Noted

Photo from yesterday by Stacie Joy

The new trash bins in the center of Tompkins Square Park are designed to keep garbage out of sight while helping reduce odors and limit access for rats and other pests.

For now, though, the bins remain locked (and empty), so much of the trash is doing what trash has always done ... piling up and open to the elements.

The bins are part of the city's broader containerization effort, which replaces exposed trash bags with enclosed waste storage. That part apparently comes after the bins are unlocked.