewalk into traffic or onto soon-muddy ground.” | No | “They are too big, too intrusive, too cumbersome, too ugly.The only good thing is ad revenue. But the City of Toronto is *not* a media company!” | Scrap the entire project. It is a shameful assault on the public domain. |
| 2001 | 38638.54855 | Yes | Danforth & Playter | No | “Not easily laid out, somewhat overwhelming, small openings, not enough space.” | Yes | “I think they seem much more like huge billboard advertisements than garbage/recycling bins. They do not at all fit into the environment, rather they stand like eyesores on the sidewalks.” | No | It would be easy to walk right by them and assume they are billboard advertisements and not notice they are for garbage/recycling. | “I would like to see another design tested, I do not like these at all.” |
| 2002 | 38638.60019 | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | Recycling section to difficult to put things in. | No | “They take up way too much room and dangerously obstruct the view of pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.” | No | The City should not be selling advertising space. It is counterproductive to support conusumerism while trying to reduce waste. | I think they are a terrible idea. |
| 2003 | 38638.74002 | Yes | Bloor St. W. & Indian Rd. | Yes | [Blank] | No | “Some are parallel to the road, others are perpendicular. I think it should be positioned in such a way so as to not be an impedance or eyesore.” | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 2004 | 38638.85068 | Yes | Pape & Danforth | No | The garbage bin is not big enough so you have to use the other side which is turned towards the street. The location is very dangerous for kids as it is less than a foot from the curb. The height of the recyclables is too high for kids to use. Anyone in a wheelchair of older people would not be able to reach the recyclable openings. This model will increase the amount of stuff going into the garbage and not being recycled. The recycle bins is not front and centre so you do not notice it as much as the garbage area. | Yes | I think that they are too close to the curb to use the other side of the bins. I would not let my children use the other side so if the small bins are full on the street side garbage will build up on the sidewalks. People do not notice the other side and will not take the time to walk to the other side. If I am walking with my kids I am not going to stop and take the time to walk to the other side – I want to put something in the bins quickly and if they are full then I am stuck. I am afraid that since they are so tall that people could be hiding on the other side to jump out at me at night or walk out onto the street and I would not see them since it is so high. | Yes | I would like the ads to be not so big. The old bins had ads and I am not offended. I just want the bins to not be too high. Right now the focus seems to be on ads and not recycling. The ads seem to take centre stage and not as much thought has gone into the practicality of a wide range of size of people using the bins. | [Blank] |
| 2005 | 38638.87253 | No | [Blank] | No | I didn’t realize it was a garbage at first. | Yes | They seem too large and narrow. It seems as if they are there as a poster first and as a garbage bin second. | No | “No, I would rather pay higher taxes than see these large advertisements. The sidewalks are so crowded already with necessities like hydrants, electrical boxes, places for bikes to be locked, mailboxes, telephone poles and even with local business’ patios and a-frames. To add advertisements masquearding as garbage bins to the equation is an unpleasant addition to all of us pedestrains.It doesn’t seem like there is a shortage of garbage bins in the city. I see many, many trashvertisements as is. Getting revenue through advertising is a lazy, unpleasant solution.” | “I think that if these were used for art or photography displays, as I have seen on a trip to Berlin, that they would be much more welcome. Having a gallery spread around the city might be much more ineteresting to locals and toursits than a bunch of people painting funny clothes and colours on moose. Although they’d still be unsightly and large when placed on pedestrain heavy sidewalks.” |
| 2006 | 38638.901 | Yes | I used the one at Keele and Dundas. | No | “One side faces a parking lot that is protected by a small concrete wall. Although there is a small space between the can and the concrete, it is uncomfortable to lean in and use. I also got hit with a shopping cart while using the other side as it takes up almost the entire sidewalk now.” | Yes | Horrible. I find that one side is often unusable – or uncomfortable to use. We shouldn’t be making using trash bins uncomfortable. What’s worse is they take up a lot of space on a sidewalk that is often too small in the first place. | No opinion | I understand the help it provides financially. But it’s just not worth the trouble. It further crowds already crowded spaces. I’d really have to know they were effective. I really am not a fan of cluttering up toronto with even MORE ads. They’re already everywhere. | “I think I saw a half sized one on Roncevalles. It was much easier to rollarblade past as it didn’t obscure my view. Perhaps if this half sized one was placed properly, it would be more effective and less obstructive.I tend to see batteries on the ground underneath/beside the bins. This REALLY concerns me.” |
| 2007 | 38639.46344 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 2008 | 38639.46792 | Yes | “Dundas West and Bloor, Roncesvalles, St. Denis Drive (in front of Science centre)” | No | “First of all, one side of the garbage cans faces the street, which is not easily seen or accessible to pedistrians (which can leave one half overflowing!). Also, the bin at St. Denis Drive was placed far away from the bus shelter, and also away from the bench. I know that the reason for this is because the various advertising companies have stipulated in their contracts that their ads must be placed a certain distance from other ads. Having a garbage can 15 metres from the bus shelter is ridiculous, and will lead to littering. | Yes | “See above. They are not in the right position for pedistrians’ needs, but they are in the right position for advertisor’s needs. | No | “I am stronly opposed to the visual pollution that these bins bring with them --- the last thing we need is more advertising on our city streets! Also, these bins are designed with the advertisor’s needs in mind, not the pedestrian’s. | “NO ADVERTISING! These bins are not ‘free’ -- they come with a very high cost to me --- I’m sure your economists would call these certain values ‘externalities’ and therefore not worth factoring into the ‘price’ of the bins. To me, aesthetic values of public space, public space free from corporate interests, and public space that is indeed public without forms of such visual pollution are NOT values that should be auctioned off for the sake of ‘free’ bins that aren’t made in the best interests of the pedistrians who use them! And for a project that is supposed to help make a ‘cleaner’ city, I wonder what is done with the ads when they are taken down --- surely not recycled, I suppose. ,I am STRONGLY against the City of Toronto adopting the Eucan bins. STOP SELLING PUBLIC SPACE TO ADVERTISORS! Hasn’t Toronto been in the midst of a “beautiful city” campaign? Do you really think that these bins help to beautify Toronto? Aren’t we trying to be a ‘world class’ city? |
| 2009 | 38639.47157 | Yes | Dundas and Ossington | No | The openings were too small and difficult to locate. The bin looks like a billboard; I’d read about them but didn’t recognize it as a bin until I’d walked past it several times. | Yes | “Terrible. It’s on a corner, causing congestion and poor pedestrian-driver / driver-pedestrian visibility. It’s perpendicular to pedestrian traffic, thereby blocking more traffic than necessary. It’s a visual distraction to drivers, who should be looking out for pedestrians. It’d make more sense parallel to traffic, in mid-block.” | No | “The city should pollute public space with more advertising. The city should do what it can to cut the amount of clutter we have on the sidewalks. Additionally, I don’t trust the city to write a favorable contract.” | Bad idea. Bad planning. Bad for the streetscape. Bad for recycling. |
| 2010 | 38639.47513 | Yes | “Dundans and Ossington,College and Bathurst” | No | Too many different openings | [Blank] | They are very obtrusive. The form a giant barrier on the sidewalk. They are a potential safety hazard. Someone could easily hide behind them at night. | No | “We want Toronto to be a world class city with sound urban planning and beautiful spaces. We don’t want Toronto to be a giant advertising billboard. There is already advertising everywhere on the TTC, in public washroom. The civic space of the sidewalk desperately needs attention and beautification. This is NOT the way top do it.” | I know the city needs money but these bins are horrible idea. |
| 2011 | 38639.47514 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | THEY ARE WAY TOO BIG! | No | “ONLY IF ANOTHER DESIGN IS PRESENTED, ONE MORE SENSETIVE TO THE URBAN DESIGN OF THE CITY AND SMALLER IS SCALE.” | “IT HAS TOO MUCH VISUAL PRESENCE IN OUR URBAN ENVIRONMENT, IT SHOULD BE TONED DOWN, LOWER HEIGHT, MORE LIKE A GARBAGE BIN THAN AN ARCHITECTURAL PROJECT! |
| 2012 | 38639.48904 | Yes | bathurst and college | No | “openings were too small and would be more accessible from the front, or ideally all angles.” | Yes | “The bins are not condusive to pedestrian flow on the sidewalks. Their wide, flat dimensions prevent people from walking on the entire space provided on the sidewalk.” | No | “They are a public eyesore: more unwanted advertising in public spaces, and additional light pollution.” | Why not a circular design instead? |
| 2013 | 38639.49126 | Yes | King and Dufferin (near the CNE); and King and Stratchen | No | It was kinda odd because of the ads so I wasn’t sure if I should actually put garbage in or if it was littering. | Yes | “They’re huge! And when the solar panel is on top, its an eye-soar” | No | I’m sure you can fund smaller garbage cans with advertising revenue from somewhere else. | “Too big, too ugly. Make them half the size and put MORE of them in the city to prevent littering.” |
| 2014 | 38639.49336 | Yes | Bloor & Windermere | No | I don’t want to have to touch it to put my garbage in. The openings are too small and the flaps that cover them are nasty. My 3-year-old can’t see the garbage slot or reach it. | Yes | “Terrible. They’re an obstruction, and they’re put so close to the edge of the sidewalk that the streetside end is unusable.” | No | “Advertising on our public amenities is inappropriate. It’s livable, if it doesn’t obstruct my use of the item (e.g. bus shelter ads), but these bins are ads first, function a very distant second. So no.” | “They’re ugly, they take up tons of space, they don’t hold much despite their enormous size, it’s hard to use them, and did I mention they’re ugly? Please no.” |
| 2015 | 38639.49436 | Yes | Yonge near Bloor | No | “The opening for the garbage was too small and sticky. For such a big bin, the emphasis seems to be on the ad and not proper garbage disposal.” | Yes | “They are invasive. Considering their size, there should be some other purpose (e.g. bus shelter) rather than just a giant billboard taking up pedestrian space.” | No | “We don’t need more advertising space. We need space-efficient garbage disposal units that encourage disposal, not buying products. | I do not support the new bins. Please take them off our streets. |
| 2016 | 38639.49782 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “Were you deliberately trying to find the spots where these things would cause the maximum disruption to pedestrian traffic? If so, you succeeded. Just imagine mothers with strollers, or seniors on scooters trying to navigate around the bins -- we’re all gonna be old someday and this is NOT something to look forward to.” | No | “NO. There must be better ways to get money. As for the free bins, it’s not a bargain if it’s too damned ugly to live with. (Would you like to see one on the street in front of your house? Didn’t think so.)” | BAD IDEA. Please find some other way to waste our tax money. |
| 2017 | 38639.50429 | Yes | Gerrard Square area | No | It took too long to figure out where I should put the trash. But the worse problem was that I didn’t even realize it was a bin at first. It just looks like yet another giant ad. | Yes | They’re WAY too tall and seriously impede the sidewalk. Bins should be aligned to obstruct in the least possible way. This was aligned to make the most obstruction poossible. | No | “Absolutely not. I’m so sick of ads on everything. In particular, I want nothing to do with objects like these supposed garbage bins which are designed primarily as advertising vehicles and only peripherally to perform a functional task in order to get the city to accept them. ,The bus shelters are marginal, but the bins and the supposed information maps that have been cropping up are advertising trying to justify itself and performing very poorly at the functional task they are supposed to perform.We have suffered without proper garbage bins in this city for well over 5 years now, and I’m fed up. The last batch were not great and these new ones are bad and obnoxious too boot.” | “If ads were modest and only covered space required for the useful size of a bin, like the solid bins we had 10-15 years ago I could live with it. I cannot live with advertising looking for an excuse to further block up city streets.” |
| 2018 | 38639.50565 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | I recently saw a new report on the bins on CTV. Their placement seemed awkward and imposing. They seemed to eliminate sidewalk space for pedestrians. | No | I am not in favor of the implementation of these new bins. They are less practical than the old bins and much more conspicuous. Such a barrage of advertisments detracts from the beauty of Toronto’s urban environment. | “This is public space, is it really necessary to slap a logo on it for the sake of a few bucks? Torontonians already have to deal with less than practical bus shelters, subway stations converted into 3D ad spreads, and public transport vehicles that have been converted into moving commericials. |
| 2019 | 38639.50602 | Yes | christie & bloor | No | [Blank] | Yes | the bins are very large and intrusive and they block the view of shops | No | there is enough advertising already and they will just be covered with graffitti and poster eventually becoming a sticky messy eyesore | [Blank] |
| 2020 | 38639.50753 | Yes | Christie Pits | Yes | I didn’t have a problem with it. | Yes | “They’re too big, too distracting, and would not exist if they weren’t a venue for displaying advertising.” | No | “A deal like this always has a hitch...it sounds like the old “The First One Is Free” Scam. Something is in this for the advertising companies that isn’t being said here.” | “I’m sick and tired of the proliferation of slick commercial advertising on the one hand, and the attempts to ban postering on the other. We’ve seen enough of how the slashing of taxes leads to the status of cities as beggars who need to do everything possible for advertising revenue. Enough!,Even the smaller versions of these behemoths are too large for most downtown intersections, like College and Grace.” |
| 2021 | 38639.52716 | Yes | roncesvalles ave & howard park | No | “The bins are not easily recognizable as recepticals for garbage & recycling. The space provided for garbage/recycling feels like it was stuck in a billboard as an afterthought.Furthermore, it is difficult to see where to place recylable materials. The current OMG bins at the very least make it quite clear and simple to place paper, plastic, garbage in the appropriate containers. The new bins confuse the entire process, and the end result will be more recyclable material ending up in the garbage. | No | “They are intrusive and forcibly reduce the amount of space available for pedestrian activity. On busy days, constrictions occur with strollers, passer bys, wheelchairs, walkers, shopping baskets. | No | “On the one hand the city is trying to promote a more ‘liveable city’, one that is nicer, cleaner with more public space for everyone to enjoy. On the other, the city is actively defeating the intent of a more ‘livable city’ by erecting massive obstructions in public areas. Further, the visual impact of these large bins is unquestionably one that *detracts* significantly from civic spaces. There is no plausible argument in favor of these new bins making *any* sort of contribution to life in Toronto, other than a purely financial contribution. ,Is it reasonable for the city to support a blatant waste of energy to keep the ad boxes illuminated? Whether or not the city pays the utility bills for the bins is irrelevant. It is a waste of energy – energy in Ontario is derived from non-renewable sources, and further contributes to large problems such as poor air quality, climate change, and resouce depletion. With the smog days Toronto is now so well know for, the city be looking for opportunities to *reduce* any amount of energy and resouce use that is unnecessary. Brightly lit garbage cans are clearly not a requirement for any municipality.” | “Please Toronto, be a sensible about this. Certainly, advertising is becoming more entrenched in everyday life, but this is no excuse for blindly following any source of revenue without due consideration of the real costs. Giving up public space is not easily quantifiable into cost /benefit analyses, and sadly whenever it is attempted the real costs are never adequately represented. ,The bins are simply not functional as garbage / recycling cans. No amount of showy industrial design will enhance the functionality of the bins, or reduce the immense impact they will have on our cityscape. Finally, if the project does go ahead, who will be responsible for the upkeep and repairs from the damage, vandalism, culture jamming, anti-advertising activism, public space reclamation and outright rejection that is sure to greet these new bins?” |
| 2022 | 38639.52769 | Yes | [Blank] | No | Harder to get at the openings that are on the sides -- would make more sense to put them on the front of the bin instead of the sides. | Yes | “I see them in several configurations (a) One edge facing the street, can’t get at that edge from the sidewalk; or (b) parallel to sidewalk on the edge of the sidewalk, these are frequently obstructed by being in-line with nearby utility poles, bus stops, newpaper boxes; or (c) in the middle of the sidewalk, blocking my pathway. | No | “Blocks pedestrian views, which is unappealing and detracts from the community. Also the reduced sitelines could be dangerous as people walking would be less able to see the cars, especially for the ones that are parallel to the street on the edge of the sidewalk.” | “These are dumb. No, I don’t care about the $5 of tax saved, I’d rather pay the $5 and have a nicer city. |
| 2023 | 38639.52971 | Yes | King & Strachan | No | hard to understand – and it was obvious that people that had used it earlier hadn’t taken the time to see where items should go (I saw items placed in wrong recepticles) | Yes | “This particular bin was located in an area that had ample pedestrian space, but others that I’ve seen around the city appear to be “in the way”” | No | “I am not opposed to the free installation of bins, or the city profiting from the associated ad revenue – BUT I think these particular bins are so large that they are inappropriate for our streets. And it sounds like the ad revenue to be made is not nearly enough to justify the blight that these bins represent. They are just plain toooooooo big.” | I’m also concerned about ongoing maintenance...we all remember how quickly the OMG cans disintegrated ; ) |
| 2024 | 38639.5451 | Yes | College & Bathurst | No | [Blank] | Yes | too big and horrible looking | No | There are enough ads throughout the city. We don’t need huge and hideous bins with enormous ads on them that we’ll keep changing our city into a big commercial ads area. | Remove them and put smaller ones with no ads. |
| 2025 | 38639.54774 | Yes | Bloor and Christie | No | The bin looks like an oversized Billboard. I didn’t even know it was a garbage can. It is an eyesore! | No | “These bins are a nuisance. They are ugly and make our city streets less attractive. We have so many advertisements on our city streets as it is, we certainly don’t need any more, least of all ones that are really billboards in disguise.” | No | These bins are horrendous. I truly believe that many people are not aware that these are garbage cans. They are visual pollution and need to be removed from our public space. | “Yes, GET RID OF THEM. Tourists will not be impressed by these behemoths. Thank you. |
| 2026 | 38639.55628 | Yes | Eglinton Ave near Avenue Rd | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | OK as long as they aren’t obtrusive to pedestrians | Yes | [Blank] | “clear, concise instructions should be posted for the intellectually challenged” |
| 2027 | 38639.56413 | Yes | King & Strachan | No | “The holes to put the garbage in are too small and sealed with that rubbery material that gets gross and sticky as people try to jam their garbage in. ,It was well-labelled on the front but that’s where the ads will go and so it will be less easy to understand where to put garbage when the test program is over. | Yes | “I think that a garbage can should be out of the way, positioned where it does not interfere with people walking down the street. These garbage cans block the way for pedestrians and I’ve seen people veering around them. They also block the view from the street. Not sure if this is an issue for drivers. Basically, it looks to me like the garbage cans have been designed to have the maximum space for advertisements and positioned so that the highest number of people will be forced to stare at them, whether walking or driving. I don’t think that is the purpose of a garbage can. It’s an ugly design, it’s too much advertising, and it blocks the sidewalk. | No | “I don’t think that the increased revenue is worth it. There are other ways to balance a budget and making Toronto the Beautiful ugly by covering it with massive advertisements on monster garbage bins seems like a really, very, super bad idea. | Please don’t go with this plan. I don’t know anyone who likes them. Thanks for doing this survey and letting me share my opinion with you. |
| 2028 | 38639.57353 | Yes | college near bathurst | No | confusing | No | far too large – a eyesore – impractical | No | “Absolutely against public space being inundated wth even more advertising. If the bins must exist, at least make the space available for free to community organizations and initiatives.” | [Blank] |
| 2029 | 38639.59661 | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | “Place to put garbage was on short side (2’), facing away from sidewalk toward vacant lot, and seemed to be overflowing (too full to take on more garbage)” | No | “Awkwardly positioned, makes it difficult to understand what it is for (obstructive advertisement, or garbage receptacle)” | No | I think a better design job is possible to make a more attractive fixture. Why isn’t making the city a beautiful place a priority for the city government? Surely this can be combined with a cost effective implementation plan. Other cities seem to be able to do this...why can’t Toronto. IS ALL TAXPAYER MONEY SPENT LINING THE MUNICIPAL POLITICIANS POCKETS? | “It looks like something from a cheap science fiction movie set.Please hire someone like Bruce Mau to design these bins- he is after all one of the city’s best object designers...why not put the talent we have here to use?” |
| 2030 | 38639.60029 | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 2031 | 38639.60046 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | They are ugly and contribute to the over commercialization of our public space! | No | “Please do not install these anywhere! We don’t need more ads in the city, we need less.” | We need efficient and small bins that do not involve advertising. |
| 2032 | 38639.61972 | Yes | Spadian and Bloor | No | Too complicated | No | They are ugly and I don’t want them there. | No | I don’t like all this advertisement on the sidewalks. | [Blank] |
| 2033 | 38639.62478 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | “The bins do not have to be as tall as they are to be able to provide adequate room for advertising. By being this tall, they ruin the general panorama of the city-scape. If the size is reduced, you still have room for ads and thus can still get the bins for free. No need to have them be this large.” | [Blank] |
| 2034 | 38639.63882 | Yes | “Queen st west, west of Dufferin” | No | “the big billboard was confusing, the openings were too small and cramped together” | No | “they take up too much of the sidewalk while only one side is accessable and not very inviting. the huge billboard on it is obnoxious. ,Why couldn’t it at least be a useful BUS SHELTER? | No | I think the advertising should be much smaller and the recycling facilities on them should be larger and accomodate more types of materials! | [Blank] |
| 2035 | 38639.63981 | Yes | Bloor & Christie | No | It took me a while to even find the hole for the garbage and the size of the actual garbage was too small as indicated by the overflow of trash coming out of it. | No | they block the view of motorists trying to turn left onto bloor st. which is not surprising considering they are 6 feet tall! | No | This is CITY! not a little chemistry set for advertisers. is there anything you won’t do for money? what does the CITIZEN gain from these? nothing. | get rid of them and the other large ones too. there is enough advertising in this city. |
| 2036 | 38639.64767 | Yes | Lakeshore Blvd. and 29th Street | Yes | They were easy to understand because the side posters clearly marked what garbage item belonged where. | Yes | They seem unnecessarily large and attract quite a lot of attention to them. | No | “What the city is selling in return for free garbage bins is the promotion of over-consumerist culture within the ads, which is counter-intuitive to the beautification of the city. The garbage bins, in themselves, are garbage; glorified flyers masked as a garbage bin.” | Please do not allow these bins to come to litter Toronto’s sidewalks; there’s enough garbage on them already. |
| 2037 | 38639.65646 | Yes | danforth | No | “not enough garbage room, constantly overflowing, openings too small--,LESS ADS=MORE ROOM” | Yes | “they take up way too much valuable sidewalk space; they are intrusive, obstruct views/landmarks and a definite eyesore” | No | surely there must be another way to increase revenue rather than selling the integrity of the city? | [Blank] |
| 2038 | 38639.67995 | Yes | “Bloor and Christie,and 2 others downtown but don’t remember where – | No | “1) Can’t tell it is a garbage bin when you walk towards it – looks like a TTC shelter or billboard. I think visitors to the city and many citizens would not recognize it is a bin – leaving waste on the street as a result.2)Small holes for waste that appear to be an afterthought. I think it is less a garbage bin than a billboard. Garbage was outside the bin. I ,3) Bin was over-stuffed with garbage.” | Yes | “1)I think they block the sightlines of drivers and pedestrians.2) Dangerous – position of bin and its height and girth – an attacker could hide behind the bin. The owner of the bin should take responsibilty if street safety is compromised. ,3) They make our sidewalks UGLY!!!!!,4) People have to navigate around them,5)Most people I’ve spoken with agree that the bins are more, in-your-face, aggressive marketing – visual pollution. Please NO!” | No | It would be sad if advertisers could buy out our city so easily. Let’s allow our city to be beautiful for our citizens and guests to the city. Please keep these eyesores off our streets! | “Please read the above in entirely. Thanks! I think the city is so beautiful, and I am proud of how clean we’ve kept it. Should the bins be installed, I’ll see our city leaderes as sell-outs. Please don’t sell out! Why not a better design, lower to the ground? Perhaps a call for designers in this creative-rich city and see what they come up with --- even with some advertising.Thank you asking for public response.” |
| 2039 | 38639.72029 | Yes | Eglinton Ave. and Avenue Rd. | No | “The openings are too small, and the labels aren’t large enough for me to read easily. The side by side openings on the old bins were a lot better.” | Yes | “Stupidest garbage cans ever! One end was only accessible if you are standing in oncoming traffic, and I even saw someone doing that (standing in the road) because the side of the bin on the sidewalk was literally overflowing with trash.” | No | I refuse to be sold. | This plan goes completely against the City’s Clean & Beautiful City and Live With Culture programs. The bins are obviously designed more with the ads in mind than the garbage. |
| 2040 | 38639.73105 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “I feel that these “garbage/recycling” bins are blatant in their ability to render an already polluted city even more dispicable. We don’t really need to waste more time or money creating larger trash cans with advertising... it is simply not a priority and does not, in any conceivable way, serve public interest. In the long run, these trash cans are simply adding to the impression of a greedy, dirty, unhealthy, and aesthetically displeasing city... not at all one that is worthy of being visited by those who don’t live here (ie. tourists). If you want Toronto to become a cesspool of rotting smells, bad waste management, and excessive advertising, then please do continue in this direction.” | No | “Even if the city were to receive something for “free” and even if the city were to generate revenue in the short term future, eventually it is quite possible that the city will lose money as it would become so dispicable that noone would actually want to visit and spend their money here. Aside from this factor, I feel that it is just not worth it to live in an unhealthy environment under any circumstances... and the proposed bins are most definitely a source of visual and psychological pollution.” | [Blank] |
| 2041 | 38639.77466 | Yes | Outside Coxwell Station | No | “The entire system seems far too complex. Every opening was stuffed with an array of garbage, nobody bothered to sort any of it. There was nowhere for me to even put my glass bottle. It’s completely dysfunctional. | No | They look bizarre and out of place. You can navigate around them at least. | No | “I am not in favour of a completely dysfunctional system. The whole purpose is not to save or make money, it’s to provide a practical service. Any new system has to be extremely easy to use, with large, clearly denoted openings for each separate kind of waste.” | Please do not approve them. Choose a different design. Thanks for your time :) |
| 2042 | 38639.77615 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “They impede good pedestrian traffic flow and can act as a hazard to persons becoming injured. The emphasis of the bin seems to be on the advertising instead of a practical, easy way to dispose or recycle litter.” | No | They are also a target for vandalism. | A less obtrusive bin with larger and easier areas to dispose of litter would be preferred. |
| 2043 | 38639.79167 | No | Ossington and Dundas | No | The bin is hideous TOO BIG!! Too much space designated for advertisment. | Yes | “They take up too much space, block view when making a right-hand turn on Dundas from Ossington. It’s hideous. Garbage bins are meant to be subtle and discreet not visible from everypoint of view. GET RID OF THEM!!!” | No | There is too much focus on advertisments we are bombarded by ads everywhere can’t we just have normal looking bins? TOO TALL TOO WIDE | THe bin is tall and wide enough for someone to hide behind and jump some poor young/old woman walking home at night. |
| 2044 | 38639.83083 | Yes | spadina | Yes | [Blank] | No | “I do not feel that they are an effective use of space. I also feel that they will end up being plastered with ads, which I do not want to see.” | No | [Blank] | Perhaps a more streamlined design. If asthetic appeal is an objective I suggest planting a tree beside them |
| 2045 | 38639.90891 | Yes | Finch & Torresdale | No | [Blank] | Yes | I think they are too big and imposing. Ugly and a definite eyesore. | No | “What kind of ads? Who controls them? And even if they were positive public service ads, it would not make these bins any less of an eyesore. They are huge and we are exposed to enough advertising as it is – can’t we find ways to make Toronto more inviting rather than less so? Do you think any other “world class” city would do this to themselves? It is the ugliest piece of design I have seen foisted on the public in this city since the new OCAD building.” | See above. |
| 2046 | 38639.9163 | Yes | ST CLAIR AND KEELE | Yes | [Blank] | No | “CONSIDERING THAT MOST OF THE CITYS SIDEWALKS ARE NARROW,OBVIOUSLY NO FORETHOUGHT FROM OUR FOREFATHERS,THIS WILL BE ANOTHER OBSTACLE WE WILL HAVE TO NAVIGATE AROUND.” | No | “THESE ARE HIDEOUS, THE CITY OF TORONTO WOULD SELL ITS SOUL FOR A BUCK. WHY ARE THERE NO PERMANENT DESIGN COMMITTEES THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OVERLOOKING THE CITYS CIVIC SPACES,EVERY THING SEEMS TO BE DONE ON THE CHEAP,” | DUMP THEM!! |
| 2047 | 38639.91644 | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 2048 | 38639.92257 | Yes | Yonge and Eglinton | No | These bins are awful. Their main purpose is more unwanted advertising in public space; there isn’t much room for garbage disposal which definitely is not their main function. | Yes | They obstruct the sidewalk partly because of their size. They definitely don’t fit with the clean and beautiful city image – they’re a form of visual pollution themselves. | No | I realize the city needs money but there should be limits on what it will do to get it. | “Please get rid of them. The old ones were better although not ideal because you had to touch the doors of the bins, which was very unsanitary.” |
| 2049 | 38639.94106 | Yes | King + Dufferin | No | It’s counter-intuitive that the garbage would go in on the smaller side of the box (with the bigger surface area reserved for ads) | No | Too big and too obstructive. | No | “Collect money for garbage collection by fining illegal dumpers and overly wasteful businesses and individuals, don’t pollute the neighbourhoods with more ad space.” | “They do a good job of making garbage noticeable, which is not good. I don’t want to notice the city’s garbage bins just as I don’t want to notice its garbage. They’re big and ugly and not too practical, designed to bring in money and not garbage. Ditch them.” |
