Monica finally got her garbage can

👋 Hey, it's Monica. I finally got my new garbage bin last week — 37 days after I requested it.

Why it matters: I was sick of seeing rats jumping into the lid-less cart, but ordering a new one tested city services' speed and efficiency.

State of play: I first requested the can on Aug. 1 by dialing 311. On Aug 23, I got an email that read "estimated completion time is 30 days" — like it was the first day I'd requested it.

• So it's unclear whether the city counts my experience as taking longer than expected.

What they're saying: "Our Streets & Sanitation supervisor does have a very limited number of carts to distribute for emergencies (such as a property having no carts whatsoever) but generally it can take a few weeks to get new carts," 44th Ward rep Calvin Cottrell tells me.

What's next: To avoid having my carts damaged again, I'm thinking of keeping them in my garage until garbage day.

• Streets and San officials tell us, "Residents are encouraged to keep their black and blue carts in the alley, when available, so they are accessible for the sanitation trucks."
• I'm also calling 311 to ask why they didn't take away the broken cart.