Am I the only one who noticed the bank lobby in Portland has zero trash cans?

I was at the US Bank branch on Hawthorne last Wednesday to deposit a check and realized there wasn't a single wastebasket in sight, even the teller said they got rid of them two months ago to cut down on maintenance, has anyone else seen a bank do that?

2 comments

2 Comments

jenniferb533d agoTop Commenter

Bet it's not about maintenance at all, banks are paranoid about anything people can stuff bombs or drugs into after what happened with the package scares last year. Removing the cans forces you to either take your trash with you or hand it directly to an employee which gives them a chance to screen it. Makes their security theater look a little less obvious.

andrewh433d ago

Funny you mention that, I actually saw a bank near me in Portland do this exact thing last month. But here's what gets me - if they're really worried about bombs or drugs, wouldn't someone just leave the trash somewhere else in the lobby or parking lot instead of the can? Seems like moving the problem, not fixing it. Plus half the time those package scares turned out to be someone's lunch or a Amazon box anyway. Makes you wonder what the real reason is when they strip out something as basic as a trash can. Have you actually asked a teller or manager why they did it, or is it just a policy handed down with no explanation?