| 2050 | 38639.98979 | No | How can you seriously put 7-foot high bins on the streets? The whole idea is a joke! | [Blank] | “I’m so disgusted by the whole thing that I haven’t inspected the bins & don’t intend to. It may be a great way to clutter up the streets, but it will do little or nothing to advance the cause of Toronto’s goal of diverting recyclables from the waste stream. People don’t use the present bins properly, they’re always overflowing with smelly garbage. For sure, uglier & more complex bins are not going to turn anybody into a recycling enthusiast, they’re much more likely to turn them off the whole idea.” | No | “The large ones are dead centre on the sidewalk, blocking the view, & their height is intimidating. Elderly & nervous people feel that they make good hiding places for muggers: a clear view of the streetscape is a basic city safety factor.The smaller grey ones look drab & gloomy, more like garbage themselves, & they all add to the ever-growing clutter of street furniture We need more room on the sidewalks, not less.” | No | “People are already sick of being advertised at everywhere they look. If the bins have to carry advertising, at least donate the space to environmental groups for their suggestions on reducing waste. That would be more in keeping with the bins’ stated purpose of diverting waste from the landfill than encouraging people to buy more products that create more waste.” | “I have never seen anyone using them, but since the present OMG bins are usually overflowing with all kinds of garbage, most of which is unrecyclable, I expect the new ones soon will be also. When they are illuminated, they will be objects of amazement & derision to visitors: “What kind of a city is this, that dumps its garbage in 7-foot illuminated heaps on street corners?” Hardly a tourist attraction, but it sure will attract flies & wasps!” |
| 2051 | 38640.04943 | Yes | Queen West/Parkdale | No | “It was confusing. Considering the problem this city already has with littering I don’t see how introducing a new, confusing system is going to help.” | No | It seems they were designed for maximum advertising exposure rather than practical use. | No | “They’re ugly, they block my view of the road while walking on the sidewalk, they block my view of the sidewalk while on a bike or in a car, the city has enough advertising as it is. | Please do not put these into regular use. They’re terrible. |
| 2052 | 38640.32395 | Yes | “Well, sort of. I tried to use it (at Dundas and Ossington). The bin was full to overflowing and there were a lot of bees flying around the garbage (it was summer). So, I didn’t end up using it (but I tried). | No | “Using the bin was an annoying and somewhat confused encounter. The signage was very busy and excessive, and I was tired at the time, so depositing a simple piece of garbage actually felt like a huge task! That’s crazy! Sure, the instructions were easy enough to understand, but I actually had to spend time reading them just to drop a piece of garbage in the basket. Furthermore, this statement needs to be qualified. My first language is English -- so they were easy *for me* to understand. I think it is a big problem, though, for the city of Toronto to be buying garbage bins that REQUIRE reading (and in English -- given that many folks in this town do not have english as first or second language). In general, it’s ridiculous for the City to even consider buying bins that require instruction. ,I became aware that garbage etc. are collected on both sides because I did a “tour” around the bin. Again, this two-sided “feature” is excessive and unecessary. I’m angry that the City is promoting this as a convenience feature --- it’s not, and the people of Toronto know it. The two sides are there to simply justify the sideboards which will be used for advertising revenue for the company. I an very mad about this -- sidewalk space (both on the ground and vertically) is being colonized by these unnecessarily huge garbage bins, and then it gets sold back to us as “for our convenience”. Give me a break! | Yes | “It doesn’t matter *how* they are positioned on the sidewalk. What matters is that they *are* positioned on the sidewalk. See my above response. Their size is UNNECESSARY for people who use city sidewalks; it is only necessary for the company that wants the bins FOR ADVERTISING/PROFITS. To underscore this point --- the entire upper area of the bins is not useable for garbage (on the inside). It is only useful for advertising (on the outside). So, regardless of where you position it on the sidewalk, the bin will always be excessive and imposing because of its vertical height (which is use solely for advertising space, not for the purposes of garbage). | No | “Why would the City want these bins (free or not)? We already have bins, and they work fine. The signs are easy to understand, you can easily walk along and deposit garbage with little fuss, they are well-maintained. I use the existing bins ALL THE TIME! These are fine and do not need to be fixed. I do not use the new bins ... they are huge and imposing. | Yes ... don’t do it. This is not something that the people of Toronto have asked for or need. |
| 2053 | 38640.3813 | Yes | Danforth and Broadview | No | “They’re not practical because they’re oriented the wrong way. The bin was full on the sidewalk side, and I had no intention of going into traffic to use the other side.” | Yes | “See answer to 2. They need to be oriented the other way, along the sidewalk, not across it.” | No | “I’m not in favour of them regardless of the benefit to the city. They’re large, obtrusive, and ugly.” | They’re too tall. There’s no need for the gum and cigarette slots. Instead of having bigger bins the focus should be on having more of them. |
| 2054 | 38640.3834 | Yes | Various locations along Dundas west | No | “Several of the bins were placed so that the garbage opening was right at the curb – I had to be on the street to use it. In Toronto, that is very unsafe.” | Yes | These bins ad to the visual clutter of the city. They are clearly positioned to grab motorists attention rather than for ease of use by pedestrians. I hate being assaulted by giant ads as I move through my neighbourhood. They are invasive and too much in your face. | No | There must be an alternative to the giant ads. Why can’t they go back to the size that is currently offered? | “The actual garbage disposal area is pretty small for the amount of advertising and size of the can. Why not make the cans wider to accomodate more garbage? As well, I had thought they were going to have a seperate section for food waste – if we must be subjected to immense ads in our neighbourhoods, they could at least provide a food waste section. I hate these bins. Toronto needs to do more to reduce the amount of advertising it allows. I find I am often overstimulated just as I move through my daily life not to mention many of the ads displayed are sexist and inappropriate. The City is going too far in how it is allowing advertising to creep into our everyday lives and in the selling of public spaces. Please side with citizens over corporations and stop clogging our neighbourhoods with visual garbage!” |
| 2055 | 38640.46208 | Yes | Bloor and Christie | No | “The opening was too small, the bin was full, and initially the opening was not easy to find.” | Yes | “I think the positioning is great--their narrowness makes them appear much less obtrusive than the old bins, except that the advertising is quite glaring.” | No | “We’re already inundated with advertising in the city, and I’m happy to see my tax dollars pay for something as basic and essential as garbage and recycling collection.” | [Blank] |
| 2056 | 38640.59373 | Yes | “Spadina & College,Bathurst & College” | No | “Holes too small, overflowing with garbage already” | Yes | “Too big, too bulky, obstruct pedestrian views of the street, obstruct walking traffic” | No | They are nothing more than corporate ad space thinly disguised as recylcing/garbage bins. We do not need 7-foot tall recycling bins! | “Yes--to be prefectly honest, I think the city is selling out to corporate advertisers and supressing grassroots advertising that our communties need with the anti-postering bylaw. Why are giant billboards and 7-foot ads ok, but an 8.5”x11” poster on a pole is not? This city is overrun with corporate ads and sadly lacking in local culture! These giant bins only contribute to the “branding” of our city. |
| 2057 | 38640.64538 | Yes | Eglinton at Avenue Road | No | [Blank] | Yes | They are an eyesore | No | “They are ugly, an eyesore, and we already are bombarded with too many ads.” | Get rid of them. |
| 2058 | 38640.77542 | Yes | Danforth & Logan | No | “The bin was overflowing. It was hard to figure out where to put things, plus the plastic coverings made it hard to push it through.” | No | They block the view of the road from the sidewalk. The current positioning of the one I used recently is the better of two evils. It would only take up more space and be more hazardous if it were perpendicular to the street. | No | “The current bins we have are fine. They don’t block much of our view of traffic (and vice versa), they hold more, and they’re easy to understand. City councillors should require a higher quality argument than simply receiving money for the city.” | “Keep the old ones and once the contract with Eucan (if that’s what it’s called) has expired, purchase them and use the advertising space for ads from the city, non-profit groups, and for artwork and photographs of the city. Tie them into the Clean and Beautiful City campaign!” |
| 2059 | 38640.78488 | Yes | King and Strachan | No | Very easy to miss as it just looks like the side of a bus shelter. Highly impractical and ugly. | Yes | “A danger to pedestrians and cyclists, not to mentio the drivers who have to slam on the brakes to avoid them. I’ve had incidents both on my bike and driving a car where these bins have been dangerous.” | No | “I’m not sure we need garbage receptacles that hold so little yet are taller than everyone. It makes little sense to have such a large bin, unless all you really wnat is a bunch of big ads.” | Please drop this plan and whatever consultants and company came up with it. An offence to people. No bin should be so big that people can’t see over it-unbelievably silly notion. |
| 2060 | 38640.9578 | Yes | Christie Pits on Bloor | No | The holes are small. | No | They seem to block more of the walkway than the old garbage bins. | No | They are eyesores and not very practical. | [Blank] |
| 2061 | 38640.99968 | No | The one nearest me is Eglinton/Avenue Road | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | They look more like bus stops than garbage drops. The sides facing the street where cars park are barely used because there is usually a car right in front of it. | No | I am truly fed up with not being able to turn around on a public street without being assaulted by advertising. I realize the city needs money but either get them off the bus depots or leave them off the garbage. Do we really have to have both along with the mega television towers at major intersections. | [Blank] |
| 2062 | 38641.01042 | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | The openings are too small. | No | “Only one side of the bin is accessible from the street; the other side backs onto grass. Additionally, I hadn’t even known it was a garbage bin for a long time- I thought it was just another ad.” | No | Don’t we have enough advertising already? The streets in this city are ugly and getting uglier. I have no desire to be visually assaulted by every Jo who wants to make a buck every time I walk out the door. And why should someone be making money off the fact that I need to walk past this corner to get to work. | “Get rid of them. They are a blight on the street, they serve no purpose aside from advertising; the garbage/recycling attachment is exactly that- an excuse for advertising. Is there something wrong with a garbage bin that looks like a garbage bin.” |
| 2063 | 38641.43832 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | “I have not used these bins yet, there in none near my home, but I think they are great. The more the better, that way the city will be cleaner and prettier. Now the only problem is educating the public so they’ll use them and recycle and not litter the streets.” |
| 2064 | 38641.4787 | [Blank] | See below. | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | See below. | No | I will not use one of the bins because of there utter diregard for public space by turning the city into yet more corporate graffitti.The several that I have encountered in the ANnex and on the Danforth ostruct lines of sight and reduce sidewalk space. Plus the wastefull use of energy to back light the se mostrosities is completely without conscience when it comes to conservation practices. I don’t think the city should be prpomoting further wasteful consumption. | “COntinue with the old design such as height and not using electricity which is ridiculous.Plus the city should own the surface advertising space on the garbage bins and rent it out directly creating even more revenue. Why would the city give away this cash cow which I would would be worth more than they’re receiving.Many people I’ve spoken to also detest these bins.Asking whats wrong with the old one’s the don’t obscure sightlines they dont clog the space with yet more unnecessary advertising and don’t waste hydro.” |
| 2065 | 38641.58838 | No | [Blank] | No | every bin I see is overflowing with litter – design isn’t convenient. | Yes | “They’re terrible. Aside from being visually atrocious, I thought they were bus shelters for a full month after they went up. They only looked like ads for garbage bins and not actual garbage bins themselves.” | No | “Does the city need to appropriate more public space for advertising? It’s bad enough already. There are plenty of other eyesores around and the design and practicality of these bins is questionable at best (function unclear, they block sidewalk space, etc.). What’s wrong with the existing garbage bins? The Eucan bins would make Toronto streets more unpleasant to walk in.” | “These things are garbage on the eyes. Take them away, please!!!” |
| 2066 | 38641.69491 | Yes | “Bloor & Christie, Bathurst & College” | No | I had to stop and carefully read the bin. I wasn’t sure where to throw my recyclable. The garbage bin and the cigarette disposal are the first thing you see. The garbage bin is at a good height for throwing everything into. I saw many recyclable materials in the garbage bin on both occasions. | Yes | “I find them obtrusive. I didn’t notice it the first time until it loomed up over me. I think it’s far too tall. Something of that height will never fill up. It’s not as if we’re putting anything from the top! Why do we need bins that are taller than people? I think they will be distracting for cyclists, drivers and pedestrians, not to mention they could obstruct people’s view.” | No | “I beleive that there is already to much public space being used for commercial advertising. I am strongly opposed to the installation of these bins. How much more “increased revenue” are we going to sell ourselves for?” | “The public needs to more involved in decisions that affect our public space. Not everyone informs themselves unfortunately but perhaps if there existed a more accessible forum for discussion that people were made aware of, more citizens would take part in these discussions. The City could then make decisions based on what the Public had to say. Not being heard is just as detremental as not speaking out. |
| 2067 | 38641.73271 | Yes | Ossington and Dundas | Yes | [Blank] | No | I’m not crazy about them – their height is my biggest problem – I find them far more intrusive than the old bins – they’re like a little wall in the middle of the sidewalk | No | I think the ad space is far too large (see above comments) – perhaps another design would work better – being paid to install billboards on our sidewalks and getting a regular commission from them seems to be what’s really at issue – the fact that they store refuse appears to be secondary – the old bins worked just fine | [Blank] |
| 2068 | 38641.78227 | Yes | “Bathurst and College, Lawrence and Cullford” | Yes | Not as easy to use and understand as the ones that are about three and a half feet tall and 4 feet wide | Yes | “While I am not a smoker, I do think the cigerette compartment is a good idea to include.I really dislike the height of the bins. They obstruct views, and I believe this makes them an “eye sore”. I prefer the older models that are lower and wider. I also am dissapointed that the city is not recycling styrofoam yet (university of Toronto does recycle styrofoam already so it is possible). | No | “I think signs that large are too imposing, and the bins do obstruct views of the nieghbourhood. I don’t mind the size of bins I can see over, where advertisements are more of a subtle size.” | Recycling styrofoam would be great. |
| 2069 | 38641.90899 | Yes | “many of them... king + dufferin, keele + eglinton, avenue & eglinton, kington + main, etc...” | No | holes too small... too confusing... | Yes | they are too close to the road... | No | “no... it is an evil that you are perpetuating on the citizens, you should be ashamed of yourselves...” | you truly disgust me. i dont feel that i have to cushion my message. you are repugnant to have allowed this to go this far. we are not cattle. we are not your market to sell off. |
| 2070 | 38641.92543 | Yes | Danforth and Pape | No | The bin was overflowing with trash. How can something so huge that takes up so much of the sidewalk not hold much trash. | Yes | “They are completely inappropriate, they take up too much of the sidewalk.” | No | Just because we get them for free does not mean that we should have so much advertising on our streets. | They’re just plain too big. |
| 2071 | 38641.97219 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | giant eyesore. why do we need bins so big? they obstruct the urban landscape and are a needless distraction. i want a bin i can throw my garbage into that is much more inconspicuous. | No | [Blank] | “bin at pape & danforth is constantly overflowing with garbage. looks terrible, smells worse. |
| 2072 | 38642.0169 | No | [Blank] | No | You almost need to step into the traffic to use them; it feels dangerous | No | [Blank] | No | There is enough advertising anywhere you look; it’s like constantly being brainwashed | [Blank] |
| 2073 | 38642.37083 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | They block sight lines because they are so big. | No | They are too ugly. They add too much visual clutter to our already cluttered sidewalks. | “If you want to encourage people to deposit waste in bins, you need more bins (not necessarily bigger and more expensive) located at frequent intervals. People will only think to use a bin if they see one within their immediate vicinity. (Of course, there are those people who will litter no matter what.)” |
| 2074 | 38642.37649 | Yes | King near rogers? | No | Latch holding the bin closed was flimsy and broke or was unlatched. | Yes | Hard to get at the openings on the end because of the way it is positioned off the edge of the sidewalk among the bushes and poles. On the other hand the ones that are in the middle of the sidewalk just block traffic. | No | “I think they would detract from the quality of public space. They would make the city more anonymous, more commercial, and less friendly. As for the money, why don’t we renovate and lease some of those properties instead? | “Our model for a world-class city should be Edinburgh, not Los Angeles. |
| 2075 | 38642.40286 | No | [Blank] | No | “On the street side, one must almost step off the curb and into the street to access the bin.” | Yes | I already find many sidewalks in the city to be too narrow and overcrowded. The last thing we need is oversized advertising bins taking up more room. It certainly does nothing to encourage alternate modes of commuting (i.e. transit/foot). | No | “Invasive outdoor advertising is already a blight on our beautiful city. If the City needs the revenue, it should be negotiating more agressively for a new deal with the other levels of government. With these bins, the City is taking the path of least resistance without consideration for the quality of life of its citizens.” | “The bins are eyesores. I would hope that the City would be active in protecting its citizens from such invasive advertising, rather than promoting it. What the City did with Dundas square is already bad enough.” |
| 2076 | 38642.44609 | Yes | Danforth and Gough (at Pape) | No | “The openings were at the right height, but too small. Garbage tends to get caught in the small openings. As well, EVERY time I have gone by the bin, it has been full, which is an indication, I believe, of the small capacity of these bins. People want to recycle as well as throw garbage in its proper place, but the recycling container is always overflowing and garbage is all over the ground.” | Yes | They are too high and block the view of oncoming traffic and especially bicycles that ride close to the curb. They force groups of pedestrians to move over. | No | “ABSOLUTELY NOT IN FAVOUR! TORONTO, GET WITH IT! We do NOT want to see anymore advertising as we are bombarded with it everywhere. These huge silver boxes are bad enough, I do not want to see a 5-foot-high Calvin Klein ad or movie poster staring at me every time I walk by. If you accepT the bins free, the city will be indebted to the company that provides them and have to abide by their contract and rules. Yes, recycling bins are expensive, but there is NO NEED to turn them into corporate advertisements and something that Toronto cannot control. Seeing Toronto get itself into another mess is very frustrating. Have you made public the entire contract that Toronto would have to abide by if they choose these bins??” | “YES!,1.make the entire “proposed” contract between Toronto and the recycling bin compnay easily accessible to the public. ,2. take the large boxes away...they are an urban eyesore, and a health hazard as they are always overflowing due to their small capacity,3. try something else, or at least leave the older, lower silver ones (with the 3 holes)...they are not quite as much an eyesore” |
| 2077 | 38642.45698 | Yes | College and grace | No | “actually I found the whole thing doesn’t “read” as a garbage can. If you are walking along looking for one you don’t think that you have found one. Maybe because of the height?” | Yes | Fine | No | I don’t object to advertising as such but it is too big on these bins. Plus it seems to me that garbage bins in the city don’t sell much advertising -- they always seem to be advertising the fact that you can buy space on them. Who needs to see more of that? | “I think what we need are larger bins than these, and more of them, and they need to be emptied more often. I have a wire basket on my bicycle and often find litter in it when it has been locked on the street. I interpret this (charitably I know) as a result of people’s desire not to litter and the total absence in some blocks of anywhere to throw out trash. I don’t see how the new bins solve the city’s problem, except in being free. But we are going to have to bite the bullet and spend some money if the city is going to get cleaner: more bins and more staff to empty them!” |
| 2078 | 38642.47721 | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | “No it was full, VERY full. ,The other garbage opening was on the otherside of the bin, by the street, where it is not necessarily safe to allow kids to throw garbage from because of traffic. | Yes | “Badly positioned, Larger than they need to be, Eye sore, ,The are positioned so people driving can see the ads, not so people on the sidewalk can walk easily. | No | “Increased revenue would be nice, but at what expense?” | [Blank] |
| 2079 | 38642.63003 | Yes | “Bloor & Windermere, St. Clair & Keele” | No | “more or less, but tiny” | No | “Terrible. My eye catches a billboard, and it certainly doesn’t read as a garbage bin (or something I would move towards if I was holding garbage I wished to dispose of). They seem to be built with the same language as an advertising billboard. The garbage disposal is definitely an afterthought.” | No | “Practicality – they are not garbage bins, they are advertising. At least the current stainless steel bins are obvious as to their use.Obtrusiveness – they block my view whether I am a pedestrian or a driver.Visual clutter – do we really need more advertising, especially at street level? I can only see more accidents caused by these..” | “I think it’s fairly clear what the designer’s goals were: advertising, with a touch of garbage-disposal functionality in an attempt to cloak them as something useful. It would be quite a shame to see these all around the city. The existing ones are enough of a blight to the pedestrian landscape already.” |
| 2080 | 38642.63083 | Yes | bathurst and wilson | No | no it was full of garbage and was not easy to access the other garabage bin | Yes | they are not positioned in good spots the are sometimes dangerous to get to both sides and in the middle of sidewalks | No | there is already too much advertising in the city cut it out find a new way to clean up the city | don’t get anymore |
| 2081 | 38642.66231 | Yes | christie pitts park. | No | i almost didnt notice it was a trash bin at all. purpose of each of the various openings was not obvious. | Yes | “they seem to impede traffic much more than the old ones. their positioning greatly favors the viewing of their ad space, while minimizing the chances that a passing pedestrain with garbage to dispose of would even notice the receptacles hidden on the narrow sides.” | No | “free is not always better. the bins are the proposed bins are poorly designed for the purpose of waste disposal, which is supposed to be their primary purpose. instead, they are designed as advertising first and as garbage/recycling bins second. they will increase unsightliness of the city not only through increased advertising content, but also because their poor design will actually impede tidy disposal of pedestrian waste. ,i expect to see more litter, not less, if the bins are implemented. this in turn will not only cost the city in terms of tourism, but also increased labor for maintenance of city streets. i foresee no net gain, and very possibly a net loss, financially and aesthetically.” | “in order for public waste bins to be effective, they must be readily available and extremely easy to use. no one should have to think twice about where to find one or how to use it, it should be blatantly obvious to anyone visiting the city for the first time. ,this is simply not the case with regards to the proposed bins; quite the opposite. the bins are an impressive example of extremely poor design. they are being provided free only because no one in their right mind would pay for such a useless design.” |
| 2082 | 38642.74024 | No | “Danforth Ave- how, pray tell, does one use this monster with the teeny holes and the big space for ads and graffiti?” | No | Could not see where to put what or how to squeeze more in. | No | “Ugly. Block drivers’ and pedestrians’ views. Desecrate our sidewalks. ,You have sold out our city.” | No | “There should be NO ads in public spaces.Please take down those awful moving billboards in Dundas Triangle and on the Gardiner.They are a distraction to drivers and a blight on the landscape (what’s left of the landscape, that is)” | “How about some nice, practical, smaller garbage cans, in funky colours, placed at much more frequent spots along all streets, and in all parks?,Ban smoking in all public spaces, including the streets. (Why should I have to hold my breath while walking down the street in my own city?) Charge all those who litter the sidewalks and streets with their butts.” |
| 2083 | 38642.78595 | Yes | “pape and danforth;,scarborough” | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | “i think this is amazing idea to have a special garbage bin for cigarette butts.i rarely used old recycling/garbage street bins: they are always so dirty, i never wanted to touch the lid. seems to me, new bins are better |
| 2084 | 38642.83264 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “As I have apparently passed by this garbage receptacle on a number of occasions without realizing what it was, I don’t believe they are well designed. Looking at the images on this site, I can see why I walked past it. Its size and shape are counterintuitive. Also.... they look expensive! I beleive that a bin that simply asks users to seperate their trash will make most aware of their recyclables. Something like those found in and around the University area is what I have in mind.” | No | “See answer to Q#4. he garbage cans that I mentioned above also have space for advertismens, allowing the city that opportunity for revenue.” | [Blank] |
| 2085 | 38642.8584 | Yes | Pape and Danforth. | No | “The openings had small labels, and one side faced the street, making it impossible to use safely. | Yes | Idiotic and dangerous. | No | “The city has many better ways to increase revenue (for example, using their money wisely, and cutting back on ridiculous costs such as expenses for city councillors’ limousines and cocktail parties) than to sell out public space which is not theirs. They’re unsafe, ugly, oversized, invasive, and generally a nuisance. They may also pose a risk to the visually impaired, as yet another obstacle in their path. They block sightlines for cyclists, drivers, pedestrians. The amount the city receives for these monstrosities is insufficient for the troubles they give. | “I am sure many of the city’s employees are not to fault, but I must say that I am weary of your continuing incompetence. I can’t believe you are spending so much of your time fretting over garbage bins when there are so many incredible issues pressing on this city. I’m a 20-year-old university student; I was born here, I love many things about my hometown, and all my family live here, but for so long Toronto’s civic affairs have been handled with clownish inefficiency that I am seriously considering moving elsewhere. That’s correct; you have done so very wrong that a garbage can has snapped it for me. ,Mr. David Miller, simply because you’re not as clownishly incompetent as some of our previous sitting mayors does not mean you can get away with things like these. The public placed their trust in you by supporting you, and you cannot violate that agreement. ,I propose that from now on, you adopt a principle which I find very handy in my everyday life. Every time you are faced with a decision, say to yourself, “WTF (what the fuck)?” You will instantly recognize the embarrassingly obvious flaws of the plan as they apply, and being at least a lightly educated individual, immediately abort. |
| 2086 | 38642.89483 | Yes | “Danforth and Paper, Danforth and Gough, Danforth and Greenwood” | No | the spot to put garbage in was far too small and difficult to find- several tims it was full when I went to use it | Yes | “I HATE them. They’re unsightly, they block pedestrian traffic (there are already so many sidewalk patios on Danforth, this is just more)and they are a block to seeing traffic if you step out on the street. | No | No no no. There are other ways to dispose of garbage and raise money other than these monstrosities. | Please please please get rid of them!!! |
| 2087 | 38642.95843 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | I think they are hideous and wreck the look of the city wherever they are placed. | No | [Blank] | Please do not accept the proposal. I would much rather pay for garbage collection rather than have seven foot high garbage bins throughout the city blocking my view. The older waist-high bins (the ones with three holes) are much better. |
| 2088 | 38643.18178 | Yes | Dufferin south of King | Yes | [Blank] | No | The other half of the bin is much too close to the road. I would have to stand in the road to put garbage in it. | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 2089 | 38643.37333 | Yes | Roncesvalles | No | The box is large compared to the size of the actual bin inside it. | Yes | One end of the bin is facing the street. Also it’s ridiculously large. | No | “What I care about is living in a nice city. What is this, a slum or something? Charge me $10 if you have to, but don’t shove advertising in my face and block my sidewalk. | Don’t allow them. Get normal (small) cans. |
| 2090 | 38643.38206 | Yes | “Danforth&Broadview, Bloor West Village” | No | “1st appearance is signbox. Wrong orientation, should be turned. Some openings too high. Garbage overflowing, too small, totally disgusting. | No | “Wrong, wrong, wrong. It’s obvious 1st thought is for advertising. Too large, blocks walking. Do people step onto roadway to use “street” end?” | No | “STOP selling MY city. Bring back the old small bins, with several bins per block.” | See #5 above |
| 2091 | 38643.41252 | Yes | college and bathurst | Yes | “however i didn’t feel it was very intuitive. if i was in a rush, unfamilar with recycling it would be easy to mix it up.” | Yes | they take up a lot of space and don’t seem clearly user friendly. | No | we need more spaces for local art (grafitti) and such and less space for advertising. | I noticed with the last garbage/recycling bins that when the garbage and recycling was collected they were mixed togther with the garbage... what is the point of having separate bins if the collection is not separate. has this been changed |
| 2092 | 38643.46356 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | they seem okay in design in some ways but the giant advertsing aspect is totally offensive | No | “I know it tempting to get the revenue, but it seems too high a price to pay -- the ads are giant!! | [Blank] |
| 2093 | 38643.58035 | Yes | Danforth and Pape | No | Openings at the right height but I noticed several people looking at the various openings before simply tossing what ever they had to dispose of in to the largest opening. | Yes | “To a certain degree, they block the visual sightlines while walking along the street.” | No | “I am strongly opposed to the installation of these bins. While certainly the added revenue would be helpful, our already cluttered visual landscape will in no way benifit from being subjected to large, brightly lit advertisments. In addition, how wise is it to install something that uses more electricity at a time when we are experienceing power shortages?” | “More information about these bins would be appreciated. For instance, do they have a greater or smaller capacity ? Are the existing bins to be removed or left in place? Will equal space be provided to community groups, charities etc? Who will be responsible for the inevitable repairs? |
| 2094 | 38643.58679 | Yes | Church and Alexander | Yes | [Blank] | No | The bins themselves are fine. | No | I don’t like the idea of the City contracting this out to an advertiser. I’d rather you raised my taxes or cut other spending. We don’t need advertising everywhere. Part of our garbage problem is over-consumption which advertising exhorts us to do. This is counterintuitive. | I like the design. I just don’t think they should be carrying advertising for consumer products. |
| 2095 | 38643.64145 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 2096 | 38643.67661 | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | [Blank] | No | They are obtrusive. | No | [Blank] | They are an eye sore and not that practical. |
| 2097 | 38643.70295 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “I would rather they were not on the sidewalk, in any position.” | No | I would prefer that the city decreased the amount of advertisiting in public space and would remember that we are citizens of Toronto and not just consumers. | Please take them away. |
| 2098 | 38643.78535 | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | “I think these bins are ugly and are simply another case of the corporatization of our public space (like Dundas Square, which is also a disappointment). When will City Hall” | “I think these bins are ugly and are simply another case of the corporatization of our public space (like Dundas Square, which is also a huge disappointment). When will City Hall get with the times and start planning our city so that it includes truly public space instead of just catering to private commercial interests? The city is beginning to look like a shopping mall. Gross. Why not look at some of the beautiful European cities that have won awards for their revitalisation instead of looking to Times Square?” |
