Of late, The One has heard much wailing and gnashing of teeth over the City's proposed implementation of new bins to collect recyclables and other waste. Concerns include maneuverability of the bins, sidewalk blockage, and their questionable aesthetics, particularly in terms of their heritage friendliness. Perhaps making them look like small Victorian houses - a sort of "Garbage Cullen Gardens" - or a collection of Metronome Clinic client figurines would increase their acceptance.

We're not disputing the fact that the program could have been better researched, introduced and explained, and that the lack of the smallest bin is a curious, and frankly, goofy oversight. Especially since it would consume less space and be more easily moved. From Where We Sit, we think it would've been a much better move on the City's part to wait until these were available and use the time to consider how the program could best be implemented in a dense core area like the Duchy.

And we think the decision to not collect and recycle the existing bins certainly goes against those noble recycling goals the City seems to be espousing.

With all this in mind, we're somewhat agog at the brouhaha. We're talking about a plastic box here, not illegal guns, crime, the social balance, Streetcar Developments, the Queen Street BIA or the gradual decay of society as we know it. A plastic box to store old newspapers, pizza boxes and - of potential interest to Conrad Black - shredded records. A plastic box, incidentally, that stands to reduce a significant number of work related injuries by city waste collectors. Injuries our taxes pay for.

Though then again, perhaps this does represent the gradual decay of society as we know it, when we get to the point where we feel that this kind of thing is considered so epic in its impact on life that community consultation - and the expense that will involve, again from our collective pockets - is considered a prerequisite.

Let's focus on the important things, like yet another shooting of an innocent bystander (on Gerrard this time), and treat the bin situation like the relatively minor blip that it is.