Edhat StaffSource: City of Santa Barbara
Approximately 1,400 public trash and recycling containers in 26 different styles currently exist throughout the City of Santa Barbara. A past assessment revealed that most of the containers were weathered or are in disrepair. In 2015, the City’s Environmental Services Division addressed the needs and created a Public Container Repair and Replacement Program. Through the program, six designs were approved by the Architectural Board of Review (ABR) and Historical Landmarks Commission (HLC) to standardize containers when future replacements are made.
Prior to replacement, containers will be refurbished until it is no longer feasible. Last fall marked full operation of the program, with 100 containers scheduled for refurbishment this fiscal year. Containers are taken in batches of twenty (in a manner that leaves enough containers to meet litter needs) and are returned in approximately three weeks to the original location. Some containers along San Andres, Milpas and Chapala Streets have already been refurbished and residents will begin to see refurbishments, starting at the foot of State Street before the end of the City’s fiscal year.
