If you害羞草研究所檙e old enough to remember a time when people dared to leave the house in bell-bottom jeans, you害羞草研究所檙e probably also old enough to remember B.C.害羞草研究所檚 fabled, quirky roadside installations dubbed 害羞草研究所淕arbage Gobblers.害羞草研究所�

The unique roadside garbage receptacles were created in the late 1950s by Len Shaw for the B.C. Parks Branch, according to the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.

Gobblers were placed across the province in B.C. Parks and at information points along the province害羞草研究所檚 highways in order to 害羞草研究所淜eep Beautiful British Columbia Green and Clean害羞草研究所� by encouraging people to properly dispose of trash.

At the time the Garbage Gobblers were installed, it was common to dispose of trash by simply tossing it out the car window, noted a commenter on a recent photo of Garbage Gobbler in a Facebook group dedicated to historic photos of British Columbia.

害羞草研究所楯unior Garbage Gobbler害羞草研究所� trash bags for cars were also part of the provincial litter reduction strategy. Motorists were encouraged to feed the 害羞草研究所淛unior害羞草研究所� bags to the roadside gobblers along their travels.

However, the Gobblers turned out to be an ill-fated experiment, as they only ended up compounding the roadside trash issue.

Originally made from concrete and later with fiberglass, the Garbage Gobblers were designed with open backsides, attracting animals and causing large amounts of trash to pile up around them.

The Gobblers were replaced by the B.C. government with bear-proof canisters in the early 1980s.

Fortunately for enthusiasts of surreal environmental installation relics, a handful of vintage Garbage Gobblers can be found throughout the province. According to the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, there害羞草研究所檚 even one somewhere in Penticton.

Have you seen Penticton害羞草研究所檚 own Garbage Gobbler? If so, we害羞草研究所檇 like to know where he害羞草研究所檚 been hiding this whole time.

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jesse.day@pentictonwesternnews.com
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