| 2099 | 38643.88288 | No | [Blank] | No | “They look more like billboards than trash bins, so I have never concidered using one.” | No | “They are too tall, and have a very limited capacity. They are really cluttering up the landscape at a time when we are trying so hard to make the city more attractive – these bins are going completely in the opposit direction.” | No | “I’m sure the city can find better ways to create revenue, after all it’s the beauty of our city that attracts tourists and inspires the local people to spend time shopping or dining in the downtown neighborhoods. | “Please take a step back and ask yourself if would you like one of these unattractive bins on your frontlawn. ,I live and work downtown and really care about the beauty of our City.” |
| 2100 | 38643.89179 | Yes | Yonge Street somewhere | No | “THe openings were too small, confusing. | No | they block the way of pedestrians. they’re so intrusive. A distraction to drivers. | No | “The last thing the city needs is more advertisements. The citizens of Toronto are already havign to deal with being bombarded by advertisements selling things they don’t care about everywhere you look: Yonge and DUndas Square, the TTC’s new screens, city benches, buses, billboards, elevators, public washrooms etc. It is unnecessary, unless you see numbing the senses of your citizens as necessary. | “They need to be discreet, as in, not 7 feet tall. It is a garbage/recycling bin and not a billboard. THe safety of cyclists and pedestrians to use the sidewalks comes before the installation of those huge things. |
| 2101 | 38643.94057 | Yes | College St. just west of Bathurst St. | No | “The older bins were more clear about where to put items. The doors made use of shapes, and colour-coded and illustrated stickers to reinforce what belonged where. It’s hard to push paper through a circular door, and I’ve seen people stop themselves while putting a glass bottle through a door with a big sticker over it that reminds them it’s for garbage only. ,The new bins only use general shape to indicate what’s meant to go there, but everything is black and comparatively nondescript. The “guide” above the receptacles is too easily ignored. It’s not hard to learn what goes where, but the lack of complete hand-holding and reminding will certainly lead to errors.You should monitor to see how often recyclable material is dropped into the waste bin. I’m willing to believe that it will increase with the new bins for two reasons: design is everything, and people are lazy. ,I do appreciate though that there are cigarette butt receptacles. I’ve grown tired of have to butt out my cigarette before throwing it in the garbage. | Yes | “It’s obvious its orientation is meant to maximize the effectiveness of the advertising, which is fine from a business point of view. But it is distracting, gets in the way of pedestrians, obstructs people’s views of not only the cityscape, but more practical things such as buses, cabs, and emergency vehicles. ,I understand that the city needs revenue. Everyone needs it. This is why I put up with advertising EVERYWHERE in my city. However, most are usually implemented on things that already exist (e.g. the sides of bus shelters, hub caps on cabs, sides of buildings). These bins are the result of a design process meant primarily for advertising. They should be designed for public usability FIRST, then those with an interest in advertising can decide how to make use of what’s there. The design is crass and embarassing to our city. This is no different than those flatbed trucks that circle the city blocks with nothing but rotating advertisements on the back. | No | “No. First of all, they are an embarassment, and a glaring example of revenue before people. We have a lot of advertising around us in the city, but these bins (they’re height and orientation) are taking things to an extreme. What good is the money if it means we have to sell our souls? Secondly, they are not practical. They are in the way. End of story. ,I can’t believe that THIS “design” is what the negotiation process produced. In my opinion, the annual royalties and percentage from advertising revenue need to be RIDICULOUSLY high to justify it. | “I understand that everything’s for sale in this day and age. I’m not delusional. But we must draw the line somewhere. I think, given the orientation and size of these bins, they cross the line. |
| 2102 | 38643.94314 | Yes | Dufferin and Temple Ave. | No | “People shouldn’t have to read instructions to use a garbage/recycling bin. I do like that the garbage part doesn’t have a lid, but it’s the first thing I see and it’s the easiest to use, so I’m sure many people just won’t use the recycling part. I confirmed this thought when I peeked into the garbage part and saw newspapers in it. The recycling part needs to be just as accessible as the garbage part, and both parts themselves need to be clearly labeled (as opposed to the parts being accompanied by an instructional document).” | Yes | “I became very aware that garbage, recyclables and cigarette butts are collected on both ends of the bin when I walked around to look at the end of the bin facing the road and almost got swiped by the Dufferin TTC bus! Is the bin positioned that way so drivers can engage in some drive-by cleaning?,The bin really gets in the way of a pleasant walk south on Dufferin. You expect to see the Exhibition gates, or the windmill – but all you see now is this bin.” | No | “I’m sorry, but my answer to this question has to be no. In fact, I would pay you to not install these bins in the city! “Clean City, Beautiful City” you say? I say you get neither of those with these bins. They are difficult to use, and they are not pretty. Is the increased revenue really worth it?” | “I notice the advertising is lit up at night – are these bins electrically-powered? They can’t be – right? It must be solar power? The lights seem awfully bright though, so you have to wonder.Eucan is trying to trick us. According to their website, a feature of the bin is “Unique and appealing design made for Toronto”. There is nothing Toronto about this bin. It’s not going to seamlessly fit into the existing landscape or make it better – it’s just going to make it worse. This bin is advertising poorly disguised as waste disposal. Don’t let Eucan trick us and make us feel like our city is deteriorating because they are offering you the promise of big bucks. Mr Miller, of all people, you are the last I would expect to see supporting this. It makes me sad.” |
| 2103 | 38643.95229 | Yes | Howard Park and Roncessvalles | No | I couldn’t understand what went where | No | “I think they are very big, take up a lot of space on the sidewalk, are not user friendly and detract from the storefront in which is was situated.” | No | I feel no need to be inundated with more advertising and find the size of the bins quite intrusive on the feel of the neighbourhood. | [Blank] |
| 2104 | 38643.95678 | Yes | Bloor/Manning | No | One side of the bin is too close to the planter next to it. The openings are too small and are awkwardly located. | Yes | Why is access only from the ends and not along the long side that faces the sidewalk? It doesn’t invite you to casually toss your trash while passing by – you have to think about it too much. | No | “Garbage collection is a central priority for the city. It should not be nickle and diming such a crucial service. It is clear that these bins have been designed to accommodate advertising first and garbage second – even the “regular” bins. Build a practical GARBAGE bin first, and if you want to slap an ad on it afterwards, then fine with me.” | “Access for the bins should be along the long side that faces the sidewalk. You should be able to casually toss your garbage while passing by. You should not have to step around the thing, squeeze between the bin and a planter, or step off the curb to use it. The access holes should have a nice big opening. The current design has small openings at the ends, which makes sense only if the real purpose of the bins is to accommodate a billboard on the front side. The end result is an impractical design that is paradoxically both dainty and monstrous.” |
| 2105 | 38644.01494 | Yes | Bloor and Christie | No | “They were impractical in that it took I couldn’t fit in everything I needed to in the proper holes, so I just went for the default garbage one.” | No | They are HUGE and take up way too much space. As it is sidewalks are crowded on a busy day. It is almost dangerous to be assaulted with those things as you are bustling along the sidewalk. | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 2106 | 38644.02185 | Yes | Bathurst & College | No | The bin was so full of garbage it was spilling out. | Yes | “Need to be set back more from the curbside. They block important sightlines for both drivers and pedestrians, replacing them with useless advertisements.” | No | “It is a shame that our public space has to be partitioned and sold to the highest bidder. There is absolutely no improvement from the existing garbage/recycling bins that we currently have in the downtown core. In fact, there is a detriment in the fact that a large, movie-poster sized advertisement now rudely juts out at the edge of the sidewalk... truly an eyesore.” | “As you can tell I am pretty disgusted with the whole idea, but will it make a difference? That decision lies out of my hands.” |
| 2107 | 38644.43903 | No | Drove by Lawrence and Don Mills and thought there was a new bus shelter | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | “If they must be this big, put them right next to the bus shelter.” | No | The City can have ad revenue on smaller bins. | Make them smaller; I mistook them for a new bus shelter when I drove by. |
| 2108 | 38644.4438 | Yes | bloor & windermere | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | “they’re big, cumbersome – sidewalk space is at a premium as it is. advertising on the side makes it look cheap” | [Blank] |
| 2109 | 38644.45196 | Yes | bathurst and college | No | the bin was full of garbage and recycling. i could not tell what was suposed to go where | No | As a cyclist I am afraid that I can not see some one on the other side. They may jump out at any second | No | Whats wrong with the exsisting ones?! | They are ugly and a are too big for what they do! |
| 2110 | 38644.48421 | Yes | On Dufferin between Bloor & Dupont | No | “Some of the stickers saying what goes where were already worn away, and the opening for garbage was already full, not to mention that the hole for the garbage is kind of small” | Yes | I think they are sometimes too close to the street. | Yes | “I think they are a good idea in general, but there are major improvements that need to be made to them.” | “Make sure they don’t block drivers’ sight line while driving, place them so that garbage can be deposited safely and not while standing on the road, and also have them emptied more frequently.” |
| 2111 | 38644.48462 | Yes | “Queen & calander, roncesvalles and howard park” | No | the garbage section was full. the openings feel tight and confined. they don’t feel receptive. the openings to the old bins faced the pedestians on the sidewalk. these new bin openings face up and down the sidewalk making them less convenient to use. pedestrians have to go more out of their way to use these bins than they did the old bins. | Yes | “in some locations one end of the bin is inaccessable becase it has been wedged into a tight space. the bins block sight lines. i have stepped out infront of cars that i could not see because of these bins. they interfere with the flow of pedestrians trying to cross the street. roncesvalles is very crouded on saturdays and thse bins make the bottlenecks that much worst. those positioned on a diaginal are the worst. they take up just as much room, but can only be used on one side. the only rational that i can imagine for positioning the bins this way is to maximise ad visibility for driver-this is not a good reason. these bins also make me anxious as a driver because i can’t see if anyone is stepping out from behind them.” | No | “making the city into a giant billboard is in direct conflict with the clean city mandate on which mayor Miller was elected. they are ugly, they make the city’s streets less pleasent to walk along by inpeding flow of pedestrian traffic.i would very much like to see an expanded city budget. i am in favour of increased spending in order to provided improved services to the more needy citizens, and i am willing to pay more taxes to do so. | the bins are awful. |
| 2112 | 38644.50134 | Yes | Don Mills and Eglinton | Yes | [Blank] | No | Too tall and blocks the surrounding view. People can hide behind it and and can surpise you. I will prefer an opening somewhere in the middle. | Yes | “Yes, With safety measures in place, otherwise they could become security issue.” | [Blank] |
| 2113 | 38644.52613 | Yes | Victoria Park and Danforth | No | It’s far too large for it’s requirements | Yes | “Recessed in from the sidewalk, which is nice” | No | “They are obtrusive and ugly, they are a blight on the cityscape” | Stick with the current bins they are far from perfect but don’t present the same blight as the new test ones do. |
| 2114 | 38644.57059 | No | [Blank] | No | It’s not clear that these are GARBAGE CANS. They just look like ads. | Yes | These seem to be a nuisance. Garbage cans shouldn’t take that much of a sidewalk. Having multi-use (garbage/recycling) cans is a good idea. | No | Not sure this works. Ad companies what BIG signage but that contradicts the need for less cluter and garbage on a sidewalk. | The test is over. Heard about these before but after seeing them they ARE truly ad based OBSTACLES and probably do little to handle garbage. |
| 2115 | 38644.77653 | Yes | donmills&lawrence | No | Reclycling slit too hard to put paper through | No | Right in the center os street; too dangerous; stupid. | No opinion | ... | “Yeah. I think they are stupid. And if those bins wanna recycle paper so much, why do they use 7 feet tall paper covered with coloured ink to advertise stupid things?,THINK ABOUT IT.” |
| 2116 | 38644.85619 | Yes | Bloor & Runnymede | No | It was easy for someone to mix up the receptacle openings | Yes | “They’re not really in the way physically, just visually.” | No | “NO. They are imposing, unattractive, much too advertising-dominant, and not well designed (not practical)” | Please remove them |
| 2117 | 38644.87791 | Yes | Danforth & Chester | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | The bins are too large to have full-side advertising. Please consider only allowing advertising on 50% of the possible space. | [Blank] |
| 2118 | 38644.95022 | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | There was too much advertising and the instructions for each designated bin were confusing. You should NEVER need instructions to use something that should be inherently simple. | Yes | “REDICULOUS too tall, too imposing, and all for the sake of the ad space.” | No | NO – please don’t do it – these are so poorly designed it would be a huge mistake to put these all over the city. | [Blank] |
| 2119 | 38645.35172 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | “they’re too big and too close to the curb in the city areas, and they block views.” | No | “Not at all ok with these bins as we’re drowning in ads for more consumption and trash. Even the promos for 3rs are too weak and don’t tell people “don’t buy it you pigs”” | “the streets and sidewalks are way crowded already both with obstacles and crap. Some is part of urban life, but enough ads, enough street junk.” |
| 2120 | 38645.45108 | Yes | Gerrard & Pape | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “The are too obstructive to views down the street. Advertising area is too large. They are too hight, and they block passage down the sidewalk.” | No | “I don’t think such ugly, obstructive devices are worth the “free”ness.” | The concept is not in line with citizen’s needs. |
| 2121 | 38645.49288 | Yes | McCowan and Finch | Yes | I didn’t use all the slots. Just the garbage slot | Yes | I don’t like where they’re positioned – they’re intrusive/in your face – given their current form they’re probably in an inappropriate position no matter where they are moved. | No | “The bins are an eyesore. If they were not so big (height especially) and fit in better esthetically with the surroundings (colour, shape, material, etc.), I would reconsider my answer. I don’t inherently find the idea of net new revenue thru advertising a bad one where that revenue is applied to good use for the citizens.” | “I see several on the way to work. I find that the garbage is usually overflowing and people disregard the specific slots for stuff and just throw everything into the main garbage can. In general I find people don’t like to touch the garbage container and so would prefer the larger slot to the smaller (without covers). To that point, with covers, perhaps a foot-triggered cover vs. using a hand to insert garbage may encourage more people to use containers properly.” |
| 2122 | 38645.52147 | Yes | [Blank] | No | Openings were o.k. but from a functional point of view would make sense to put them on the front instead of around the sides -- would be easier to get at them on the front. | Yes | “They take up too much sidewalk space. Also very annoying that you can’t see over them -- they block the view, makes it hard to see across the street. | No | “These aren’t garbage/recycling bins, these are large advertising billboards. I don’t think we should have them. They take away from the pedestrian experience because they block the view. I don’t care much about the revenue, there are other ways to raise money if needed. | “How about some plain old normal-size bins, you know, waist-high like in the good old days? |
| 2123 | 38645.54171 | Yes | Bathurst & College | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “I think it is a great idea for the city to pursue this type of financially beneficial arrangment for the supply of waste recepticals. I am not convinced, however, that the seven-foot tall megabins are the right choice. Much too tall.” | [Blank] |
| 2124 | 38645.55538 | [Blank] | Bloor West Village | No | It was full on the sidewalk side and the street side was difficult to access due to close proximity to street and parked cars. | Yes | See #2 ...too close to road on that side. Suggest shorter and wider on sidewalk side. | No | “Do we not already have these types of ad garbage containers...lower bins with 3 types of garbage (glass, cans & waste)? Is this not sufficient? Do we have to clutter our streets with more advertising???” | Thank you for asking before going ahead with this project. I don’t know what the city’s deal is with the old design garbage containers (see#5) but they’re much less intrusive (read: eyesore)on the street. Add a cigarette recycling box to these existing containers. Any type of container at eye level or higher (life 7 feet!!!) is a bit much. |
| 2125 | 38645.68272 | No | “but I am aware of them on Roncesvalles. The first time I saw one, I had no idea what it was, wondered in fact if an ATM had been dropped off for the nearby convenience store.” | No | “It was not clear to me where different materials were supposed to go--except for cigarette butts, the ashtray being most prominent” | No | “They intrude on walking area and take over bus stop. If both ends are intended to accept materials, placing the bin at right angles to the street makes one end inaccessible. If placed perpendicular to the street, their enormous size blocks sightlines.” | No | “The bins are too large and are ugly. I am appalled already at the amount of advertising that is forced on me on a walk down any given street. I don’t want more. Free is not a reason for accepting something. If the crack dealers of Toronto were prepared to underwrite something, you wouldn’t accept it just because it was free.” | Dump them. |
| 2126 | 38645.98785 | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | Too high – it was awkward pushing a newspaper into it – the rubber flap was interesting though I can’t exactly see the point of it. | Yes | I don’t get why it’s got one side facing the street – I don’t think that’s going to make people driving want to use it more. Really only one side is safely accessible for pedestrians. | No | “There’s too much advertising in the city as it is – seeing this bin on the Danforth, a true strollers paradise was an afront. It’s too big and ugly. Increased revenue at the cost of public space. The smaller three bin recepticles even with their advertising (yuk) and the backs that sometimes stay open and the unhygenic flap over the garbage portion is slightly more landscape friendly than these monster bins.” | “A separate place for cigarette butts??? Honestly, the intention is what... that smokers are going to hold onto their butts until they come across one of these or that these bins are going to become places where people gather to smoke just so they won’t toss the butts on the ground.Get rid of the bins!” |
| 2127 | 38645.99719 | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | “Recycle part was on the street side, basically blocked by by cars. The garbage side was full because it’s too small. | No | “They’re ugly, too big and are made more to sell ads than keep the streets of Toronto clean and encourage people to throw their garbage away and recycle.” | No | “A better design sure, I’m not against the advertising but these bins are useless.” | Go back to the drawing board. |
| 2128 | 38646.02575 | Yes | Outside of McCowan RT Station. | Yes | The height was no problem for me but the positioning of the whole container itself was in a unsafe place (please refer to question 4) | Yes | “I’ve noticed most bins are placed in an easy to reach space but the one just outside of McCowan RT Station is in a very unsafe place. Since the Station entrance/sidewalk does not occupy much room for human & automobile traffic having a container as large as these new ones plus a few newpaper boxes on this corner adds much clutter in an already small location. Since the last time I used the new bin outside of McCowan RT Station the bin was flushed to the edge of the sidewalk. The sides where the advertisement faces is a north & south direction so the openings for the bins are facing east & west. The east side of the bin facing the RT Station was a green bin but was being stuffed with regular garbage, not items for green bin because I believe the regular garbage container was on the west side of the whole bin. As a result of the bin being flushed to the edge of the sidewalk, the west side of the bin was being neglected.. due to people not seeing it or because you’ll have to peer over out onto the street to get a good read for the label of the bins, which is quite dangerous due to buses & cars pulling to the side to drop-off/pick-up people. Maybe need to add 2 mini kinds of these bins outisde at this McCowan RT Station entrance.” | Yes | Totally in favour. | “Positive: Really love the idea of having a battery disposable container within this bin since disposing of batteries, in my opinion, has not been properly addressed for residential areas. Only way of disposal is to bring them to HHW depots... is there no way to have battery pick-ups similar to garbage/recycle pick-ups... is it a cost factor??? Regarding labels on the new containers... could there be clearer labeling? Maybe have the labels light up inversely so the words seems to glow at night or have lights jutting out the top of the container sides to better illuminate the openings & label?... though this or any addition will add to the cost of these bins... but hey advertising is paying for them...” |
| 2129 | 38646.14282 | Yes | King & Dufferin | Yes | [Blank] | No | No comment. | No | “These new recyling bins are abominable, plain and simple! They are several feet too tall, thus obstructing one’s view. And if they carry advertising they will only increase the incessant commercial barrage the public is subjected to. Public space should not be available for hire, no matter the promise of free revenue to the city. It’s a reprehensible business model.” | “Perhaps the smaller bins will be less objectionable, given their smaller stature and the fact that they wouldn’t carry advertising.” |
| 2130 | 38646.4028 | Yes | Don Mills & Eglington | No | The containing parts of the bins are ridiculously small. | Yes | “They are overwhelmingly large, and assaulting to the eye.” | No | “No, definately not. They have limited accessibility, and minimize the space of garbage to increase advertising space.” | “Stick with the old ones, of different ones entirely.” |
| 2131 | 38646.40485 | Yes | Don Mills and eglington. | No | They were difficult to master and didn’t have adequate accesibilty to wheelchairs. Terrible! | Yes | “They are terrible, they have minimal space for garbage and MAXIMUM space for advertising. It seems that toronto’s interest lays more in making money than in preserving the city. | No | “It doesn’t matter if the city is receiving them for free, they are not adequate.” | get rid of them! |
| 2132 | 38646.48619 | Yes | [Blank] | No | no not very user friendly | Yes | only good for this stuff | No | I WILL BE BLUNT.. NICE PLACE TO CONCEAL A BOMB AND CAUSE FURTHER PROBLEMS.....FOLLOW THE TTC MEASURE ON HOW THEY ARE REMOVING BINS FROM PUBLICS PLACES.. WE DONT WANT ANOTHER LONDON BOMBING | considering what we all speak about and TTC removing bins from subways to avoid terrorists attacks I think this Bin can conceal anything and no one will know. So in tteh interest of the Public I would say Keep open Bins/Clear plastic bag in this places instead of this 7 foot monstors |
| 2133 | 38646.61123 | Yes | Howard Park & Roncesvalles | No | “The openings are too small;,it is not easy to understand how to use them;,only one end is accessible,,as the box is diagonal to the sidewalk.” | No | “The one I have used is diagonally placed,,making only one end useable. It is too large,& blocks easy movement along the sidewalk.” | No | “Advertisers have lots of opportuny already.The bins are too large & block pedestrians.The City has other ways of raising revenue,,incl new tax powers from the province.” | “They are simply an excuse for more advertising,with garbage collection an afterthought.If they are allowed, it should be only,where there are very wide sidewalks,,eg in the suburban areas of the City.” |
| 2134 | 38646.71074 | Yes | Christie and Bloor | Yes | “Very clear instructions. But, are the receptacles for the garbage designed to hold enough waste? And, what about the open top of garbage -- how will this fare on a hot, humid day in the city -- will the garbage stench permiate the air?” | Yes | Not as big and obtrusive as I expected them to be. Provided this is going to be the actual final size! | Yes | Yes and No. Anything is better than the existing badly designed garbage bins that are so ugly and impractical to use. I’d rather carry around my garbage than have to touch the grimy entry hole of the bins that are on the streets now. Not big on the idea of excess commercial advertising but if EUCAN is providing the bins for free and giving the extra revenue to the city -- that’s not such a bad thing -- as long as the extra revenue is spent properly by City Officials. | “Yes I do. Why are the TEST bins not lit up at night -- is that not the plan with the new bins? If so, then the public is being misled and then NO, I am not in favour of the new bins. Given all the excess electric use in this city it is NOT a good message to have bins that are lit up at night and by the way, I WORK IN ADVERTISING! |
| 2135 | 38646.76828 | Yes | By Dundas West and St. Johns | No | Not nearly enough space for garbage. | Yes | “Horrible – ugly, and an absolute mess.” | No | Not worth it at all. I’ll pay for a bin myself. These are monstrosities. | Get rid of them. |
| 2136 | 38646.77691 | [Blank] | Victoria park and on the Danforth | No | “Smelly, too many flies, too much to read, dangerous to use streetside receptacles” | Yes | “Very badly positioned – obstructed site lines, left too little space for strollers and pedestrians, and elderly motorised carts to pass, and using street side was too dangerous to even try” | No | “We are losing too much public space, and adding more clutter to sidewalks that seem to be shrinking all the time. And who needs more ads on city streets !!!” | “A BAD IDEA !!,Another ugly and obtrusive invasion of our once-friendly sidewalks – we should not be selling our City – what about Mayor Miller’s broom???” |
| 2137 | 38646.86404 | Yes | queen and lansdowne | No | openings are pretty small and the bins don’t seem to hold much... they always seem overflowing | Yes | they block the view of the road and for walking along the sidewalk | No | [Blank] | there’s no green bin section!!!! |
| 2138 | 38647.45584 | Yes | King West & Strachan | Yes | Easy to use | Yes | COncerned that they might cause barriers for tighter sidewalks and for the disabled. I would prefer to have the cigarette butts section either at the top or bottom so that I don’t have to put my hands nearby. I don’t mind the advertising portion/function – some people might complain they are more visual pollution. | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 2139 | 38647.49083 | Yes | McCowan Station | No | I didn’t understand where the recycling was supposed to go. | No | My mom couldn’t see me to pick me up because she was parked on the other side of the bin. | No | The increased revenue just couldn’t be worth it. The bins are such a terrible idea. And aren’t there ads everywhere anyway? What happened to the money you were supposed to generate from all of those? | Please just get rid of them. They are an eyesore. |
| 2140 | 38647.52164 | Yes | Bloor & Windermere | No | “Wrong height for children. Oriented sideways, what is the point of the slots facing the street?” | Yes | They’re too large! They are just billboards with garbage collection as an afterthought. | No | “They’re visual eyesores and physical obstacles. Please, let’s just have a return to normal garbage bins.” | [Blank] |
| 2141 | 38647.64492 | Yes | Chester Station | No | “To “busy” a feel. Not aided by monstrous ads. One begins to wonder upon first glance if it is even a garbage bin.” | Yes | They interupt the flow of traffic. Obstruct sight lines as they are close to the street. In my opinion they are both a nuisance and a hazard. | No | “Our city is our space. I am opposed to Mayor Millers switch from public expression (Spadina wheat posting ban), to the sellout of “our” space. This is no way to fix a budget defecit.” | I am opposed to their existance. Discussions will be held with my councillor about their future. |
| 2142 | 38647.87712 | No | I have looked and examined them carefully and have chosen not to use them. I prefer to use the older model. | [Blank] | “Unless a bin is blatantly difficult, neck wrenching to use, which neither one is, how much does ease of use really factor into adopting a garbage bin over another? This is not about garbage disposal/recycling it is about advertising and the revenue it brings to the city.” | Yes | They are monstrous towering advertising columns no matter where and how they are positioned. | No | “Yet another advertising eyesore living in public space. I also believe they will distract and, may even hinder motorist visibility. | “The older bins can hold as much garbage/recycling as the new bins. They are also used for advertising, they are already in place and, not as offensive. Is polluting our shrinking public space with more advertising and clutter worth the revenues that may be derived from the new bins?,I dont believe that it is. The space they will occupy and, more importantly, the precedent it will set by allowing their presence is a price the citizens of Toronto will continue to pay, never to be equaled by the revenue the bins may bring to the city.” |
| 2143 | 38648.3539 | Yes | Christie Pitts | No | It was too complicated looking. Also was quite full. This has always been the problem in this city with garbage bins. People will use them but when they are full and not picked up then people quit using them. | No | I don’t like them. They are really large and the advertising is really offensive. I can’t go anywhere in this city and get away from ads. From the buses to my university washrooms and now in the middle of nowhere on garbage bins. I realize it is cost effective for the city but it is at a stressful cost for the public. | No | Explained in question 4. | We don’t need newly designed garbage bins. There is nothing wrong with the old ones. Collect the garbage more often which encourages people to use them. Also do more of an education campaign on reduction of garbage. Toronto produces too much of it. Don’t give people a larger means of disposing of it. |
| 2144 | 38648.38404 | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | The garbage part of this unit is to small and would not hold a lot of wasted materials. |
| 2145 | 38648.57633 | Yes | Ronesvailles & High Park | No | They were more difficult to use than the existing stainless steel bins currently being used througout the city. | Yes | [Blank] | No | These monstrosities are dangerous and ugly. Dangerous because they are huge and obstruct the view of traffic from the sidwalk. Isn’t there enough advertising space already without having to further encroach on our space? | “get rid of them, they are just too big.” |
| 2146 | 38648.64259 | Yes | Danforth and Pape | No | “The openings are small, and for their size, the actual garbage and recycling containers are too small and fill up quickly. It is also hard to find the openings because they are on the side. If you don’t already know they are garbage cans, you’d think it was just a giant billboard.” | Yes | Terrible terrible idea. They jut out and take up half the sidewalk. | No | [Blank] | It’s time to draw the line on selling out our collective public space for easy corporate money. I’m sure the brilliant minds at City Hall can find another way to get more garbage bins if they are needed. |
| 2147 | 38648.76932 | Yes | King and Strachan | No | No – poor usability. It took far too long to read the various instructions. | Yes | “They are far too large and obstruct too much of our already small sidewalks. These “bins” seem as though they are designed for the sole purpose of advertising rather than city beautification.” | No opinion | These bins are hideous; they do nothing to improve the appearance of the city but rather add to the already overwhelming cacophony of advertising in Toronto. The increased revenue from these bins is just not worth it. | [Blank] |
| 2148 | 38648.90111 | [Blank] | Queen and Landsdowne | No | One side of the can faces the road and is completely useless. | No | “They are very effective at blocking pedestrian traffic.I dont understand why one side faces the road...are you trying to put us at danger?” | No | There are enough bombarding ads in the city already....we dont need anymore. | Is this a joke? |
| 2149 | 38648.97249 | Yes | Main and Danforth | No | openings were too small. Hard to understand where to put the stuff. Also I felt I had to stop and get in the way of others. | No | They are not well designed at all. They are to large for city streets. They don’t serve the basic purpose of serving as a place to quickly dislpose of recyleable or garbage. They also are an eye-sore -- it does not fit with the City Beautiful that Toronto should be. They should be redesigned. | No | “No there is no such thing as a free lunch and there is no such thing as a fee garbage bin.Why would we want to put ads on gabage bins? That would just make them stand out. There is a contradiction -- we want to hide garbage, but the purpose of ads are to attract attention.We would get stuck with a poorly designed bin and one that will cost the city much more in the end. The city will look less attractive, it will be less functional, and the litter will not be disposed of.” | “The best designs are simple.Thanks for allowing me to comment.George Martin, 1378 Queen St. East. [redacted]” |
