Lose the Menchaca, take the cans.
Red Hook’s Van Brunt Street is welcoming 10 new bespoke bins created by a local welder (although they first need to have Councilman Carlos Menchaca’s name removed from their rims before hitting the streets). The custom steel cans each feature a unique tree-inspired design that are supposed to be a nod to the neighborhood’s industrial past while also saying, “stash your trash here!” according to the creator.
“I wanted them to kind of blend in but also be noticeable and welcoming to garbage,” said Marsha Trattner, the owner of metalwork studio She-Weld on Van Dyke and Ferris streets.
The new rubbish receptacles will replace old Sandy-battered litter baskets at the corners of Dikeman, Sullivan, and Pioneer streets.
Local business group the Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation organized the new waste cases, and taxpayers footed the bill to the tune of $15,000 at the behest of Councilman Carlos Menchaca (D–Red Hook).
The bulk of the bill went to compensating Trattner, who crafted each can by hand.
“The upper part is all hand-done and there’s a little bit of variety in each one,” she said. “They still have a handmade quality and also a little of variation.”
But the Department of Sanitation doesn’t allow city bins to get too free-form, and Trattner sill had to adhere to regulations that each be able to hold 40 gallons — or approximately 332 pounds — of trash, include a door to remove the bags, and keep the colors to green, black, or grey.
