Planted Dumpsters Moving From Gowanus To Sunset Park's Industry City

GOWANUS, BROOKLYN — This past July, ten bright blue "pop-up dumpsters" overflowing with greenery were installed on various Gowanus streets as part of the "2,000 Gallon Project." The effort focused on educating the public about the city's need to handle storm water in a more environmentally friendly way. Now that the trees are re-planted throughout Gowanus, the dumpsters were moved to Sunset Park's Industry City.

Industry City just recently bought six of the dumpsters from the Gowanus Canal Conservancy to use them as planters, a member of the conservancy told Patch. Each dumpster can hold 2,000 gallons of rainwater at a given time, reducing the amount of water flowing into the city's sewer system.

It's unclear where in Industry City the 11-foot-long dumpsters will go or what kind of plants will grow in them, the conservancy member told Patch.

“This place is in dire need of trees — look around — everything is brick and grey around here,” said Sunset Park resident Rebecca Solitario to Brooklyn Paper. “I think it’s a great idea. Some flowers would be really nice. It will give this place some life."

See Related: Planted Dumpsters Coming to Gowanus This Summer

The dumpsters were first installed in July to make a visual statement about how retaining stormwater can help stop combined sewage overflow in the Gowanus Canal. The Gowanus Canal is one of America’s most polluted waterways, with about 377 million gallons of sewer water entering the canal each year, said Andrea Parker, the director of the Gowanus Canal Conservancy.

"Each 2,000 gallon planter helps visualize the scope of the problem, why we need trees, green roofs, bioswales and sewage tanks, and how each of us can pitch in, via rain barrels or shorter showers, to make Gowanus Blue," Parker told Patch.

The Gowanus Conservancy tended to the dumpster gardens throughout the summer and fall, and planted the trees around the neighborhood just before winter. If all goes well, the garden dumpsters will have the same success in Industry City as they did in Gowanus.

Photo Credit: Pavel Bendov/The Gowanus Canal Conservancy