#mills engineering

[magicaltrash]

The year is 2000, one year before Disney’s California Adventure opened, and the parking structure was still a work in progress. Amid the construction dust and anticipation, a lineup of forest-green trash cans quietly awaited their assignment. These are not the themed receptacles we’ve come to expect inside the parks. Instead, they stand in their original, utilitarian form, complete with the manufacturer’s label still intact. Mills Engineering's Lit-R-Gard model, a design that has served Disney parks for decades, rarely appears this unadorned in a resort setting. Seeing them here, stripped of decorative panels and graphic overlays, feels like they belong in an archive. A glimpse of the infrastructure before the storytelling-via-trash begins. // Disneyland Resort, Mickey & Friends Parking Structure exterior, 2000. [Source: Retroist. Used by Permission.]

[magicaltrash]

A metallic Tomorrowland trash can was sold by auction via Van Eaton Galleries in August 2018. Described as having a "a sloped front with a solid flat back," it fits the description of the classic Mills Engineering "Model H," a narrow unit -- but in this case, the access door was on the side, not the front. Also, it had a huge dent on the left side panel. Oops! Here's the auction listing:

(Disneyland, c.1970s-80s) A silver-tone metal trashcan from Disneyland. This style of trashcan has a sloped front with a solid flat back and features the text "Waste Please" on blue labels on three of its sides. This can measures approximately 16.25"x21.5" and 40.5" tall. The condition is good with some wear and scuffing throughout from use, including a dent to one of the side panels.

The dating of the can in 1970s-80s, but the color and artwork hint at a legacy Tomorrowland design, such as this one from the late 1950s/early 1960s. Minimum starting bid was $200, with value estimated at $1,000-1,500. This style has its origins with the classic Mills Engineering “Model H,” a narrow unit with a front access door. // Auction Listing, Disneyland Resort, Disneyland, Tomorrowland, c.1970s-80s [Source: Van Eaton Galleries.]

[magicaltrash]

Taking a break from Disney and looking at something more UnMagical, but still pretty cool! CanFan Mike Burns recently visited the Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour in Waterbury, VT... and they have themed trash cans. The cow designs seem to be sitting on cans that may be the same type Disney uses, sourced from Mills Engineering. Sweet! // Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour, 2013 [Source: Mike Burns. Used by permission.]