Trash

Parked Cars Hamper NYC Trash Containerization Effort
Sanitation workers must manually collect bags from containers blocked by parked cars, slowing a process that is meant to be safer and more efficient.

Garden Transforms Trash Into Works of Art
South Coast Botanic Garden highlights the importance of sustainability through its latest exhibit which consists of 16 giant creatures made from beach debris that washed ashore.

N.Y.C. Law Will Establish Waste Collection Zones
A new law will reorganize the city’s trash collection network and reduce the number of sanitation trucks crisscrossing the city.

A Clever Way to End Cigarette Litter
Chicago smokers will soon be able to vote on matters of pop culture importance with their butts.

Unique Garbage Challenges in Juneau
Juneau, Alaska's tiny capital city, is not accessible from elsewhere by road. Its isolation makes waste disposal problematic and expensive, spurring an aggressive recycling effort.
The Litterati Impact: Cleaning the Planet One Instagram at a Time
#litterati. That's the hashtag. See a piece of litter, post it on Instagram, then throw the trash away. Simple.
Baltimore Water Wheel Takes out the Trash—40 Tons since May
Part innovative urban design solution, part historic and simple design solution, the city of Baltimore's trash-collecting water wheel has been an unmitigated success at mitigating the trash in the Jones Fall River.
Confronting Our Culture of Overconsumption
Just in time for America's "annual season of excess", Lee Epstein looks at the well hidden consequences of our insatiable appetites.
What Makes a Place Feel Safe?
Utilizing an online tool that compares images from Google Street View, researchers have built a better understanding of the 'small, often imperceptible reasons' that make some streets and places feel safer than others.
Solving Sweden's Trash Deficit
You read that right, Sweden's trash problem is that it doesn't have enough of it. Due to a spectacularly successful rate of recycling, the country doesn't have enough garbage to power its waste-to-energy program. It's solution: import trash.
NYC Cleans Up Subways by...Removing Trash Cans?
It seems to work for the spotless Tokyo subway system, but in grimy New York? A pilot program that removed trash cans in select NYC subway stations resulted in decreased trash hauls (duh) and cleaner stations (huh). Now it's being expanded.
What Happens To All That Trash?
In New York, according to Urban Omnibus, "Each week, approximately 64,000 tons of household and institutional waste are collected. ... But public awareness of what happens to that trash once it leaves the curb is limited."
NYC Removes Trash Bins in Subway to Curtail Litter
Greenwich Village and Queens subway stations have had their trash bins removed for the past two weeks. This counterintuitive plan was initiated 3 months ago by officials due to an "epidemic of unsightliness and malodor," writes Michael Grynbaum.
"Don't Sleep In The Subway, Darling"....or else
No, this is not a video of Petula Clark, but do take her message to heart. Rats are not just on the subway tracks - occasionally they hop a ride too, so riders beware - stay awake! Caught on tape...
Who Takes Out the Trash?
The expense of properly carrying out recycling and trash programs is weighing on cash-strapped states. Government is pushing back, with new requirements mandating that manufacturers take some of the load.
Finding Efficiency At Home, In the Trash
Solar-powered trash compactors, while not cheap, pay for themselves relatively quickly. With state and city budgets more liquid thanks to stimulus money, municipalities are snapping them up.
Watching Trash
Tracking tags have been implanted in garbage in New York and Seattle to monitor where garbage goes and how municipal waste management systems can improve.
Locking Trash Bins to Thwart Scavengers
Residents of Santa Ana neighborhood are locking up their trash bins, hoping to eliminate the noise and trouble brought by scavengers.
Toughest Recyclers In the West (Or Anywhere)?
The city of San Francisco approves a plan to require composting and recycling citywide by this fall, with fines kicking in within two years.
Cemetery Moved For Landfill?
Elected officials in the Atlanta area decide to relocate a historic cemetery to make room for a landfill. NAACP officials believe the relocation fits a pattern of racial discrimination.
Pagination
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research