Yahoo TV

STORY: New York City’s garbage trucks

are getting a meaningful makeover

(Vincent Gragnini, Press Secretary, NYC Department of Sanitation)

“So we're at the New York City Department of Sanitation Central Repair Shop. This building is as long as the Empire State Building is tall. It's a massive facility. This is our paint shop. And we have artists from all corners of the city painting five collection trucks to serve as roving pieces of artwork throughout the city.”

The goal is to bring to life

themes of sustainability

“These collection trucks will be operating in the five boroughs and will, might, serve as a reminder to to compost, to recycle, to reduce their carbon footprint.”

(Jigga, Bronx-based artist)

“Clean up. Don't litter. Recycle. You know, trying to like make it informative for people, like when it’s driving by you can read it.”

(Fatima, Queens resident)

“So we’re going with the theme of recycling. We don't want it to be very explicit, which is why we put in people standing there to add a different dynamic to the piece altogether.”

Five applicants were selected to decorate five trucks

one for each of the city’s five boroughs