The rollout of high-tech trash cans in San Francisco has faced another delay. Officials need to redesign the locks to stop people from searching through the bins and littering the streets.
As a result, the arrival of the first shipment of around 600 cans has been postponed to September or October instead of July, according to reports.
This shipment is part of a broader plan to introduce 3,000 new bins to replace the old green ones that have been in use since the 1990s.
Currently, eight of the new silver bins are already in place as part of a pilot program launched in April. City officials assert that these designs are functioning properly so far.
The new cans come equipped with separate sections for trash and recycling, a finish resistant to graffiti, and capacity sensors to notify maintenance crews when they are nearly full.
The necessity for a more robust locking mechanism arose to prevent rummaging through the bins and keeping sidewalks cleaner.
Rachel Gordon, a spokesperson for public works, pointed out, “It was tough to keep the streets tidy around some dumpsters. We found it harder to navigate around them.” She added that this has become a major focus for the city.
Gordon also indicated that recent changes in federal tariffs have contributed to these shipping delays, but the overall cost of the project has not risen dramatically.
“The pilot cans launched in April have performed well. They’ve met our expectations,” Gordon noted.
The unforeseen postponement extends a project that originally kicked off eight years ago.
The custom-designed bins were created back in 2018, but after resident feedback on the early prototypes—each costing between $11,000 and $20,000—the project hit a snag in 2021.
Now, the mass-produced models are set to cost about $1,375 each, significantly lower than originally projected. The city is preparing to allocate up to $3,000 per bin in 2024.
District 3 Supervisor Danny Sauter expressed concern about any further delays, stating, “My constituents expect us to handle the small details, and putting trash cans at corners is certainly one of them.”
Bradley Angell, the executive director of Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice, praised the reduction in costs after labeling the original prototypes as overly expensive. He commented, “Having adequate bins and lowering costs is definitely positive.” Angell added that there’s still a need to tackle waste generation, hold businesses responsible for their waste, and enhance composting efforts.
