As a motif, garbage represents the neglect, stereotyping, and shame associated with Gibb Street and its residents. Even those who don’t live in the neighborhood dump their trash there, inspiring Leona to directly connect the garbage with the neglect and stereotyping of the neighborhood, reflecting, “[People] think we’re all such slobs down here we won’t mind another load of junk” (25). The trash is not simply an obstacle to overcome before people can plant in the lot, but a perception to vanquish in pursuit of the thriving community the residents all yearn for but individually lack the means to achieve. The lot is initially an insurmountable mess with garbage “piled high as your waist” (25), but Kim clears a small area for her beans. When these sprout and thrive, others see that the lot, like the neighborhood, has potential but requires Nurturing as an Act of Faith and Healing.

Though Leona successfully gets the surface-level garbage cleared, gardeners like Virgil and his father keep unearthing buried trash as they prepare plots. Even when the lot looks like the thriving community garden it is, some people continue to dump there out of habit, and the gardeners must contend with those who “empt[y] their ashtrays out the windows and toss[] out all sorts of stuff” (34).