San Francisco gets trashy

Six new trash can models hit the streets of San Francisco in mid-July and the Department of Public Works wants to know how you feel about them.

The big picture: The city is testing the performance and durability of six types of trash cans to determine which should replace those green containers that have been on city sidewalks since 1993.

• Three of the bins are custom-made; the others are off-the-shelf.

Background: The green garbage cans the city currently uses "are terrible and now without replacement parts…" California Assemblymember Matt Haney said last Wednesday on Twitter.

• The city first began working to replace the old receptacles a little over three years ago, a process that cost the city $550,000, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
• One of the prototypes cost about $20,000 per can. Once they are mass produced, however, each would cost between $2,000 and $3,000.
• Mohammed Nuru, former head of Public Works who pleaded guilty to corruption charges, long resisted Supervisor Aaron Peskin's suggestion to try different trash cans.

What's next: Residents (that's you!) can submit feedback during the city's 60-day test period of the trash cans. You can find the bins sprinkled throughout the city on this handy map.

• Public Works will review all feedback and pick a final design for new trash cans to deploy. Then, Public Works just needs to pick a manufacturer to make the cans.