Photos: The painted dumpsters of Bethel, Alaska

Updated: June 1, 2016 Published: August 3, 2014

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Caitlin Laraux and Adilyn Jung stand by the dumpster they painted in Bethel, Alaska on Tuesday, July 1, 2014. My Mom is My Hero, with portraits of their moms is painted on the dumpster. Youngsters in he southwestern hub city of Bethel have been painting dumpsters with various themes over the years.

BETHEL -- In a city with no curbside trash pickup, where plastic shopping bags must be biodegradable but stuff still accumulates in yards, dumpsters are not only essential but celebrated.

The dumpsters of Bethel are canvases for public art and billboards for public health. They are where residents are supposed to throw away garbage, but their value extends beyond function.

"Everybody thinks of Bethel as being ugly and it's not," said Tiffany Tony, operations director for the region's vocational school, Yuut Elitnaurviat. "Bethel is quirky."

Photos: The painted dumpsters of Bethel, Alaska

Read more: Dumpsters of Bethel combine function, art, public health

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