There are plenty of examples of SF government being wasteful, but this does seem pretty reasonable to me. Most cities can afford to be less concerned with the “

There are plenty of examples of SF government being wasteful, but this does seem pretty reasonable to me. Most cities can afford to be less concerned with the “tamper proof” feature, and when you add that to the other requirements, it’s not unreasonable that a custom bin is needed. Plus, as other commenters have said, it’s one of the most visible public works, so it contributes quite a bit to the character of the city - a unique look would be nice.