With nearly 40 million visitors to Central Park a year, a lot of trash is being produced that Central Park Conservancy has been able to manage by focusing on the collection of recyclables and reducing the park's waste stream by almost 40 percent since 1980. The Conservancy will now be partnering with Alcoa Inc., Alcoa Foundation and Landor Associates to further these efforts.
With the intention of reducing rats, improving visitor safety and increasing sustainability, the new plan is to replace the park's current trash and recycling bins with over 700 aluminum cans, funded, in part, by a $500,000 grant from Alcoa Foundation. Landor Associates created the designs for the new cans to be more attractive, and prevent the overflow of trash and easy access to rats. The recycled aluminum that comprises 30 percent of their make-up is donated by Alcoa Inc.
The most recycled material on earth, aluminum allowed more flexible and resilient design options.
"The result is a really iconic form, designed to complement its surroundings, while encouraging recycling in the Park," explained Allen Adamson, managing director of Landor’s New York office, which designed the cans.
The new receptacles will be spread throughout high-trafficked areas in the park and removed from the centers of landscapes. Installing them in high-traffic areas will allow fewer vehicles on pedestrian paths, creating a safer space for visitors.
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Photo Credit: AZO Clean Tech