Chicago ad space is potentially going trashy. But not in the way that you think.

Perhaps sometime in the near future, when Chicagoans throw away their fast food wrapper, soft drink cup, or any other waste, they could be disposing their trash into receptacles advertising the very company from which their waste came.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has proposed in his 2012 budget to raise $25 million by marketing the city in new and unique ways. One of those ways is selling ad space on street and corner trashcans dotting the city.

Utilizing these types of spaces for advertising is all part of Emanuael’s plan to maximize Chicago’s value while minimizing the social impacts of advertising. In other words, his plan is to reduce visual pollution while improving the city’s bottom line.

In addition to stuffing water bills with corporate ads, Emanuel also plans to expand the program to include selling ad space on things such as snowplows, buildings, overpasses, street sweepers, and more. In fact, Emanuel has already run a trial program by leasing space to Bank of America on several historic Wabash Avenue landmarks: the bridge houses over the Chicago River.

This, of course, caused both backlash and support throughout the city. Some in Chicago were concerned at the lowering of standards regarding the commercialization of landmarks.

Others were in favor of it because these sponsorships could bring relief to Chicago’s $700 million budget deficit. However, even those who support the ad spaces will do so as long as the program show sensitivity to Chicago and the integrity of its architecture and architectural history. More subtle, less direct concepts that are theme-based and smart seem to be the desire.

Such a program is not new to Chicago. Richard Daley, former Mayor, was the first to propose such an advertising plan years ago. His idea was to permit corporate ads on bridge houses. However, some balked because the commercialization was too overt.

This is where using city trashcans and recycling bins for ad space might be a good bet. City garbage bins usually must meet specific durability and aesthetic regulations and provide sufficient waste space. There are trashcan manufacturers who are able to create customized receptacles.

In a variety of colors, sizes, and shapes, manufacturers of trash cans, garbage bins, and recycling containers can create aesthetically-pleasing receptacles that might satisfy everyone’s concerns. Some are round with stainless steel panels or a two-tone colored powder coat. Others are square-shaped in stainless steel or two-tone powder cut. Still others are completely enclosed structures in stainless steel in various colors.

All of them can have a slogan of inspiration, an image suiting the surrounding landscape, or a logo symbolizing the city laser-cut directly onto the side or lid of the receptacle.

If done properly and aesthetically, these types of bins could be an attractive addition to any city street or corner. As many of them are built to be animal-resistant, they could even be useful and appropriate for use in parks and suburban areas such as hiking or running trails.