City of San Diego Environmental Services Department

Seriously… WT?
This was a non-​damaged very good condition recycle bin before this morning. They’ve already devastated my garbage container which I can’t afford to replace, so I’ve had to reinforce with some screws and wood I had laying around. Someone please Turko!

They literally didn’t pick up my trash can this week. I noticed they’re putting stickers (sell a trash can) on many many trash cans, as they destroy too many. I get the «free service» but I’m getting they don’t get much revenue from recycle revenue because of the transients (which i get too) Oh God, I don’t really have an opinion/​review anymore. :(

Fucking pieces of shit the fucking broke the wheels off the trash can and now i have to pay 70 + shipping

Could not be more impressed by the courtesy and professionalism shown by the staff. Picking up extra recycling cans today went flawless.
For those who complain about having to pay for the black trash cans — here’s my (retired Navy Chief) take on it. Of course I’d like to get it for free, but that’s not how it works. So a black can costs $ 70. But that $ 70 is prorated over 10 years so it’s basically only costing you $ 7 a year. If the can becomes unusable in 2 years, a new replacement can will cost you $ 14 (not 70). 3 years = $ 21 and so on. Your other option is to buy a compatible can somewhere else (but you probably won’t get an «easy» 10 year warranty. I admit the $ 25 delivery fee is a bit onerous but most everyone knows someone who has a truck or SUV. If San Diego did not have the automated collection system, you’d still be going to Home Depot every couple of years to buy new trashcans and they don’t cost $ 7 each. The final option would be to move to another city in the county. They have FREE TRASHCANS there. Of course, you will be paying a couple of hundred dollars a year for trash service. But hey — the trashcans are FREE.

This agency represents everything wrong with bureaucracy in San Diego. They broke my bin and now I have to replace it? Furthermore, they didn’t even bother taking the trash that was in the freaking bin. They could have at least done that much. For those wondering, the city of San Diego no longer provides free replacements as of January 2015. So if they break it you buy it. Courtesy of the incompetent tools (and fools) in office.

I guess along with all the other people reviewing this place, if you don’t expect the experience to be pleasant, then it won’t lead to disappointment.
At the office the service was definitely lacking and it wasn’t even busy (there was just me and one other customer). They’re attitudes were a little bit off putting. Never the less, I was able to leave the place in 10 minutes with a new black trash bin.

Add me to the list of people who are angry that their trash cans are being broken by the trash trucks. The new replacement black trash cans are flimsier than the old ones. The old black one I had from 1998 – 2014, and the wheel finally cracked and broke off (I had repaired it, but the trash trucks slam the containers back down and the entire wheel was missing when I came home). The new $ 70 replacement can is thinner plastic, and a year later the lid is cracked almost completely in half.

Not only they broke my bid but they are also lier! After paying $ 25 for shipping, they didn’t take the old bin (as they told me)!
I paid them extra $ 25 because I have a small car which doesn’t have space for the bin.
This story is not going to finish here.
I am going to the city to talk to somebody «up», Italian style.

Well it happened to me again on 5÷27÷15: Blue bin handle cracked & top cover destroyed on black bin. I too, care and maintain these bins and hose them out weekly.
Enough said, here’s what we can do as citizens to cause the City to take notice: «When your bins are broken by the City’s trucks and drivers, just leave them as is. The City drivers will have to get out of their trucks and manually dispose of our trash and recycle. This will cause the City drivers to lose time on their routes and getting in late. Time is money. It could cause a hardship on workers who are unable to lift these heavy bins manually. They may want to seek another job with the City. No workers available to drive trucks… Nice ripple effect to get this City policy changed.
Last Resort: We could get signatures to stop the Environmental Services Department trucks from abusing our bins! Then take the signatures and contact the local news channel with the «Turko files» to help us look into this. We should NOT have to pay for their neglect. It is ridiculous and unfair for the citizens of San Diego to pay $ 70 when the trucks and workers blatantly destroy out bins.

It’s kind of unfair because an establishment of this nature is just destined to have poor reviews. I mean, honestly, I don’t foresee many people writing rave reviews about awesome experiences with trash collection services but I’ll try to be objective so here goes…
The whole thing started when the city greenery collection truck decided to play trash can bowling and rammed into my trash can, breaking off a chunk of the side in the process. After speaking to the Environmental Services Department, there was nothing they were willing to do but I could buy a new trash container for $ 70. Yippee!
Not having any other options at that point (are weekly trash bonfires still illegal?) I went to their office to pick one up. Most of the time the lady helping me was just talking with another employee and handing me papers to sign without saying anything. At least the process was relatively quick. They took my info and money and I was in and out of there in 10 minutes.

