Ashland's Smartest Trash Can
Ashland’s trash cans have gotten a lot of attention lately. They can fit more trash, run off of solar power, have fancy designs on the outside, all in all, pretty smart trash cans.
They’ve been getting all the buzz out there, and yet…
There’s a trash can out there that’s even smarter.
This one ↓
But wait, that’s just a normal steel trash can!
Where’s the wifi receiver? Where are the solar panels? Where are the compaction pneumatics??!
What makes this trash can so smart you ask?
Simple: It’s location.
It’s not located at a trailhead, instead it’s located deeper into the trail itself.
Any dog owner knows the frustration of providing their companion ample time to relieve themselves before starting along a trail only to stop 100 yards into your hike to pick up after them.
While 90% of dog owners do the responsible thing, there is a minority who leave the trail a little less pleasant for the rest its users.
These delightfully colorful trail ornaments degrade the experience for everyone.
What can be done?
More signs?
Enforcement officers?
Steep fines?
Ban dogs from trails?
Ban fiber in dog food?
Ban humans from trails?
Many cities have come up with a solution painfully obvious; instead of placing the trash cans only at trail head (the intuitive spot) trash cans were placed about 100 yards into the trail; right where you would need it, when you would need it!
Where trash cans
Where trash cans should go
As a result,
the trails were cleaner
there were far fewer instances of well-intentioned-but-forgotten bags
everyone has a better experience on the trail
This simple idea illustrates an important point in policy and planning:
People prefer to follow the rules, so if you if you make that easy to do, they usually will.