| 2150 | 38649.5163 | No | “I haven’t used one, as I see them as completely hideous and unneccesary. I will use the bins that have been in place the last few years.” | No | “It is far from practical, that’s for sure. Except from an advertisers stand point.” | Yes | They are way too big and I see them as a blight on our urban landscape. It is terribly obvious that they were designed to merely showcase advertising. | No | No amount of money can be worth the space that these bins occupy. Shame on the city for considering it. | “Please do not continue the installation of these ugly bins. Please create something smaller for garbage disposal. Leave our public space, PUBLIC!” |
| 2151 | 38649.53156 | Yes | Danforth Ave | No | “Openings are not highly visible,Slots for paper to high” | No | Dangerously large bins that are a blight for the look of the nieghbourhood. | No | How much would a simple couple of gabage barrels cost? | Have a design competeion for this type of thing. There is no options being provided to this monster. |
| 2152 | 38649.54493 | Yes | Bloor St. West. | No | Difficult to understand what it is for!! | Yes | Too obtrusive. | No | They are too large and obtrusive. I think the silver recycling bins on the street now are SOOOO much better. | Do not use these bins. Keep using the silver ones. |
| 2153 | 38649.57899 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | I have seen several of these bins. They take up much too much sidewalk space. They are too big!_ | No | “-- Absolutely not. Do we need any more advertising?? No. ,-- Is information available on the “increased revenue” the city would receive? Would the city receive any net income after the cost of emptying and maintaining them? g” | “-- I am strongly opposed to these bins. How much bigger will they get? What’s next? An 18-wheeler parked every few blocks for litter? ---- These bins are not a productive approach to dealing with litter.-- Moreover, they are an eyesore. ,-- The city should be spending more time and effort on serious pollution problems, not on litter.” |
| 2154 | 10/24/2005 03:29:57 PM | Yes | Danforth & Ellerbeck (close to Broadview) | No | The recycling slot could be positioned better. It was diffictuly to dispose of trash since the bin was full. | No | Should be rotated 90 degrees so they don’t block the sidewalk as much. | Yes | As long as they are repositioned and cleaned out regularly. | It’s generally hard to tell that these bins are for garbage/recycling collecting. If I were new to the city I would just think they were street-level billboards |
| 2155 | 38649.71618 | Yes | Ossington and Dundas | No | “These bins are very poorly designed, devoting almost all of their surface area to advertising and almost none to their basic purpose as a garbage can. I had to stand there for about five minutes before I could even figure out what went where.” | Yes | “I’m opposed to this new program. I think the bins are hazardous in that they block sightlines of drivers, cyclists, pedestrians etc. I think they’re a terrible and ugly addition to the toronto cityscape. I feel as though the bins have been designed to first meet the desires of the advertisers who will rent space on them and that the interests of the people of Toronto are merely an afterthought. I think these bins are a fast path to creating one of the ugliest cities I’ve witnessed, and are a disgrace with respect to environmental concerns.” | No | “The city is already using bins with advertising on them. Why do we need bins that are six times bigger, less functional, electric, and of a poor design? The worst irony is that all this extra advertising is a message to increase consumption, while the city of Toronto should be doing everything it can to encourage citizens to reduce consumption.” | I’ve been led to understand that these bins will be supplied with electricity from the hydro ontario grid. This is atrocious: a garbage can that’s a 24hr a day power drain?!!? |
| 2156 | 38649.80669 | Yes | Finch & Kennedy | No | recyclables too high for children. | Yes | one side of bin more stuffed than other | No | too much advertising in city already | [Blank] |
| 2157 | 38649.81255 | Yes | Danforth and Pape | No | The garbage recepticle was full and the recycling confusing. | No | I do not like the way that the bins block the view of the street. It takes away from the charm of the neighbourhood by blocking the store fronts and the area in general. | No | “I do not think that it is worth all of this, I can imagine that there is a better compromize or possible design that is not right in ones face, but yet can draw ones eye to the advertisements. All this in order to keep the charm and integrity of all of our unique neighbourhoods that are available in Toronto (such as along the Danforth).” | “I personally just do not appreciate the height, therefore have more openness to bigger bins that do not sit so high. Thank you.” |
| 2158 | 38649.95578 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | way too many adverts! | [Blank] |
| 2159 | 38650.08453 | Yes | “Forget, somewhere downtown.” | Yes | The whole device was too large to be self-explanatory. A shorter and less-intrusive device is better (the existing design). | No | “These are awful. They take up far too much space, not to mention the fact that they block people from seeing what is behind them.” | No | “There is enough advertising, please keep public spaces ad free. | “Get rid of them, use the existing design.” |
| 2160 | 38650.27926 | Yes | Jane and Bloor | No | It’s not made for garbage – it’s like putting garbage in a billboard. | Yes | Big and ugly – no solution for better positioning. | No | Way too much advertising & junk on the street now. A nice street scape attracts business & community. Visitors to Toronto think the city is looking bad & don’t return. | What political contributions did the bin company make? Don’t keep selling out the city – use my tax dollars better. |
| 2161 | 38650.36714 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | There are enough of the previously placed bins that I have not had a need to use one of the new ones. | Yes | “They are much too big to be placed on the sidewalk. They could be placed on the road, of course, so they were more visible to drivers, but then they would still be ugly.. They are an eyesore and severely impede pedestrian traffic. Advertisers who want billboard space should buy it- next to highways wherebillboards belong. We already have bins with recycling sections and don’t need more.” | No | “Absolutely not. We already have bins and plenty of visual pollution in the form of advertising. The last more attractive, smaller previous generation stainless ones are still new. The fact that citizen-users can separate recyclables into the new monstrosities is no consolation to me as I have seen garbage from the separate receptacles inside the stainless bins being thrown into one container in the back of a city truck.” | The big ugly bin at the S-E corner of Roncesvalles and Howard park severely impedes pedestrian traffic. If lots of people were waiting on the corner for the light to change people might be forced onto the street for lack of space. I have already considered removing it myself. If it were to become a permanent fixture I probably would remove it. Certainly they will be great targets for ad busters. |
| 2162 | 38650.39339 | Yes | Bloor west village | No | They are always overflowing – the bins are all advertising and minimal space for garbage. The street has gotten more garbage on it since these were introduced. | Yes | “the thing is so large, and to reference in your question 3 – to put garbage in BOTH ends, you have to step on the road as it is butted up against the end of the side walk. (i guess if you didn’t it would be taking up MORE walking path). They really break up the flow of pedistrian traffic to, people have to walk around them! | No | “They are way too large! They make me nervous for walking down Jane street at night now alone, as they are so tall and wide, i can’t see around them- and are a great hiding place. They always have garbage overflowing as they are so small- and the advertising cheapens the neighbourhood. | “Please replace them with low height, more capacity, with easy access to throwing things out, and not making children have to walk on the road to throw things out!!!” |
| 2163 | 38650.39775 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | they are a big distraction...an eye sore...make them more functional... | [Blank] |
| 2164 | 38650.53906 | Yes | Christie Pits | No | “Terrible design. Very confusing.Openings too small.” | Yes | They are placed like billboard and do not fit well with the urban landscape. | No | [Blank] | Have several designs and have a citizens panel to evaluate them. |
| 2165 | 38650.54471 | Yes | Danforth and Pape | No | They are always overflowing. (Even the end facing the street.) I think they would be confusing for must people also. The instructions are tiny icons. | Yes | Too large. Block the sidewalk and the view. Walking down the street all I see is an enormous ad. The sidewalk width is cut in half and this causes congestion. These sidewalks actually get used. Put your garbage signs in 905 where they belong. | No | The financial benefit is not worth the cost our neighbourhood pays. You are selling us out for just a few bucks. Every dollar you make from this advertising is reducing the value of our neighbourhood by ten dollars. | Suggestion: you better get rid of them. Why do you want to bring this crap into nice neighbourhoods? |
| 2166 | 38650.56699 | Yes | Yonge and Eglinton | No | “The thing is a giant billboard with a small hole for trash. I’m surprised, you’ve managed to make throwing out garbage confusing.” | No | They are positioned to maximize the billboard space for drivers on the road. That puts the bin holes on one side actually in the street. | No opinion | Waste of money. Waste of space. Increase in visual clutter. Ugly design. Confusing design. Too big. Waste of electricity! Makes it look like the city is only interested in dollars over citizens. | “The sooner you get rid of them, the better.” |
| 2167 | 38650.57709 | Yes | Bloor and Jane – north side of Bloor. | No | It was confusing and unclear what went where. The garbage bin is much smaller than previous ones. And the other one practically hangs over the road – to use it would mean to step into traffic! What a useless design. It’ll be even more useless in January when the snow has piled up alongside of the road – you won’t be able to get to the bin at all. The three slot system is badly designed. Those rubber covers for the recycling were covered in gunk and disgusting. I much prefered the metal slots. It’s also unclear what goes where and those little stickers are a poor afterthought that has already faded and are now unreadable. Is this the type of forward thinking I’m paying for when I pay my city taxes? | Yes | “Because they are 7.5 feet tall, they block a pedestrian’s vision of the road – very dangerous (and one would think against city planning codes.) They seem to be positioned for maximum exposure of the ads and not usability for the pedestrian. The bin on either side design is moronic because the bin is less than half a foot from moving traffic! Is it wise to have anything used by people that close to moving traffic? I don’t think so. Badly designed. They are also placed in a way that they take up more space on the sidewalk than the old bins. I’m aware that the “footprint” is smaller, but when positioned perpendicular to the road, you must include the area in front of and behind the bin into the “footprint” – that makes it bigger. I’ve seen images of the bins on an angle on the sidewalk, but it still does not solve the blocking of a pedestrian’s vision. They must be shorter and better designed! | No | “The city has already sold enough of it’s public space to advertisers. We must be more creative when thinking about generating revenue for the city. Walking down the street is now akin to watching TV – we are faced with ads everywhere we look. These bins have been designed with advertising as the primary focus, not usability. Surely there is a better design than a billboard taller than an NBA basketball player?” | These bins are designed badly and need to be rethought. Let’s not just accept the first design offered us. Surely the people at Eucan can come up with a shorter bin that has better designed features. These bins must go! They are a blight on the city and will turn Toronto from Toronto the Good to Toronto the Sold. |
| 2168 | 38650.58432 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 2169 | 38650.58472 | Yes | College | No | Confusing as opposed to simpler bin | Yes | Eyesore. Why do they have to be illuminated? They are so big and must use a lot of power. | No | Advertising companies make way more money and using garbage bins as an excuse to get more advertising space is not in the public good. Let them buy property or lease billboard space where the city already has it designated. | [Blank] |
| 2170 | 38650.58743 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “How is being huge and ugly and taking up way too much space “free”? If you want to put ads up everywhere, just admit it -- don’t pretend it’s a garbage can when it’s clearly an ad with a hole cut in the side.” | Terrorists could hide huge bombs in them. They’re a security risk. |
| 2171 | 38650.5939 | Yes | “Eglinton Ave West, Just W. of Avenue Road.” | No | “The openings were the right height.I did not see clear markings for garbage vs recycling (that could be my fault, but I’m still pointing it out).The trash recepticles themselves were too small to store enough trash. There was trash piled around (and spilling out of) the bin.” | Yes | “The trash bin on the ‘Curb’ side of was not easy to get to (too close to the road), and it could be a safety hazzard since people may step out onto the road in order to put trash in the bin.” | No | “The unit is way too large, and quite unsightly. They are a visual impediment to safely viewing what is happening on the sidewalk. At night, the illuminated sides will be a visual distraction.There is way too much space devoted to illuminated advertizing rather than having larger trash bins to help keep the surrounding areas clean.There will be added costs for installing and consuming electricity on the signs.In comparison, the existing OMG waste bins are a reasonable size, with good bin sizes. All bins are usable from people walking on the sidewalk.” | “I am not a part of any ‘action group’ that is trying to prevent these bins; I really think they are unsuitable.Please keep in mind that the bins are for helping to keep the city clean (and ‘beautiful’). Such large and unsightly signs seem to run contrary to that goal. Ad revenue is great, but not at this cost. |
| 2172 | 38650.61461 | Yes | Danforth east of broadview | No | “always full -- not much garbage capacity. strange, given the huge size of the overall structure.” | Yes | “they block views of oncoming traffic, and the garbage openings on the road-side are not convenient. They also seem to take up a lot of the sidewalk.” | No | [Blank] | “Advertising revenue is important, but these bins are actually worse than those that preceeded them. How much of that advertising revenue will end up paying for people to pick up garbage that ends up on the streets?” |
| 2173 | 38650.61653 | Yes | Danforth and Bowden | No | This is a billboard in the guise of a trash can. Half the trash receptacles face the roadway. | Yes | They obstruct the sidewalk and are an intrusion into public space. I didn’t ask to be spammed by billboards as I walk down the street. They also violate the City’s own accessibility guidelines. It’s OK to litter the sidewalks with billboards that blind people can walk right into? | No | “Eucan is a foreign-owned company that doesn’t pay its bills. Your question is misleading. If this city cannot afford its own garbage cans, why are we paying taxes?” | “The claim (as of late October 2005) by Eucan that the puny number of solar-powered monster billboards “reduce” energy is a lie. First of all, garbage cans don’t need electricity. The existing ones don’t. Using any electric power at all is an *increase* over the status quo, not a decrease. Connecting garbage cans to the power grid worsens the environment; remember those smog days? remember the blackout? Solar panels are tits on a bull. We don’t want billboards masquerading as garbage cans, and we sure don’t want them running on power of any kind whatsoever.If you find any respondents to this questionnaire endorsing the megabins, track the IP addresses and see how many of them come from Eucan’s domainspace. You should have required a full name (later protected by PIPEDA) on this survey to prevent gerrymandering.” |
| 2174 | 38650.65664 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | There are enough ads littering our fields of vision as it is. | [Blank] |
| 2175 | 38650.67638 | Yes | Danforth/Broadview | Yes | [Blank] | No | “The bins take up half the width of the sidewalk and are a major inconvenience when there are lots of people, baby strollers, motorized carts,etc. using the sidewalk. If the bins were placed parallel to the road, it would be better.” | No | “There are enough ads on the sidewalk as it is (eg. in bus shelters, etc). The size is big enough to constitute a sidewalk traffic hazard.” | They’re way too big and in your face. |
| 2176 | 38650.67676 | Yes | [Blank] | No | The person I was with had to ask where to place there recycling and garbage. I also saw cigarette butts on the ground near the bin. | Yes | I find that they are too tall and block the view of cars and pedestrians. | No | “I think the new bins are much too big for the sidewalks. They are too tall and broad. I was trying to think of a nice way of putting this but I can’t ... so I’ll just say what I think... they are ugly and do nothing to beautify the city and encourage tourists. I understand garbage cans are necessary and should be placed in convenient locations. The size and shape of these not only make them an eye sore, but also a danger to pedestrians.” | [Blank] |
| 2177 | 38650.69259 | Yes | danforth near pape | No | the size of the structure is completely out of proportion to the small receptable and not obvious. to someone not from the city they would never guess that they were a garbage can.. they look like a billboard. | Yes | far too large and block the sidewalk. The fact they are being imposed on the citizens of Toronto is a disgrace. we are the laughing stock of the industrialized world. | No | No. we pay taxes to have the city install garbage cans in public places and then empty them. | “get rid of the, the pubic doesn’t want them.” |
| 2178 | 38650.69556 | Yes | dundaswest & bloor | Yes | But I can see too much recycling bins in the city | Yes | “very nice, the posibility for publicity is fantastic” | Yes | “ABSOLUTLY “YES”” | “I want know about this garbage/recycling bins and especific designs, please send me more information o contact me at [redacted]. (Jose) Thanks a lot” |
| 2179 | 38650.7077 | Yes | howard park and roncessvailles | No | Too hard to find the right opening | No | too big and intrusive | No | “Too big, makes the sidwalk too hard to move through. | [Blank] |
| 2180 | 38650.74634 | Yes | Finch and Victoria Park | Yes | “Yes, it was very good to use.” | Yes | It is in a good place this one was at the bus stop so it was good. | Yes | Ithink we should install these so we could throw away garbage and recycle in more spaces. | [Blank] |
| 2181 | 38650.80819 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 2182 | 38650.89086 | Yes | “I think it was the one on Bloor St. in Etobicoke, and other locations downtown.” | No | “You have to stare at it for a few seconds to figure out where to put your garbage and/or recyclables. You might have to go to the other side of the can too, if that’s where the appropriate slots are.” | No | Some of them seem too close to the road. They also sometime block sight lines for pedestrians and cyclists looking for other traffic. Why are they so tall? Shouldn’t they be moved away from the edge of the road if they block the view? | No | “No, I don’t think so. First of all, they don’t even look like garbage cans. From a distance, they just look like billboards. It’s not obvious they are for garbage, and when you get right up to them it’s not obvious right away where everything is supposed to go. Can’t we have anything in this city that isn’t slathered in ads that block sightlines? The old ones seem to work fine. Why can’t we keep those?” | “I’m glad the city actually tested them out and asked for comments. It’s also nice to see the organics composting and battery recycling available. But can’t it be designed in a more user-friendly and less obtrusive way? Otherwise, everything will just end up being mixed together anyway.” |
| 2183 | 38650.92775 | Yes | Chester Station | No | “easy to confuse garbage and recycling if using while in a hurry, recepticles too small.” | Yes | “obstruct view, are unattractive, blemish the urban landscape.” | No | “put art there instead, large advertisements are often eyesores.” | “it seems the only reason for the new bin design is the larger adspace. the old design is far more functional and aesthetically pleasing. also, illuminating the ads is a waste of energy, causes light pollution, and will draw attention to the probable ugliness of the ads.” |
| 2184 | 38650.92969 | Yes | howard park and roncessvalles | No | “rubber membrane made it diificult to use, ended up putting it in the garhage collector. spaces allocated for recycling and cigarettes and garbage too small. too much space taken up for advertising.” | Yes | “crap. poorly placed, an imopediment to the pedestrians. obviously placed to facilitate advertising. must make it more difficult to empty also.” | No | “it is my understanding that the present ‘advertising’ recycling/garbage bins cost the city more to pick up the garbage/recycling than we receive in revenue from the advertising. If these ridiculour bins are to go ahead, then ALL costs of picking up the garbage/recycling should be born by the company sponsoring them, PLUS the city should receive the same share of advertising revenue as before. | “these bins are ugly, they look stupid. they are impaired functionally in terms of garbage/recycling (most of the space on the large ones is obviously for advertising NOT garbage or recycling). they are a money losing proposition. I wouild like to see functional, easy to use garbage/recycling bins(easy for citizens AND for city workers to empty. WHY NOT sponsor a city wide contest to design the best bin!! I am sure that the citizens of Toronto could come up with an excellent bin! MUCH better than the bureaucratic money losing GARBAGE bin that I see now” |
| 2185 | 38650.96052 | Yes | Bloor and Clinton | No | I found it confusing. | No | “The position is fine, but they’re huge and ugly and confusing.” | No opinion | [Blank] | Gah. |
| 2186 | 38650.96411 | Yes | Windemere and Bloor | No | Only one person can put something in it at a time. The old bins allowed three people standing side by side to place something in each part of the bin at the same time. | Yes | “Very poorly. They’re placed with one side of recepticles on the curb side and the long side of the bin cutting into the sidewalk, blocking sight lines. The recepticles that do face into the sidewalk were overflowing; the street side wasn’t used.” | No | “The money’s not enough. It works out to less than $1 per citizen per year. ,The last few years have seen war declared on pedestrians and transit riders by companies wanting their ad-laden garbage bins or information booths placed for maximum exposure of their ads. This “street furniture” impedes people trying to use the sidewalks, crosswalks or transit stops as they were meant to be used. The city accepting these bins with advertising means the city is letting advertisers have their way.” | “In this age of heightened security we should be considering only TRANSPARENT garbage recepticles such as the ones being piloted at Dundas subway station. That way, police and passersby can see anything suspicious that is in it.No recepticles should be placed within 10 feet of a bus stop, crosswalk or street corner. Already I’ve seen these placed too close to bus stops.The bin should be no higher than the higest recepticle hole. We need to keep verticle sight lines clear both for pedestrians trying to see the traffic on the street and for drivers needing to see pedestrians on the sidewalk.Finally, it is completely irresponsible when we already have an energy crisis to be lighting posters on the street, not to mention the added distraction to drivers. No backlights should be allowed on postered garbage cans.” |
| 2187 | 38650.96708 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | They are big and obnoxious; there is nothing wrong with the smaller ones already on the streets. | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 2188 | 38650.97825 | Yes | Bloor& Windermere | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | I would turn it 45degrees so that people from both ways of the sidewalk would have easier acces. I fail to see how having a side facing the street helps | Yes | [Blank] | “they are really big, but I guess if the advertisers pay for that space and the bin then it’s worth it” |
| 2189 | 38651.34425 | Yes | King & Strachan | No | “If I had not heard about the bins before I would not have recognized it as a garbage container, only as a big advertisement.” | Yes | “I think these are obtrusive, ugly, in the way, too large, and unnecessary.” | No | “Absolutely, horribly NOT in favour. These are monstrosities. Please, please do not go ahead with this. | I am not a complainer and love many things the city is doing. I think Dundas Square is great. But these truly are nightmarish and deserve scorn. |
| 2190 | 38651.34825 | Yes | Dundas and Ossington | No | “I didn’t know it was a garbage can, it wasn;t what I was looking for. Then I ddin’t know where my garbage went, in which slot.” | No | They are too tall. | No | I don’t want advertising on public utilities. It’s an eyesore. | Yes. Get rid of them. |
| 2191 | 38651.36986 | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “RE: #3, Yes, but that’s because the billboard says so. When it’s gone, I doubt it.” | No | The billboard implies Euco will install them only in busy areas -- but that means the bins will be too small for these areas. Have you seen these overflow? It’s a Best-Buy mascot with ugly pant pockets. | Suggestion: dismantle them. |
| 2192 | 38651.37478 | Yes | Infront of Victoria Village Public Library on Sloane Avenue | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “(1)Inappropriate to have such an in your face advertising opportunity right outside a library entrance in low density residential neighbourhood & local street. We keep hearing that schools have a problem with advertising/marketing to youth (brand name pop machines in the cafeteria, brand name shoes/coats creating haves/have nots) then why would the City think it is a good idea to have a child eye height advertising/garbage bin right outside the local library? Either the City approves of marketing to children or we don’t. (2)Can’t the City think of some other property to advertise on? What about the sides of Community Centres/Arenas...and the money can go to the capital/operating expences of that facility ....or on City Vehicles and money will go to covering the cost of the cars...where do you draw the line?” | “(1) They are too high. There is no need for them to be so large other than for advertising reasons. We encourage the children of this City to be civic minded and pick up litter/put litter in it’s place, but when they do, they are confronted with advertising? Inappropriate. (2) They are too ugly. The City is “Living With Culture” this month, and is promoting ugly, monolitic garbage bins across the city. If Toronto wants to be a “World Class City” that it is professing to be, choices in street-furniture (benches, lights, garbage recepticals) need to be aestetic...not just because they were free.” |
| 2193 | 38651.39063 | Yes | danforth pape | No | “hard to find a “way in” with a handful of garbage. with regard to the next question, the other end with the extra garbage chutes faces traffic and is difficult to access.” | Yes | a dangerous blockage of sidewalk space and fields of view. let’s keep waste collection separate from advertising. we already have many disfunctional compromises between the two. in 10 years these will all be broken and abandonned. | No | “sell advertising if you want but keep it separate from waste collection. free or not, these are a poor design created by compromise.” | DO NOT install them. uninstall the ones that exist. they block the way and the sightlines. |
| 2194 | 38651.46097 | Yes | Dundas West + Pacific southeast corner. | No | For garbage ok. For recycling less so. | Yes | “I don’t like them because they’re essentially huge billboards that obscure the surrounding storefronts and block pedestrian movement on the sidewalk.Also, if backlit they consume more energy than the ones they’re replacing! Is that environmental?” | No | The city should not be selling/renting public space for private corporate gain and yet more ad creep. What are our tax dollars going towards if not basic garbage + recycling services? | “Can them! Get a proper industrial designer + urban designer to do the job properly. ,For a city council supposedly concerned with good design and making Toronto an attractive city especially for tourists, they’re contradicting themselves by adding to the visual + physical congestion on city sidewalks (along with all the newspaper boxes.) The megabins give us nothing superior in return and in fact create new problems, mentioned above.” |
| 2195 | 38651.46378 | Yes | Strawn and King | No | “It’s a little too big with very little actual garbage storage capacity. Being big and loaded with ads, it becomes the center of attention and as one gravitates towards it to check it out, one is hit by foul smell.” | Yes | “Bins should be smaller and they should not be placed right at the intersections. Pedestrian stop at intersections when waiting for the light to turn green. It is quite unpleasant to stand next to a garbage bin even if the bins are quite pretty with all bells and whistles. Actually, it might be bad for the ads. E.g. I might start associating a product with the smell of decay.” | No | “I think the current design is not appropriate for bins. Bins should be smaller, more functional, and less obstrusive. These bins are essentially billboards with pockets.” | I have said enough |
| 2196 | 38651.50409 | Yes | “King and Strachan, or thereabouts.” | No | “The garbage- and recycling-collection functions of the bin (or billboard, which I think is more appropriate) were not as obvious as they should be. The slots and instructions were crammed onto the narrow side panels of the contraption, and required more attention from the passer-by than should be necessary to function effectively.” | Yes | “They take up too much space because they are positioned across the sidewalk. Because the advertisement faces the approaching pedestrian, they appear to function primarily as billboards, with their garbage-collecting function presented almost as an afterthought on the narrow sides of the contraption. I can’t imaging that they can hold much trash, either, so they will probably have to be maintained more frequently than the existing bins.” | No | “There are numerous reasons. The fact that they are lit up means that the city will have to pay for electricity, even if it is partially solar-powered, and I don’t think trash cans need to be lit up at all. I also think that they will function primarily as enormous billboards (which the electricity required will be used for) and I don’t think the city needs more garish advertising – there’s more than enough to look at already. Because they function more effectively as billboards their trash- and recycling-capabilities are not so obvious – so many slots and so much information crammed onto a narrow space which many people might not notice ore want to take the time to figure out. They are also awkward-looking and impractical – there are many sidewalks that just wouldn’t be large enough to support this contraption. Bus shelters are an annoying obstacle on many streets, but the purpose they serve requires a considerable amount of space, so they are grudgingly tolerated. There is no need for trash cans to be this invasive.” | “Trash cans should NOT be invasive. They should not be taller than people and they should be discretely kept to the side. I applaud the battery-recycling option, but I have already heard of one instance in which there was no container to collect the batteries, and they ended up on the ground below the contraption. |
| 2197 | 38651.53487 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “They take up too much of the sidewalk, leaving little room for pedestrians, especially those with chilren, dogs or baby carriages. They are also too tall, and block off views of the streetscape.” | No | [Blank] | They’re an eyesore. |
| 2198 | 38651.55535 | Yes | Finch and Kennedy | No | “height and easy to understand was no problem, but the garbage was over flowing becuase it doesn’t seem to hold a lot of capacity.” | Yes | Positioning of the one i saw was a little awkward because it broke the open space on the corner/sidewalk. | Yes | “I think it’s great that the city can get them for free and that revenue can be increased from them because of ads, BUT they can probably be designed/positioned better to not be as daunting and intrusive.” | [Blank] |
| 2199 | 38651.56742 | Yes | King and Shaw | No | [Blank] | No | They are hideous monstrostities obviously designed to be advertising vehicles rather than waste receptacles. | No | “They are outsized eyesores, require electricity, and do not improve waste collection.” | Get rid of them. Try again. |
| 2200 | 38651.58347 | Yes | Main & Kingston | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “I prefer the bins that are positioned parallel to the sidewalk because they don’t block the view as much,” | Yes | [Blank] | I like that they have a slot for butts. I hope people use it. |
| 2201 | 38651.58715 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | n/a | [Blank] | “From my understanding, they are positioned to maximize advertising to the street; therefore, hugely in the way of the pedestrians.” | No | The bins are so large that they disrupt views. Cars will no longer see pedestrians and vice versa. They are also large enough for people to hide behind and consequently dangerous to all. | “Garbage and recycling bins of the 21st century should reflect goals of the community. They should be outfitted to accept composte, as Toronto does with their green bins. As well, they are the complete opposite of the bins being installed in Europe – small and without advertising. More small bins = the possibility of more bins being installed and more waste collection. People litter because they don’t want to carry their waste to the next intersection. |
| 2202 | 38651.613 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | n/a | Yes | n/a | No opinion | “I don’t mind if the ads aren’t illuminated, but I’m opposed to illuminated ads.” | The bins shouldn’t have illuminated ads. There is no good reason for a garbage bin to use electricity! |
| 2203 | 38651.67286 | Yes | King & Strachan | No | “With garbage bins, if it’s not *immediatly* obvious where to put things, then stuff will end up in the wrong opening.” | Yes | They’re too large and they take up too much space. The current bins – lower & aligned along the sidewalk instead of perpendicular – are better (although not much). | No | While the concept is good (geeting the bins for free with ad revene) these bins are not the right solution | They’re an eyesore. And they seem designed to mostly for ads instead of be a place to put trash. |
