The city’s strategy to implement the Eucan contract is less a trial than a gradual introduction of that company’s recycling billboards behind a facade of public consultation. This has become clear with the installation of the EcoBins in the place of the old OMG Silverboxes.

EcoBins are slightly scaled down MegaBins with advertising on only one side. They are still more massive than the Silverboxes and noticeably clog the street when they are placed in the Silverboxes previous location. This is most evident at Roncesvalles and Howard Park in front of Rogers Video. The EcoBin clearly adds clutter to the corner as it competes with the transit shelter, telephone poles and Rogers Video’s own signage.

An EcoBin loiters in the middle of the sidewalk.

The EcoBins also shares the MegaBin’s faulty design as a recycling receptacle. The recycling apertures are again on the far end of the EcoBin and the small, general garbage container seems to receive refuse of all kinds, recyclable or not. At the corner of Bloor and Keele, I found an EcoBin completely filled with newspapers. This happens because the newspaper slot (it does exist) is oddly formed and not clearly marked. Indeed, you will have noticed that the city found it necessary to add stickers to each opening to help clarify what goes where. This move at least recognizes the initial bad design but still does not solve the problem as the stickers themselves are tiny and rather hard to see. Good design means you can use the object as intended with little pause for thought. Eucan’s products do not fulfill this demand unless they were designed primarily as advertising vehicles rather than recycling bins. How much do you want to bet that soon as the trial is over that empty second side also receives advertising?

The recycling slots on an EcoBin: What goes where?

Why are they removing the silverboxes and replacing them with EcoBins now, a month later after the trial actually began? Were they afraid to put them out all at the same time? Will they remove the EcoBins and return the silverboxes if the public speaks out against the project? Or will it then be too late (ie. too expensive) for the City to move backwards to a more progressive position that focuses on effective recycling and not advertising revenue? Both Councillor Watson’s office and the a rep from Eucan have clearly stated to me that the EcoBin deployment is part of the same trial as the original MegaBin/Ecomupi rollout. As such they are subject to the same public scrutiny via the City’s web survey. It is up to us to hold them to their word and fill out the City’s MegaBin/EcoBin survey.

Not impressed? Let the City know how you feel.

Eucan has renamed their monstrous trash bin/billboards. They will no longer be called the somewhat cute “EcoMupi”. Instead they have been christened “MegaBins”. Uh-huh. Do they actually think the name “MegaBin” will be more endearing to the Toronto public? This is seriously funny. I think it may also be a sign that the trial is not going as smoothly as Eucan, or the City, had hoped.

I actually used a MegaMupi–or whatever they want us to call it–the other day and was shocked by how small the garbage receptacle actually was. Anyway, the Toronto Star has finally chimed in with a wonderfully scathing–if somewhat disjointed–attack on these “enormous, nasty-looking, view-blocking things” by columnist Slinger. Here’s a taste:

On top of that, for six days the MegaBin on the Danforth was stuffed so megaFull it megaOverflowed. What does it lead us to expect from the hucksters promoting them when they can’t even manage to have their mega-ripoffs emptied while they’re trying to prove how wonderful they are? While they’re showing off?

There’s a term for what’s going on here — I forget what it is, but it refers to a medical technique. If you have a sore leg, a sure-fire treatment is to whack you so hard on, say, the shoulder that your shoulder hurts so much you forget about your sore leg.

“We want to help make Toronto more clean and beautiful,” says Rolando Garcia, CEO of Eucan, the company that has nothing but our best interests and making millions from advertising income at heart.

Slinger also points out that Eucan claims that one of the MegaBin’s “improved features” is that it has a “smaller footprint” than the existing 3-slot OMG bins. Slinger parenthetically retorts:

(What about huger eyeprint? What about more than twice as huge?)

Good stuff. I would like to thank Liam for the head’s up on the name change. And don’t forget to fill out the online EcoMupi-MegaBin survey.

I have just read the first mainstream press comments on the EcoMupi trial. Lisa Rainford of insideToronto.com and the Bloor West Villager writes, “Residents trash large sidewalk garbage bins.” The reporter interviews citizens from the area who pan the EcoMupi’s because of their ungainly size and the fact that the placement and design emphasize the advertising over the recycling. The city’s big four papers have yet to comment or even publicize the fact that a public trial is going on, so good work Ms. Rainford. I sent a couple emails to the Toronto Star’s “GTA” section and did receive one response. Hopefully they will let their extensive readership know that they too can have a say in this matter. For our part, we once again encourage you to fill out the City of Toronto’s online EcoMupi survey. Also, please let us know if you come across any other recent published comments on this issue.

I was about to write a completely positive blog entry. It began:

NorthRonces.com would like to thank Mary Ellen Mitchell of Dresser’s Clothing and Gifts and the Roncesvalles Business Improvement Area (BIA) for completing the beautification of the Roncesvalles planters…

Excuse me, Mary Ellen, I will have to return to this issue later. You have a done a fabulous job filling out the streetside planters with vines and grasses but two things happened that made me change tack and once again I feel the need to rage against the City’s bureaucratic attack on the everyday life of our North Ronces community.

