The black trash bins are over and the new bins are waiting to be used; now is the time of switch outs.
As of Wednesday, July 1, the city of San Diego will no longer be picking up trash in the old, black trash bins. Instead, it will be picking up trash exclusively from the new grey bins it began to supply last year.
The city said in an announcement that the new bins will help ensure “that only eligible households receive service at the level they select, so service levels are accurately reflected, and customers are billed based on their selected service package.”
Should the new bins break, the city will repair or replace them at no additional charge, the statement added. Residents still in possession of a black container can schedule a pickup by contacting the Environmental Services Department at (858) 694-7000.
Blue recycling bins are also being replaced with lighter blue bins. That process is about halfway done.
Those needing to change or confirm their home service can find assistance here. Anyone still needing a new bin, or an additional or larger one, can request it here.
The city is recycling its old bins at the Miramar operations facility. Once the bins are at the yard, crews clean and disassemble them, remove the wheels and metal bars and send them off for recycling, detach the bin’s lids, then grind everything down.
“The plastic regrind process begins with the bins and lids being placed into the Universal Refiner grinding machine,” the city of San Diego said in a an update. “Bins are chipped into small chunks, which drop from a chute into containers. The containers are sent to Rehrig plants, where they are cleaned, pelletized and made into new products.”
That process can be watched here.
