San Bruno needs to have more garbage cans available throughout the community.

Going for walks in your neighborhood should be an easy and pleasant experience for all. That’s their purpose really, to be able to clear your head with the company of your pet or by yourself with some music. However, this isn’t always the case in San Bruno.

Having to be hypervigilant for any types of trash should not have to be a part of the walking experience in our communities. San Bruno needs to provide more garbage cans to ensure the safety of children or pets and to protect the Bay and its ecosystems.

Children and pets will always be curious, whether that be for the better or worse. With few trash cans around, people simply dump their trash against the road or grass. This trash can include anything from food scraps or tiny plastics that can be hazardous to both children and pets if consumed.

Aside from that, a trip to emergency services can cost a caretaker thousands of dollars. That alone is something that many people can’t afford, especially over an issue that can be solved fairly easily.

In my own experiences, I’ve always had to be extremely careful when walking my dog in San Bruno. I’ve seen anything from used tissues to chicken bones, both of which can cause serious health complications for our pets. If more public garbage bins were introduced around our streets, this issue could be significantly improved.

Not only is this an issue on land, but it has proven to be catastrophic to our waters. According to The Mercury News, “Every year, 7 trillion tiny pieces of plastic, roughly equal to 1 million pieces each for every man, woman and child in the Bay Area, flow into San Francisco Bay.”

These plastics end up in storm drains with trash, eventually leading into the bay. Not only does this affect us as citizens, but it affects the wildlife within the Bay Area. Certain fish species such as anchovies have already been seen with microplastics building up within them.

While litter is universally seen as a negative thing, it can actually open the door for opportunity within our community. An increase in trash can use may result in new jobs for members of our community.

If San Bruno wants to further protect its citizens and maintain their overall happiness, they’ll need to consider adding more garbage cans all around.

It may not seem like a big issue on paper, but it’s something that’s already caused some irritation within our community and can have potentially serious consequences.