Union Square is a famous hotspot for public activity, from its famed farmers market to its frequent demonstrations. Yesterday, passersby were surprised to see the New York City Department of Sanitation park five newly painted and proudly displayed garbage trucks there. Its nonprofit partner, the Sanitation Foundation, unveiled the latest round of Trucks of Art, a zero-waste challenge whereby artists use unwanted household paints to prevent them from landing in a landfill. The project challenges designers and artists to beautify five 23-ton collection vehicles with hand-painted imagery.
“The five featured artists were chosen from among more than 400 submissions,” says the Sanitation Foundation website, “which were evaluated by a team of DSNY personnel, Sanitation Foundation staff and board members, as well as special guests Nick Heller (better known online as NY Nico) and Emmy Award–winning host, producer and author Andy Cohen. The committee selected designs centered on the themes of cleanliness, recycling, composting and/or honoring the DSNY workforce. In addition to these themes, design considerations included uniqueness of design, complexity of design and potential for a flexible palette, as no colors could be guaranteed in advance.”
“This is art at work,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Julia Kerson. “After today, these trucks aren’t going to sit on a corner or fill a museum, they’ll be on the streets immediately, helping New York’s strongest haul millions of pounds of trash, recycling and compost every day.”
