Authority is a funny thing. In many situations, simply doing the right thing -- putting a trashcan in the right place, here -- is much, much easier than getting the notional authority to do it.
Or as so many people have put it, forgiveness is often easier than permission.
To root this discussion solidly in hardware, moving the trash can might not be such an easy task — in many restrooms the paper towel baskets are actually embedded in walls. There you would to actually take the basket from elsewhere.
To make the entire thing even more fun, I've actually worked in an office that had relatively strict sanitary requirements (the office contained some food testing labs), and opening the door with a paper tower was obligatory. Didn't stop the management from putting the basket on the other side of the bathroom.
I may actually care about the described issue in restroom context more than in piracy context. But then again, my most common download is books.
Or as so many people have put it, forgiveness is often easier than permission.