Maggie's Farm

@Douglas2: you’re correct re fines. It already has happened.

In many neighborhoods, there is a transient population which uses the bins as a source of revenue (frowned upon) and perhaps a food source. I don’t agree that conscientious residents should be fined by the city for something out of their control. Admittedly, they can reduce these incidents by putting the bins out immediately prior to collection (depending on the timing) but if you live in a multi-unit building those bins may be managed by others. It’s not ideal.

It’s interesting that the article chose to focus on the Bayview/Hunters Point area. As mentioned it’s in the furthest southeast corner of the city and perhaps the most ignored. While the article notes that it’s a neighborhood of mostly single family homes, it’s also has a high concentration of public housing and a high gang presence. Street shootings are not uncommon. If Candlestick weren’t there, no one would bother with it. It will interesting to see what happens now that the 49ers have relocated to new digs.

In some ways it reminds me of the Charlestown section of Boston. Both had a Navy yard with a huge presence, supplying work to the local community at a time when for the most part everyone came from intact two parent families. When those shipyards closed things got ugly. Various projects have been proposed to ‘lift’ up the area but they have always stalled for one reason or another. The Tenderloin is another district. It’s ground zero for the homeless/addicted population, not to mention the sex trade.

Yes, some of it may seem like overkill, but it really does work. We have three different bins - black for trash (rubbish), blue for anything recyclable (glass, tin, plastic, etc.) and a green bin for compost. We keep that one out in the back yard and use old milk cartons to shlepp the scraps out. Since waxed food containers such as milk cartons are considered part of the compost, they get tipped in when they get gross. I also add yard clippings and then just shuttle it out to the curb. And, as a San Francisco resident, I can go and collect that composted material for free. For the most part I rarely see transients milling around my neighborhood. It’s foggy and windswept most of the time and beach shabby. Not much to lend itself to hanging on the streets.

If you can find it, Mike Rowe did an interesting ride-along through Chinatown with the Recology guys for an episode of Dirty Jobs. Check it out.