Walt Disney World Resort has made it official: the new generation of themed trash and recycling bins isn't stopping at a handful of pavilions or a single park. It's going everywhere. And based on the wave of installations confirmed on Tuesday, the rollout is well underway.
The Scope of What's Being Replaced
Since June, Walt Disney World Resort has been methodically swapping out traditional waste receptacles across its on-property locations with a new line of themed, Imagineering-designed bins. Walt Disney World Resort has now confirmed the replacements will eventually reach every corner of the property: Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Disney's Typhoon Lagoon Water Park, Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park, Disney Springs, and the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
The outdoor versions are solar-powered, using panels on top to power interior compactors that compress waste and reduce how often custodial staff needs to change bags. Indoor models have the same shape and themed design, but without the solar equipment. Both feature a foot-pedal opening mechanism rather than a push-down lid. This change caused enough confusion among guests that the Walt Disney World Resort released a dedicated instructional video on how to use them.
The rounded tops of the new cans have also drawn consistent criticism from EPCOT regulars who relied on the flat tops of the old receptacles as impromptu dining surfaces during crowded festival seasons — a workaround the new design makes impossible.
What Arrived at EPCOT on August 18
On Tuesday, WDWNT reported that a new round of themed bins had been installed at EPCOT, primarily in indoor locations.
The Seas Pavilion now has dark blue and black trash and recycling cans on both its first floor and upper level, each featuring the starfish-shaped logo from The Seas with Nemo & Friends.
The Land Pavilion received beige bins on multiple interior floors, along with at least one outdoor solar-powered unit, all bearing The Land's green-and-red logo. Near Soarin', silver round-topped bins with the minimalist yellow-and-red Soarin' logo have appeared. The fixed wall-mounted receptacles inside Sunshine Seasons are the only original units remaining in the building — whether they'll be replaced remains to be seen.
In the World Celebration neighborhood, blue, gray, and white bins featuring the EPCOT globe logo have been installed in and around CommuniCore Hall.
No completion timeline for the full property-wide replacement has been provided by Walt Disney World Resort, though Tuesday's update suggests the pace is accelerating.
What do you think about the new trash can design spreading across the Central Florida Disney parks? Disney Fanatic would love to hear from you in the comments!
