In a big city, little things can mean a lot – especially when it comes to trash.An effort is underway to make Baltimore’s downtown core cleaner, greener and more rodent resistant, thanks in part to a new trash bin system that is expanding to more corners than ever.Forty new trash receptacles were installed earlier this year, and that number is expected to grow to 100 by early next year, according to the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, the entity that provides clean street ambassadors, guides, homeless outreach and other services in a 106-block area in the central city.“Cleaner, healthier, attractive and – hopefully – pest free,” said Maria Evora, the Downtown Partnership’s Chief Operating Officer, who spearheaded the project and described its objectives.Baltimore’s new bins are replacing smaller, aging receptables that are open at the top Credit: Downtown Partnership of BaltimoreThe new sleek, sturdy and cleanly designed receptacles are replacing aging round metal bins that were smaller, open at the top and past their prime.“Trash may not be the most interesting capital improvement downtown” Evora said in written responses to questions from Baltimore Fishbowl. “But it is the little things that go a long way. These products are built to last and they are operationally easier for our stewards to maintain.”Upgrading the downtown area’s trash system takes a little more planning than one might think.First, the Downtown Partnership needed the funds to pay for the project. Those came from a $10 million grant approved by the General Assembly in 2022, with sign-off on spending by the Maryland Board of Public Works earlier this year.Then staff needed to pick a product that best fit Baltimore’s needs. What better place to look than at an International Downtown Association conference, where among the vendors, Baltimore representatives liked the offerings of New York-based CITIBIN, which had already provided containers in places like Newark, Aspen and New York City – where rodent control is arguably more important than even Baltimore.The CITIBIN containers being installed in Baltimore are fully enclosed and constructed from sheet aluminum—with every angle welded to keep trash in and critters out. There’s three sections: one for trash, one for recycling, and a third to hold full bags of refuse, making the collection process easier for street ambassadors.The Downtown Partnership made sure the next containers were branded to meet Baltimore’s needs. “Design was important to do a few things: beautify, attract and make sure people knew where to place their rubbish,” Evora said. “It was important for these to stand out, but still act as an attractive design that did not overdo it- sleek, sexy, and all the while, maintaining consistency with the design of other branded assets” in the Downtown Management Area.The bins are larger than those they are replacing, and the open section means no more bags piling up on sidewalks.And if you walk by, and barely notice them as you toss a coffee cup, soda bottle or candy bar wrapper, that might be the whole point. Little things can mean a lot — and can even be invisible.