Beautiful, Blooming Dumpsters To Appear, And Gowanus Can Learn How To Weather A Storm

Rendering of 2000 Gallon Planted Dumpster. (Courtesy of M18)

The 4th of July will feature red, white, and blue as it does every year. The Gowanus neighborhood will be particularly bursting with blue during Independence Day.

Blue dumpsters, that is.

Gowanus Canal Conservancy (GCC) and Alloy Development have partnered on the 2000 Gallon Project, a collaboration which will both beautify and educate in an imaginative way. And it all begins in less than a week.

Ten re-purposed blue dumpsters will be placed throughout the Gowanus neighborhood and planted with greenery, filling the area with striking and lush examples of ways in which to raise awareness of the importance of water management — especially concerning the Gowanus Canal.

The “2000” refers to the amount of gallons of rainwater each dumpster will be able to hold, a visual representation which will provide a way to understand the importance of reducing flow into the sewage system.

Courtesy of M18

GCC’s Executive Director Andrea Parker explains the relationship between GCC and Alloy began at a Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group (CAG) meeting. Parker says the GCC will be maintaining the greenery throughout the summer. In October and November, they will replant the greenery throughout the neighborhood.

“In New York City, our sewage system is combined with stormwater ” says Parker. “We are looking for ways to avoid our city pipes from being overwhelmed — especially during storms.” 377 million gallons of the overflow pours into the canal each year.

CB6’s Transportation/Public Safety Committee has approved the plan, and the Department of Transportation will be responsible for installing the dumpsters. Each measures approximately 11 feet, and one or two parking spots will be taken up per container.

Rendering of placement in front of Ample Hills Creamery. (Courtesy of M18)

The project will also feature several locations using the DOT’s Street Seats Program. SkyIce Sweet & Savory (63 5th Avenue at corner of St. Marks Avenue) has recently joined the program to collaborate with the DOT.

Ample Hills Creamery (305 Nevins Street at Union Street) will feature a blue dumpster as well as street seats outside of their popular Gowanus outpost.

“We’re really excited to be a part of the 2000 Gallon Project and bring trees and green space and communal sidewalk seating to the neighborhood,” says Ample Hills’ co-owner Jackie Cuscuna. “And the best part is that the trees will eventually be planted in Gowanus and become rooted in the community for years to come.”

Parker explains there will be an audio walking tour associated with the dumpsters. “We’re going to be working this into our educational programs. It’s a great way to visualize the issue.”

The dumpster will be located at the following locations:

431 Carroll Street, near Nevins Street. Four dumpsters will be located here, the future home of Alloy Development.
155 3rd Street, between Bond Street and the Gowanus Canal.
200 3rd Avenue, between Degraw and Douglass Streets, near the Double-D Pool/Thomas Greene Park.
234 Butler Street at Nevins Street.
285 Nevins Street at Sackett Street, outside the recently opened Freeks Mill restaurant.
305 Nevins Street at Union Street, outside of Ample Hills Creamery
450 Union Street at Bond Street, outside of The Green Building

In addition to Alloy Development making a significant fiscal commitment to the project, sponsors will include Monadnock Construction, Gowanus Hospitality Group, Sanitation Repairs, Inc., Future Green Studio, and NYC Environmental Protection.