Media Release ~ Tuesday June 28th CITY UNVEILS NEW MONSTER AD-BINS Eucan unveiled their new design for Toronto’s garbage cans today in south Etobicoke. “These bins are so poorly designed, they are barely recognizable as garbage cans,” said Dave Meslin (Coordinator of the Toronto Public Space Committee). “Standing over 7 feet tall, with illuminated advertising, these are nothing more than a mini-billboard disguised as a garbage bin.” 1) A step backward for Toronto’s urban design (safety, accessibility & functionality) What are they? The EcoMupi is barely recognizable as a garbage can with the small openings on the narrow sides of the bin. Why are they sideways? The EcoMupis will be placed to maximize visibility for drivers, rather than being placed conveniently for pedestrians. According to city staff, most of the EcoMupis will be placed at 90 degrees to the road. This will unnecessarily block pedestrian space. Are these safe? Where can they be placed? Street furniture occupying the public right of way should not be taller than a person unless it is a shelter for a person. Any street furniture taller than a person should be transparent. The proposed garbage cans would block the view of the sidewalk from the road creating potential for accidents. For accessibility, garbage cans should be at the street corners but these cans would not be allowed at street corners by the Works department due to their height. 2) A step backward for the environment Increased contamination rates: Due to the substandard design of the receptacles, there will be higher rates of people placing recyclables in the wrong bin. Wasted Electricity: Since when do garbage cans need to be electric? Toronto’s EcoMupis require thousands of lightbulbs that will be on all night, every night, illuminating advertisements. Toronto has already surpassed last year’s number of smog days, and we all know our excessive use of electricity, produced from coal power plants, contribute to the city’s deteriorating air quality. Ads encourage more waste: Toronto can't reduce waste by adding even larger ads onto the streets encouraging people to buy more things. In the end, it's our culture of over-consumption that is to blame for our endless garbage. Where do the ads go? The EcoMupis require the production of thousands of large plastic ads, constantly being printed, installed and then discarded after a few weeks. 3) A step backward for the Beautiful City initiative While major cities across North America are taking steps to reduce visual clutter and billboard proliferation, Toronto is leading the way in branding every corner of public space with commercial advertising. While Eucan claims that their proposal will reduce the amount of ads, we point out that these new ads are twice as high, illuminated and also contain a provision to extend their contract without tender. This will result in years of increased outdoor advertising. contact: Dave Meslin, Coordinator (416) 654-8772 >> Back to Monster Garbage Cans page

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