That's a great question that gets to the heart of everyday city life. From my experience and observations, the ease of cleaning and maintaining urban trash cans varies dramatically depending on their design, location, and the system in place.
Modern, smart bins are becoming easier. Many newer models feature smooth, rounded interiors without corners, liners or bags that can be lifted out entirely, and even sensors that alert crews when they're full. These are designed with maintenance in mind. A worker can often hose them down quickly or swap a full inner container for an empty one in minutes. The materials—like heavy-duty, coated steel or certain plastics—resist staining and odors better than old-fashioned iron bins.
However, the classic open-top wire basket or solid metal bin still common in many parks and older districts is a different story. These can be notoriously difficult. Food waste sticks, liquids pool at the bottom, and without liners, everything touches the interior surface. Cleaning them thoroughly requires powerful, high-temperature jet sprays and manual scrubbing, which is labor-intensive. In high-traffic areas, they need servicing multiple times a day to prevent overflow, which is a huge logistical task.
The biggest factors are really access and frequency. A bin on a busy pedestrian street needs daily, sometimes hourly, attention to stay clean, while one in a quieter residential area might be fine on a weekly schedule. Cities with dedicated sanitation teams and specialized washing stations have a much easier time than those relying on general public works staff.
So, in short: it's getting easier with better design and technology, but it remains a significant, ongoing challenge that requires constant investment and labor. A truly "easy-to-maintain" public trash can is a carefully engineered piece of urban infrastructure, not an afterthought.