| 2204 | 38651.69593 | No | i tried but garbage was falling out of it so it was useless and gross. Danforth and Chester a couple of times | No | “No, openings are small, garbage was falling out – they appear to have less capacity. I also don’t think its safe to put cigarette butts in these containers. Dangerous to use the opening on the street side. | Yes | “Horrible. Eye-sore, blocks the view of what’s coming at you which is dangerous. takes up too much curb space, too invasive, difficult to navigate around with kids, strollers.” | No | “No, no, no, no. The exisiting bins are fine even though they are ugly too. From what i see on the existing bins, its primarily City of Toronto advertising so why rob Peter to pay Paul. | Adapt the existing container to have two holes now that recycling can be streamed. Attempt to sell that ad space more agressively. |
| 2205 | 38651.70962 | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | Garbage can too small. Recycling opening too high. Just awkward to use. | Yes | Awful. Block views down the street. Take up too much space on the sidewalk. Just terrible design. | No | There garbage cans are terrible with or without advertising and need to be redesigned. | “Get rid of them. Go back to normal garbage cans with holes on the top. I rather have separate containers for garbage and recyclables at different points along the sidewalk, provided they are a a reasonable size and shape than any of the monster box we currently have.” |
| 2206 | 38651.72251 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | they are ridiculously huge...how are people in wheelchairs and walkers supposed to navigate around these horrible monstrosities... | No | “enoughs enough... if you are so concerned with revenue...why don’t city councillers have like nike swoops imprinted on the back of their business suits...they wouldn’t do it to themselves, don’t do it to OUR streets.” | disgusting |
| 2207 | 38651.77391 | Yes | “King St. W, near Shaw” | Yes | “Generally it was fine, although, while the bins have two openings, one is often not optimally placed.” | Yes | “Their positioning seems to favour the display of the ad rather than the openings of the bins. Also, due to their height, they tend to cause a barrier on the sidewalk. It would have been more optimal to rotate the bin 90 degrees.” | No | We ought to be investing more in the beautification of our city. This should not be limited to maintaining our parks and cleaning our streets: we should also choose tasteful elements for our public spaces. | “The openings are better than those on the older-style bins (3 receptacles covered with flaps) as they’re easier to use. Visually, however, the new ones are inferior.The new bins would be far less intrusive if their height was limited to that of the older bins.” |
| 2208 | 38651.78487 | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “The bins block the sidewalk to far too great a degree, sometimes taking more than half the sidewalk area. Also, the side facing the street is positioned so close to the street that it is awkward to access.” | No | The bins take up entirely too much space on the sidewalk and impede pedestrian flow. The older bins are much better. | I would like the old design to be retained. The new bins should not be introduced. |
| 2209 | 38651.80056 | Yes | Curch & Alexander | No | “It was confusing to use, and was full.” | Yes | “They are terrable! They take up too much space, and look very ugly.” | No | No amount of revenue is worth destrying the beauty of the city with these awful bins. | [Blank] |
| 2210 | 38651.94756 | Yes | Danforth Ave & playter Blvd | No | The bin was full on the sidewalk side so we had to use the street side that is to close to the street (heavy traffic) for kids to use. | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 2211 | 38651.98064 | No | St Lawrence Market area | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | Doesn’t matter where you put them they are a blight on the urban landscape | No | “They are a giant eyesore.We don’t need more street advertising.I’d happily pay more taxes than have to live with these dumpsters” | Please get rid of them as soon as possible. |
| 2212 | 38651.98348 | Yes | “Eglinton Ave West, west of Avenue Road” | No | “The side towards the sidewalk was full, with bottles and cans sitting out on the shelf. The side towards the street is too close to the street, I don’t need to be hit by a bus.” | Yes | “Poor, poor, poor. Turn them 90 degrees, so both sides are safe to access, 1st, then move them back from the street so they don’t block the view.” | No | This is another example of short term monitary gain at the cost of the personality of our streets. Where is the Toronto tourism board’s opinion on how this will impact the world’s view of our city? Quite frankly I find them embarassing on MY streets. | “The shorter, stainless-steel garbage cans, with smaller ads on them were MUCH better -- more of the container actually held the garbage & recycling, and the advertising wasn’t blocking the view up and down the street.” |
| 2213 | 38651.99538 | Yes | Bloor & Windermere | No | “-one end is facing the road... is this for drive thru service???,-much of it is too high for children to use easily... why?” | Yes | these things should be positioned in a garbage dump. they are totally unacceptable for a city like toronto. | No | “-it blocks the view for cars turning the corner... dangerous,-it is unnecessarily huge and ugly,-i HATE it... its a sign the city doesnt know what the hell it’s doing.” | HATE it... hate it! This is the among the worst hairbrained ideas to come out of city hall lately. Back to the drawing board! |
| 2214 | 10/27/2005 12:06:27 AM | Yes | All over the freaking place. Seriously. | Yes | it was alright I guess. | Yes | Dangerous for people walking out behind them (not that jaywalking is ever safe). I guess it’s the only remotely alright place to put them without blocking the sidewalk. | No | “We have enough advertising in this city, and most of it promotes very warped views of our society.” | “They are far, far too tall think they need some serious redesigning on that part.” |
| 2215 | 10/27/2005 10:07:23 AM | Yes | Dundas and Ossington | Yes | [Blank] | No | “They are far too intrusive. Why do garbage/recycling bins have to be taller than the pedestrians, with in-your-face advertising? | No | Isn’t there already enough advertising space. We are no longer free to walk down the street without being bombarded by media and advertising. The old garbage/recycling bins work just fine. What’s wrong with using more of them? | Keep them off our streets! |
| 2216 | 10/27/2005 10:10:09 AM | Yes | Danforth east of Broadview a bit | No | did not really notice until i loooked closely it was even a garbage can | No | “They really block the sidewalk. It appears they are placed to show ads, not take waste.” | No | “The bins appear to tip the ballance to ads vs usefulness. As the ads get bigger on the bins, the more useless the bins become for their intended purpose -- garbage disposal.” | They appear to be primarily for ads. |
| 2217 | 10/27/2005 10:10:12 AM | Yes | Shaw and Queen | No | bin was full | No | very ugly and and embarassment to the city | No | “from what I understand teh revenues would be small and the visual impact would be very negative.DON’T DO IT.” | “see above,DON’T DO IT” |
| 2218 | 10/27/2005 10:11:10 AM | Yes | Danforth & Greenwood | No | “It just doesn’t have the look of a garbage container. It looks like an advertising stand.When people are a distance away, looking for a garbage can, they need something easily recognisable, not a piece of advertising with a little garbage can attached.” | Yes | “They shouldn’t be as tall, they’re a danger because people stepping out onto the street have a hard time seeing over them and seeing traffc. The current ones are a good height, you can see over them.” | No | Revenue is good – but the athsetic look of a city is more important. | “If every few corners you see a 7 foot tall billboard at street level, it will ruin the look of the city. Advertising is fine, but it should take 2nd place to the function of the object – a garbage can. They should look like garbage cans, not be so tall so that one can’t see over them.” |
| 2219 | 10/27/2005 10:12:56 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | They are TOO tall and take up too much of the natural space. | No | Small unassuming bins and recycling containers are just as practical and do not contaminate our urban environment with advertisments. There is enough space in the city dedicated to ads already. Any more advertising should go IN the garbage bins not ON them! | “The bins do not take into account the aesthetics of the city. A “clean and beautiful” city that Mayor Miller promises is NOT being considered in distributing these eyesoars thoughout Toronto. We should love our city and respect it and invest in garbage and recycling disposal that is not ugly (and that doesn’t house ads that just serves to feed more consumerism, leading to more waste).” |
| 2220 | 10/27/2005 10:20:47 AM | No | I have not used one but I did inspect a few. | [Blank] | “I did not use one of the mega bins but the they are not easy to use nor are a height that can be used by all Torontonians. The signage is unclear and small in comparison to the large ad space. What the public sees is an ad, not a recycling opportunity.” | Yes | “I hate their positioning. They are a blight, much too large. They get in the way of sightlines while driving around corners, that is dangerous. They are too large for most of the narrow sidewalks with many pedestrians having to inconveniently walk around them.” | No | “Of course the ad company is offering them for free, they will be realizing huge ad revenues. It is important that the city does not prostitute it’s estetics for some money. There are other creative ways to raise money for the city.” | “I have owned an advertising business for over 13 years, but I strongly feel that we must not sell our public space to any company who offers the city cash. Plus this is not an effective way to increase recycling, we must be more effective in reducing garbage, and this is definitely not the way to go. Think deposits on containers etc. and/or accessible government run recycling depots. Definitely not these poorly designed ad monstrosities placed on our sidewalks. AND THEY WASTE ELECTRICITY. Toronto must not go in this direction.” |
| 2221 | 10/27/2005 10:20:57 AM | Yes | “yes, it was Bathurst and College” | No | “The openings for the recycling was a little high and I don’t like the flap you have to push things through. It will get dirty and I will feel disinclined to put my hand near it. The garbage bin was ok but ridiculously small, especially given the huge size of the entire bin.” | Yes | “I think they are awful and rather insulting. They are clearly designed as an advertisement that has had a bin function tacked on. The bin I used could be considered an obstruction as it is sitting sideways on to the sidewalk. One side of the advertising board was accessible as a bin but the other was too close to a guard rail of a parking lot to encourage much use. Additionally I think it’s outrageous that they are illuminated. What a waste of electricity. Similiarly I feel insulted that the city would pretend to be encouraging civic tidiness and recycling by installing monstrous bill-boards whose construction clearly uses more resources in terms of metal, plastics, and electricity than are in any way justified or necessary. The city clearly only wants to use them for the advertizing revenue. Why bother even pretending they are useful? I’m sick of being advertized to and hope the city will remove these blights on our urban landscape. They are not even a nice piece of design.” | No | “Our public spaces ought not to be exploited by private business. I know the City is strapped for cash but let’s keep our pride and sense of our City as a living space for real, rounded people. I don’t want the City to view itself as solely place of business and I don’t want it’s citizenry viewed as a captive audience for advertisers. | Get rid of them! |
| 2222 | 10/27/2005 10:31:05 AM | Yes | Bloor Street West | No | Why are they facing the road? Totally impractical! | Yes | They look like big ads. The openings are too small. | No | [Blank] | please don’t install them. It is embarassing for the City. |
| 2223 | 10/27/2005 10:33:14 AM | No | There is one in my neighborhood at Wilson and Bathurst. | No | [Blank] | Yes | I refuse to use them. They are an ugly eyesore. The street corners are already crowded with newspaper boxes and these garbage bins just add to the unsightly mess. | No | Absolutely not. The city wants to encourage tourists to the city and yet ruins the streetscape with this clutter. | Make something that has an appealing design that can add to the attractiveness of a street corner rather than subtract from it. |
| 2224 | 10/27/2005 10:34:00 AM | Yes | Outside Jane station (Jane and Bloor) | No | Holes too small. How do young children / the disabled reach them when they’re so high? | Yes | “WAY TOO BIG. Can’t see traffic, blocks view of the street and sidewalk. UGLY.” | No | They a) take power b) waste money and resources c) cause visual pollution (do we really need more ads?). | “This is a cash grab at the expense of the people who live here. I live at Bloor and Spadina and already have to put up with the GIANT city “map” towers on the SE corner that are just excuses for more advertising. This won’t solve Toronto’s garbage problem, and will only add more visual “garbage”. Read the papers and blogs – no one wants these except greedy politicians and corporate interests. Do what’s right for the people who live here.” |
| 2225 | 10/27/2005 10:34:29 AM | Yes | Dundas & Ossington | No | “Sure, they’re at the right height but the openings were too small and garbage was overflowing out of it already! not very easy to distinguish between garbage/ recycling.” | No | they are positioned like billboards and not discreet garbage receptacles. i like the old ones much much better. | No | that public space is being sacrificed/ whored out for free badly-designed bins is a disgrace. I would rather you use my tax money in a much more INTELLIGENT and THOUGHTFUL way. | “Yeah --i hate them!,We have extremely talented industrial designers in Toronto --look around --there are solutions. Tap into the current wave of thinking in not only industrial design but urban design. Don’t succumb to short-sighted answers to budget limitations. Be more creative!” |
| 2226 | 10/27/2005 10:38:05 AM | Yes | dundas and ossington | No | i feel like the opening is too close to the street where cars are dangerously whizzing by- you have to spend too much time looking at all the features and what goes where. | No | “too bulky and awkward,its like a robot,i want a trash can, not another machine to ‘figure out’.” | No | “i dont think a trash can with ads (especially ads that have nothing to do with educating people on sanitary/environmental awareness) are useless. as well, i dont need my city polluted with more ads. | “this city just needs more garbage cans, period. everyday i walk at least 4-9 blocks holding a piece of garbage, looking for a place to deposit it. no wonder this city is a litterbox. there is no where to throw anything away. we dont need anything fancy and modern. just simple and more, please. thank you. |
| 2227 | 10/27/2005 10:42:52 AM | [Blank] | ; | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 2228 | 10/27/2005 10:43:24 AM | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | Had to go to traffic side | No | too big and use power unnecessarily | No | money isn’t everything; visual ambience is important | [Blank] |
| 2229 | 10/27/2005 10:43:55 AM | Yes | Laird & Eglinton | No | The openings were too small. | No | “They are monstrous! Since they face the traffic they look like giant tombstones on our streets. They also pose a safety risk for women particulalry, for people to hide behind and jump you. They’d be less offensive if they were waist height.” | No | Are we that desperate for money as a city that we have to make our city still uglier? I thought Toronto was trying to improve its image. I am emphatically against these visual blights. | “Stop turning garbage cans or other public objects into advertising space. Why not a public sculpture competition to make our garbage cans beautiful, to make recycling appealing. We should encourage a reduction of waste, and this garbage can glorifies consumption. All Hail waste! Disgusting.” |
| 2230 | 10/27/2005 10:44:32 AM | No | [Blank] | No | the size of the advertising space is so large that it makes depositing garbage insde the bin difficult | Yes | they take up way to much space! | No | “they are an eye sore. the city is already completley saturated with advertising which subtracts from its overall aesthetic value. these bins would add to the probem. i love this city, lets keep it beautyful!” | “the idea of placing more garbage bins across the city is great. however, the advertising and the size of the bins negates any beauty that the reduced litter in our city would create.” |
| 2231 | 10/27/2005 10:57:30 AM | Yes | Danforth and Broadview | No | The recepticle was very full and the opening small. The visual representation of what refuse goes where is not obvious. | Yes | “I am very opposed to the fact that the orientation of the bin is primarily for the optimum view of the advertisement, rather than the practicality of use. If the sidewalk side is full and want to use the other side you have to go very close to the road – especially dangerous for children. | No | “I am bombarded with enough advertising as it is. There may be no cost to the city’s wallet, but citizens will pay by having reduced visibility on the streets, being pressured to buy more through persuasive advertisements (commercial advertisers know that this works or wouldn’t spend the money to do it) and having more rubbish generated than the capacity of the bins can handle. Please do not litter our streets with these bins. | [Blank] |
| 2232 | 10/27/2005 11:07:30 AM | Yes | Roncesvalles and Howard Park | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “I think that they are huge, and take over a large part of the sidewalk for no reason other than to provide huge ad space.” | No | “No. We are simply adding to the ad space in our city, and putting large, extremely ugly garbage bins, when there was no problem with the smaller ones.” | “PLEASE GET RID OF THEM. I hate them, as do all of my friends. They look absolutely ridiculous.” |
| 2233 | 10/27/2005 11:51:39 AM | Yes | in the downtown area | No | I just thought they were billboards. The garbage openings seemed an afterthought. | No | “They add to the visual pollution of our city, for the growing number of people that are sensitive to oversaturation of ads. For those that aren’t, they’re positioned to be distracting to drivers and endanger their lives and the lives of cyclists.” | No | “On the surface this seems like a good deal, but by substantially adding to the visual pollution it degrades our quality of life far more than paying out a couple extra dollars per year via taxes. We are rivalling and even surpassing many American cities in this regard.” | I consider them a shameful and flagrant hi-jacking of a public service. |
| 2234 | 10/27/2005 11:53:21 AM | Yes | Bathurst/College | No | “It felt as if the gargabe and recycling receptables were an afterthought to the billboard. Honestly, the openings are hard to access, hard to understand and oddly sized.” | Yes | “They’re a nuisance to pedestrians (blocking sightlines and walking space). Placement seems to be based on what’s best for the ads, not what’s best for people trying to responsibly dispose of waste. | No | “I wish the city would just pony up the money for some responsible, respectable garbage/recycling receptacles. I don’t think the current council gives a damn about having a beautiful, clean city -- despite what your advertising rhetoric would have us believe. | “Please dispose of this idea in favour of one that’s designed primarily as a waste receptacle, not a buildboard. These bins are ugly, obtrusive and user-unfriendly. I’m ashamed to have them on the streets of my city. |
| 2235 | 10/27/2005 12:05:38 PM | Yes | Lansdowne and Queen | Yes | [Blank] | No | “I have seen the bins, specifically at Queen and Lansdowne and I think they are too large and obstruct any kind of view down the sidewalk. They are too bulky.” | No | I am against it because I don’t need to see any more advertising in public space and these garbage bins are basically going to be turned into huge billboard ads. | “I sincerely hope that the city does not buy them because they are too tall, ugly, obtrusive and it’s just another place for more ads which I don’t want to have to look at.” |
| 2236 | 10/27/2005 12:06:37 PM | Yes | College and Bathurst. | No | “I only understood how to use the bin because of the big illuminated instruction ‘manual’ on the ‘front’ and ‘back’ of the bin. I shouldn’t have to read instructions to use a bloody garbage can. And I understand that the instructions are going to be replaced with ads, so how are people supposed to figure out how to use the bins then?? Judging from the stuff people were throwing in the “garbage” they can’t figure it out even WITH the illuminated instructions...” | Yes | “They’re in the way. As if pedestrian traffic isn’t bad enough, I’m going to have to dodge massive illuminated ads in navigating my way around the city. I thought sidewalks were for pedestrians, not ads and garbage cans. Put the bloody things off to the side. And how are people supposed to use the side facing the traffic? Do you really expect drivers and cyclists to pull up and toss their trash inside? No? Then why position them that way? Shouldn’t people be able to locate a garbage bin as they approach it? (“gee, I’d really like to toss this pop can in the trash, where oh where is a bin? Oh good, I see one over there...”) Having one suddenly appear as you pass by seems like a bad, bad idea.” | No | “There’s got to be a better way to get the city’s trash collected than this. There’s got to be a better way to generate ad revenue. I’m tired of having all city service delivery literally wrapped up in illuminated ipod ads and photos of giant Triumph-bra-wearing breasts. I don’t want to have to dodge giant ads when walking down the sidewalk. I don’t want to have to worry about what/who’s lurking behind the giant ad when I come home at night. I want garbage bins placed off to the side where I can see them, but where they aren’t in my way or in my face. The sidewalks are already overcrowded, and these signs--I mean bins--aren’t going to help matters at all.” | “These bins are obviously designed with advertising as the priority, not garbage collection. The SERVICE that is to be provided needs to be the priority when these things are designed. Are we really going to let advertising structure the way that we conduct our day to day lives in this city? What exactly is the relationship between the municipal government and Toronto residents? I thought the government was supposed to be a service-provider, but it’s starting to feel like the city isn’t concerned with providing services as much as it is concerned with pimping out its constituents to the highest bidder.” |
| 2237 | 10/27/2005 12:07:01 PM | Yes | “The one at Bathurst and College for sure, and others as well. I think there’s one near the U of T campus as well.” | No | “There was a lot to look at, and there being two sides made it a bit awkward at first.” | Yes | “They look terrible. They’re really an eye sore. They’re clearly positioned where they are with advertising in mind, and I’m sick of being forced to look at ads when I go for a walk.” | No | “Sure the old bins have advertising as well, but you aren’t forced to look at them because of their height and placement, like you are with the new bins. I’m really against this type of forced advertising.” | “Just that I urge you to please remove the test bins, and put the old style bins (or something comparable) back. Thank you.” |
| 2238 | 10/27/2005 12:11:50 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “I think that they obstruction sight lines, and make the city look less attractive. They are an eye-sore.” | No | “It is not worth it. There have to be better ways of raising revenue, than this. These bins are too high, and they make me feel like I am surrounded by garbage. They make our streets much less pleasant to be on. | “I think they are a bad idea. However, if the city intends to proceed, my suggestion is to redesign them to make them smaller. No garbage can should be taller than people! |
| 2239 | 10/27/2005 12:15:20 PM | Yes | finch & leslie | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | the amount of $ the city recieves won’t cover the costs of maintaining the boxes which will be covered distracting ads anyways the increased revenue probably won’t amke up for the costs of the boxes... | “why not just get simple, easy trash bins that aren’t ad bases but garbage containers?” |
| 2240 | 10/27/2005 12:18:42 PM | Yes | “Between Chester and Broadview Subway stations, for some reason placed ina low street traffic location. It seems that the placement of the less towering one outside of Chester station where many more people actually walk is possibly meant to confuse the public as to the true nature of the proposed 7 foot high bins.” | No | The slots were overloaded with garbage sticking out. | Yes | They block view of street traffic to sidewalk and are therefore dangerous to pedestrians and are another obstruction to drivers anticipating children darting out into traffic. They are designed for the adverrtsiers and are dwarfing in scale to humans. | No | “In desperation, the city has been on a track to sell public space to the commercial sector for some years. Streetcars and island ferries being covered in awful ads are the most recent offensive example. I would rather pay extra tax to compensate for the tiny amount of revenue brought in by this new initiative. A less commercialised public space is more valuable to me than the revenue involved.” | Trash them! |
| 2241 | 10/27/2005 12:20:28 PM | Yes | “Bloor and Christie, Wilson and Bathurst, Yonge and York Mills” | No | “No, the bin was exceptionally confusing. It took me a disturbing amount of time to conclude which opening to use time no one else seems to have taken, considering the garbage part was filled with recyclables, and the recyclable part was clogged with garbage. Further, I am thankful I am not in a wheelchair, lest I have to resort to littering because the new bins are inaccessible.” | No | “I am appalled at the dangers presented by the Megabins: they block visibility for drivers, and narrow the sidewalks for pedestrians. (If the city is liable for damages and injuries that result from the new bins, Toronto will be on the hook for a lot of money.) And for the majority of the bins, half of the receptacles are unusable without crossing onto the street and into oncoming traffic, hence the fact that one side of each tends to overflow with garbage while the other remains empty.” | No | “From everything the City and Eucan have indicated so far, these bins are intended more as street-level billboards than garbage containers, which wouldn’t in itself be a problem were they at least well-designed garbage containers. Unfortunately, the Megabins’ functionality as waste receptacles is clearly of secondary importance. And even then, the amount of the advertising revenue that would go to the city is pitiful.” | The impending nightly illumination of the bins is ridiculous and will represent a serious drain on the city’s and province’s already-fragile power grid. |
| 2242 | 10/27/2005 12:23:35 PM | Yes | “Roncesvalles & Howard Park,,college & bathurst” | No | “The users hands get dirty if they try to deposit trash & recyclables,The design is poor, the openings are on the narrow ends, not the most convenient place to deposit garbage – which would be along the wide ends – much as the bins are now.The bin is first an advertisement, and it’s function as a place for garbage and recyclables comes a distant second – isn’t that backwards???,The bins work so poorly I consider them barely functional at all...except if you mean as an advertising space.” | Yes | “As an architect, I find the bins are problematic in a few keys ways. ,The bin location is dictated by visibility for the automobile traffic rather than convenience for the pedestrian.The location significantly alter the pedestrian dynamic at intersections due to their size and the visual obstruction they cause. I forsee that there will be more pedestrian-vehicle related accidents due to people stepping out from between one of these giant garbage cans and a streetlight-post, because they simply cannot see what is happening on the road. As a cyclist, I’m scared of hitting a pedestrian and I think these bins will increase the likelihood of just these types of collisions. It is a safety issue.The bins take up alot of visual space, they impoverish the urban scenery. I don’t appreciate being assaulted by advertising everywhere I look, especially giant 5’ x 7’ ads.” | No | “Why does the city not just design it’s own garbage cans and advertise and collect revenue itself? why does it need some corporation to do this for it? the city would make more money this way, and since it already has garbage and recycling trucks on the road, this would come with very little additional infrastructure cost at all. this is the best deal for the city.Is this not a good idea?” | “why not hold a design competition among architecture, designa and engineering students and see who can come up with the most innovative solution to the problem at hand? this would stimulate creativity in our own area and the unique ‘homegrown’ solution would stimulate people to feel good about keeping toronto clean.We can come up with a better alternative than the thoroughly average ‘monster’ bin proposal.” |
| 2243 | 10/27/2005 12:24:10 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | “they are big and ugly and way too tall and take up way too much sidewalk space. The one at the south east corner of windermere and bloor makes it difficult for drivers to see around the corner. We already have shorter, bins with advertising and recycling that seem fine. I don’t think we need these big monsters. | bleck |
| 2244 | 10/27/2005 12:41:27 PM | No | bloor/drurie bloor west village | No | There is hardly any space to deposit material | No | DREADFUL – can’t see past them – dangerous. Has nothing to doi with garbage EVERYTHING to do with advertising. I don’t care if it’s free or revenue produing – ugliness is not what we want – free or not. | No | “Nothing to do with garbage – everything to do with advertising and making for an ugly streetscape. Please don’t insult the citizens by saying that it’s free – yes, ugliness should be free.” | “The low height metal ones are fine – but should not be put right on bus and streetcar stops – there’s no room to get on and off the transit. Again,dangerous.” |
| 2245 | 10/27/2005 12:46:53 PM | Yes | Dundas & Ossington | No | The recycling slot jams easily so people end up throwing everything into the trash bin. At least with the old three-side-by-side style bins things were easier to get in. | Yes | “The ones that are oriented so the long axis is parallel to the sidewalk are more efficient; however the giant advertising impairs pedestrian sightlines, particularly at corners.The ones where the long axis is perpindicular to the sidewalk are not as efficient since the bin-end facing the curb tends to be used less. Pedestrian sightlines are less impaired but the advertising signs impact drivers more.Eucan’s smaller bins with no advertising are preferred over these mega-monster bins, actually.” | No | “These bins are way too big for the amount of trash and recycling they absorb. It seems to be more of an ad sign with a waste/recycling bin tacked on. Again, at least with the old three-side-by-side cans, it was clear that the ratio of adspace to waste/recycling absorption was better.” | The smaller Eucan design is less egregious but the monster bins are an eyesore. |
| 2246 | 10/27/2005 12:53:39 PM | No | [Blank] | No | These bins look ridiculous and they’re way too big | Yes | I think they are in the way and are just on the street for advertising purposes | No | “No I don’t agree with the city taking money from advertisers. It’s the city using,public space for to feed consumerism” | Why did the city waste so much money on this in the first place. I feel it’s waste of publi $$ i i don’t support it |
| 2247 | 10/27/2005 01:21:04 PM | Yes | pape and danforth | No | the different openings are too compact and the garbage is small enough that it has been overflowing on multiple occasions | No | they are so much bigger (with no additional space for trash) that they seem to take too much room on the sidewalk. there is absolutely no logic to them being perpendicular to the sidewalk. it only serves the advertisers better while compromising the experience of the city for the rest of us. or is advertising to be the experience of the city? | No | “they are an eyesore. WE DON’T NEED THAT MUCH ADVERTISING! especially when there is little improvement on the old bins. they substantially restrict visibility, which is dangerous in some situations. the trash section is crammed together on this awkward, enormous billboard. a very poor idea. this will most definitely make our city a less beautiful place to live. i very much like the idea of public places for cigarette butts. this is the only redeeming quality.” | “please reconsider. go back to the drawing board. our city is getting so confined, when it could be a beautiful and sustainable place for advertisers and citizens.” |
| 2248 | 10/27/2005 01:27:37 PM | Yes | “Ossington and Dundas,Clinton and Bloor,other various locations” | No | “The openings are not marked clearly enough, and leave much room for misuse (ie. garbage going in recycling bin). The bins themselves are not clearly labelled garbage receptacles, resulting in people’s inability to locate a proper receptacle...possibly resulting in more litter?” | Yes | “They are so clearly billboards first, and garbage receptacles second. They interupt my view as a pedestrian, motorist, and cyclist. They take up way too much of the sidewalk, with no clear benefit to my community – and they don’t even include a green bin (or space for one in the future as I realize the city is not yet ready to handle public green waste).” | No | “Wasn’t this happening before? The old bins were easier to use, less invasive, and did not block the view of motorists/cyclists/pedestrians, and STILL had space to be sold for advertising. Why are these ones so much better...just because they’re bigger? We pay taxes for a reason – so we don’t have to succumb to the will of major corporations that are willing to ‘give us a deal’ at the expense of so much more.” | Get them out! |
| 2249 | 10/27/2005 01:31:22 PM | Yes | Roncesvalles and howard park | No | “The bins’ openings are too high, what about the principle of universal access for the disabled” | Yes | “Really they are quite terrible. They are vertically too high, creating a visibility and mobility barrier. I can see they were designed first with “advertising” in mind, not the end user. | No | “I understand the city is in financial difficulty, but must we degrade our public realm and public spaces even further? This is taking it too far...too much incursion of advertising (private realm) into our beloved public spaces (public realm of main streets). Raise my taxes if need be, but don’t implement this one! God help those on council that vote in favour of this one...they will need it at the next election.” | “The city has lost perspective on this one. You’ve gone too far, City Council. I am upset, my neighbours are upset and a revolt is going to happen soon, related to reclaiming the “commons” of our beloved city. The visual pollution we must endure is extraordinary, especially when we see so little of it in other Canadian cities (Vancouver, Montreal)” |
