HIDES THE BEAST THAT IS CITY BUREAUCRACY. >> THE SHOT IS FANTASTIC. BUILDING A BETTER BAY AREA MEANS BALANCING THOSE TWO. AND ABC SEVEN NEWS REPORTER LYANNE MELENDEZ IS HERE. YOU'RE TALKING TRASH. YOU'RE TALKING TRASH AGAIN, LYANNE MELENDEZ. >> ONLY KINDNESS AND THE TRUTH, LARRY. WELL, LISTEN, LATE LAST YEAR, WE LEARNED THROUGH A REPORT THAT IT TAKES LONGER AND IT COSTS MORE TO BUILD HOMES IN SAN FRANCISCO THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN CALIFORNIA. THE HOMES AREN'T THE ONLY THING WE'RE SLOW AT NOW . SURE, BLAME IT ON THE PANDEMIC, BUT DOES IT TAKE SEVERAL YEARS TO COVER THE CITY WITH TRASH CANS? APPARENTLY SO. FOR A MAJOR CITY, SAN FRANCISCO HAS A FAIRLY GOOD NUMBER OF TRASH CANS. BUT WE HAVE A PROBLEM. TRASH TENDS TO FIND ITS WAY ONTO CITY STREETS, TARNISHING SAN FRANCISCO'S IMAGE EVEN FURTHER, LIKE RIGHT HERE THEY CLEANED TODAY, AND TWO MINUTES LATER, SOMEBODY WILL TRASH IT. IT'S BEEN FOUND THAT THE MORE PEOPLE LITTER, THE MORE IT BECOMES A HABIT. THERE DESENSITIZED. WHY CAN'T WE JUST HAVE A NICE CAN OUT IN SAN FRANCISCO, A NICE WIRE BASKET LIKE THEY HAVE IN SOME OTHER CITIES? WE TRIED THAT IN OUR PILOT PROGRAM AND WE SAW THAT IT DIDN'T WORK. WE'RE SLOBS. I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S SLOBS. IT'S REALLY IT'S BEHAVIOR ISSUES. THE CITY THEN REALIZED THEY NEEDED SOME KIND OF HUMAN RESISTANT TRASH CAN WITHOUT COMPROMISING ESTHETICS. BUT THIS IS SAN FRANCISCO, SO IT HAS TO BE DIFFERENT, RIGHT? THEY SETTLED ON A SLEEK NEW DESIGN. THAT WAS TWO YEARS AGO. HERE'S PART OF THE REASON FOR THE DELAY. RATHER THAN PICK ANY DESIGN, PUBLIC WORKS DECIDED TO GO THE DEMOCRATIC ROUTE, ASKING RESIDENTS TO SELECT A FAVORITE FROM A FEW PROTOTYPES. THOSE SPECIAL TRASH CANS BECAME YET ANOTHER CITY PILOT PROGRAM, COSTING $550,000. THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY. $550,000. YEAH, IT'S A LOT. IT'S A LOT OF MONEY. THE GARBAGE CANS, CERTAINLY, ONCE THEY'RE INTO FULL MASS PRODUCTION, AREN'T GOING TO COST THAT MUCH. WE'RE HOPING THEY'LL COST ABOUT $3,000. THIS IS THE MODEL THAT COULD COST $3,000, CALLED SLIM SILHOUETTE. THERE'S ONE ALONG THE EMBARCADERO ACROSS FROM THE FERRY BUILDING. AS SEEN IN THIS PHOTO. ONE WAS PLACED IN THE TENDERLOIN, BUT THAT'S NOW GONE. THE SEXY NEW CANS ARE SUPPOSEDLY RESISTANT AND HARD TO TAMPER WITH, AND WE'VE NOTICED THAT IT'S BEEN TAMPERED WITH. >> IT LOOKS CUTE. PRETTY. THAT'S IT. YOU WENT FROM SPACESHIP TO COME BACK AND GET IT. >> PUBLIC WORKS SAYS THERE WILL BE SOME DESIGN CHANGES AND