Tomorrow the city will roll out a new 65-gallon recycling cart to replace the iconic yellow bins that have been sitting at the edge of Portland's driveways for well over a decade. While the new carts will likely increase the amount of trash that doesn't wind up in area landfills, one question remains: can they double as sleds?

You see, for years the yellow bins have been misappropriated during Portland's rare snow days. If you head to a park anytime the city receives significant snowfall, you're liable to find at least a few 3rd graders bombing down hills in them. I myself made good use of my family's bins at least a few times back in middle school. In a rush to get outside before the rest of my neighborhood's brats could hog Gabriel Park's fresh slopes, I'd grab a bin if I couldn't find my saucer sled.

In addition to working fairly well on a downhill jaunt, they also came in handy if you were ever looking to build shelter. Several "bin bricks" of snow, once stacked in a circle, could become a fairly decent improvised igloo. While I never attempted to make one myself, I've spotted a few of them being built on front lawns over the years.

I can't say if these newer, larger carts will cut it the next time the city gets a rare winter blast (which could be sooner than later, given how crappy the weather has been this spring). I see the potential for serious rollovers if anyone is foolhardy enough to use one as a makeshift snowmobile.

RIP:
The Yellow Recycling Bins
1991 (?) - 2008