Garbage day on the Peninsula now comes with a side of surveillance. Recology has started mounting cameras on its garbage trucks across 11 San Mateo County cities, snapping photos of household carts as crews roll by. If your bin looks too stuffed, you could get a warning or two and, after repeated notices, a relatively small fine.
Recology confirmed to SFGATE that cameras are now attached to most of its residential trucks in the 11 cities it serves in San Mateo County and that the monitoring went live on April 15. The system automatically takes photos as trucks run their routes, then sends those images back to Recology, where employees review them for overfull lids, extra bags and other spacing problems. According to the outlet, the residential rollout follows years of similar monitoring on commercial routes and is expected to expand to some other counties.
If a bin is ruled overfull, customers receive a warning by email, letter or phone, along with a photo of the violation, according to ABC7 San Francisco. The station reports that after two warnings, Recology may tack on a fee of up to $15 for repeat offenses.
How the camera program works
The cameras are set to flag obvious overfills, like a bin lid propped wide open or garbage bags piled around the cart, and a human being, not software, looks at the images before any warning goes out, SFGATE reports. “To prevent refuse from spilling onto sidewalks and streets it is important that all properties subscribe to the volume of service they truly need and to keep container lids closed,” Recology spokesman Robert Reed told the outlet. The company says most of the cameras are focused on trash carts only, not recycling or compost containers.
Residents have questions
Some Peninsula customers told NBC Bay Area they were caught off guard by the notices and want a clearer heads-up from their hauler. A Recology representative told the station that only a small share of customers have overstuffed bins so far and that staff review the photos before any penalties are applied.
What to do if you get a warning
If a notice lands in your inbox or mailbox, you can ask Recology for the photo and for instructions on how to dispute the finding. Service options and contact information are listed on the local page for Recology. Customers who routinely put out more trash than their cart can handle may want to upgrade to a larger bin or schedule extra pick-ups, and the County’s rate notices spell out the fees and service levels for different container sizes, according to San Mateo County. Residents with billing or enforcement questions can also contact the County Sustainability office for guidance and information on how to appeal.
