It’s been more than two years since San Francisco Public Works first dangled fancy new trash cans in front of us, promising to make San Francisco’s streets cleaner as part of the city’s ongoing war against trash.
But trash keeps on winning. We don’t have any shiny new receptacles, and we’re still stuck with litter-strewn streets; when you can find one of the meager number of trashcans on the city’s streets, it’s usually overflowing.
The delay on the new bins is a result of budget constraints, Public Works spokesperson Rachel Gordon told Gazetteer SF.
In late 2022, the agency decided on a custom-designed “Slim Silhouette” model for its can refresh, with “tamper-proof” bins and sensors that alerts when they’re almost at capacity. The choice came after a several-years-long effort to replace the ‘iconic’ green cans that have been overflowing on San Francisco’s streets since 1993. Way back then, the department said its next steps would be to identify a funding source, obtain approvals, and decide on a manufacturer.
It’s that last step that is now at an impasse. On Mayor Daniel Lurie’s first day in office, he implemented a freeze on new contracts, so Public Works’ effort to find a can maker is “on ice right now,” Gordon said, adding that the department is “planning to move forward when we can.”
This whole process has been controversial, thanks both to its cost and how long it’s dragged on. The city spent roughly half a million dollars on prototypes, not to mention the steep cost of the custom trash cans themselves. The city anticipates spending at least $6 million in total replacing each of the city’s roughly 3,000 cans at a minimum of $2,000 a piece.
This month, newly elected District 3 Supervisor Danny Sauter called for a hearing on the issue, telling Gazetteer that the topic of trash was “one of the most consistent items that people brought to [him]...there are a lot of questions out there and not a lot of answers.”
Sauter wants to examine the city’s policy and processes relating to trash cans and clean streets, seeking answers to questions around how to request new trash cans, why some trash cans are constantly overflowing, why there are so few trash cans, and what the heck is happening with the replacement plan.
As part of Sauter’s campaign, he promised 1,500 additional trash cans throughout San Francisco, the same number the city removed back in 2007. At the time, then-Mayor Gavin Newsom said there were simply too many, and that they were being “inappropriately used by our neighbors.” Newsom claimed it would reduce litter in the city by 50% over the next five years.
Nearly 20 years later, 311 data suggests trash is still top of mind for people. Complaints of poop hit a record high last year, according to a San Francisco Examiner analysis of city data. Meanwhile, loose trash items were the top 311 complaints for residents between Jan. 1, 2022 and June 22, 2023, according to a San Francisco Chronicle analysis.
While Sauter wants more trash cans, he’s not convinced the city needs to replace all of its old ones with custom-built bins.
“Given the financial constraints we find ourselves in right now, is it really cost-effective to go down this route of expensive trash cans?” he wondered. “I’m skeptical. I think we’ve all seen as we travel to other cities that they’re clean and it’s not like they have the latest tech.”
There are parts of the city — specifically high foot traffic areas — that could benefit from having a trash can with a lock or other safeguards, he said.
“But I think for the vast majority of San Francisco, the priority should just be more trash cans,” he said.
Sauter’s hearing doesn’t have a date just yet, but he hopes to get it on the books within the next two months.
“This is not something we’re doing to get anyone in trouble, but to get us all to sit down and think through this and have a space to share these answers,” he said. “We’re doing this with full acknowledgement that the way to cleaner streets in San Francisco is not just trash cans, but they are a major component.”