| 2250 | 10/27/2005 01:39:09 PM | Yes | “Bloor Street West (Bloor West Village),and,Lakeshore and Islington” | No | “- openings too small,- not enough garbage storage,- the side that faces the street has openings for garbage? why? who wll be on the street?...it should face the sidewalk only.” | Yes | “- they are way too big, they block the view along the street,- they should be half the height,- the ads are fine, just smaller.” | No | “- the ads are too big and intrusive,- make them half the size and they’d be fine” | “- the current bins are almost useful, they just need to be more user friendly and easier to maintain,- the “flap” opening is annoying because it is always gross and covered with crap,- they are somewhat ugly” |
| 2251 | 10/27/2005 01:47:35 PM | Yes | Bloor & Windermere | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | Perpendicular instalation versus the streett was far too obtrusive. The street side vents were less usefull. | No | The 7 foot height is far too obtrusive. It obscures vision along and accross the road and blanks ot the view af any plkant or tree boxes. | I say a 4.5 foot version that was more accectable. |
| 2252 | 10/27/2005 02:15:01 PM | Yes | “southwood and kingston, victoria park and kingston and leslie and finch” | No | “If I didn’t hear from someone about these new bins I wouldn’t of thought them to be garbage cans, they look more like bill boards. The positioning is horizontal to the road and especially with the one on Kingston at Southwood one of the garbage receptacles is very close to the road, too close for people to use it comfortably and as a result only one side is used. This seems to be the general trend for the bins I seen,one side is more used then the other. The one side used is usually overflowing.” | No | “As I mentioned above some of the bins are placed really close to the sidewalks, making one side of the garbage receptacle unaccessible and less used. You have chosen (or the company supplying the bins) to place these bins horizontal so that the advertisements can face the traffic not for accessibility to individuals using the sidewalks. I find it distressing in a city where more people seem to be littering that the potential for advertising would take precedent over keeping our city clean. | No | “No!,I would prefer to pay higher taxes that have more advertisments and bins that are not functional. I prefer the old bins they worked they also had a place for a smaller more secondary advertisment (if generating revenue is important).” | “I am strongly against them on so many fronts and the people I know who have seen them are also against them. The following are some of the reasons: some, if not the majority will use electricity (in a city that passed the whole summer risking black and brown outs, this is insulting to the good of public and most definitely the environment), the positioning and accessibility as mentioned prior (too close to the street, only one side being used, blocking sidewalk flow) and finally another bus shelter size advertisements polluting our mental environment. THE OLD garbage bins worked well. I feel the chose to adopt this design of the bin would benefit Eucan and the advertisers. I want the city to take a stand and the responsiblity for keeping our city clean. Give us functional garbage cans not advertising receptacles.” |
| 2253 | 10/27/2005 02:25:41 PM | Yes | Victoria Park and Danforth | No | “yes it was practical, as advertising, but no, it is not practical as a garbage/recycling storage container...the capacity for storage in it is minimal” | Yes | they obstruct the flow of pedestrian traffic in favour of a better advertising angle | No | the city needs to find more creative ways of making revenue than littering our streets with advertisements | These bins are a joke. Their usefulness as garbage/recycling bins is so obviously secondary to their true agenda – advertising. And the fact that the city is behind this is saddening. |
| 2254 | 10/27/2005 02:40:58 PM | Yes | Bloor/Christie | No | The bins openings are far too small and the overall layout is confusing. | No | “I think the newly designed garbage bins are an eye sore. Aside from being designed totally impractically, they are also an impediment to my vision while driving my car and my bicycle.” | No | [Blank] | Redesign the bins without advertising. |
| 2255 | 10/27/2005 02:50:52 PM | Yes | York Mills& Yonge | No | The openjngs were too Smmall | Yes | They display too much advertising and if you were’nt aware of what they were – e.g. for collecting garbage it would be obvious that it was a billboard | No | THEY ARE USELESS – THE GARBAGE OVERRUNS THE CONTAINER AND SPILLS ONTO THE SIDEWALK – THEY MAY BE FREE BUT IF THEY DON’T FULFILL THE PURPOSE THEY ARE MEANT FOR THEY ARE WORTH NOTHING | bE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE GARBAGE AND THE ENVIRONMENT RATHER THAN GETTING SOMETHING FOR NOTHING – THE MAIN CONCERN THESE DAYS IS ENVIRONMENT AND RECYCLING – THESE CONTAINERS DEFEAT THE WHOLE PURPOSE |
| 2256 | 10/27/2005 03:56:50 PM | Yes | Lakeshore & Third St | No | I can only access it from one side. Its much more practical to use a regular garbage can. Plus the height is a bit of a issue because it blocks view of the street from the side walk | No | Its a good idea but its very imposing on the surroundings because of its size(hieght) | No | Why add more advertising to the street when we are already clutterd with advertising. | I love the idea and thinking behind it but i feel that the bins are a bit to tall and don’t encourage a individual to use it. |
| 2257 | 10/27/2005 04:00:52 PM | Yes | various | Yes | [Blank] | No | They’re bigger than they have to be taking up pedestrian space. | No | “This citizen prefers a city that isn’t cloaked in advertizing, even if it means rationally sized garbage bins spaced a little further apart.” | “Garbage bins are important to keeping our city clean. They shouldn’t be any larger than necessary. I understand that services cost money but somehow we’ve been doing ok until now. Maybe the city can sell advertizing space on the surface of City Hall? Yes, that’s equally ridiculous.” |
| 2258 | 10/27/2005 04:08:37 PM | Yes | “keele & bloor,pape & danforth” | No | “not at all!! the bins are quite confusing due to their large size, but small labelling. | No | “the bins take up a ridiculous amount of space because of their lateral placement across the sidewalk. this appears only to increase the size of advertising space without offering any benefit to the public. the bins also obstruct mobility for disabled persons, those with wheelchairs, motor scooters, parents with wheelchairs, etc. | No | NO!!!! please remove these horrible bins from the city. the last thing we need is more infringement from advertising on public space. the ttc ads are enough. | “the bins are so large, they are an unwelcome eyesore in the cityscape! do we really need giant billboards posing as garbage bins in the city??!! please keep the existing silver bins which are inconspicuous enough not to diminish mobility, but are easy to use. i have also heard that the giant bins need electrification; i question the logic in this endeavour considering the province’s huge energy problems. thank you kindly for soliciting public opinion, i urge the politicians to listen.” |
| 2259 | 10/27/2005 04:21:06 PM | Yes | Warden and Lawrence | No | “easy to use, yes -- practical, no.” | Yes | They’re way too big. | No | No. These advertisments are illuminated and therefore WASTE energy. i am also against the idea of being bombarded with advertising everywhere i go. it makes the city ugly. | no. they don’t belong in our city. |
| 2260 | 10/27/2005 04:41:09 PM | Yes | College West (at Bathurst) | No | “the openings seemed too small and on several occassions the bins already seemed too full to use. In one instance, the garbage receptacle was broken.” | No | “I really dislike the way that the bins obstruct the sidewalk and seem to function more for promoting the advertisements to pedestrian and street traffic. Further to this, the bins (both the med and full height) can easily disguise potential attackers. As a woman in the city, i am very concerned with my safety and the height and placement of these bins don’t seem to take that into consideration.The new bins also don’t readily point toward the fact that they are for garbage/recycling. When I first came upon these, i thought it was a sidewalk billboard.” | No | I would rather have properly functioning garbage/recycling receptacles that have that waste management as their first and main focus rather than bins designed for advertising. | “I want these new garbage/recycling bins taken out of our public spaces. They look hideous, can contribute to danger/safety concerns, especially for pedestrians. Also, how about considering encouraging composting of organics in our public receptacles to help reduce the amount of waste that goes into the landfills.On more than one occassion, have I seen/heard people standing around these monstrous bins talking about how awful they are. |
| 2261 | 10/27/2005 04:41:34 PM | No | Dundas and Ossington; Bloor and Christie | No | The slots were way too high – how could a child reach them? | No | they stick out like a sore thumb and block visibility | No | “No, I am quite certain against these big obtrusive bins. They go against any sort of city beautification efforts and are just way too big and not practical to use at all.” | I am strongly against these newly designed garbage/recycling bins – they are poorly designed garbage/recyling bins. |
| 2262 | 10/27/2005 04:56:12 PM | Yes | Yonge and York Mills | No | “It was not practical. ,1. It was not easily identifiable as a garbage/recycling bin. It looks like the advertising wall of a bus shelter. To be practical, it would look like it could carry a substantial amount of material, and that it was easy for those collecting the material to pick it up. The purpose of the bins is to keep the streets clean, and facilitate the sorting of material: so, if people are going to be convinced to use them, instead of the gutter, they should be convinced that they hold a lot, and will be emptied often.2. To be practical, bins would be located not to far from one another, so someone always had a place to throw something out. These bins can’t be placed frequently in the city without severly blocking one’s view. The proposed bin has been designed around the advertising, with the openings on the narrow side.” | No | “This bin enables advertisers, at the expense of local businesses. As a pedestrian, I expect to be able to look down the street and see if there’s a place to buy a coffee, or try on some jeans, or read a book. Street life in Toronto, the gridded city, depends on being able to look up and down the opposite side of the street. However these bins are placed on the sidewalk, their absurd height will prevent people from seeing whatever they’ve come to the street to see. Telephone poles are narrow. Newspaper boxes, street furniture, and the former EUCAN garbage/recycling bins are waist-high. TTC bus shelters are now mostly transparent. The newly designed bins take us several steps backwards in letting the attractiveness of the city speak for itself. | No | “Despite Toronto’s need for revenue, these bins mean literally renting out sidewalk space. It’s immoral to discourage panhandlers and the homeless, only to sell public space at market rates. These bins are bad for local businesses, that depend on pedestrians being able to navigate the city, and see through the visual clutter to find the name of their store. Even Tokyo, whose shopping districts are maddening displays of lights and advertising, keep the streets as free as possible of clutter. Advertising is the responsiblity of individual businesses, and there is no shortage of space or means in Toronto as it stands.I am focussing on advertising because the ratio of surface area to functional volume does not make sense. These bins should announce their purpose, if we are going reduce the amount of garbage generated by the city of Toronto. They should have a clear duty to make the separation of waste from recyclables obvious and interesting. Any increased revenue from the sale of commercial advertising space could be offset by reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill. Surely this issue is significant, given that the United States may soon close its borders to Toronto’s garbage.” | “If these bins are approved, despite the opposition to them, I doubt they will last long in their present state. There are enough posterers, and protesters, in Toronto, to effectively disable the advertising possibilities of these bins. Bins can be postered over, broken, or painted, at such a rate that it becomes financially impossible for the city of Toronto to repair them. |
| 2263 | 10/27/2005 05:06:42 PM | Yes | King & Strachan | No | No not at all. | No | An eye sore and in the way. | No | Nothing is really free. | Please do not use any more. |
| 2264 | 10/27/2005 05:15:52 PM | Yes | Dundas and Ossignton | No | I couldn’t easily tell which place to put my garbage. | No | I think they are ugly and obtrusive and difficult to use. I forsee them getting dirty and being ineffective in getting people to sort their garbage. | No | No – I think the bins will be messy (will the city have to pay to clean up the mess). | [Blank] |
| 2265 | 10/27/2005 05:28:21 PM | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | “please, we have enough eyesores taking up space on the sidewalks. Quite letting commercial interests destroy our city.” |
| 2266 | 10/27/2005 06:10:49 PM | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | “There will be costs to the city.. for instance, in both hydro and for cleaning (since there isn’t a lot of space for garbage in the bins) there will be increases. Also, when the bins have to be taken down, and new ones put up (because these bins are not useful).” | “Why not have bins that are easy to use, large enough, well placed and effectively meet the needs of the people who use them -- and not suited to the needs of advertisers! There are some bins in which the user will have to almost go on the street in order to put garbage in the slot. That’s a safety issue.” |
| 2267 | 10/27/2005 06:13:31 PM | Yes | Bloor and Christie | No | There were so many ads all over it that it took me some time to figure out that it was actually a garbage can. | No | They are taking up too much space -- they are far too tall. | No | We need less advertising on our city streets. It is an eyesore and it seems to be getting worse. Surely there are other ways to generate revenue for the city than to plaster it with billboards... | “Advertising is everywhere we look, it seems. From the bathroom stall to the billboard-cars that drive by. Please consider ways to stop this from getting worse. We need more trees and patches of green space, we need places where our eyes can rest.” |
| 2268 | 10/27/2005 06:57:11 PM | Yes | bloor & windermere | No | directions incomprehensible | No | “block foot traffic, block view from cars, bikes” | No | “there us too much crap blockiing the sidewalks already.block of view will get a cyclist killed eventually | “ugly, impractical, dangerous” |
| 2269 | 10/27/2005 07:02:36 PM | Yes | Yonge & York Mills | No | “The openings were small and filled up quickly. To access a bin that wasn’t overflowing, someone would practically have to step out onto the street. | Yes | “Lousy. They aren’t garbage bins at all but billboards pretending to be trash cans for the sake of public relations. As I said up there, because they are optimally placed to give the greatest exposure to advertising, trash disposal is only an afterthought. Unless you walk around the damn thing, you don’t realize until after stepping out on the street and trying to avoid traffic, that there is another side built for trash.” | No | They’re crap. The city’s being hoodwinked into providing more billboard space under the pretense of providing a public service. The only public they serve are the people at eucan. | “Yes. Surely, there must be a better design then a hollowed out billboard that hardly serves the public interest. These containers portend to decrease litter though they have little capacity and are poorly designed for access. Their monstrous proportions that outweigh their practicality only serve as another vehicle of visual pollution of the public space. |
| 2270 | 10/27/2005 07:12:18 PM | Yes | Eglinton @ Braemer Avenue | Yes | [Blank] | No | a little distracting | No | They are just too damn big and covered with ads. No more ads please! | “Make em smaller, say 3 feet tall. |
| 2271 | 10/27/2005 07:19:36 PM | Yes | Keele and Finch | No | “The design required what should be unnecessary reading to determine what goes where – prior bins could be used once, and subsequent readings were needless. I have used the new bins on many occasions and each time am forced to waste valuable time to determine where I am to put my garbage.” | Yes | “The bins are atrocious as is – the way they are positioned only highlights their ugliness from a greater distance, making the avoidance of the advertisements impossible.” | No | “The revenue would have to be a staggering sum for the bins to gain my support. Other public advertising forums, such as increased visibility TTC shelter ads, would be greatly preferable.” | “The only positive aspect of the bins is that their design seems to mitigate odours from the waste collected within – this feature, however accomplished, should be utilized with the existing bins.” |
| 2272 | 10/27/2005 07:23:18 PM | Yes | Bloor & Keele | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | “NO – I HATE these bins. They are an eyesore, and we definitely do not need more advertising. They do not make the City of Toronto a more beautiful place, but only show that everything is for sale.” | [Blank] |
| 2273 | 10/27/2005 07:31:10 PM | Yes | Keele & Bloor | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “No, they’re big and ugly. They’re an eyesore. I’d almost take the garbage on the street over these.” | [Blank] |
| 2274 | 10/27/2005 07:41:55 PM | Yes | McCowan & Finch | [Blank] | the openings were clear but it wasn’t easy to use because they have always been overflowing and teh opening for garbage arent’ big enough. | Yes | They take up too much room. Especially for the small amount fo garbage/recycling they can hold | No | The new bins are much worse than the current ones. The new bins are mostly just advertising adn not much help in collecting the garbage/recycling they are ‘supposedly’ for. | 80% of the time I’ve gone to use one it’s been overstuffed and unable to take any more garbage. They are just big bilborads on the sidwalk and take up too much room for the amount of use you can get out of them. |
| 2275 | 10/27/2005 08:14:02 PM | Yes | bathurst and college | No | it seems that one side is rarely accessible and the labels were unclear or undefined | No | they block the view for cars and obstruct pedestrians. i can only imagine the difficulty experienced by physically challenged members of society | No | “nowhere on the ‘informative’ instructional space does it mention that the space will eventually be used for ads. i think it is a false pilot project and that the bins are an ugly, disfunctional design. what happened to the plans for a beautiful city? | don’t do it!! why are we selling off the city to the highest bidder? and to a company that can even design a garbage can that is functional!! |
| 2276 | 10/27/2005 08:14:17 PM | Yes | bathurst and college | No | it seems that one side is rarely accessible and the labels were unclear or undefined | No | they block the view for cars and obstruct pedestrians. i can only imagine the difficulty experienced by physically challenged members of society | No | “nowhere on the ‘informative’ instructional space does it mention that the space will eventually be used for ads. i think it is a false pilot project and that the bins are an ugly, disfunctional design. what happened to the plans for a beautiful city? | don’t do it!! why are we selling off the city to the highest bidder? and to a company that can even design a garbage can that is functional!! |
| 2277 | 10/27/2005 08:21:00 PM | No | [Blank] | No | That’s precisely why I did not use it. | Yes | Their location inhibits the right of way of pedestrians; they are intrusive and abusive to individuals and to public space. | No | “They are free, but we pay the price of their intrusive and insulting existence. We as a public are succumbed to enough visual pollution. Something that is merely free does not equate worthiness.” | “Function first. The place in which to dispose of garbage and/or recycling should be obvious and practical. However menial bins like this are considered, they nonetheless contribute to our urban environment, which in turn affects our judgement and perspective of our roles and place within this great city of Toronto. ,This rubbish receptacle, instead of preventing blight, IS!” |
| 2278 | 10/27/2005 08:22:16 PM | Yes | “Used one once, can’t remember where.” | No | The street side of the can is too close to the edge of the curb | Yes | They are way too big. They obstruct the vision ot turning cars. They are one more piece of visual noise on the street. It’s hard to tell where the garbage goes and they end up looking more like billboards than public garbage cans | No | Advertising to porvide service is is a bad modle. Tax revenue should provide services and infrastructure. | “Pleasse take them out. Stick to the shorter, non-adversting ones already installed.” |
| 2279 | 10/27/2005 08:41:29 PM | Yes | “I love in Little Italy, Deputy Mayor Pantelone’s ward. Bathurst & College, Ossington & College.” | No | “The bins are obtrusive, block the sidewalk right-of-way, inconvenient to use, and an eyesore. There are people in the City whose job is to maintain the sidewalk right-of-way, I can’t see them allowing these bins as their locations CLEARLY block the sidewalk. It is not clear where to put the garbage and the recycling hole is small and not accessible from a wheelchair. They have the presence on the street of a BUS SHELTER, does the City need trash bins competing with bus shelters??? They do not benefit the city, they benefit Eucan as they can get more revenue from the larger advertising. GET RID OF THEM, THEY CONVEY A SOLD OUT MESSAGE ABOUT TORONTO AND THOSE WHO RUN THE CITY.” | Yes | THEY BLOCK THE SIDEWALK. THEY ARE POSITIONED TO SHOW ADVERTISING. | No | The City does not need bus shelter ads and equally sized garbage bin ads. | “Sue Eucan for producing a non accessible right-of-way blocking advertising billboard, the City contracted them to produce a garbage/recycling bin – they did not fulfill their terms of reference.” |
| 2280 | 10/27/2005 08:48:21 PM | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | [Blank] | Yes | I think it favours the needs of advertisers over the needs of pedestrians. It blocks view. | No | I think the increase in revenue is too nominal to justify polluting our public space with more advertising. | Please don’t do it. |
| 2281 | 10/27/2005 09:03:12 PM | Yes | dundas and ossington | No | i did not even know it was a garbage bin at first. it just looked like a huge advertisement. | No | “The bins are very poorly and dangerously placed. They are a terrible obstacle for pedestrians and the bins hide pedestrians that are about to cross an intersection,from drivers.” | No | no! they cheapen our city with their offensive ads. they don’t even look like garbage bins and they don’t function properly as garbage cans. all we need is a simple round bin for garbage and one for recycling – no ads! these ad bins will cost us more in the end. people will surely get hit at intersections because of poor placement and most of them are lit at night so they will be using the city’s electricity when we should be conserving. | they suck! just give us plain and simple garbage and recycling bins – no advertising! |
| 2282 | 10/27/2005 09:25:50 PM | Yes | dundas and ossington | No | it was not clear where to put batteries | No | i cannot stress enough my objection to the placement of the large bins. they block sight lines of the sidewalk. they make crossing the street more dangerous. | No | “i don’t mind the smaller bins that are parallel to the street, they’re only 4 feet tall. what i hate most about the large 7 foot tall bins is that the majority of them is advertising space. the smaller ones have advertising space that is equivalent to the garbage/recycling volume they contain. the large ones are just an excuse to put more advertising in the streets. their advertising space is at least twice their recycling/garbage capacity. they are perpendicular to the street so they block the view of the sidewalk. they (the large ones) are a blatant cash grab. they have nothing to do with recycling.” | “the large bins, if installed, will not survive. they will become targets of vandals and concerned citizens alike. they will cost the city more than they’re worth. |
| 2283 | 10/27/2005 10:47:14 PM | Yes | bloor & christie | No | what is the use of collection at both ends when the bin is placed perpendicular to the street? | Yes | “horribly. in order to attract motorist attention, the bins placed perpendicular to the street hamper pedestrian traffic on the sidewalk and those placed parallel cut views across streets, lowering cross-street interaction” | No | these bins are intrusive to say the least | get back to the drafting table and redesign. please. |
| 2284 | 10/27/2005 10:47:53 PM | Yes | Roncesvalles Ave & Howard Park | No | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 2285 | 10/27/2005 10:55:39 PM | Yes | Bloor and Clinton | No | Cardboard was jammed in the top slot and left to hang out making it impossible to put anything else in. Cigarette butts were piled up on both ends. | Yes | “The positioning is fine, but the size is unreasonable. They are far too tall and dominate pedestrian space.” | No | “Toronto needs to find a solution that works for the community, not just something that increases revenue.” | Toss ‘em! |
| 2286 | 10/27/2005 11:09:09 PM | Yes | King and Strachan | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | “Those oriented perpendicular to the road tend to block the view up the street, and take up too much of the sidewalk forcing pedestrians to detour around them.” | No | “There is enough public advertising in our city. Moreover, I am wary of the government attempting to “increase revenue” by selling its own property – the PUBLIC’S property – to advertising. It is not the place of governments to compete with private business in order to function – governments already have means of generating revenue.” | “Along with their obstructive orientation, the bins are too tall to see over. Even the shorter one I’ve seen around Queen West and Shaw is barely short enough for an average-height adult to see over. Classic garbage bins are well-scaled because they’re the height of an outstretched arm dropping trash into it from above, and thus are easy to see over. I suspect the proposed bins are really “revenue-generating” advertising boards that just so happen to also be trash receptacles – look at how the dominant, flat sides are reserved for advertising while waste collection is relegated to the short sides. You even have to ask in the survey if we’re aware that trash is collected on both short ends; it’s impossible to miss those two sides of advertising, though! Many Toronto sidewalks are cluttered enough as it is with bus shelters and hydro poles. There is no need for such oversized trash bins.” |
| 2287 | 10/27/2005 11:15:11 PM | Yes | Eglinton Ave | Yes | [Blank] | No | “they interupt the sidewalk, and are obtrusive” | No | “regardless of the price, these bins are too large. as a citizen and a taxpayer, i would rather pay for more modest bins that do not contain any advertising. i think it is disappointing that the city would consider this proposal – we need less advertising, not more, in this city. as such, the bins seem inconsistent with the “beautiful city” campaign underway. they detract from the beauty of the street.” | “our sidewalks are already very cluttered with the existing oversized bins, and with newspaper boxes. in keeping with my earlier comment, it seems inconsistent to use a financial arrangement (the fact that the bins are “free”) as the criteria for accepting the bins. what about the “beautiful city” campaign? shouldn’t beauty (or, the absence/minimizing of ugliness/intrusion) be the key criteria for assessing the appropriateness of the bins? proposed bins should be smaller (even if this requires that they appear more frequently to accomodate the same capacity)and under no circumstances should they accomodate advertising (as such, i also do not think the current bins are acceptable). to beautify our urban environment, we need to simplify it. |
| 2288 | 10/28/2005 12:35:13 AM | Yes | king and strachan | No | too big – not like the usual recycling/garbage containers – you basically feel like you have to walk around it to figure out what your supposed to do with it.... that is if you were aware that the big placard was actually a garbage receptacle in the first place | No | I find them extremely unsafe. As a single woman walking – especially in the evening – it’s really important for me to be able to feel like I can see the street clearly – the bins are a major obstruction and makes me feel less safe on the street | No | They are visually assaulting and do absolutely nothing aesthetically for our city streets. | Please don’t carry through with these. I find them really awful. |
| 2289 | 10/28/2005 01:30:53 AM | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | [Blank] | THIS WOULD BE A GREAT MOVE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. but...there would still have to be a way to sort the garbage from the recycling since inevitably garbage will end up in the wrong spot due to carelessness. |
| 2290 | 10/28/2005 04:15:45 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “while they may take up less space on the sidewalk, their massive height acts as a miniature wall, blocking the vision of drivers and pedestrians unneccessarily” | No | “the city of toronto, indeed the goverment of ontario, should make it a priority to implement garbage and recycling receptacles throught the city, but not illuminated ones that will drain energy and whose main focus is clearly NOT waste reduction but rather to sell products to the citizens of Toronto” | [Blank] |
| 2291 | 10/28/2005 05:04:49 AM | Yes | Bthurst & College | No | [Blank] | No | “They are too tall, the advertising takes priority over the functionality and purpose of the bins. The current bins are much more discreet, with a functional design. If they are not satisfactory, then perhaps a design competition should be Launched to desing a bin that can be functional, discreet, and include advertising, if the city is so desperate for money. Toronto has world class designers, and this box does not reflect well on Toronto’s image and standards. The boxes are too high,they block street views from pedestrians, and cars. Any design should probably be below elbow height. There is already an excess of information thrown at us, on street signs, advertising, jaywalking pedestrians, out of control couriers. This big box billboard will only obscure more visibility in an overclutted urban environment.Please come up with a better design that makes our city better not worse.” | No | “I am strongly agaisnt this design. If the city is desperate for free bins, and money for advertising, then a proper design competition should be launched. I am sure a panel can be put together that can look in the best interest of Torontonian, while making a profit out of the functionality and nessecity of Recycling. Please don’t sell our public domain so cheaply. At least sell it under our terms, our needs, set out a brief, launch the competition, bring public awarenes, include them in the des=cisions that affect our everyday. | “Please make them lower. Make them look ‘cool’ for a lack of a better word.Thes boxes look, bad, it seems its main aim is to block your view, so that the advertising becomes the focus of attention, and the recycling seems aspect seems like a bit of an afterthought.We have good designers in the city. Use them, They can make the city feel world class.” |
| 2292 | 10/28/2005 07:09:43 AM | Yes | Roncesvalles / Howard Park and also on Queen Street | No | Multiple things on it made it complicated to figure out what was the garbage related component | No | “Nasty! ,1. given the size, and the fact that they are placed on the outside of the sidewalk (close to the street) they are incredibly obtrusive.2. They appear to be placed to maximize the exposure of adds, rather than the placement of garbage. An old fashioned top loading garbage can, for example, is very easy to access. These, on the narrow ends, tend to make it difficult. | No | “Definetly not!,Independent of the direct revenue, they represent a great cost to the quality of the public space. We should be investing into better streetscapes, and urban design. These garbage cans make the street worse, rather than better. The City will need to invest that much more into streetscaping to make up for what could potentially be a terrible choice in these garbage cans. | “Please, please don’t use them. Please!” |
| 2293 | 10/28/2005 09:05:49 AM | No | [Blank] | No | The size of the opening are too small especially the recycling. It is also hard to know that it is a garbage can. | No | They are very obtrusive and block the sidewalk. Also the use of large scale advertising is overwhelming at the size and scale of the pedestrian. Their orientation favours the importance of advertising to automobiles instead of providing a service to pedestrians. This makes a clear statement towards an automobile oriented city. DRIVE don’t WALK. | No | Too much!!! Just put out normal recyling/garbage cans. This isn’t really something that needs to be so over-designed. | [Blank] |
| 2294 | 10/28/2005 09:21:49 AM | Yes | Danforth east of Broadview | No | “Openings are too small, plus you nearly need to stand on the roadway to use one side of the structure – because the sidewalk side was overflowing” | Yes | “Terrible!!! Placed perpendicular to the sidewalk, the structures impede pedestrians and serve as little more than ad signs.” | No | [Blank] | Rethink this horrible project. Give sidewalk space back to those who really animate this City – pedestrians and local retailers. |
| 2295 | 10/28/2005 09:28:13 AM | Yes | on the Danforth near Chester Station | No | They were easy to understand but the bin is designed in such a way that I don’t want to use it as a garbage/recycling bin. I feel that they are only their for advertisement purposes and are meant to be pretty to look at. | No | I think they were designed more for the advertisement and not so much for the garbage and recycling. I believe that they are too tall and block the view of the streetscape. | No | there are other designs that could accomplish the same advertising goal but not block the veiw of the street scape. There are already enough billboards everywhere to look at. | “I think the design should be looked at more carefully. imagine if every existing garbage bins were replaced with one of these, the streetscape would look like a venue for posters instead of a venue for pedestrians. |
