Re “Replacing bins, some new, will cost customers $65M” (July 15): It has already cost me. Less than two years ago, I paid $95 for my shiny, hardly used black bin and now it will be recycled. I thought the reason for eliminating “free” trash pickup was because the city didn’t have enough funds for current trash collection. So now the City Council voted to implement a system that is more expensive. That would be called “living beyond our means.”
But to the mayor and six council members, it seems like, “Let’s see how much of the customers’ money we can spend.” Instead of imposing a monthly trash fee that is far higher than what San Diegans were told to expect and spending $65 million to replace bins, replace the mayor and six council members who approved the new fee.
— Virginia Hatt, Pacific Beach
Well, here we go again. Following a bait and switch on the monthly fee to be charged for the new trash collection policy, there was a somewhat deceptive letter from the city that allowed citizens to protest the new fee if they found the letter and returned the protest form, with forms not returned counted as if they supported the fee.
Now we supposedly have the opportunity to select the size of our black trash bins, with size-dependent monthly fees. Good luck trying to find that on the city’s website. But don’t worry, if you don’t select a size, the city will automatically send you the largest one, with the associated highest monthly fee. Do you think that Mayor Gloria will be holding a public forum to address our concerns about this issue?
— John Silcox, Serra Mesa
If the city insists on buying new bins with chips, it should at least consider using that technology to offer a cheaper service: paying per pickup. Someone putting out trash once a month could save money while contributing to the city’s climate goals.
— Christina Martinez, Chula Vista