Why is Public Sanitation so Hard?

“Why are public trash cans so complicated and expensive?” Mark Dent attempts to answer this question in The Hustle, explaining the different approaches cities in the U.S. and around the world are taking to reduce urban litter. 

In some places, like Tokyo and San Francisco during Gavin Newsom’s mayoral administration, cities decided to remove trash cans to discourage illegal dumping. In other places, removing trash cans led to more litter. Washington, D.C. has the most trash cans per resident of any U.S. city and is often considered one of the cleanest.

Dent also notes the high cost of some trash cans, which can cost upwards of $2,000 each and can be designed to be rummage-proof, set off alerts when full, compact trash, and be durable in an urban environment. But while pricier designs can improve function, they sometimes don’t bring the cost savings a city hopes for. Tacoma, Washington ended its experiment with smart trash cans in favor or more affordable non-compacting models. “Ultimately, we moved away from solar compaction because the math simply didn't add up for our specific needs,” said a city spokesperson. In Philadelphia, a former sanitation worker who started his own company used grant funding to install inexpensive trash cans that are emptied twice a week in a North Philadelphia neighborhood lacking enough facilities and hopes to expand the program.