Are New York City trash cans, at least the sides of them, wasted space? Though many bear the names of the Council members who requested them, David Yassky (who asked that his name not be placed on their metal rims) would prefer that advertisers pay to see their logos and products placed there, instead. "We sell ad space on buses, phone booths, subways — even moving taxis," he told the Daily News. "It's silly to think we wouldn't sell it on our trash cans when there are companies that will pay to put it there." The city has some 25,000 cans on the street, and Yassky predicts selling ad space on them could generate as much as $1.5 million a year. Apparently it's been tried in places before, like Times Square, with little success, but the Sanitation Department is at least willing to consider it. The money could be used to provide more trash cans; for now, those funds come from Council members' budgets. Until then, some trash cans, like the one above, are the site of makeshift public art projects.
Yassky Pushes for Ads on Trash Cans [NY Daily News]
Rainbow Trash. Photo by pietroizzo.
