Delaney Hall

So really there's an underlying behavioral issue that you've been talking about throughout this interview.

The new cans are finally rolling out this summer, and honestly, they look great.

They're so sleek.

But as Rachel has made clear, you can design the perfect trash can and still have dirty streets.

Litter in San Francisco isn't just a design problem.

It's a complex behavioral problem, caused by people dumping household garbage to dodge collection fees, and rummaging through bins because they have nowhere else to go, and illegally dumping, I'm going to say this number again, 18,000 tons of garbage on the streets a year.

A better trash can is definitely a tool, and I'm sure it will help.

But it's not going to fix it all.

We started this episode with a question.

And we have a pretty good answer, at least for the nearly 3,000 trash cans on the city's sidewalks.

They are overseen by San Francisco Public Works.

The department installs, maintains, and repairs the trash cans.

They prioritize placing cans in the busiest places, like in commercial areas and plazas, and near bus stops and other areas with a lot of foot traffic.

When it comes to putting out new trash cans, they take feedback from the public via 311 and requests from the Board of Supervisors.

Sometimes they'll run pilot programs to see how more or differently designed trash cans might affect litter in a given area.

So if you're ever wondering why it takes San Francisco a decade and half a million dollars to choose a trash can, now you know.

Consider this service request resolved.

Today on the show, you heard Roman Mars.

No further introduction needed.

And you also heard Rachel Gordon, the director of policy and communications at San Francisco Public Works.