First, Eucan’s EcoMupi–otherwise known as “the giant electronic billboard pretending to be a recycling bin”–went up yesterday in front of Saks Fine Food’s at the Corner of Roncesvalles and Howard Park. While it is true that an EcoMupi is a rather stylishly designed garbage bin, seeing it in person reveals it as still more massive “ad” than “eco”. Not only do EcoMupi’s use electricity to illuminate their most obvious feature–two 7 foot tall billboards–I also found it difficult on first glance to determine exactly what refuse material went where. They are also positioned diagonally across the side walk for maximum visibility for both cars and pedestrians. This results in one end hanging awkwardly over the street making it a rather large obstruction on the sidewalk and less convenient for depositing trash. For some reason, Eucan has decided against placing actual advertising in the EcoMupi during the City’s trial period in favour of an appeal to the public to participate in the trial. Um, how are we supposed to fully experience the thing in action if it does not display ads? It certainly will have real advertisements if the trial is successful. What kind? It would be helpful to know.

EcoMupi at the corner of Roncesvalles and Howard Park.

Second, the Roncesvalles BIA sent out a reminder that the city’s new “A Frame and Mobile Sign” by-law has been passed and will come into effect this September. Now, the purpose of this regulation is to make it difficult for local businesses to let potential customers know where they are and what services they offer. The concern here is that a pedestrian may stumble over an A frame and possibily sue the City. So businesses now have to have at least 2 million dollars in general liabilty insurance and list the city as an additional insured party. Of, course there will also be a yearly fee of $200.00 on top of the insurance demand. This by-law applies to other signs as well, although it kindly allows Real Estate signs to be exempt.

Well, at least both initiatives make the city money (“oh goody”). Isn’t Mayor Miller supposed to be a proponent of Toronto’s diverse neighbourhoods and grassroots community. Eucan’s electronic billboards will, for the most part, advertise non-local products and businesses, while the no-tech, small business A frames are of the street, of the local businesses, and a crucial part of the hurly burly aesthetic of our street. Is an A frame an obstruction? Much less so than the giant EcoMupis. On Roncesvalles, the A frames are often fun and inventive and, at the very least, informative. Would a truly “pro-neighbourhood” mayor discourage the latter while promoting the former. I don’t think so.

What is becoming more and more apparent is that David Miller’s Toronto is less about neighbourhoods and small business and more about locally insensitive regulation of the most regressive kind. Think about it. Who will be most easily able to afford the insurance and the licensing fees required by the new by-law? The cash poor but innovative small businesses just starting out, or, the already established companies who can easily absorb these fees as just another tax deduction?

In the case of the EcoMupi trial at least we can still Vote No. And, Mary Ellen…thanks again.

According to Ward 14 City Councillor, Sylvia Watson, the City of Toronto is run by some serious empiricists. They feel we need to see it to believe it and that we need to experience something to know what we think about it. Maybe. But we are talking about giant, high-tech billboards masquerading as eco-friendly recycling bins.

I will quote Sylvia’s latest newsletter (Friday, June 24, 2005 – Issue #60) since it is not yet online:

By participating in the pilot, residents and businesses can make informed choices and suggestions which will carry more weight with decision-makers than comments from those who were not part of the pilot and are unable to speak with experience,” said Councillor Watson.

See, as I said, empiricism rules. There is no way you could be against these giant public commercials once you witness them for yourself. The implication is: “Try it, you’ll like it.”

Why do I feel just a bit of condescension here? Let’s face it, the city stands to make money off this deal (reportedly $240 per can + 10% of the gross advertising revenues). That is why they are forcing the billboards onto the streets despite a concerted public voice against the project. The above quote must have been provided by the city’s PR gurus as it echoes a previous remark by Councillor Saundercook as reported by Liam O’Donnell on his blog, Writing For Young Minds. Liam makes the point that the city politicians are counting on public apathy to push these through as permanent fixtures on the streetscape.

The strategy for High Park-Parkdale is to put up four test billboards (one of which will be in front of Sak’s Fine Foods at the corner of Roncesvalles and Howard Park as previously noted) and then to let the citizens have their say via the City’s online EcoMupi survey.

So, since they are ignoring our petitions let’s make sure we flood their survey with a resounding No!

North Ronces has produced a monstrous response to the the City of Toronto’s plan to trial run the 7 foot tall recycling bin/advertising billboard with the cute name, the EcoMupi. Alternative Grounds has had a petition against the plan available for some time now and The Herbal Clinic & Dispensary has recently joined in. Rumors are that one of these marketing eyesores will be located in front of Saks Convenience on Howard Park and Roncesvalles, the very heart of NorthRonces turf. Sign up now and let the city know that we are tired of La Senza ads cluttering up our streetscape and ecological “solutions” that really just propagate the problem of over-consumption.

For further information on “the attack of the giant garbage can” visit Public Space or check out this story from last year in Now Magazine.