The Sordid Saga of San Francisco’s Trash Cans

Bay Curious

KQED

History, Society & Culture, Places & Travel

4.9 • 999 Ratings

🗓️ 3 March 2022

⏱️ 13 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Bay Curious listener Matt Leonard asked: "What's the deal with San Francisco's trash cans? Why are they so unwieldy and why does it seem like it's so hard to get them replaced?" The answer takes us into the belly of San Francisco's Mohammed Nuru corruption case. On the upside, we'll get to know the new trash can prototypes. Additional Reading: The Sordid Saga of San Francisco's Trash Cans (with prototype photos) San Francisco's Unfolding Web of Corruption: A Cartoon Interactive Vote in our March Public Voting Round Reported by Christopher J. Beale. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Sebastian Miño-Bucheli, Vanessa Rancaño and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Kyana Moghadam, Jessica Placzek, Natalia Aldana, Carly Severn, Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Jenny Pritchett.

Transcript

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0:00.0	From K-QED. Just walk around any neighborhood in San Francisco, like the Mission, where I am right now, and you'll see them.
0:10.0	Four feet tall, green, made of metal. They are
0:15.0	San Francisco's trash cans.
0:19.0	In my experience, you can never seem to find one when you're looking for it and when you do find one it will often be surrounded by trash.
0:30.0	They're usually broken in some way, which seems like quite a feat.
0:34.4	Like how do you even break a trash can?
0:36.6	But there's this recycling container at the top that gets busted.
0:40.0	And then anything you try to recycle falls into the trash can below.
0:44.4	These trash cans got our question-asker, Matt Leonard, wondering.
0:47.6	What's the deal with San Francisco's trash cans?
0:50.6	Why are they so unwieldy and why does it seem like it's so hard to get them replaced?
0:56.0	The history and future of San Francisco's trash cans.
0:59.0	Today on Bay Curious, I'm Olivia Allen Price. We'll be right back.
1:04.0	Support for Bay Curious is brought to you by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company,
1:12.0	still family owned, operated, and argued over.
1:15.0	Explore their brews wherever fine beverages are sold and taste how trailblazing runs in the family.
1:21.0	Visit Sierra Nevada.com to find your new favorite beer today.
1:27.0	We asked reporter Christopher Beal to get down and dirty on San Francisco's trash cans and to find some answers for our question asker Matt.
1:36.0	Matt, this story is crazy.
1:38.0	Really?
1:39.0	Oh gosh, let me just break down what I found out so far.
1:42.0	For starters, those big green trash cans we have now have been in place since 1993.
	...

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