The differences between Disney's and Universal's trash cans
I recently spent ten days in Orlando visiting Disney World and Universal Orlando. I liked all the parks — they were fun and genuinely enjoyable.
We did every park except one (not counting water parks):
- Disney: Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom
- Universal: Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios Florida (didn’t make it)
We actually had to end the trip two days early because of a death in the family back home, which is why Universal Studios Florida is the one we missed.
Differences in the parks
On the surface they seem like the same thing — big amusement parks in Florida. But I noticed a lot of differences almost immediately.
One of them was the trash cans.
Disney felt more polished across the board. The staff all seemed trained the same way, the trash cans all matched, and the employee uniforms matched wherever they were stationed. The same went for the general organization of each park and for accessibility — wheelchairs and that kind of thing.
Universal had most of what Disney had, but it just wasn’t as “polished.” There were many different types of trash cans, and some ride themes made no sense at all. The staff weren’t trained as consistently either — and don’t get me wrong, they were good employees, they just didn’t extend their service the way Disney’s did. Uniforms were another tell: at Disney, the employees by the Star Wars rides dressed like Star Wars characters. At Universal, the uniforms only matched the theme about half the time.
Trash cans
Okay — onto what this article is actually about.
Disney
Disney had exactly one type of trash can across the entire park — the one in the photo above. Different paint and theming for different areas, sure, but underneath it was the same can every single time. Occasionally it was paired with a recycling can — still the exact same style, just with a round hole for cans and bottles instead of a swinging flap.
Personally, I loved that design. It’s simple and clean, and everybody instantly knows it’s a trash can.
Universal
Universal had at least four different trash can types: big concrete ones, round metal ones, square metal ones, and some that looked a lot like Disney’s. Most of them were paired with recycling cans too. And those were just the variations I could find afterward — I’m pretty sure there were ten more out in the park.
Why does it even matter?
I found myself struggling to answer that one.
The biggest problem with Universal’s approach is probably guests not being sure whether something is a trash can or a potted plant. But does that really matter? Not really — there are trash cans everywhere, in every park, Disney or Universal.
So in the end, I don’t think it actually matters. But Disney clearly has the edge on feeling finished — and not just with the trash cans. With everything.