Dear Supervisor Melgar,

We are respectfully requesting your help to facilitate a long-term solution to our recurring trash problem on Mount Davidson in Miraloma Park. Currently, the heavily trafficked mountain has only one public trash can. It’s located at the 36 Muni bus stop trailhead entrance at the intersection of Dalewood Way and Myra Way. The trash can has no latch or closure system. The crows, raccoons and other animals get into the trash can and pull out the dog poop bags, face masks, food waste, and other trash and spread it all around the trailhead, bus stop and into neighboring yards. It’s a health hazard and a blight on the neighborhood. The trash can is so small that it fills up daily and visitors leave their trash piled on top of or around the trash can.

The communities surrounding Mount Davidson including Miraloma Park and Sherwood Forest are asking for two things:

(1) the replacement of this public trash can with a large latching lid trash can to keep animals out.
(2) daily emptying of this trash can.

Every other park/trail system in the city seems to have the appropriate animal-proof trash and recycling bins. These trails are highly trafficked by hikers and dogs. Ideally there should be an animal-proof trash can at all four trailheads to the mountain but we are asking for just one. Typically, Recology only empties this trash can on Thursday and Friday mornings, when they are in the neighborhood for regular residential trash collection. It needs to be emptied every day. When Recology doesn't come, the waste just piles up and the crows spread it everywhere.

We need a practical, long-term solution. Thank you for considering our request.