| 2296 | 10/28/2005 09:36:30 AM | No | Danforth & Playter | No | I didn’t have anything to throw away but somone had to point out to me that it was a garbage/recylcing bin. I had no idea what it was ecept a billboard. | No | Well they block your view of the steet. They are kind of awkward to walk around and you don’t see the garbage/recycling bin parts on them. | No | I think for eople to use recycling and garbage bins they need to be visible and intuitive. These bins are visible from a advertising point of view but you don’t now that they’re recycling or garbage containers. I think some garbage was put into planters on the street because people didn’t know there were garbage cans. | What if you put a sign on the top of them indicating garbage and recycling and cigarette butt depot. So if I looked up the street I would see the universal signs and know where the containers are. The ads tell me nothing. |
| 2297 | 10/28/2005 09:39:40 AM | Yes | Queen and Jameson | No | “It was hard to figure out where to put waste, the bin is not clearly labelled” | No | “Sightline hazard for pedestrians, motorists and cyclists.” | No | These bins are inappropriately big especially relative to the amount of garbage they hold. Their size sends a message that city is more interested in advertising revenue than keeping Toronto clean (regardless of the actual dollars and cents). | “They are also an unessecary drain on the power grid in an era when the city should be taking a stand to prevent any unecessary power usage, however miniscule. More importantly these bins contribute to the increasing amount of light pollution that citizens have to put up with. |
| 2298 | 10/28/2005 09:40:38 AM | Yes | christie and bloor | No | openings too small. receptacle facing the sidewalk was overflowing and it is necessary to walk into the road to get access to the opposite side. | Yes | “They really are terrible. I hope that this truly is a “pilot” project and the City take criticisms to heart and rethinks the design of these garbage bins.” | Yes | “Advertising is fine, but the placement and scale needs to be appropriate to the primary use, which is a garbage bin, not a billboard.” | See above. |
| 2299 | 10/28/2005 09:44:43 AM | Yes | “College/Grace, Bloor/High park” | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | - we don’t really care | Yes | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 2300 | 10/28/2005 09:56:01 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | N/A | Yes | I find they are way too tall. I prefer a lower one that you can see over. | No | I really am sick of everything having advertising on it – like the street cars! | I prefer the small ones without advertising. |
| 2301 | 10/28/2005 09:58:21 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | The EcoMupis bins appear to be in violation of the City’s Accessibility Design Guidelines as well as the City’s sign by-law. | [Blank] | [Blank] | There should have been consultation with the City’s Disability Issues Committee. Its members include people with a broad range of disabilities who can provide you with feedback on the design and placement of the proposed garbage receptacles. |
| 2302 | 10/28/2005 09:58:59 AM | Yes | Danforth east of Broadview | No | Only after I read all the instructions and figured it out. I doubt people will take the time I did to read everything. Many people will use the easiest opening | Yes | “Yes, bur again, only after taking the time to read and figure it out” | No | “They are an ugly eyesore and we don’t need any more advertising. The city wants to stop postering, but then bombards us with this advertising. Soon everythinmg will have an Ad on it if this doesn’t stop now.” | “Please, please reconsider. Or at least let each area decide for themselves. Our BIA is dead against them.” |
| 2303 | 10/28/2005 09:59:26 AM | Yes | Bloor and Christie | No | “For such a gigantic bin you would think the openings would be bigger, and not on the edges but in the main part...” | No | “They jut out into the sidewalk instead of being positioned lengthwise, which would let more people pass and not be such an eyesore.” | No | “I don’t think every public service should be funded by advertising, there’s too much in our public spaces as it is, plus the whole push to consume, which is what advertising is all about, runs contrary to waste reduction which should be a priority for the city.” | I do not want these in my city!!! |
| 2304 | 10/28/2005 10:05:08 AM | Yes | dundas and ossington | No | “1/2 of the bin faces the street, i saw people standing on the street trying to use, a dangerous situation. i have also seen people putting wrong items in the slots.” | Yes | poorly. they are way too big for their purpose. what we need are numerous simple cans with 3 slots: paper; cans etc.; garbage. | No | “garbage and advertising are 2 seperate issues. we need more cans that are effective. the city should also investigate kiosks, used around the world, which isolate posters etc. they look very good.” | get rid of them. they are a bad idea. |
| 2305 | 10/28/2005 10:21:22 AM | Yes | Christie and Bloor | No | “It was difficult to even tell this was a garbage/recycling bin – openings are on the narrow side, not visible from a head-on angle” | Yes | They are obtrusive. Appears as simply a landscape blocking advertising space. | No | [Blank] | “Unnecessary design. Smaller, more accessible and identifyable bins work better. Toronto citizens don’t want to be bombarded with more ostentatious advertising, despite the added revenue for the city.” |
| 2306 | 10/28/2005 10:25:44 AM | Yes | Ride by while cycling. | No | The (bins?)in question are in no way representative of a garbage depot and speak more of a corporate identity disguised as public service. | Yes | “Bins though small in footprint are too high and occupy too much vertical (ie air) space.The city should be working to eliminate all outdoor advertising and not devising ways to increase this form of visual pollution. The city should, if it was truly concerned with the environment look at ways to conserve electricity. We have enough advert in the way of shop signage and the like without using more finite resources. The new design (if there was a ever a mandate to replace the current bins) should take into consideration that these bins should be visible (easy to see and use),easy on the eyes and at the same time not distractive. Note...We should be more concerned about proper maintenance of the bins (more frequent servicing) where ease of service & use can be incorporated into the design mandate. | No | There is no such thing as free – the city will relinquish control ie increased advert(witness viacom-bus shelter)which translates to loss of public space via unwanted advert and an unattractive streetscape. The city should have ultimate control over all public space at all times and all agreements must subject to continuous open and transparent public scrutiny. This is our city- corporations come and go with the wind and can often leave a bad taste when they do depart. | “Please consider that these (bins?) as well as other slick ventures are remove both the humanity and human scale that Toronto at one time eschewed. Short sighted management and chronic/erratic funding at city hall forces the public to be coerced into acceptance of commercial interests. These same interests and some bad judgement are already beginning to erode community control and leave little recourse for the general citizenry. This city should be taking steps to make the city more liveable and on a scale where the sun/sky are still visible and not blocked by too tall buildings, billboards and outdoor paraphernalia. thank you... P.Halford 22 Atlas Toronto Ont. |
| 2307 | 10/28/2005 10:39:42 AM | Yes | King St W & Strachan Ave | No | No clear labelling for recycling. Not easy to throw garbage out without getting your hands dirty. Practicality of use seemed to be lacking as all the focus is on the use of it as an advertisement and not as a garbage/recycling receptacle. At first I was not even aware that it was a garbage bin! | Yes | I think it blocks your view of traffic on busy streets and puts pedestrian safety at risk. Also because of the bright lights it can make it difficult to see things close to it because they are just too bright at night. | No | I think these are a horrible idea. They are not clearly marked and have low capacity. It will cause increased litter as people will be looking at the ad and not noticing that these are garbage bins. Many people will only do a quick glance about if they need a garbage that gives only seconds to allow for identification before they give up and ultimately resort to littering. Also the adds encourage increased consumerism. This clearly does not fit with the image the mayor is trying to create of a cleaner Toronto. I believe this will be a great step backwards in trying to make Toronto a greener city that people want to call home. | “If Toronto is really trying to reduce garbage and encourage pride for a cleaner, healthier, city, design a bin that puts recycling first and foremost. Advertise recycling, reduction, conscious consumerism. For every garbage bin in the subway stations put a recycling station for metal, glass, and plastic. Make the focus recycling and reduction of waste, not increased consumerism. |
| 2308 | 10/28/2005 10:44:20 AM | Yes | Danforth & Logan | No | The side near the the sidewalk was full and you ahve to stand IN THE STREET to use the other side – ricidulous! | Yes | they block sightlines and make it more dangerous for crossing the street | No | we are constantly inundated with advertising and the bins are ugly and intrusive and mar the streetscape. | “they are ugly, hold less garbage, are impractical and a waste of money and space.” |
| 2309 | 10/28/2005 10:48:59 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | completely out of scale with the pedestrian environment; more advertising than utilitarian | No | “maybe these woulde help make Toronto “cleaner” but certainly NOT more “beautiful”” | DO NOT USE THESE BINS IN TORONTO |
| 2310 | 10/28/2005 11:09:03 AM | Yes | Bathurst and College | Yes | [Blank] | No | Obstruct view. Far too obstrusive. | No | “Our streets are overwhelmed with advertising. It’s ugly and it’s a safety concern for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.” | Please keep these new bins off our streets. |
| 2311 | 10/28/2005 11:11:22 AM | Yes | “1) Queen west and shaw,2) McCowan SRT station” | No | “at McCowan station the bin was so close to the street curb, that I was almost hit by a car’s side view mirror trying to place my garbage inside” | Yes | “in some instances the bins work where they are located, given the varying width of sidewalks. However, in some cases, such as outside McCowan SRT station, it does not. I feel having the openings to the garbage abutting a curb is an accident waiting to happen. Has the City considered the litigation nightmare that will become of someone dumping their trash and getting hit by a car? The positioning needs to be rethought in many cases. Please, move the McCowan bin further from the curb.” | No | “I think they are horribly designed – I find that they act as a deterrent to the enjoyment of PUBLIC SPACE, given their primary use of advertisement. I understand that the City needs to generate revenue for such services, but these bins too closely resemble billboards then they do garbage bins. | “I feel that these bins are not a welcomed addition to the City. The city has pitched the Beautiful City Campaign – having advertising all over the streets is not in keeping with the BEAUTIFUL objective. Clean, yes. ,Has the City factored in the backlash of such advertising, given that opposition to these bins will likely lead to large scale vandalism... has the city factored in the price of maintaining these bins?” |
| 2312 | 10/28/2005 11:53:32 AM | Yes | Kingston road and Victoria Park. | Yes | Everything was well labled. | Yes | “I think they’re somewhat of an eye sore when you first look at them, but once people realize just how useful they are we should be able to get used to them. | Yes | “As long as they don’t replace EVERY garbage can in the city. These bins are great for certain areas that usually get alot of litter, but in some places the smaller garbage cans are more favourable. | I LOVE that there is an ashtray because as a smoker I don’t have anywhere to put my cigarette butts and I hate the look of a million butts scattered on the streets. |
| 2313 | 10/28/2005 11:59:12 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | very intrusive. ugly. | No | “the low garbage cans with ads are ugly but acceptable. the tall cans are unacceptably in-your-face. anyway, the short ones are already supposed to pay for themselves... they don’t need to get taller.” | advertising in a sort of physical assault. Please don’t do this to Toronto. |
| 2314 | 10/28/2005 12:01:53 PM | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | “No. The side of the bin facing away from the road was so full it was overflowing onto the ground. You had to walk on the road to reach the other side due to locked bicycles, concrete flower pots, and bags of garbage from retail stores blocking the path. This is inherently dangerous.” | Yes | “These bins are a bad idea. The take up half the sidewalk. The sidewalks on the Danforth near Pape are already too crowded on weekends and summer evenings. There is no way we can afford to lose half of the navigable space.In addition, they block sightlines on the sidewalks. A kid riding on a skateboard banged into me because neither of us could see the other due to the large size of the bin.” | No | They take up too much space on the sidewalks. They are unsightly and contribute to the closed in feeling in busy sections. They do not have sufficent capacity for garbage. They seem to be a public health risk. | Do not do this. I am opposed to these bins. |
| 2315 | 10/28/2005 12:07:41 PM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “Too big, visually unnattractive, distracting for cyclists/motorists” | No | What is the point of these bins to make the city cleaner or to promote clutter? | “The city needs to do there research. There has got to be a better way to keep this city clean instead of with wasteful (space and energy) bins like these. Plus there is more than enough advertising in this city, who needs more eye clutter, has anyone been to Dundas Square or driven down the Gardiner Expressway lately? Whatever happened to “a City within a Park”, these bins do not represent that slogan!” |
| 2316 | 10/28/2005 12:14:43 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | No | “They are too tall, they are banal, and intrusive. Good design could go a long way to improving not only the functionality but also the street presence | No | The advertising is disgusting. Thinking about the street as just a commercial dimishes its value as an integral part of what makes toronto the wonderful city it is. | “Please run a design competition, with designers on the jury. Make it open to architects, other design proffessionals and students. Instead of inflicting just another piece of ugly clutter to the streetscape in the name of ‘efficiency’, take the time and energy to fully realize the opportunity: to add a vital piece to Toronto’s streets. Toronto is especially identified by the vibrancy and unique character of its districts which are primarily defined by their streets (queen west, spadina, bloor village, etc.). Instead of homogenizing and thus harming the identity of these places, use this opportunity to enhance them.” |
| 2317 | 10/28/2005 12:17:10 PM | Yes | Pacific & Dundas | No | “Openings too high for children, short people and people in wheelchairs” | Yes | Concerned about blocking sightlines at intersections. | No opinion | Not sure – depends on what the cost is if they weren’t funded. | Need to be set back from the curb for safety. Sidewalk space should be kept for pedestrians as much as possible. |
| 2318 | 10/28/2005 12:26:47 PM | Yes | runnymede & bloor | No | not labled clearly | Yes | should not be perpendicular to the street but parallel | No | design is compromised for advertising | “ugly! ,public space should not be used for ads” |
| 2319 | 10/28/2005 12:31:50 PM | Yes | Yorkmills & Yonge | No | It’s very impractical to push paper through the recycling part with the flaps in front and not getting hands to touch the flaps! | Yes | too big & bulky! blocking the sidewalk and the view! | No | “It took me a while I realizing these were garbage bins! for the longest time I thought they were just billboards! If we want to have advertisemnt panles with the garbage capability on the side, they are great... but if we want garbage bins, with advertisement second to that functionality (as I think every responsible city planning would have in mind), they are not at all a good design!” | “let’s not foget what’s the purpose of garbage bins... to collect garbage, not advertisement!” |
| 2320 | 10/28/2005 12:41:51 PM | Yes | SE Corner of Dundas Street West and Pacific Avenue. | No | “It was absolutely impractical. The opening to the garbage receptacle was too small, as was the receptacle itself, as evidenced by the refuse that was sticking out through the top. And I had no idea it was a garbage bin at first.” | No | I was offended. Not only was the bin obstructing pedestrian mobility it also blocked a retail storefront’s window display. It was so out of proportion with its surroundings that it was overwhelming. | No | “No I am not in favour, even if it means they are free and they generate revenue. I am aware of the City’s tight financial situation but the City also has an obligation to maintain its streetscape and neighbourhood aesthetics.” | “Let’s face it. These are not garbage/recycling bins but simply billboards. The city should be encouraging responsible disposal of waste which in my mind means making it easy and obvious, not hiding it within an advertisement. To be honest, I don’t mind the current Silver recycling boxes (Eucan bins) on the sides and corners of streets because they actually fit in with the built environment and are not visually obtrusive. Yet they are totally obvious when you need to find a garbage can.” |
| 2321 | 10/28/2005 12:47:13 PM | No | St. Claire and Keele | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Why are they so large? It is difficult to see the streetscape or my neighbours and instead I am confronted with an enormous ad. | No | I have heard overwhelming reports of how the city would actually lose money on this endeavour. The sale of commercial advertising space is also not worth having such eyesores on our streets. | “This doesn’t seem justifiable. Please, use some more creative problem solving solutions! Innovation doesn’t mean selling out to enormous advertisements at eye level. |
| 2322 | 10/28/2005 12:47:48 PM | Yes | Danforth & Pape – there are several along the Danforth. | No | “It’s not readily apparent that the bin has openings on both ends. One end is regularly overflowing with trash, butts, and other garbage, while the opposite end sits empty. Who would use the other side anyway? – it looks like it’s designed for drive-by motorists!” | Yes | “Very, very, poorly designed. Sightlines are blocked for people on foot, in cars, and on bikes. Very dangerous especially for pedestrians and cyclists. Much too large and much too ugly. Who needs more 6 foot high advertising? Get rid of them. The older, lower profile bins are a much superior design.” | No | Too much signage already exists on present bins. These are monsters that block sightlines and ruin the look of neighbourhoods. | “Terrible design, unsafe for too many people.The worst example of what they may be used for was demonstrated by human feces stuck on the toilet-like opening for the garbage bin on the unit at Pape & Danforth.” |
| 2323 | 10/28/2005 12:48:01 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | Atrocious and ugly. WHY do we need something as big and ugly as this with yet MORE ads on it? | No | “The last thing we need in this city is to be assaulted by more advertising -- they look cumbersome, HUGE, awkward and for all the talent & wealth of designers in this city how come we end up with something as ugly as this on the streets of our beautiful city???????” | read above. |
| 2324 | 10/28/2005 01:06:04 PM | Yes | bathurst and college | Yes | Fairly self explanatory. | Yes | “I appreciate that the design of urban fixtures has become an important part of our cityscape. However I am disappointed with the design of this latest attempt as it clearly blocks the view and pathways of pedestrians and is so tall that it actually attracts attention to garbage and recycling bins,and away from more appealing urban fixtures. | No | “see above comments. I believe that the design could be more compact, streamlined and less obvious and still manage to be effective.” | [Blank] |
| 2325 | 10/28/2005 01:26:43 PM | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | “I don’t like the little plastic flaps in front of all the openings. It doesn’t look like a garbage can. I can also see them overflowing really quickly. I think they might get blocked up easily because they are so long and skinny. Also, do you really think that smokers are going to stick their little butts in those little slots? good luck. they will still end up on the street so what is the point of that? you are just giving city workers more work (which will cost you more money) to dump the 5 butts that will end up in the bin every week. | Yes | “I don’t really like it. I liked the old ones that faced the opposite direction. I feel that these can just look like advertising. It’s a surprise to find that they actually do something (collect garbage) because they just look like ads. Which I don’t like. they also take up WAY TOO MUCH space on the sidewalk, if they were angled the opposite way it might be better.” | No | “We don’t need more visual pollution in toronto. Also these signs are illumated- causing more light pollution and using more electricity. PLUS, the cans we have work well (in my opinion). I am unclear as to whether or not you will be removing the old cans (the ones with three slots for garbage, paper recycling, and bottles.. etc) to replace them with the new ones. If this is the case, that is a stupid idea. YOu are just generating more garbage by throwing out the old garbage cans. We need to be thinking about sustainability not generating more waste. Also what will you do with the giant PLASTIC signs that you will use for advertising- at least if you didn’t light them up you could use paper.” | “I would like to see bins that are human scaled- that don’t loom over me with adverts. I would also like see bins with slots for garbage, recycling and compost. Leave the old bins! I say no to the new ones!” |
| 2326 | 10/28/2005 01:35:46 PM | Yes | As I recall it was on the Danforth -- somewhere near Pape. | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | Absolutely not! I don’t need more in-my-face advertising assaulting me as I walk down the street. | Much too large! They’re a blight on the landscape. |
| 2327 | 10/28/2005 01:42:11 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | They should not be on any sidewalk. | No | “Not acceptable to sell-off the public realm to proliferation of advertising on monster-sized trash receptacles which obstruct pedestrian path and sightlines. Find other source of revenue which does not “trash our streets”.” | Say NO to this dishonest design. Find one which serves the honest purpose and is in harmony with the streetscape. |
| 2328 | 10/28/2005 01:46:02 PM | No | “Don Mills, just south of Eglington near Science Centre.” | No | Horrible and ugly. Take an ugly city – Toronto and make it uglier. Bizarre. | [Blank] | Hidesou and monstrous. Give us normal garbage bins. | No | Ugly. | Smash them to pieces. |
| 2329 | 10/28/2005 03:01:49 PM | Yes | college & bathurst SW corner | No | The labelling is very confusing and cluttered. You shouldn’t have to stand and read for a while to see where to put garbage | Yes | “the position makes it very difficult to use the end of the bin closest to the street. There was a very big difference in the amount of garbage in each end of the bin -- the inner end was overflowing and the outer end was almost empty. Probably most people don’t know about it having two ends for collection, or they don’t want to use the outer end because it is inconvenient and puts them dangerously close to the curb and oncoming traffic while using it.” | No | “The advertising money cannot possibly compensate for the visual clutter, overflowing garbage, reduced sidewalk space, reduced street safety, wasted energy, and poor design.” | “These bins would be an embarassment to Toronto if they are allowed to clutter our streets. They make our city look very cheap: we can’t even afford proper garbage cans without bombarding citizens (and tourists) with advertising. Doesn’t seem to make sense when City Council is cracking down on postering and newspaper boxes, both of which provide more valuable service to citizens than these hideous bins.” |
| 2330 | 10/28/2005 03:03:14 PM | Yes | [Blank] | No | “Too many decisions to make – have to stop, pause, figure it out.” | No | “It is hypocritical for the City to be championing its “clean and beautiful” campaign while putting forward these bins as an option – it does not matter which way they are positioned – they destroy the view from the road to the streetscape, they block views from all directions, they are not safe for women to pass at night, they are unattractive, they will not be used (ie they do not contribute to the ‘clean’ or ‘beautiful’ goals).” | No | The advertising wall is contrary to the City’s campaign for a clean and beautiful city. | See question 4. |
| 2331 | 10/28/2005 03:09:23 PM | Yes | Dundas and Ossington. King and Strachan | No | Openings not obvious on such a large bin [hidden my display area]. Openings seem much smaller than on the smaller existing stainless steel bins. I felt like I was having to put my whole arm into the bin to deposit the garbage. | No | Way too tall and wide. Security and safety for pedestrians is really compromised with these bins The one on Dundas at Ossington is blocking the side walk for pedestrians and view around the corner for motorists. And the second deposit are was facing traffic – is it this way for motorists to deposit garbage? | No | “For the reasons stated in answer #4: safety of peestrians and motorists, ineffective design for garbage disposal.Plus: they look ugly, the advertising space is much too large, was of electricity to power them, exisiting bins work much better on all points [except for advertising space].” | “Scrap the idea. Keep the streets and side walks safe for pedestrians and motorists. Design bins for garbage, not advertising. If electricity is desired, us solar panels like the new parking meeters do.” |
| 2332 | 10/28/2005 03:16:30 PM | Yes | main and danforth | Yes | yes and no. I am short some of the openings i had to stand on my toes | Yes | I think the position of the bin should be paralle to the sidewalk. The bin at this intersection is facing a north/south adjacent to the sidewalk making one side of the openings facing the street. | Yes | Our city is very wasteful and everyone knows that there will be at one point that toronto;s garbage will be returned to us from Michigan. Toronto must find and create better ways in recycling and lowering the waste of the city | I was surprised by the bins and quite happy about the fact that the city is taking a new appoarch to recycling it’s been a while since the blue bin |
| 2333 | 10/28/2005 03:48:44 PM | Yes | Victoria Park & Danforth | No | Hard to tell exactly what goes where. Recyclable will end up with rest of garbage. | No | “Obstructive, too much advertisement, really too big but at the same almost invisble as prime purpose: garbage.” | No | “We’re talking about beautifying the city, aren’t we? | I give up on understanding our politicians if they go ahead with that. |
| 2334 | 10/28/2005 03:56:02 PM | No | “Don Mills & Lawrence, Egliton & Laird” | No | [Blank] | No | “Urban blight. As a professional planner, we work hard with consultants and city staff including urban design to make an attractive and ‘beautify’ the City of Toronto. ,These bins do not fit well into the plan for Mayor Miller’s beautification program. They are an urban eyesore that collects garbage and promote large offensive advertising. ,We live in an era that advertising is surrounding us everywhere. Having these bins that are taller than me are really telling for a City that is trying to promote urban beautification – naturally.” | No | Absolutely against the bins and the revenue from selling commercial advertising space. | “Make them more environmentally appealing, make them out of more natural materials and at a lower scale that is pedestrian oriented. |
| 2335 | 10/28/2005 04:26:27 PM | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | “the small openings of the garbage bins are not only inaccessible in size but also badly located in the design. Various garbage types are confusing, not clearly expressed through the design of the bins.” | No | slanted positioning pose obstacles and obstructions for both pedestrians and motorists. | No | “Function over form. Citizens of this city wants garbage bins that functions first and foremost as garbage bins, not advertising spaces with added value as substandard garbage bins.” | They are badly designed garbage bins and I don’t want to see them in our city. |
| 2336 | 10/28/2005 04:53:31 PM | No | Don Mills & Van Horne | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | UGLY!!! do we really need more ads on the streets? NO! |
| 2337 | 10/28/2005 05:17:52 PM | Yes | Danforth | No | “The various opening were not obvious at first glance, and may tind to lead to items being put in the incorrect bin.” | No | “Probably the best that could be done with such a bulky object. In busy commercial areas such as Danforth, Beaches etc, sidewalk space is already at a premium, a narrower (curb to storefront) dimension would be preferred.” | No | The revenue is not free – we are selling parts of the ‘public realm’. The bins are too large and contribute to a sense of visual clutter on the sidewalk. They reduce visibility of storefronts. The commercial advertising goes beyond normal animation of a streetscape and contributes to a sense of visual overload on the street. | “The existing lower bins seem to provide oppportunities for advertising, and are less obtrusive because of theit lower height. ,The design of the new bins shares no connection to the desing of the many other ‘streetscape’ items such as transit shelters, newspaper boxes, parking ticket machines, or benches. Ideally, these items would evolve some common materials or desing themes over time to give the street a more cohiesive character.” |
| 2338 | 10/28/2005 05:27:55 PM | No | [Blank] | No | “the bins are 7ft tall and the opening is onl half way, 4ft below the top. how can u guys expect things to pile up? theyre definitely not practical!” | Yes | they get in the way of cyclists and pedestrians. people walk into them easliy because of their inappropriate sizes. the boring design and advertisements create even more garbage for city folks. | No | These avertisements will leave streets cluttered since we already see advertisements everywhere we go and in turn will make us feel alienated from these privately owned spaces. they are intruding into what we once had as public.we dont need anymore corporation bullshit on our streets. shouldnt you guys already get the idea that we dont like these damn ads running all over the place. u telling us to reduce garbage is almost riiculous. | “stop investing on advertisements that clutter our streets. theres still potential for the public to take back its streets but not until you stop sucking up to these corporations. there are other alternatives like the bins we used to have, the city should pay for the cans themselves and invest in their own city and not spend all their other money on things we dont really need more of. |
| 2339 | 10/28/2005 05:35:51 PM | Yes | danforth | No | the bin was overflowing with garbage. the hole are too tight | Yes | “The bin that I saw completely blocks off the sight line down the danforth and greatly reduces the quality of views. Additionally, it is a considerable obstacle to negotiate.” | No | “The bins themselves are a detriment to the city scape, and have a negative net impact on the streets they occupy. The financial compensation that they may bring about is not a favourable trade-off.” | Please do not proceed – but good street design first. Toronto desereves it. |
| 2340 | 10/28/2005 06:58:14 PM | Yes | “east side of Roncesvalles, just north of Howard Park” | No | I just wanted to throw away a small piece of garbage and the variety of openings made it very confusing. There seemed to be far too many unnnecessary options on this oversized garbage bin. | Yes | “They are much too large and intimidating. They obstruct a pedestrian’s view and make the sidewalk too narrow. They’re ugly and it’s hard to imagine them “fitting in” to our landscape.” | No | “No. We elected this mayor and this city council because we thought you had integrity and vision. These are an ugly, poorly diguised cash grab and no ad revenue justifies the eyesore that they create.” | I look forward to the end of this test period and the prompt and complete removal of these beasts from the sidewalks of our once fair city. |
| 2341 | 10/28/2005 07:19:12 PM | Yes | “Queen and Brock, among others” | No | “The openings were very small and, confusingly, faced the narrow end of the bins. One opening faced the street so I’d have had to wander into traffic to use it. The openings were not clearly marked at all so I had no idea where I was supposed to put what. | Yes | “The way they are positioned is stupid, and clearly underlines the fact they they are meant primarily as billboards. They block pedestrian traffic and sightlines of the raod and further render half the bins’ capacity useless.” | No | Whoring out the city’s infrastructure is not the solution to the budget problem. These useless ugly garbage cans ruin the streetscape. Litter would be a far prefereable option. | Please scrap the whole plan. These are a total disgrace to the city. |
| 2342 | 10/28/2005 07:39:21 PM | Yes | King & Strachan | No | It looked more like a electronic billboard than a waste disposal unit at first. It took me a minute to figure out what it was and what went where. Far too big and complex. | No | Intrusive -- way over the top for the amount of functionality the units offer. | No | “While I appreciate the potential revenue to the City, the bins are really just another piece of “in your face” advertising hardware. In my opinion, the “bins” are first and foremost electronic billboards plunked down on the sidewalk with the intent of confronting passers-by with consumer ads. The fact that the units were actually waste bins is not immediately apparent. I guess they’ve saturated the freeways and now they’re turning to the sidewalks. | “Walking is one of the pleasures of living in Toronto. Let’s not clutter the sidewalks with any more private advertising than is necessary. Sidewalks are for people, not ads.” |
| 2343 | 10/28/2005 08:53:37 PM | Yes | windermere & bloor | No | “Blocks the sidewalk, openings on the wrong side, too large and overpowering, out of scale.” | Yes | They’re too big! They’re obviously billboards with only a secondary trash collection function. | No | Regular trash bins would be better. | [Blank] |
| 2344 | 10/28/2005 09:27:57 PM | Yes | Lakeshore in Etobicoke | No | More complicated than they need to be | No | Take up too much space on some sidewalks | No | “Further proliferation of advertising, just like the proposed video screens that would face the Gardiner Expressway at the Cineplex Odeon at Islington & Queensway (Etobicoke).” | Please get rid of them! Why use electricity (even if some/all would produce their own) and cause further light pollution? |
| 2345 | 10/28/2005 09:34:47 PM | No | [Blank] | No | blocks vision of the road | Yes | in my way | No | Should NOT have adverts on them and should not be implemented tehre ugly and dangerous to the public | [Blank] |
