Dive Brief:

• The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in New York City removed trash cans from 29 stations in an effort to reduce the amount of waste in the stations. The trash cans will be removed from the J and M lines. 
• Officials report that a pilot program launched a few years ago, in which garbage cans were removed at 10 stations, demonstrated that the volume of trash collected dropped 66%. 
• The stations surveyed found a 'moderate-to-heavy' volume of litter in the stations dropped to 30% after the cans were removed. When trash cans were available, the volume of litter strewn around the stations reached 41%.

Dive Insight:

The MTA NYC Transit division has not received complaints from the city Department of Sanitation about litter around subway entrances. It is believed that people are simply keeping trash with them until they find a waste receptacle. The MTA will need fewer workers to empty the cans, so this move could be a cost-saving measure. Subway passengers could always hold out throwing trash away until they find a high-tech smart bin, like those in Lower Manhattan or Central Park. 

Personally speaking, as a former daily passenger of the NYC subway system, rats are frequently seen scampering around the stations. This move may also serve to curb the rodent issue, which could prove to be cost-effective if the MTA could avoid calling in the exterminator.