San Francisco officials are working to fix the trash problem in the city, though the hefty price tag could hamper their efforts.
A committee on the board of supervisors learned Wednesday that a batch of the new, custom-made prototype trashcans they want to place throughout the city will cost between $12,000 and $20,000 apiece.
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If the can were to be mass-produced, it would drop the cost of each trash can to an estimated $2,000 to $3,000.
“Our streets and our sidewalks are a mess, and the cans we have out there now are actually part of the problem,” said supervisor Matt Haney, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. “At this point, they’ve already come up with designs, we won’t save time now to go backwards, but it’s really frustrating that they chose this route.”
Going to momentarily forget about a decade-plus of misplaced priorities that removed trash cans from the streets of San Francisco — and instead just look at the snazzy new designs. The “Salt & Pepper” definitely has the best name: https://t.co/QzPOdjNVXu pic.twitter.com/URJunNwQcm
— Drew Dara-Abrams (@drewdaraabrams) July 22, 2021
The committee members agreed to advance the debate to the full board for a vote on a proposal to build 15 trashcan prototypes, consisting of three different designs, for a pilot program.
“$20,000 a can is ridiculous,” he continued, adding that he’ll meet with Public Works to bring the cost down. But if he’s unsatisfied, he said he would consider pushing to send the proposal back to the committee instead of having the board vote on it.
The designs that will be included in the pilot program include a can that is shaped like a salt-and-pepper shaker with a rectangular opening and a smaller hole for recyclables, a wide, rectangular trash can with a handle to pull open a chute, and a narrow rectangular can with two circles for trash and recycling.
These prototypes should prevent the cans from overflowing with trash and prevent people from rummaging through them.
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Public Works is asking the supervisors to approve $537,000 in spending to cover the costs for 15 cans and 10 garbage carts with wheels that go inside the can.
A poll of 500 San Franciscans, commissioned in June by the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, showed that just over 40% of residents plan to move out of the city in the next few years.
