Whitaker family donates funds for 20 new decorative trashcans in downtown Corbin

Above, one of 20 new trashcans being placed in downtown Corbin. The city only had a handful on Main Street before buying the new ones.

Corbin’s Main Street Manager is hoping that the purchase of 20 new garbage cans for Main Street will solve an age-old dilemma downtown.

The decorative garbage receptacles were recently purchased at a cost of $6,200. Main Street Manager Andy Salmons said they were a gift from the Whitaker Family, owners of Whitaker Bank that operates a banking center in downtown Corbin.

“I approached Whitaker Bank about the idea and the Whitaker Family stepped up and said they’d love to help us get trash cans down here,” Salmons said. “It’s an important thing. For ages, business owners have become accustomed to picking up cups and cans and other trash out of planters and seeing cigarette butts everywhere. Now there’s a designated place for that kind of stuff. It’s the simplest thing in the world, but it’s something we didn’t have.”

Corbin has only ever had a handful of garbage cans on Main Street. Salmons said the city has never had room in its budget to buy more garbage cans.

Before purchasing, Salmons said the particular style of garbage can was approved by the Main Street Program’s design committee. It was selected because it is relatively small, making it easy to maintain and place where it doesn’t crowd out pedestrians. Also, the color matches decorative light poles in downtown Corbin.

It also didn’t hurt that the trashcan chosen was on sale.

“Usually, they are much more expensive. They had a big sale on this particular model,” Salmons said. “Apparently, every other city had ordered them too, so we had to wait forever for them to get there. We’ve had them ordered since early June.”
Salmons said the city did pay for shipping costs of the trashcans.

Twelve of the new cans arrived and were placed last week. Another eight are expected to arrive this week. All of them will be placed on Main Street. Salmons said he hopes, in the near future, to add garbage cans to Kentucky Ave. and Depot Street as well.

Also, the city plans on purchasing and placing decorative benches downtown next spring.