New York City’s trash bins have a new look. The iconic cans that have been largely unchanged since the 1930s—simple, green wire-mesh baskets—will be replaced with a sleek modular unit that is cheaper and also lighter, reducing the chance of injuries to sanitation workers. The Better Bin also has a hinged flip lid to prevent dumping microwaves and TVs, and a perforated shell to impede rats. Colin P. Kelly, design director of Group Project, the firm behind the updated bin, says it “garners more respect, rather than just being this beat-up object.”
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