They broke the trash can, and they have decreed themselves unresponsible for the damage. What incentive do the drivers have to be careful? They are incentivized to finish their route asap, which means often rough treatment so the drivers can get home. The City of SD needs to change this perverse incentive structure so at the very least, drivers are tracked based on how many cans are replaced on their route per month or whatever, with some kind of disincentive for above norm route destruction.

I love how it’s been proven that the City trash trucks break the cans YET the citizen has to pay to replace it. Better yet, there is a fee for the new can AND a delivery fee. I have no problem paying to replace a can IF the city used a collection method that didn’t damage the can-​as the current process has proven to do. My small recycling container was in perfect condition this morning. Now, the lip has a crack and it’s tagged. WTF? My trash can and other recycling cans have been this way for months because of the automated trash truck. Really! Collect trash like the City of Chula Vista. Their method doesn’t damage the cans.

Some things in life are free. like recycle bins that belong to the city of San Diego. Yippee! All I had to do was pick it up! The whole process was so easy and I was in and out in less than 10 minutes. Reduce, reuse, recycle! Love it!

Smashed and squeezed and cracked and broke my trash can. It seems like a way they make extra money. Their supervisors probably tell the drivers to do it.

This company makes me want to leave San Diego. there is no clear path to file a complaint. They dropped my trash bin in their truck, and left. Now i have been dealing with argumentative reps, who clearly hate their jobs. All i want is my trash picked up and a replacement bin for their mistake. I will report them everywhere possible. This is disgrace, you want San Diego Looking Like Tijuana? Fine… don’t pick up the trash…

They broke my trash cans and told me I had to pay to replace them. I asked to speak with a manager, left a message and never got a call back. How is that acceptable for customer service?!? How can they get away with that?

All of you could thank Jerry Sanders for charging you for trash cans and if you vote for manage competition for city workers expect to get charge about $ 65 to $ 75 every three month for trash pick up. Thank Jerry Sanders again

In 2007 the city passed a law to pass on the responsibility of the automated collection trash cans to homeowners. However, they put in a «no fault» clause into the law. So when the collection truck slammed, dragged, and dropped our can repeatedly and eventually destroyed it, we were told that we had to pay ($ 70 + $ 25 delivery) for a new can.
I have video of the delivery truck driver slamming and dropping our trash can. I have pictures of the cracked can. I wrote to Environmental Services, the Mayor, and the City Council to no avail. The city takes no responsibility even when their employees break your trash can. However, they stand to make money (up to $ 1 million per year according to city records) when they force you to purchase a new trash can from them and threaten to stop picking up your trash unless you have that specific kind of trash can. Sure, they give you the model numbers, but no one else sells these specific trash cans.
Read this law. Joey Z. is on-​target when he called this extortion.

The city collection truck cracks my trash can into pieces… Guess who gets to pay to replace it: the homeowner! I think not. They can continue to get of their truck to pick up all the trash that falls out do to their broken container. Funny, the cans are ‘property of San Diego’ but the homeowner has to purchase?
What happened to ‘Free’ trash collection that is mandated in this city? I pay huge property taxes and will not pay another dime.

if you would believe it, I have actually experienced TWO more events requiring the assistance of the environmental services customer service…
and i really would like to give them 4 stars at this point. i really would. but honestly, anything that is part of our local gov’t cannot be deemed more than ‘a-​ok’ in my book. mainly because things like the DMV, traffic court, trash collection, etc are all things that we HAVE to do when we do it… not WANT to do. It’s not like I can say…“oh I went to the Environmental Services office on Miramar to upgrade my blue recycling can and everyone was so pleasant — I highly recommend using them!“
we kind of don’t have a choice now do we.
…but hell, they really have done a good job for me in all the times I’ve had to go to them so I guess I will give them 4.
If your can gets a broken wheel or Mr. Trash Man forgets your collection one day (as was my case… oh i needed to get the blue can too), FEAR NOT! They are actually really organized and take care of things. I’ve spoken to someone on the phone a handful of time and always get through pretty quickly and have a productive and pleasant conversation.
Sure, it took 2 phone calls and 3 days after my collection day to finally get my trash picked up — but it WAS picked up eventually… and that’s really all you can hope out of our dear city.