SAN DIEGO — A City of San Diego garbage truck was caught on camera Monday mangling a trash bin, leaving it cracked and broken, but who pays for the replacement? CBS 8 is Working for You to find out if the homeowner is on the hook for the bill.
“It was a full-on beat down on my trash can,” said North Pacific Beach homeowner George Bacon.
Trash collection day did not go well for Bacon’s trash bin as the truck’s mechanical gripper ground it across the pavement repeatedly before turning it upside down and slamming it into the ground over and over. The bin was eventually tossed aside and almost run over as the truck pulled out of the alley.
“I see this trash can has got a hole in it, it’s on its side, there’s trash all over the place,” said Bacon, pointing to the broken bin. “They just murdered this trash can, I mean look at that.”
Not sure whether vandals had destroyed his trash can, Bacon checked his alley camera to find the culprit. When he saw the video, he was surprised.
“I would’ve thought the guy would’ve at least got out and tried to fix what was going on, and he just left. He left it there with the mess all over,” said Bacon. “He didn’t even empty the other trash can so I’m still waiting on that.”
With one broken bin and trash still sitting in the other one, he filed a Get it Done report.
“I clicked on the category for missed collection because they didn’t have a category for murdered trash can,” said Bacon. “But like I said, it’s been four days so far and nothing’s happened.”
CBS 8 contacted the City of San Diego’s Environmental Services Department. City staff found the report Bacon filed but they needed the serial number for the broken bin, so CBS 8 gave it to them. Their records indicate the broken can is seven years old, an assertion Bacon disputes, but according to the City, the cost to replace the bin is $49.
CBS 8 talked with neighbors who said they’re not surprised.
“Oh heck no, I live down the street and we’ve had the same thing happen,” said Leslie Drinco, who lives down the street. “Every time it happens, you have to pay for it out of pocket to get a new trash can when you didn’t break it yourself.”
Blue and green bins are free, but brand-new black bins cost $70 from their office on Miramar Place. They come with a 10-year prorated warranty, which means bins older than 10 years are the full cost to replace, but if they’re under the 10-year mark, the cost is prorated. In those cases, $7.00 is taken off the total cost for every year the can is under the 10-year threshold.
The City's response
As for how the truck driver handled the situation, the Director of San Diego’s Environmental Services Department, Renee Robertson, sent CBS 8 the following statement:
“The driver’s actions displayed in this video are completely unacceptable.
We will follow City policies and procedures in addressing these issues with the employee, as we would when we are alerted about any similar situation, regardless of how it is brought to our attention. We will also reach out to the customer to relay this information and address any additional concerns.
While this individual’s performance was not up to the high standard of service level we strive for, we value our City employees and we know that the vast majority of them – who conduct more than 37 million collections in a single year – are hardworking people who deliver excellent customer service every day.”
Replacement lids or wheels
If customers need replacement lids or wheels for any bins within the 10-year warranty period, they can be picked up for free at the Collection Services division at 8353 Miramar Place. Customers can also choose to have replacement parts delivered for an extra fee of $25.
The percentage of refuse containers that are over 10 years-old and past the expected service life in the City is over 50%, the average age being 13.2 years-old.
At CBS 8, we are always Working for You and our community. This is a station promise that we will go the extra mile to solve a problem our audience can’t solve themselves. We want to hear your ideas on how we can cover and help our community. If you have a story idea, please email us at workingforyou@cbs8.com.
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