IMPROVEMENTS MADE, LIKE BEING ABLE TO FIT A USED PIZZA BOX. RIGHT NOW THE OPENING ISN'T LARGE ENOUGH. THEY ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE CAN'T GET INTO THE RECYCLED PORTION, SO THAT THIS KIND OF RUMMAGING DOESN'T HAPPEN. I'M SOUNDING SORT OF LIKE MY MOM. WHAT HAPPENED? WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE OLD ONES? OKAY, SO THE PROBLEM WITH THE OLD CANS IS WE SEE, WE GET A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH PEOPLE BEING ABLE TO GO INTO THE CANS, RUMMAGE THROUGH THEM, AND PULL THE GARBAGE OUT. WE WANT TO HAVE IT SO PEOPLE JUST CAN'T PULL OFF THE DOORS AND SMASH THE LOCKS AS EASILY AS THEY DO NOW. AND FINALLY, WE WANT TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT'S A LITTLE BIT ESTHETICALLY PLEASING. MIND YOU, PUBLIC WORKS HAS YET TO FIND A COMPANY THAT WILL MASS PRODUCE THEM. SO AT THE EARLIEST, THE CANS WILL START TO ROLL OUT BY THE SUMMER OF 2025. THE CITY WANTS TO PURCHASE 3000 TRASH CANS, SO DO THE MATH. THAT'S $9 MILLION. TO CLARIFY, RATEPAYER FUNDING PREVIOUSLY COLLECTED BY RECOLOGY HAS ALREADY BEEN SET ASIDE BY PUBLIC WORKS TO COVER THE COSTS OF THE CANS. BOARD PRESIDENT AARON PESKIN, WHO IS RUNNING AGAINST THE INCUMBENT MAYOR, HAS BEEN CRITICAL OF THE COSTS AND DELAYS. >> I EXPRESSED THESE CONCERNS YEARS AGO. I SAID THAT WE JUST NEEDED AN OFF THE SHELF PRODUCT. THEY WANTED TO HAVE SOMETHING SPECIAL, REGARDLESS OF COST. WE STILL DON'T HAVE THE CANS RIGHT NOW. >> PUBLIC WORKS HAS A MORE IMMEDIATE PROBLEM, LIKE HOW TO QUICKLY REPLACE THE 15 BIG BELLY SMART TRASH CANS LIKE THIS ONE REMOVED OVERNIGHT FROM THE NORTH BEACH NEIGHBORHOOD. AFTER THE NORTH BEACH CITIZENS, THE LOCAL NONPROFIT, TERMINATED THEIR CONTRACT WITH THE COMPANY THAT PROVIDED THEM BIG BELLY. >> BIG BELLY HAS FALLEN DOWN ON THE JOB. THEY'RE NOT SERVICING THE CANS WELL, THEY'RE NOT TAKING CARE OF THEM. THEY'RE NOT MAINTAINING THEM. >> A DARK MARK LEFT ON THE PAVEMENT IS PROOF THEY WERE ONCE HERE. THE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT EXPRESSED ITS DISAPPOINTMENT WITH BIG BELLY, STATING THAT SUCH ACTION WOULD REQUIRE A LOT OF COORDINATION ON THE CITY SIDE. FOR NOW, IT APPEARS THERE WILL BE NO CANS FOR THE UPCOMING NORTH BEACH FESTIVAL. ATTENDEES COULD CARRY THEIR TRASH HOME, BUT OF COURSE, THERE IS ALWAYS THE STREET. HOPEFULLY NOT NOW. TOMORROW IS THE SF FEST ITALIANA AND THE NORTH BEACH STREET FAIR IS FROM JUNE 15TH THROUGH THE 16TH. NOW WE REACHED OUT TO BIG BELLY SEVERAL DAYS AGO AND THEY NEVER RESPONDED
