We need trash containers at bus stops

Trash can attached to CityBus pole in Santa Rosa

Discarded drink containers are a blemish on the landscape at our Lake Transit stops. The problem is that when drivers very reasonably prohibit boarding by people with flimsy cups, the people leave them on the ground.

At the bus shelter at Highway 29 and Young Street, a container is in place for trash and for recyclables but only because my husband and I dragged it from its original location down the street.

Jonathan and I dragged a trash and recycling container from down the street
to its new location at this Lake Transit stop

(This same container is too seldom emptied, however, and is once again near overflowing.)

At the majority of stops, trash containers are non-existent and garbage is left on the ground or, at those stops that have shelters, is left on the seats or seat backs.

Disposable cup left on bus shelter bench

During a recent walk in downtown Santa Rosa, I found a possible solution: a sturdy metal waste container attached directly to the pole designating a CityBus stop.

Next time a person faces the dilemma of being unable to board his or her bus with a plastic cup that is prone to spilling, how simple would it be to provide similar containers where bus patrons and walkers-by can conveniently dispose of their trash?

‘Straphanger: Making a Case for Public Transport’

Cover image: Straphanger by Taras Grescoe

To my list of must-read books, add Straphanger by Taras Grescoe (Times Books, 2012). An excerpt from the book’s introduction is published at utne.com.