MTA board members slam trash can removal

A trash can on the N Q R platform at the Times Square subway station. (Jan. 27, 2014) Photo Credit: Mike McIntee

There was some trash talk between subway officials and MTA board members over garbage cans that were taken away from some stations.

“The general public is clearly of the view, as am I, that this isn’t a wise idea,” said MTA board member Charles Moerdler.

His fellow board member Jonathan Ballan called the idea to take trash bins away from 29 stations, mainly on the J and M lines, to cut down on litter “illogical” and wants them back.

A transit official said that station cleanliness rankings get worse, but “we saw those scores begin to rebound up.”

“It appears behavior has changed,” the official said.

NYC Transit President Carmen Bianco said riders still throw their trash around a station, even if there are canisters.

He recalled being in a Rector Street station that looked so clean, he sent a text message to compliment a transit official. That official saw the same station five minutes later with garbage thrown on the floor within feet of a bin.

“We have a problem even at stations where we have full canisters,” he said.

The MTA last week was criticized for failing to meet its own cleaning schedule and using malfunctioning vacuum trains that are supposed to suck up trash on the tracks that could cause fires.

The MTA is spending $34 million to buy three new custom-built vacuum trains that will hit the tracks between March 2017 and February 2018.