Spearheaded by the Community Development Department, the City of Starkville has initiated plans to place 16 trash receptacles near high foot-traffic areas along Hwy 182, University Drive and throughout city-owned cemeteries. The durable cans will help alleviate litter issues stemming largely from pedestrian flow between the Cotton District and downtown.
“Take a stroll Sunday morning down University and Main Street and you see trash first-hand, especially in the Cotton District near Bin 612,” City Planner Daniel Havelin said, referencing Thursday through Saturday as the main window for litter accumulation. “It was really a casual observation by me and some of the alderman: the obvious issue, there weren't enough cans.”
While the receptacles will provide a basic function (minimizing litter by encouraging people to clean up after themselves), they also fit into a larger scheme: the formation of aesthetic consistency for Starkville. Yes, even something as simple as trash cans matter. The receptacles will match the ones currently lining Main Street.
“By using the same can throughout, a theme arises – something you can carry on,” Havelin said. “It’s the same thing with the light poles, signage poles and little stuff like that. You need to try and make everything come together. For any great urban environment, that’s what going on. Even if it’s not conscious to the user, it’s there.”
Havelin, a landscape architect by trade, explained projects (public and private) often get piecemealed, leading to a hodgepodge of design aspects that can undermine an overall vision. Consistency corresponds to community desirability, which relates to image and tourism, ultimately wielding an economic impact.
“Often with projects, someone will make a decision about something as little as a garbage can or a bench standard to go out front – something picked from a catalogue – with no thought about what else is going on,” he said. “It matters.”
The trash receptacles are currently being manufactured by Mississippi Prison Industries for about $400 each, representing a savings of 67 percent. Similar receptacles, manufactured by DuMor for example, cost in the $1,200 range. The cans, in addition to the ones located in cemeteries, will be placed near intersections, outside of restaurants and adjacent to established "cut throughs" -- namely parking lots pedestrians use to more easily access sidewalks, such as the Texaco parking lot by Dave’s Dark Horse Tavern. The pods for the receptacles are currently being laid and the project aims to be finished between late January and early February.
"Hopefully this is just one phase of trash cans," Havelin said. "Hopefully, as the need arises and areas are pointed out, this is something we can continue to do."