And though its design may limit graffiti as intended, the steel fins seem likely to prove difficult to clean they were encrusted with some unidentifiable gunk. But it doesn’t look particularly unique or elegant when stuffed with garbage: it looks like a trash can.

The public works department says its “unique and elegant profile stands out from afar”, and indeed, it was visible from across the street. This $11,000 trash can lives up to its name: it looks like a salt or pepper shaker.

Salt and Pepper trash can in San Francisco, August 2022.