A little while ago — I’m not quite sure when — the TTC decided to get rid of all the garbage cans on the subway platforms.  This kind of change is not something you notice immediately; after all, garbage cans have a way of fading inconspicuously into their respective environments.  Instead, it’s only when you finish your cup of Starbucks coffee just before you enter that westbound train that you realize that the lack of waste receptacles means you’re going to have to hold on to your empty cup for the entire twenty minute ride home.

Not everyone decides to hold on to their litter for the entire ride.  Sure, there was garbage on the subway before, but the disappearance of the garbage cans has only led to even more empty chip bags and candy bar wrappers under the seats.  It is somewhat ironic that the disappearance of the trash bins seems to have coincided with the TTC’s anti-litter advertising (yup, those ads with the man with the pig mask) campaign: perhaps people wouldn’t create such a mess if they had a place to put their trash.

I understand that garbage cans on platforms pose a high security risk, but I don’t believe that eliminating them entirely is an adequate solution.  Perhaps a modified form of the clear plastic bag-based receptacles that are found near ticket booths could be used at the platform level: this might still be a slight safety risk, but is dramatically safer than the old receptacles and much better for riders than no trash cans at all.

However the TTC does decide to address this issue, I still feel that it is an issue (albeit less important than budgeting and scheduling) that needs to be addressed.  I can’t be the only one sick of finding soda bottles and fast food bags on my subway seat.