| 2346 | 10/28/2005 09:43:03 PM | Yes | “Main & Kingston Rd, Bloor & Windermere, various other locations throughout the city.” | No | “Trash receptacle was over flowing with cans, plastic and papers on Sunday afternoon @ Bloor & Windermere location. Cigarette butt can on most are almost pristine, since smokers tend to fling their butts on the sidewalk. The recycling access seems to almost discourage people from stashing their trash in this thing. Children have an especially hard time with these; since they can barely get their noses past the open trash can to get to the recycling access. I find it hard to believe that these can hold more than the old units, especially the open trash receptacles. | Yes | “They take up FAR too much of the limited space on the sidewalks. Most have only one side of the recycling/trash can accessible to the sidewalk, other side is usually inches from the curb and only accessible to cars, which makes them only half useful. The half high one that are available are somewhat better, because they are usually oriented along the sidewalk, but they still have the problem of limited access to the trash/recycling opening. | No | “What ever the city is getting in way of revenue cannot make up for the colossal size of these things, their limited usefulness as trash cans (which we need more of!) and the visual pollution that they create. Is the marketing company going to pay for all the graffiti these things will draw or will they just let them go like the old ones? Who will be responsible for cleaning them? If they were actually designed to be trash/recycling receptacles, rather than massive street bill boards in disguise, I’m sure they would be tolerable. Would it not be more effective (from a trash collection point of view) to have more, smaller cans throughout the city rather than these large, expensive and pretty much useless units at high traffic intersections? | “They are not really designed to encourage people to stash their trash; rather they seem to be a cheap way to add even more advertising space to our city. The old wide ones are better than these things. (At least you can see past them.) Will give one plus, the solar powered on @ Kingston and Main does solve the problem of having to hardwire them in to the grid. These things would work fine out in Brampton or Mississauga where people dont get out of their cars, but on our pedestrian filled streets, they are an eye-sore, sidewalk hog and do almost nothing for the litter problem on our street.[redacted]” |
| 2347 | 10/28/2005 10:02:20 PM | No | “I was not able to find the garbage because of the overwhelming advertising, but I saw one at Danforth and Pape area” | [Blank] | No the garbage section of it is so small and not practical. | No | “They are too big, they construct pedestrian view and make it unsafe for women walking along the street at night and they are UGLY and not community neighbourhood friendly.” | No | “Absolutely not...they are an eyesore and a safety hazard for women, young girls and children and also take up too much space.” | They are too high so they obstruct your view and make it unsafe to walk on the sidewalk. |
| 2348 | 10/28/2005 11:06:41 PM | Yes | Roncessvales and Howard Park | No | The bin is easily mistaken for a billboard...barely notice the openings for garbage. | No | “They obstruct the sidewalk, limit pedestrian mobility, cause congestion on sidewalks.From a driver’s perspective, the bins are dangerous. They obstruct visual of sidewalk corners and pedestrians.” | No | “The fact that something can be obtained ‘free of charge’ does not automatically make it a positive acquisition! These bins are eye sores and nothing more than street level bill boards! The objective for garbage bins is the collection of waste and elimination of litter on our city streets... not advertising. Simple, traditional garbage recepticals are all the citizens of Toronto require on our streets.” | Do not introduce them across this city and remove the test bins from the streets as soon as possible. |
| 2349 | 10/29/2005 09:20:08 AM | Yes | Pape and Danforth | No | “Not practical, takes up too much space. But is easy to use.” | Yes | Not easy to access back collection openings because it’s close to the road. Seems to take up a lot of ‘view space.’ Like I can’t see other side of the street or cars. | No | They look bad and block sight-lines. It’s too much advertising for that close to people. | “Cigarette butt can is a good idea, but the rest of it is bad.” |
| 2350 | 10/29/2005 10:53:56 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “I don’t think it matters. They are too big regardless of how they are situated. And very unattractive. I’m embarrassed for visitors to see them. And does everything always have to be about making money, with no thought to aestetic appeal. We are inundated with ads everywhere. There is so much that it is noisy. There is so much beautiful design out there...are there no other choices?” | No | It’s not worth it. They are ugly intruders. | I said it all. |
| 2351 | 10/29/2005 11:02:59 AM | Yes | “keele and dundas west, and bloor and cristie” | No | i think the holes were very small | Yes | “i think the position is terrible. it blocks the view of upcoming buses at the keele and dundas west location, and it is in the middle of the sidewalk. there isn’t enough room for the bin and pedestrians” | No | i think that there are enough advertising spaces and billboards in the city already. Disguising another one as a useless garbage can is not a good idea for the city and it’s residents. | “Please don’t install the bins and please remove the existing bins. They are a nuisance for pedestrians and they block sightlines for drivers. I don’t like that they will be lit at night, which is a waste of energy.” |
| 2352 | 10/29/2005 12:04:28 PM | Yes | McCowan RT station | No | Confusing. Took me awhile to realize that the garbage was collected on the side by the road. Where there were cars. | Yes | They are obnoxiously oversized. Why is the garbage receptacle NEXT TO THE ROAD!? | No | They are not garbage/recycling bins. They are advertising billboards and they make the city look cheap. Appearance is important. | I fell rather insulted that the city is even trying to pass these off as waste receptacles. How stupid do you think we are? |
| 2353 | 10/29/2005 12:43:40 PM | Yes | bathurst and college | No | “No, they were poorly designed, making advertising and not waste disposal the focal point. | Yes | “I despise these bins. I wish you’d please reconsider this project. I do not want advertising everywhere I look, and resent the fact that any public surface is now, apparently, for sale. I also don’t think the wasteful use of electricity (solar or not) is necessary when the old garbage/recycling bins used no energy at all. This awful awful money grab is surely a help for budgets, as you’ve assured me, but I don’t mind paying more taxes for a livability city that doesn’t try to shove products down my throat everytime I want to recycle.” | No | “See #4, but let me elaborate: The increased revenue is not worth what we lose: a city that has values other than making/saving a buck. I so deeply resent these enormous things, which take up too much space and scar the city streets!” | “PLEASE DO NOT GO FORWARD WITH THESE HORRIBLE BINS! I OWN A HOUSE IN CABBAGETOWN, PAY ENORMOUS AMOUNTS IN PROPERTY TAXES, AND STILL I WOULD PAY MORE MONEY SO WE DID NOT HAVE TO BE SUBJECTED TO THIS KIND OF CORPORATE TREATMENTBY A CITY THAT SEEMS TO BE FOR SALE!” |
| 2354 | 10/29/2005 01:12:30 PM | Yes | Danforth & Pape | No | The openings were small relative to the overal size of the thing and seemed placed in leftover areas – it took a few moments too many to find them. | No | “They’re FAR too large, and the ratio of advertising to garbage collection (the ostensible purpose of the things) is backwards. Worst of all, they’re UGLY as sin.” | No | I’d prefer the city spend more tax money to make the urban landscape more beautiful rather than simply to add destructive billboards ad nauseum. | I would LOVE to see an open design contest to see what Toronto’s people can come up with as a solution for both garbage collection and urban decoration. Torontonians should also be a large part of the judging for such a competition. These things are not insignificant additions to our city – they should not be treated as such. The current design is intolerable. |
| 2355 | 10/29/2005 01:14:43 PM | Yes | “Queen W at Lansdowne, Queen w at triller, all over the place in fact.” | No | Aside from taking up way too much space who feeds a garbage bin when it is half a foot from the curb? At least rotate them so the recepticles run parallel to the road. | Yes | “Again, they are way too big and take up way too much space. Of the various setups I have seen though the ones that run perpendicluar to the sidewalk make the most sense. Regardless, these are ugly, space wasting bins. | No | I am usually for the city or the TTC getting revenues from advertising but this is too much. So the only bonus is we get them for free whilst the ad agencies make big bucks off of selling the spaces? Looks like you really got the wrong end of the deal there. Why are you bending over so much to help these companies? | “I would scrape the plan. Too big, way too ugly (I thought the mayor wanted a more beautiful city?) non practical. Look at the new info kiosks as a prime example. They face the wrong way...take the one right at Nathan Phillips Square for example. Who even knows what that is? They have to walk around BEHIND it to get info...again though this is an example of the city bending to the ad firms requests. I was all for those kiosks and now that I have seen how poorly they have been placed (at least the design and intentions are good) I am really dissapointed. ,Please City Hall, scrap these bins. You are Toronto, you are supposed to be strong. Start using your power and stop selling out. These companies should be begging to work with you not vice versa. It’s the same with developers. Start using your power to yours and our advantage. ,myles mccutcheon,[redacted]” |
| 2356 | 10/29/2005 01:56:09 PM | Yes | “Christie & Bloor, Kingston & Main” | No | “I think it’s a bad idea to have the instructions included in a graphic that appears well above all of the slots, rather than individual labels over each slot. Also, the openings need to be on the widest side of the bin (where the ads are). You need to make it as easy as possible for people to find the slots in order to achieve optimal use.” | Yes | “Very bad positioning. The outside slots are located too close to the edge of the sidewalk and oncoming traffic. Good for ad visibility, but not good for users, especially for those with any kind of mobility disability or for everyone once snow starts to pile up. It’s very important to have optimum access to both ends of the bin, or even better, to put the slots on the widest side of the bins. Also, the overall height of the bins decreases visibility for cyclists and pedestrians. Let’s face it--everybody jay walks--so these large obstructions so close to the road are unnecessarily dangerous.” | No | “I don’t want to have yet another enormous intrusion of advertising in public space. I really believe this is just a lack of creative thinking on behalf of the city--is invasive advertising truly the only way we can afford to maintain our city’s services? At a point, aggressive advertising is a form of pollution, or at least a violation of privacy. We cannot afford to give away valuable public space that could be used in more constructive ways.” | I am very much against the wasteful use of electricity to illuminate these ads. |
| 2357 | 10/29/2005 02:35:08 PM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | “The bin acts as a barrier between the street and stores. I find them to be a negative force in the neighbourhood. I also wonder if they create safety issues since they really do block vision. They are not attractive. They no not appear to be waste containers and I wonder if people will actually use them. Looks like more of way for advertisers to insert themselves yet again into people’s minds, instead of a way to keep the City beautiful and clean. | No | “No, these bins are offensive. They are like barricades and separate the sidewalk from the street. They cut off the view of any store they are in front of from the street. ,This city has far too much advertising right now. I find these bins offensive. Their purpose comes across as advertising billboards and they do not give the impression that they are really meant for garbage. I do question how much they can hold and how much people would actually use them. I currently clean up the end of my street once per month because of the amount of trash and illegal dumping that occurs there. I asked the city to install a garbage bin, which it did. I am amazed at the amount of trash deposited into it weekly. I really don’t think these proposed bins will be effective as waste containers. | [Blank] |
| 2358 | 10/29/2005 03:20:09 PM | Yes | “St. Clair and Weston, Bathurst and College” | No | “While receptacles were at the right height, one end (at Bathurst & College) was facing away from pedestrian traffic up against a parking lot, and was not convenient to use. Also, given that the primary purpose of the bins is supposed to be garbage/recyclable collection, it seems odd that the narrow, rather than the wide ends of the bins are given to this use.” | Yes | “I am an urban planner, and am currently studying urban design in London, UK. From my perspective, the positioning of the new bins poses a potential danger to people stepping out into traffic, in terms of ‘defensible space’ the bins would create ideal places for potential assailants to hide behide late at night (they are more then tall and wide enough for an attacker to entirely hide behind), and they would obstruct views of those very streetscapes we pride ourselves upon, or are trying to improve. From the perspective of their functioning, the bins appear to be aligned so as to best display their advertisement, rather than to allow passing pedestrians fast and easy access to the bin openings (which calls in to question the real priority in their design). After Toronto has worked so hard post-SARS trying to create an international brand, and to attract tourists and leave them with a positive image, it is unfortunate that it would then potentially work to undermine all that effort with such bins, which, if placed along Toronto’s streetscapes and at Toronto’s intersections, would leave visitors with the recollection of huge billboard ads on garbage receptacles as the dominant visual theme of our cityscape. What few millions would be earned in this venture would be more than offset by lost tourism dollars, and the negated value of Toronto tourism advertisement dollars.” | No | “The best garbage bins are the simplest. I have had the opportunity over the last few years to spend a significant amount of time in London and Paris, two of the cities in the ‘world-class’ club that Toronto seems to aspire to join. Neither of these cities are shy about advertising, they do it on buses, in their subways, on their streets. In both London and Paris, however, there is no advertising to be found on garbage cans, which are purely functional. In Paris, simple hoops are used, on which bags are hung (and regularly replaced). In London, black cylindars with a plastic sleeve (easy for emptying) are commonly found on city streets. Both of these cities seem to know that with garbage bins, function must come before revenue, because poorly designed garbage bins means litter on city streets. Opportunities for advertising revenue can be found elsewhere in the city, but garbage bins should be unadorned and easy recognizable as garbage bins, simple, functional, and plentiful. The proposed bins are none of these things, and having compared the dimensions of the new and old bins, the benefits of the new bins seem to be primarily in the form of increased and illuminated advertising space, and not in ease of use, convenience of positioning, or volume of collected garbage.” | “This would be a case of the city being penny-wise and pound-foolish. Design, locate and position garbage cans to be garbage cans, not billboards. Don’t undermine garbage collection, clutter city streets, and cheapen Toronto’s image for a few million dollars a year.” |
| 2359 | 10/29/2005 03:34:07 PM | Yes | “Bathurst and ,College.” | No | “A simple bin, with larger openings, would be better.” | No | “The position of the bin is less important than its domineering size, a gross expansion of so-called street-furniture.” | No | “This question dishonestly ignores the Staff Report that said the City of Toronto gained no effective profit from such bins, and can well-afford bins without advertising. | “Sidewalks belong to the Public, and are not for the city to sell to advertisers.” |
| 2360 | 10/29/2005 04:03:46 PM | Yes | Jane and Bloor | No | [Blank] | Yes | I think they are obstructing pedestrian’s walk. And as street furniture they are very-very ugly. | No | [Blank] | [Blank] |
| 2361 | 10/29/2005 06:07:05 PM | Yes | dundas & Ossington | No | “Because of the size of the garbage I thought it was a bank machine or some kind of tourism box. It’s ridiculously large very corporate looking, unattractive.” | No | “The bins are tall unattractive. In the day,the height of the advertising garbage cans blocks the view of storefront windows, as a store owner this concerns me greatly. My greatest concern is safety for pedestrains- The placement of the garbage cans in close proximity to bus shelters will create an ‘unsafe’ zone. The garbage cans are tall and wide which is a great place for a person(rapist) to jump out from. It prospect makes me nervous. | No | “I definately say NO! I think that garbage and transportation is a city concern and should be owned and operated by the city only, not shared by companies like viacom(in the case of bus shelters). | “In the day,the height of the advertising garbage cans blocks the view of storefront windows, as a store owner this concerns me greatly. My greatest concern is safety for pedestrains- The placement of the garbage cans in close proximity to bus shelters will create an ‘unsafe’ zone. The garbage cans are tall and wide which is a great place for a person(rapist) to jump out from. It prospect makes me nervous. ,If their is to be adversments it should be related to toronto residents programs or tourism, things that are progressive to local pedestrians. |
| 2362 | 10/29/2005 06:11:20 PM | Yes | Queen & Sauroren | No | “The holes are too small, and, why, why are these bins 7 feet high. There is no way that any garbage is gonna be put into a the 5th, 6th, and 7th feet of the bin. They are obviously intended to be used primarily as ad space, and only secondarily as garbage bins. Horrible, horrible. Take them away, soon, or the citizens might take them away themselves” | No | “Terrible. Big, ugly and imposing. What was wrong with the older bins? NOTHING! | No | “No, No, No. I’d rather have you increase my taxes.” | “Get rid of them ASAP, please.” |
| 2363 | 10/29/2005 07:20:29 PM | Yes | King & Strahan | No | Not visible enough. | No | The bin it’s just to high compared to the actual size of the garbage container. | No | “A better compromise should be find, the huge size of the container only seem to benefit the advertisers, and uglify the city, as done with the TTC shelters. | “Please find a better compromise. This should benefit all, not just the advertisers or the city treasury, but the people who live in it. |
| 2364 | 10/29/2005 07:42:46 PM | Yes | [Blank] | No | “openings were too small, and garbage was spilling out.” | Yes | “they are so big that it seems no matter how they are positioned, the will always be obstructive in some way.” | No | “plastering enormous ads all over the city is an absolutely terrible idea. make the public’s mindspace top priority instead of ad revenue. and in terms of tourism, this is an extremely ugly and embarassing mark to leave on our city. | trash it. |
| 2365 | 10/29/2005 07:50:18 PM | Yes | Pape & Danforth | No | The openings are small and garbage was overflowing from the bin. I had to carry my garbage to the next block in order to use another garbage bin. | No | It’s a real hassle to get your bike up on the curb and around the bins in order to park your bike. It also blocks sitelines to the street. I feel a bit freaked out walking past them at night because someone could stand behind it and I wouldn’t see them. | No | “These bins are an absolute eyesore. I do not wish to have my public space invaded by such looming signs. Sometimes things that are free in life are just not worth it. Don’t we have enough advertising in this city already? On a separate note, the bin is just as unfunctional as the old bins we had. The garbage slots are too small and there is not enough space inside to get the garbage off the street. People just end up throwing stuff on the ground. | Please think about the citizens in these areas. We do not need to be inundated with advertising any further. |
| 2366 | 10/29/2005 07:50:18 PM | Yes | Pape & Danforth | No | The openings are small and garbage was overflowing from the bin. I had to carry my garbage to the next block in order to use another garbage bin. | No | It’s a real hassle to get your bike up on the curb and around the bins in order to park your bike. It also blocks sitelines to the street. I feel a bit freaked out walking past them at night because someone could stand behind it and I wouldn’t see them. | No | “These bins are an absolute eyesore. I do not wish to have my public space invaded by such looming signs. Sometimes things that are free in life are just not worth it. Don’t we have enough advertising in this city already? On a separate note, the bin is just as unfunctional as the old bins we had. The garbage slots are too small and there is not enough space inside to get the garbage off the street. People just end up throwing stuff on the ground. | Please think about the citizens in these areas. We do not need to be inundated with advertising any further. |
| 2367 | 10/29/2005 08:34:39 PM | Yes | pape danforth | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | great | Yes | we need to recycle | This makes the city money ans saves the city money. |
| 2368 | 10/30/2005 09:55:08 AM | Yes | Bathurst and College | No | “as all the holes are ganged so closely together, it creates a log-jam of people throwing things out (the old bins were much better in terms of being able to use while just walking past). and the easier to use, and less waiting, the less people will litter...” | No | right in the way! it was too far into the flow of pedestrian traffic! | No | “they are not only impractical, they are an eyesore. our city does not need 5’ tall illuminated ads on every corner. they impede visibility for cyclists and pedestrians as well – i think public safety is more important than a bit of advertising revenue...” | “make them shorter, easier to use while just walking past, and place them better so they aren’t in the middle of the sidewalk...! also, don’t waste precious electricity by illuminating the ads on them!” |
| 2369 | 10/30/2005 10:19:12 AM | Yes | danforth | Yes | I had no problem. | Yes | It was ok | Yes | “Its about time the city thought about money.Maybe it’ll pay for the soccer stadium.” | [Blank] |
| 2370 | 10/30/2005 11:53:54 AM | Yes | Bathurst & College | Yes | [Blank] | No | “Seems like a nice way to create more advertising, without really delivering much to the city or people.” | No | “Way too many ads for little revenue. We can never remove these ads once they arrive, and they will no doubt move to TV monitors and then add audio and we will lose our city scapes.” | “Where is the art? For the same amont of additional revenue, I am sure that you could have a much less intrusive ‘sponsorship’ of a city-street art project, to make side walks, benches, etc... more visually interesting (think barcelona). please.” |
| 2371 | 10/30/2005 02:46:37 PM | No | “No, but I have studied the bins quite well and theorized the mechanics should I have had something to dispose of.” | No | “Capacity alone is a serious issue with these bins. It’s ironic that despite how much public space they occupy, they seem to be quite limited in capacity. What is wrong with the current bins?” | Yes | “The large height of the bins create an obstacle in site lines, and one projected example problem would be for TTC riders waiting for streetcars, etc. The vision is blocked from certain vantage points (eg. when standing inside shelter).” | No | “Hate them! Besides giving the impression of being less intuitive than the existing bins, they are an ugly eyesore and an embarassment to the city. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the current disposal bins.Also, it is a fantasy to think that the cigarette butt disposal feature will help to keep the streets/sidewalks cleaner and save money on maintenance workers. Smokers do not happen to smoke only while standing in a single spot, and it is a joke to believe that they will carry their butts with them until they arrive at a disposal bin. This just simply WILL NOT HAPPEN.” | “The main point of contention is how ugly these bins are, and how disgraceful the brash proliferation of advertising in the city is becoming. Dundas Square is a prime example of how nauseating the problem has become. This is not the answer for the city’s revenue problems. Let some other city go ahead with this experiment. I think Toronto deserves more class!” |
| 2372 | 10/30/2005 04:26:19 PM | Yes | “I refuse to use them as I do not agree with them. Nonetheless, I have come across them all along the Danforth as well as along Gerrard at Pape.” | No | “No, the openings on the side seemed secondary to the huge posters on the fronts.The garbage and recycling openings seems like a badly executed afterthought in the overall design.” | Yes | “They are intrusive, especially the bin at Danforth and Playter. It obstructs the sightlines for pedestrians, drivers and cyclists. I find all the bins too big and commercial. I pay taxes to be able to walk, drive and cycle on my streets. I resent that public space is being sold to the highest bidder with myself, and all taxpayers, having to give up our freedom and safety of movement.I also find them to be extremely ugly.” | No | “The city is not receiving them for free. They are selling the taxpayer’s and citizen’s “eyeballs” to the highest bidder – without our consent.They are a tacky eyesore as well as being intrusive in our cityscape.We need functionality and a means to reduce garbage and recycling. This can not be accomplished by a project that pushes over-consumerism/consumption through advertising, while professing to be “environmentally” sensitive. Hogwash and hypocrisy all in one oversized, ugly street level billboard.” | I do not feel that they have any redeeming qualities. Get rid of them. |
| 2373 | 10/30/2005 08:35:37 PM | Yes | Bloor and Windermere | No | Too small | No | “Ugly, bulky, obtrusive, impractical” | No | [Blank] | “Ugly, bulky, obtrusive, impractical” |
| 2374 | 10/30/2005 09:01:50 PM | No | [Blank] | No | “When I have seen these bins I haven’t had garbage or recycling that I needed to get rid of, but the overwhelming fact of the bin is that it is a big ad. The openings for waste and recycling look small and awkward next to that imposing ad.” | No | “Putting these bins near the edge of the sidewalk blocks pedestrians’ view of the sidewalk on the other side of the bin, and also impedes their view of oncoming streetcars. | No | “One of the pleasures of walking in the city of Toronto is that you can look down the street and see your neighbours, the local businesses, and the street life in general. I know the city wants to encourage walking and the use of the TTC. But now I have to step into the street to see if a streetcar is coming because there’s some big ad in the way. Wherever they are placed, these bins erode the quality of both these modes of transportation significantly. | Please don’t clutter our view of this beautiful city with these big ads. |
| 2375 | 10/30/2005 10:15:24 PM | Yes | finch & islington | Yes | [Blank] | Yes | fine | Yes | “more bins for garbage would hopefully, show people to use them more. less pollution.” | “the rubber guard for the recyle will tend to get messy, sticky, and germ ridden. if the opening was at an angle instead of stright up & down. people will use it more freely, with less fear of contact.” |
| 2376 | 10/30/2005 10:57:19 PM | Yes | College and Ossington | No | Too hard and time consuming to figure out | No | Take too much space and are ugly!!! | No | We do not need more ads!! | “Yes, get rid of them now. Thye are ugly and hard to figure out. We need something else.” |
| 2377 | 10/30/2005 11:30:51 PM | Yes | Humber College Blvd & Hwy 27 | No | I had a hard time figuring out which hole I was supposed to place my plastic bottle in for recycling. | Yes | “terribly! they are placed too close to the curb, creating a hazard to pedestrians standing near the bin (often people are standing at this intersection waiting for a city bus.” | No | “I would rather pay an extra dollar in taxes to have a garbage bin that I do not need to read to understand, and is also short enough that I can see over, allowing me to see if anyone is hiding on the other side.” | “The bins will be using electricity to illuminate the advertising – I don’t think we need to be wasting more electricity to highlight products at rediculous hours throughout the night. The previous waste bins could be found easily enough at night, without having to read the bin for directions to figure out how to throw out my trash. These bins are unacceptable.” |
| 2378 | 10/30/2005 11:54:26 PM | Yes | “college and bathurst, bloor and christie, dundas and ossington” | No | “i found that it was difficult to figure out right away where each sorting bin was, the ad really took away from even identifying it as a recycling and waste bin.” | No | “i think they are far too large to be on the sidewalk. the size of the ads really overpowers the corners that they are on. The main focus is the ad, not the fact that it is a public recycling and waste collector.” | No | “I understand that the city would get these for free, but i really feel that there must be a better design than 7 foot bins that are basically ads with small bins in them. It should be bin with clearly marked spaces for recycling/waste/butts and parhaps the bin has some kind of space for ad revenue. | please get rid of these bins and look at alternative designs for public waste collection bins. |
| 2379 | 10/31/2005 07:14:47 AM | Yes | in front of 2360 Bloor Street West | No | “It doesn’t look like a gargbage bin, it looks like a giant add. The bin is too small for weekends. Garbage overflows, it’s a discusting eyesore to have on a Toronto street. Garbage and drink cups on the sidewalk. The attention was put on the size of ad not the size of the garbage recepticle.” | No | “They are positioned for you to see the ad first. Well, ectually when they are over stuffed you will see the garbage first. Is this what you want for ours streets. They just don’t work for weekends when they have to wait to be emptied.” | No | [Blank] | Get them off our streets. |
| 2380 | 10/31/2005 08:58:50 AM | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | “cannot respond, as I didn’t use it” | No | “I find that these bins are an eyesore. In my mind, it is probably the height of them that makes them so intrusive.” | No | Our tax dollars should be sufficient to allow us avoid such an eyesore just to cover some expenses! | PLEASE DON’T DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!! |
| 2381 | 10/31/2005 09:07:35 AM | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | These bins are appropriate for arterials with large setbacks where everything looks smaller. They are not appropriate for more urban areas that have narrow sidewalks and setbacks and more pedestrian circulation. | One side should be a map. |
| 2382 | 10/31/2005 09:08:00 AM | Yes | [Blank] | No | too complicated | No | much too big. Sidewalks are meant for pedestrian traffic | No | “too big, unsightly, unnecessary” | [Blank] |
| 2383 | 10/31/2005 09:19:12 AM | Yes | Danforth/Broadview and Broadview/Gerrard | No | These bins are not very easy to use for people in wheetchairs. The openings are high and the positions of the bins do not make easy access. | Yes | “The positioning, like with the OMG bins does not take into consideration the use by people in wheelchairs and scooters. Some are positioned so close to the edge of the side walk that it is dangerous to approaach them without wheeling off the sidewalk. Others are positioned so far on the sidewalk that they become obstructions. | No | “The new bins are an improvement over the OMG bins. Lower openings for children and people in wheelchairs should have been considered. I object to the large bins because they are just another surface to advertize. The smaller bins are better, if they were more functional.I am not in favour of wither unless the only advertizing is about recycling! NO COMERCIALS” | “Have childern, seniors and disability groups test them.” |
| 2384 | 38656.40578 | Yes | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | Yes | The one on my street gets in the way because it is too close to the corner where there is already other stuff. | No | These advertising billboards are a gross intrusion on the public space. | Don’t get them. |
| 2385 | 38656.42101 | Yes | pape and danforth | No | i found the openings too small – every time i pass these bins trash is sticking out of the openings and no one seems to be separating their recyclables out. | Yes | “they are WAY too tall – they obscure views of the street and are visial pollution. what is wrong with the existing, lower stainless steel bins? | No | absolutely not – why can’t they advertise on the backs of the existing bins as they have been doing. i feel the city is selling us the public out and polluting our streetscapes – we already have enough advertising and for it to be endorsed by the city is sad and disappointing. | “find someone to design the bins who is not just interested in creating the largest possible space for advertising and is interested in the function and beauty of waste recepticals and how they can add to our experience of the city and our streets, not take away from it.” |
| 2386 | 38656.4665 | No | [Blank] | [Blank] | [Blank] | Yes | they are not instrusive and have a European feeling in their design and practicality. They are great. | Yes | Absolutley. They would also potentially serve as a venue to announce activities that are happening in the neighbourhood instead of all the postering that is happening. | “Just to insure that perhaps a fraction of the space is dedicated to the community so they can announce any functions, fairs, community events that are happening so that the telephone poles and bare walls are not covered in posters.” |
| 2387 | 38656.56215 | No | [Blank] | No | [Blank] | No | “In a word, poorly. They take up too much space and are an enormous eyesore. | No | Absolutely not. Hideous and offensive. Get rid of them now. Enough logos are plastered all over our fair city at this point. No more advertising. | “Yes. In case I wasn’t clear, they must go.Thank you!” |
| 2388 | received Nov 2/05 | yes | Danforth & Gough | no | only one side is accessible because bin is positioned so close to road and oncoming traffic. Recycling opening is too high. Bin was dirty and had garbage beside it. | Yes | They are visual eyesores! Too big for sidewalks. Only one side is usable because of parking cars. Would not use it at night because someone could be hiding behind unit unseen. | no | [Blank] | “Current bins should be maintained better before embarking on a new project. The new EcoMupis are simply an advertising billboard disguised (poorly) as an environmental “service”.” |